Three Things Thursday

1. Imagine -2 degrees outside at 530am, if you can.... arriving at the highschool for swim team practice and the entry way is warmer than the girls locker room. Yes, It was below freezing in the locker room... you could practically see your breath... and there was no running water. Who wants to jump in the pool after that?! I did... and then I drove home, in my wet suit and sweats (still -2 degrees), and took a really really long hot shower. love it.
2. The past week or so has been somewhat of a blur, but I am pretty happy with being able stick with my workouts to the best of my ability and given time... only missing a couple!
3. I want to say thanks to all of you wonderful bloggers who have left heart warming comments in my past couple of posts. It means a lot to me! I am taking today and tomorrow off of work and heading home for the weekend. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and I will touch base with all you awesome people when I get back!

The sun will shine again

Sorry for the absense of blogging and posting comments. I have been checking in every once and a while; reading some of your post but haven't had much motivation to post comments. The times I have commented, have been random and few and far between; usually when I haven't had the concentration to sit and do paperwork.

I was out of town this past weekend and there was no internet access to be found. Even if there were, I know I probably wouldn't have been posting or commenting on blogs. I was busy with family, and trying to make most of our time together.

Things are still a little rough around the edges here, but clouds are starting to part and the sun will shine again... so to speak. I am sure it will be then that I will be ready to share what's been going on, but until then, bear with me.

You are my Sunshine...

... my only sunshine....

I want to say thanks to all those who have given me the Sunshine Award..... Caroline, Marlene, and Julie. If I missed someone, please accept my apologies.

This is something that kind of has a double meaning for me this week - I appreciate it more than you may know!

Reflection & Repentance

Lenten season has begun and with the week I have had I didn't make it to Ash Wednesday church service. At first I forgot it was Ash Wednesday and then when I did come to the realization, I wasn't able to make it to service because of my chat session for grad class. Stuff happens.

Many people who celebrate the lenten season try to find things to give up for 40 days. Most the time I do so myself. If I decide to give something up, it's usually something that I really have a hard time parting with - kind of my own personal sacrifice.

This year, my Lenten season will be two-fold:

1. I am giving up sweets. Now, this is pretty broad, but for me it will include the following: candy, chocolate, soda, and all baked goodies. *sigh* However, this will not include my coffee - but I will be cutting back significantly.


2. I find it to be a great time to reflect on life in general and to help myself become a better person all around. Nuff said, right!?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Three Things Thursday

1. The week has been good in regards to balancing work and working out - it's been pretty calm at work and I have been following my schedule to a T with the workouts! In the past four days I have swam 3900 Yds, biked 18.05 miles, and ran 2.6 miles... did 30 minutes of pilates, almost an hour of stretching and foamrolling.... throw in a complete REST day yesterday and I am satisfied!


2. I am trying to soak in as much of the Olympics as possible. Last night I tried to hard to stay away and watch Shaun White in the Halfpipe finals but just couldn't do it. Has anyone caught any of the men's or women's hockey? There are twins from Grand Forks, ND who are playing on team USA - Monique and Jocelyne Lamoureux. They are both Freshman at the University of North Dakota - my alma mater. If you get Sports Illustrated, you might have seen their family story in there - very interesting! On the USA Men's Hockey team, Zach Parise who currently plays for the New Jersey Devils, is a former UND hockey player as well. On Canada's Hockey team is Jonathan Toews, who is currently playing for the Chicago Blackhawks, and is a former UND hockey player. SIOUX players represent!! Woot woot!


3. On a personal note - things have been kind of rocky the past couple days and I am not ready to share anything as I am on a emotional rollercoaster. Instead, I will leave you with some quotes...

"A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life." ~ Charles Darwin

"I Still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and the friends I want to see." ~ John Burroughs

"He who has faith has... an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will come out well - even though it may appear to come out most badly." B.C. Forbes

A bit of a recap

Last week was week 2 of what I would like to call "Potential Half Marathon Training". I still haven't decided if that's the distance I want to train for in the Fargo Marathon or not, but I am trying to work towards that - juggling getting back into swim team practices and keeping up with my biking and strength training in the process....

Let's see what this past week looked like:

3 complete REST days...
2 swims totally 4100yds...
only 4.2 miles of running - total...
22.67 miles of biking - two separate ocassions...
1 BodyPump session...
a lot of stress at work...
a bit of exhaustion by Friday...
not used to these long swim sessions...
trying to find a the balance...
super sore from BodyPump...
absolutely NO yoga or Pilates...
hoping week 3 will be better....and consistent.

Did you all have a great weekend? Mine was pretty low key, except for a birthday dinner and out for drinks with a few friends! No big Valentine's celebration here.

Are you training for anything? If so, what?

week 1 of swim team - IN DA BOOKS

I officially have a week of Swim Team (2 practices...count 'em...2) under my belt! Let's do a run-down of my feelings towards joining this group, again.... no other way than the bullet way:

• 1 hour and 50 minutes total
• 4100 yards total
• super glad to be back with the coaches
• learned that this pool and our Y pool is measured in yards, not meters.
• switched all my stats from "meters" to "yards"
• now realize my stats are more of a rough estimate, as some races and events were measured in meters, not yards.
• the above comment bugs me ... a lot.
• tons of drills...and I mean TONS.
• used fins for the first time yesterday
• my calves were sore after that...
• I think it was because they were too big and I was trying to keep them on...
• but I was cruisin' in those things.
• didn't realize that doing the dolphin kick while on your back can affect your core...wow!
• was re-aquainted with "The Tarzan" yesterday...
• it brought back memories of my first triathlon...and first swim in the open water.
• I enjoy sleeping in until 5am ... I used to get up at 430 to get to the pool.
• I am not used to 8x50 yard builds
• love sprints in the water, but after 6x50 yards, I am somewhat spent.
• the backstroke is my least favorite..
• well, actually the butterfly, but we don't really do that one
• yet, I suppose.
• The pool was colder yesterday than Tuesday...
• maybe it was because I was more tired,
• but it reminded me of my first swim session outdoors - last summer...
• 6am and 44 degrees.
• Yeah, you read that right.
• my friend and I pretty much have the ladies locker room to ourselves.
• it only takes me 25-30 minutes to get ready and look presentable for work..
• and, I still have time to stop and get coffee.
• now that is heaven!!
• Definitely the highlight of my week!

I hope I am this positive after my second week of swim practice!

What was the highlight of YOUR week?

Three Things Thursday

Here's a different spin to "Three Things Thursday".... 3 Topics with 3 things under each topic. Some might call it "Nine Things Thursday". This is my blog, I'll do whatever I want!

1. Music:
I have a few songs right now that I keep playing over and over again on my ipod. I go through phases with my music, alternating favorite genres and songs - depending on my mood. But, the past couple of weeks one would think I was trying to kill these songs by how often I listen to them. Don't judge my taste in music.

Imma Be - Black Eyed Peas
Great tempo - I used this song when I working on crunches with the medicine ball the other day and was very sore!




The Killers - Human
I love to run to this song. It's a combinatoin of the tempo and the lyrics... they just get me going!




Lady Antebellum - Need You Now
I haven't been a huge country fan for a long while now, but there's just something about this one. I really like this group... and have been listening to this song while I cool-down and stretch.






2. Sports
For those of you who are new followers to my blog, I am a huge sports fanatic and love all sports, especially college hoops and baseball. I watch a bit of the NBA, and have followed more football this year than ever (did y'all catch see how good the Vikes were this year?). So, here's a few of my favorites athletes. Believe me, it was hard to narrow down to three right now.

#33 - Justin Morneau - 1st baseman, MN Twins #69 - Jared Allen - MN Vikings - Defensive End
#50 - Tyler Hansbrough - UNC Tar Heels - forward (now with the Indiana Pacers)

3. Movies
I am not a HUGE movie buff and really don't watch too many movies since I struggle to sit still for more than an hour and focus on one thing, but there are a few movies that I could watch over and over and over again, depending on my mood.

Billy Madison - it's a tradition of mine to watch this every year before the school year begins... I love Adam Sandler and this is one of my favorite movies of his.

Moulin Rouge - Great love story with awesome music. Need I say more?

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - I usually watch this a couple times before Christmas. HIL.AR.I.OUS.

Do you have any favorites in the categories listed above?

Once a Gator, always a Gator!

Happy hump day, peeps!

First of all, if you missed it, I was asked to write a guest post on Jess' blog - Run Girl Run, and it was posted on Monday! If interested, check it out right here!


Today, I am here to inform you all that I have joined the FMY Gators Adult Swim team, once again! I swam with this group this summer for a few months and loved everything about it. The few months I took off were mostly due to work; I didn't know if I would be able to juggle my work schedule with the later morning practices. When I would swim at the Y in the mornings, I would get there by 5am only to beat the 530-6am rush.


Now, I have gotten into a pretty decent routine with work and feel comfortable joining the team again...with my peeps. Planning ahead of time is pretty key - clothes, gym bag, breakfast, lunch - I new it would definitely be feasible.

Practice is offered Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 545-645am, and then Wednesday evenings from 645-745pm. Hopefully I can make it every T/Th morning for the next five weeks! This morning was glorious - in the pool by 540am, drill after drill, a bit of chit chatting with a friend and my coaches, and 1800M later I was a happy camper. I think I was on cloud 9 all day!

I can't imagine not swimming with this group of people...and these coaches! Maybe I could be convinced to participate in an adult swim meet this summer...who knows!... what am I sayin'?!

Welcome Home Party (Weekend Recap)

It was a nice long weekend in the Twin Cities, welcoming my brother-in-law home from Iraq. Technically, he's been home for a couple weeks, but the partay was this weekend! Here's a run-down of the weekend, bullet-style:

• Left Fargo right after work on Friday afternoon, with the 'rents and baby sis.
• The roads were a bit slushy, but we didn't have much trouble getting there.
• Met up with sister and BIL, as well as his brother, parents, and a couple of friends for dinner at the American Legion in Chanhassen.
• Great burgers, good drinks, and wonderful company.
• Saturday I got in a 3.25 mile run on the ancient treadmill in our hotel room.
• Relaxed all afternoon.
• Partied it up Saturday night with 30+ some people - friends and family.
• Played a few games of beer pong, winning 2 out of 3 - one of the wins was against my Dad and a friend.
• It was awesome.
• Slept in Sunday.
• No workout.
• Finished Dear John by Nicholas Sparks.
• Relaxed.
• Watch the Superbowl with family and friends.
• Left the cities at 830 Monday morning.
• It only took us 5.5 hours to get to Fargo, which usually only takes 3.5 hours.
• Saw more cars in the ditch, roll-overs, and accidents than I have ever seen before in my life. It was horrible.

I will leave you with a couple more pics from the party:

Family photo - together again! :)

And here's the painting I did for my BIL's return gift.

You can't see all the details, as this isn't a great picture, but it's a patriotic sunset with a silhouette of a soldier. There are 50 starts in the sky, and on the soldier's sleeve it says 34ID - for the unit he was deployed with this time around, and 957 on the ankle - representing the unit he was deployed with the first time.

We're so happy to have him home, safe and sound! We're very proud of his sacrifices, as well as my sisters, but we know he is very happy to be done with the military! We love ya, B!

Morning vs. Evening

I go back and forth over what I like better, morning or evening workouts. But, being the morning person I am, there is no better feeling than getting morning workout in before heading off to work! While I was on the bike today, I thought about why I like my morning workouts over my evening workouts:

• I don't fell rushed! The gym isn't as busy at 5am and I am able to hop from the bike to the treadmill or vice versa without having to worry about waiting for someone to finish. I don't have a lot of time, but even after a good 35-45 minute workout I am able to take some time to stretch. Very pertinent.
• I feel better throughout the day. I have more energy and a happier person all around. Smiles from ear to ear all day long! Who da thunk?
• I love the morning gym peeps. There's just something about the people at the gym at 5am. They are usually the regulars and I miss them. They're all smiles and everyone wishes everyone a good morning in passing.
• More free time in the evenings. If I workout in the morning, I can usually be home from work by 4pm. With my "free" evenings, I find that I take more time for other low key, but important things while watching Oprah, PTI, or the evening news, such as: yoga, pilates, foam rolling, and my tri power routine.

I had two early mornings this week, and hope to shoot for 3 next week! Have a great weekend everyone! I am off to the Twin Cities this weekend for my brother-in-law's return party! He just spent a year in Iraq on his 2nd tour of duty!

Which do you prefer, morning or evening workouts?

Three Things Thursday

1. Got my first "friend request" on Facebook from a former student. Eeks. If I remember correctly, she was in 3rd grade when I did my residency at that school, which would make her a 6th grader. Nope, not ready to make friends with 12 year olds. That would require me to clean up my FB a bit, inlcuding my comments. No thanks.


2. Jess over at Run Girl Run has asked me to do a guest post on her blog while she is away on vacay. I was super honored to do so! I will let y'all know when that gets posted!


3. I saw the sun for the first time in days yesterday. And it was WONDERFUL. The snow started to melt a bit on the ground... and everyone is already talking flood predictions. I think we are at 86% right now, where last year at this time the prediction for flooding was at 73%. I have a bad feeling it's going to be another nasty spring.

Happy Hump Day!

I am a much happier camper when I get my morning workout in.... even if it's at the butt crack of dawn (and no sun shining).

What can I say? I am crazy! But, I LOVE IT!

What makes you crazy happy?

The Past 31 Days

Well, here we are. One month into the year 2010 and I am ready to give you the run down on stats and other stuff from this past month. This will be a little different from previous months in reviews, so here goes...



Month in Review: January 2010
Swim - 1000 meters
Bike - 86.64 miles
Run - 31.17 miles


Total number of:
Swims - 1
Bikes - 6
Runs - 11
Spin classes - 1
BodyPump classes - 3



Total minutes of:
Yoga - 0
Pilates - 60
Stretching/Strengthening - 4 hours




High of the Month: Starting the new year off running strong and injury free!!


Lows of the Month:

• Getting Strep Throat and being knocked on my rear for over a week. I was barely able to get off the couch and get to work, let alone to the gym and doing any sort of workout.
• No yoga! What? I had such good intentions and then never did it!
• 1 swim? gasp!

Goals for the Month of February:

• Cut out soda - completely
• Today marks the beginning of following a Half Marathon Training schedule, in hopes of doing one in May.
• Get my ars back into the pool!
• Join Mary in the Legs Do It Challenge! Click here if you're interested in joining us!

How did January look for you? What are you looking forward to this month?