I've converted

For the last 6 months I've been going to our city's rec center. It may be small but you can always get the machine you want and the limited selection of weight-lifting apparatus was actually a good thing - much less confusing for the beginner.

The only downside to the rec center was the daycare. While it was always empty and I really liked the ladies that ran it, it cost $2 per hour for the kids to be there. It didn't seem bad while Joe was on an afternoon shift and he watched both kids in the morning, but this month (with Spring Break thrown in) my $15 rec center pass has already doubled in price. So the idea of free daycare finally lured me into a Gold's Gym membership.

Fortunately Joe found someone who was desperate for a sale and scored me a killer deal on the gym pass. Today was my first day and I think I enjoyed it. There are a whole lotta people who are in much better shape than I am (as opposed to the rec center where you work out equal parts senior citizens and firefighters.) The number of weight machines was a little bewildering. I think Joe needs to come and set me up a new weight-lifting program.

And I do so ever love the hot tub.

Cheer for our team!

Today we're leaving for the Wasatch Back, a 170-mile Ragnar Relay race that goes from Logan to Park City Utah. The team is the Straight $hooters and they're team number 479.

Don't think that I'm running in this race. Maybe someday. Actually I'm just driving one of the support vehicles. But Joe is running and that makes him studly and awesome. If you happen to be in Park City, cheer for the Straight $hooters!

Running update

Since I've been such a slacker with my blog, you may have decided that I've also been a running slacker. I'm proud to say that I've actually kept up with the Couch to 5K program! Week 5 is in the books and I'm still running 3 days a week.

Technically I did one week of the program over because I wasn't feeling very strong but it ended up being a good thing. Right now I can run the required distance each day without feeling out of breath and, best of all, with no knee braces! This is such a huge improvement from last summer. I think starting slow and not worrying about how fast I'm going has really taken less of a toll on my body. And this makes me not hate running! So far, so good and I'm still hoping to do a few 5Ks later in the summer.

Oh and a happy, happy side-note to the running thing is that I've lost 12 entire pounds and feel really really awesome about that. So, you know, yay!

Running - week 1

Hey, one week of the Couch to 5K program is over! That's the good news. The bad news is that the EASIEST week is over.

Did anyone else take the Cto5K challenge? How are you doing?

Getting into some sort of shape (other than round)

For some reason winter killed me this year. I had no desire to do anything but snuggle on the couch and watch HGTV. It may have had something to do with the fact that either me or one of the kids was sick 98% of the entire winter. Needless to say, months of hibernating has done nothing for my personal fitness level.

Fortunately the sunshine has inspired me to get off my backside and start jogging again. Joe has been running for months because he is competing in the Wasatch Back at the end of June. This sounds a little extreme for me but you can bet that we'll be cheering for him along the way!

Anyway, back to my slacker self. Here goes. Today is Day 1 of Couch to 5K '09. Feel free to cheer me on. I'm sure I'll need it. And if you want to do the program with me, I've set up a handy printable calendar that you can download here. Let me know how you're doing!

My precious

I am so sad! On my list of "things I have not found since we've moved" is the armband and case for my iPod Nano. So when I go running I have been tucking the iPod in the strap of my bra where it is nice and safe and cozy.Well, apparently not as safe as I'd hoped. When I got home I noticed that the iPod was dead. Figuring that it had discharged I plugged it in. Except... nothing. No power, no response, no nothing. I don't know if it was heat or a little bit of moisture (there's no condensation behind the screen or anything). My poor precious iPod is no more.

Anyone out there have a used Nano they are getting rid of?

Running update

3 - number of miles run (no walking!)
36 - minutes it took
1.5 - miles it takes before I quit hating it and wanting to stop
475 - calories burned
5.5 - speed I run on the treadmill
1 - speed that Minnie walks on the treadmill while I stretch
9 - days before our 5K

Running update

2 miles in 24 minutes!

Karma doesn't know jack

You may recall that a few weeks ago, I broke my husband's bike. Turns out that the loose chain got tangled in the spokes of the wheel and broke several of them, causing the tire to bend and twist-off center and become one with the brake pads. So yeah. Go me. Also he did not follow his own advice and hit the bike with a rock. He hit it with some tools instead. The result was the same: bike still broken.

Anyway, as a reward for not leaving the bike on the side of the road with a sign that said "Steal Me!" (only because I didn't have a Sharpie) Joe purchased me a brand-new bike.
Now, this is not a top-of-the-line, or even a reasonably-fancy bike. Joe is smart enough to know that I just don't care about those things. If a bike is as light as a paperclip, made from recycled lunar rovers or capable of breaking the sound barrier while simultaneously balancing your checkbook... I still don't care. Except for the "light as a paperclip" one. I would have made the kids carry the bike back home! Anyway, a wise man knows that if his wife had the money available to purchase a bike that could defy the laws of physics, she'd probably rather pay for a nice massage. Or a maid service.

This is pretty much the cheapest, boringest, base-model bike that WalMart had to offer. However it does have a suspension, comfy seat and (lest we forget) pink shocks. What more could we ask for?

The REAL question here is this: have I been mysteriously rewarded for essentially breaking one of his toys, or bribed to stay away from them in the future? In either case, what would happen if I were to, say, remove all four tires from his beater truck?

Hmmmm? I don't know. I'll keep you posted.

happy trails, etc...

jeri

Still running

1 week down and I'm still going strong with the Couch to 5K program. I can run one entire mile at a time (woo hoo!) but my 5K time is still 39 minutes. That would pretty much having me finish ahead of one-legged pirates (Avast, ye dastardly marathon!) and the elderly. Not the Physically Fit Elderly who speed walk and carry weights and do other things that are rad, but rather the ones with walkers and canes. Nevertheless... I would finish. Here are a few things that have helped me immensely.

1. Good running shoes - if you're serious about running a 5K, break down and get some good shoes. Running shoes are lighter than cross-trainers or all-terrains and have good arch support. They don't need to be The Most Expensive, just ones that fit your foot well and are comfy. These aren't my shoes... I just wish they were.

2. Water bottle - I just recycle a favorite sport-cap water bottle... if I can keep it away from my kids! They love it.

3. Music - I {heart} my iPod nano. I created a playlist of songs for when I run. Mostly I want songs that motivate me to keep moving - no relaxing tunes here! Here's what I have going this week:


Get it Started - Black Eyed Peas
Move Along - All American Rejects
Juicy - Better Than Ezra
CrushCrushCrush - Paramore
Mercy - Duffy
Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
Hey Mama - Black Eyed Peas
I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry
Pain - Jimmy Eat World
American Girl - Tom Petty
Kill - Jimmy Eat World
Geek in the Pink - Jason Mraz
Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
How Far We've Come - Matchbox Twenty

Have some great tips? Let's hear them!

love, etc...

jeri

My goal

It's a well-documented fact* that 'graphic designer' is not the most "in shape" profession out there. With all the sitting and the computer-staring and the mouse-clicking, we're somewhere between "sloth" and "aardvark". Not so good for cardio-fitness, but we're mad thumb-wrestlers.

While I'd like to consider myself closer to the "aardvark" end of the fitness spectrum, the fact remains that I'm turning into a bit of a slouch. 2 pregnancies, 2 newborns and a busy job have eaten up most of the free time I spent doing active and sporty things. However with my kids having reached their 4th and 2nd birthdays, I'm running out of excuses, getting older and just plain chunking out.

Joe started running a few years ago and on Saturday, completed his first 5K. With a respectable time of 29 minutes, he finished strong and didn't get passed by anyone in a stroller (which was his personal goal). And so he started pestering me to run one with him. Joe and I are fiercely competitive with each other - in a good way. If we had classes together in school, we would constantly try to one-up each other until we both had straight A's. So I know with him egging me on, I'll probably work hard until I can do this. Also I've watched all the weight, counted all the points and tried all the other ways I can think to drop a few more pounds. I think my body has given up all it's willing to at this activity level and it's time to start working harder.

I checked out this book from the library and read this website for info on training for a 5K. Both are really good. Both recommend setting specific, short-term and attainable goals, naming a reward for yourself and then working out at a moderate level instead of trying to run until you hate it and hurt all the time. So after a week of testing myself on the treadmill, I can do the 5K distance in 39 minutes. Not spectacular and I would come in ahead of only kids on trikes and basset hounds. However, I would finish and not die.


Current time: 39 minutes
Goal time: 33 minutes
Race date: July 24th
Reward: A cute running outfit

I'll post progress toward my goal as time goes on. I'm really excited about this! And if absolutely nothing else, I've got to lose a bit of weight, right?

*I'm sure things like this are documented. It sounds like something that would make a good study. Google "graphic design sloths" and see what you come up with.