Run, Baby, Run….and bring your friends and family

Workout:

• Type: Strength Training
• Date: 12/20/2007
• Time: 17:30:00
• Total Time: 00:10:00.00

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 12/19/2007
• Time: 10:30:00
• Total Time: 00:28:44.00
• Distance: 3 miles
• Average Pace: 9:35.08/mile

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 12/16/2007
• Time: 08:15:00
• Total Time: 00:41:00.00
• Distance: 4.2 miles
• Average Pace: 9:45.37/mile

I mean, just take a look at my logbook. Miles, miles, miles….now…none. But if there were a space for “number of Lofthouse cookies eaten”, that section of pie graph would be huge. I could go running on my own, I guess, but it’s just not the same. First, I’m a wimp and won’t run alone in the dark. Second, going for a run’s just like going for a cup of coffee, a time to catch up on a friend’s busy life. At 5:30 am. In the dark. Third, there are lots of good reasons to skip a run in the cold and rain, that seem less like good reasons when somebody is meeting you. Sigh….

At least I made it to the gym. A holiday equation: 125 pounds plus two glasses of wine last night minus any water plus an extra riser on the step equals one slightly painful class. Sigh….

Maybe I’ll run tomorrow….

Workout:

• Type: General Cardio
• Date: 12/15/2007
• Time: 09:30:00
• Total Time: 1:00:00.00

Workout:

• Type: Strength Training
• Date: 12/15/2007
• Time: 09:00:00
• Total Time: 00:30:00.00

That’s what my gym offers. I’ve swum on swim teams, played some waterpolo, swum with some Master’s groups, but never heard of or tried a “swim conditioning” class. Like a Master’s workout, I thought. Not exactly….

What was good:

1. I was in the middle of the pack. Neither the fastest or the slowest.
2. Decent sets with a good variety of free/stroke work/short/long/kick.
3. Got me there and swimmig at 6 am.
4. Seemed like a nice group.
5. I completed a 50 fly without drill for the first time in a while.

What was, different (not bad, decidedly different):

1. There were five of us. In 3 lanes.
2. Everybody started the send offs together.
3. The send-offs were too slow for the fast people and killing the slower people.
4. No circle swimming. (Still feel bad for the woman a clocked with my windmill stroke….)
5. The “coach/instructor” swam the workout too. “This is the job I need!” I thought. “Write and workout and get paid to swim it!”
6. Lots of rest….

So….did I like it? I did. Was it the hardest workout I’ve done? Not so much. Here it is, for those interested, but I can’t remember the send-offs.

w/u:
200 free, 150 nf, 100 im, 50 kick
6×25 pace

main set:
50 nf (1:15), 100 free
50 nf (1:15), 150 free
50 nf (1:15), 200 free
50 nf (1:15), 250 free
50 nf (1:15), 300 free
50 nf

4×50 free (1:00)

2×100 fly kick

100 cool down

And more quotes from my three year old. He loves plums. I was trying to explain that they grow in the spring, when the leaves come out. “I have a great idea, mommy! We can go get new leaves and tape them onto the trees. There will be leaves and plums.” “Interesting thought, T. We just get new leaves?” “Yes. From the store. From the grocery store. And them tape them on.” (Imagine a withering “of course, you idiot!” look from a three year old here.)

Last question: Anybody know if there’s any recreational adult water-polo around Seattle? Summer or winter?

Workout:

• Type: Swim
• Date: 12/12/2007
• Time: 06:00:00
• Total Time: 00:55:00.00
• Distance: 2,500 yd
• Average Pace: 2:11.96/100yd

1. To my kids, “going swimming” really means paddling in the water for 10 minutes, then sitting on the top step of the hot tub.

2. According to my three-year old, the lifeguard is “the lady who lives in the pool.” Who knew?

3. Same three-year old, after wearing his sister’s pink coat (with toggles, not buttons, thus the big draw…) and a princess tiara, necklace and shoes for several hours, informed me that he was a “pretty princess. Becauses princesses are beautiful and cute. Like babies.”

4. The gym makes better grilled cheese sandwiches than I do. Not hard to do.

So, obviously, we spent the afternoon at the gym. Went swimming, sort of, then the kids went to the gym daycare and I got a decent workout. Quick run (see the other post) and strength, strength, strength. I suspect that when my independent strength training routine equals the warm-up of the “strength and core” class, sore muscles are headed my way. Still, felt better and had the kids around for comic relief.

Workout:

• Type: Strength Training
• Date: 12/10/2007
• Time: 17:15:00
• Total Time: 00:45:00.00

Still hating the treadmill, so I went for easy intervals today. Mile or so warm-up, then quarter mile walk, quarter mile at a variety of speeds. Did a couple at an 8 minute mile pace (usually a sprint for me!) and felt good. Maybe someday I’ll actually run an 8-minute mile…..hahahaha……

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 12/10/2007
• Time: 16:45:00
• Total Time: 00:26:00.00
• Distance: 2.3 miles
• Average Pace: 11:17.97/mile

Workout:

• Type: Strength Training
• Date: 12/08/2007
• Time: 10:30:00
• Total Time: 00:30:00.00

So said our instructor this morning in the middle of some long, continuing hill climb during the spin portion of my favorite class. For once, I arrived early, grabbed a spot and a heaveir bar for the squats and weights. (still, only 18#s, it’s much more of a higher reps class.) Who knew that 3 or 4 pounds made such a difference. My arms are a little shaky, my hips are a little sore and I’m a touch fatigued. All in a good way.

I headed out Christmas shopping today, and wow….maybe it’s the slumping economy? Sales, sales everywhere! (I’m certainly not complaining!) I was just surprised. Shopped and took a quick break for an eggnog latte. It will be a bittersweet day when eggnog lattes are gone. I’m sure it’s not exactly healthy to have an eggnog latte several times a week, but yummmmmmm….yeah, the day will probably be more bitter than sweet, even if it does keep me from having a heart atttack at an early age!

PS. The next post is just the 30 minutes of strength training from the class this morning. Brad, Jeff…any way to put two different exercise types into one post? I haven’t figured out how yet (and you know I’m computer illiterate) so I keep doing two posts for one trip to the gym….

Workout:

• Type: General Cardio
• Date: 12/08/2007
• Time: 09:30:00
• Total Time: 1:00:00.00