Thursday, October 9, 2008
A fear of not getting enough sleep...
We all know now how this morning went. I definitely didn't get up at 430 and I most definitely did toss and turn feeling guilty for an extra hour and a half. All I could think about while getting ready this morning was starting the day off without a workout. It just bugged me. I knew I could get it done after school, but I knew then I would be crunched for time as I had prior commitments this evening.
Fortunately, I was able to get out of school right after the day was over and got to the gym with plenty of time to get my run in. It was nice and quiet in the gym for a change, and I didn't have to limit myself to 30 minutes on the thrillmill.
I knew I wanted to do a bit more than my usual 3 mile run; something between 4-5 miles. I started out slow and was able to run for 25 minutes strait, before I had to sign up for another 30 minute. After that I did the run 5 minutes walk 1 minute for about 15 minutes and then worked on some speed intervals within the last 15 minutes, maxing out at 7mph (avg. 8:34/mile) on a 2% incline.
While stretching out on the mat I was thinking of how much I had left in me. I knew I could have put in another mile, but I just ran out of time. Overall, the run was good, and I wasn't too guilty any more about trying to sleep in this morning and move the workout to later in the day... this time.
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On a side note, I less than 48 hours I will be participating in the Breast Cancer Awareness Ride! I am super excited, but I am not so excited about the weather. The high for the day will be around 54, but I am pretty sure it won't be anywhere near that at 10am. Plus, there is 60% chance of rain/thunderstorms and a 13mph wind out of the North. I am not looking forward to that. How does one dress for that?!
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Today's Song: TI - Whatever You Like
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Wednesday's Workout:
Lift u/b, core
Bike - 10.85 miles, 30:00, 21.7mph
Today's Workout:
Run - 4.6 miles, 54:00, 11:44/mile
Have a great weekend y'all! Good luck to those who are racing this weekend as well!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Spreadin' the Love

Oh there are so many of you that I absolutely love out there... but I am going to pass this on to the following 10 peeps....
With that ... you are supposed to write 6 random thoughts about yourself... here goes:
- I am a data whore. For reals. I love collecting and crunching numbers in any way possible. Have you looked at my sidebar lately? .... plus, if you know anything about special education and progress monitoring, this is one of my favorite parts of my job... shhhh... don't tell anyone.
- I HEART morning workouts. It's just feels so good. Plus, there's nothing like being able to leave work and head home to relax for the evening.
- I hate making dinner. for one. It's just seems like so much work and is the last thing I want to have to do after a long day.
- I am currently obsessed with HGTV. Must have something to do with purchasing and decorating my own home.
- I wrote my last RENT check a week ago. For good, I hope. In less than a week I will be writing a check for closing costs. Yaaayyyy!!
Today's Song: All You Need is Love - Beatles
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Tuesday's Random thoughts and questions...
- This morning's swim was successful. 2000M in less than 50 minutes. I felt really strong and probably could have gone longer, but I guess I had to get to work.
- The past 48 hours I have felt really "gassy" in my stomach. It feels gross and I am wondering what I might be eating too much of to cause this... fiber?
- Today, about an hour after lunch I was hungry again. Could it be that my previous four days of workouts, one being a brick, were enough to increase my hunger? What's the dealio?
- So... who else is joining Viv's next challenge?
- During my lunch I spent a few minutes and was looking over my stats on my sidebar.. noticed that my running miles weren't adding up right... if I wasn't so obsessed with numbers I would probably let this slide, but it is bugging me big time.
- I thought of starting to follow a 10K or half marathon training program... just to motivate myself to get in some long runs.. even if I am not doing a race. Am I weird?
Swim - 2000M, 46:00, 2:18/100M
Monday, October 6, 2008
Let me clear my throat...
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The hockey game last night was pretty good. Even though it was part of the regular season, the boys played well and we have a couple pretty decent freshman on our hands that know what their doing.
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My sister and brother-in-law took my laptop in to an Apple store in the cities this evening. The tech thought it was most likely going to be software issues. However, he was quite wrong. It turned out to be the hardware. And it's a goner. Fo reals. Fo really reals. It looks like I might be computer-less for a while. I would really like to get another Mac, and if I do so, he said they will Apple will transfer everything onto my new computer for free. Plus, I get an educator's discount. I guess it's time to start researching what I would like, like things I didn't have before.... wireless internet capabilities, DVD player, video burner, etc.
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This evening, after a long 10 hour day at work, I hit the gym for my run/lift session. I lifted first for about 20 minutes, primarily focusing on my lower body. Then I hit the treadmill and actually had almost 35 minutes. I wanted to work on some speed and just played it by ear. After my 3 plus miles I felt pretty good and could have probably gone longer, but I just needed to be done. I have a long swim tomorrow on the schedule! I finished the workout with a bit more lifting and then some stretching and ab work on the mat.
ORN: 3.4 miles, 34:10, 10:02/mile average
Lifted lower body
Abs
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Check it out! Who knows... you might learn something you didn't know before. I know I did... I didn't realize that alcohol consumption could have an effect on estrogen levels. Very interesting.
*information from breastcancer.org

Who could think of a better way to end the day, and 36 hours of non-stop rain, than a beautiful sunset like this? It's like a big wink from my friend who passed away almost 2 years ago. She loved the color pink and her family and friends to this day considers sunsets like these a "wink" from her. She continues to be missed by all and I know that I can speak for many that have had the blessing of knowing her, even if it were brief.... she has left a lasting impression on us all.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Playing Catch-up
Friday's staff development sessions went well. As usual, some are more worth while then others but overall it was okay. My afternoon session was nerve-racking. Like I stated previously, we were presenting to the school information on RtI and how we were going to start implementing it. It went well. The teachers really didn't question anything, so it will be interesting to see how things work out in the next few weeks.
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Fun:
After work on Friday a handful of us met up for apps and taps at a restaurant. We used to do this last year on pay-days (not all of them). It was fun to catch up with people and just enjoy a cold one.
Saturday afternoon my sister and brother-in-law came to town and spent the night with muah! We went out for a nice dinner and afterwards, since we were in the area, we headed to my uncle's house with the thought that some other family were in town. Sure enough, the driveway was full of cars and we ended up staying for a few hours... enjoying a few drinks and a handful of laughs.
This evening I will be heading to GF for the first SIOUX hockey game... exhibition game. I can't wait! Hopefully I will have pictures to post later.
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Workouts:
Yesterday I had a 30 minute swim and spin session on the calendar. I was going to work on some speed intervals in the pool and when I realized that it was going to take longer than I expected (with the rest breaks) I cut it down a bit. Aftewards I headed to spin class and thoroughly enjoyed myself! I need that ride to prepare myself for next weekend's Breast Cancer Awareness Ride. If your interested in participating yourself, check out the website and see if they are offering one near you!
Today, after my sister left I headed to the gym for a run. I wanted to do something longer but I just couldn't push myself. My hips were sore from the bike and I wanted to be able to run again tomorrow, so I kept it short. Plus, I was overheating like crazy. Blech.
Later dudes.....
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Swim: 1000M, 30:00, avg. 3:00/100M
Bike (Spin): 24.05 miles, 1:02:47, 22.98mph
Run: 3.10 miles, 37:00, 11:56/mile
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Off to a good start
As much as I love lifting, it can be soooo time consuming and I am looking into different forms of strength training. Kelsalynn has been doing a lot with CrossFit and I am quite intrigued. I will be looking to her for further information and such. It's sounds like she knows her shiznit!
Tomorrow the kiddo's don't have school, but us educators are taking part in our first Staff Development day for the school year. yeaaaahhh. Can you sense my excitement? Maybe it has a bit to do with the fact that I will be presenting information on RtI and helping my team inform our teachers about the changes we will be making at our school with interventions and such. yeeeaaahhh.
Today's Swim: 2000M, 51:00 (approx.), 2:33/100M
Today's Song: Pink - So What?
The most common risk factors:
- Sex. The highest risk factor for breast cancer is being female; the disease is about 100 times more common among women.
- Age. The risk of breast cancer increases as a woman grows older. The risk is especially high for women age 60 and older. Breast cancer is uncommon in women younger than age 35, although it does occur. There is some evidence to suggest young African American women are at greater risk for breast cancer than young Caucasian women.
- Personal History. Women who have had breast cancer and women with a history of breast disease (not cancer, but a condition that may predispose them to cancer) may develop it again.
- Family History. The risk of developing breast cancer increases for a woman whose mother, sister, daughter, or two or more close relatives have had the disease. It is important to know how old they were at the time they were diagnosed.
- The Breast Cancer Genes. Some individuals, both women and men, may be born with an "alteration" (or change) in one of two genes that are important for regulating breast cell growth. Individuals who inherit an alteration in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene are at an "inherited" higher risk for breast cancer. They also may pass this alteration on to their children. It is very rare. Scientists estimate that only about 5-10 percent of all breast cancers are due to genetic changes. One out of two women with these changes are likely to develop breast cancer. Women with a family history of breast cancer are encouraged to speak to a genetics counselor to determine the pros and cons of genetic testing.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
October: Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast Cancer seems to affect more and more people each day. I hope to spread more awareness and education through random links and information within my posts (or in the sidebar) every once and a while throughout the month. Even if the color of my blog is enough awareness... I am fine with that!
Here's some information to start the month off:
Q: How many new cases of breast cancer are estimated in the United States in 2007?
A: New cases of breast cancer in the United states are estimated to be 178,480 (female); 2,030 (male). Of these an estimated 40,460 (female) and 450 (male) will die from the disease. (National Cancer Institute figures).
Q: How common is breast cancer in the United States?
A: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, aside from skin cancer.
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Monday: Run 3 miles, 34:13, 11:24/mile
Lift u/b, abs
Tuesday: Run 1.82 miles, 20:00, 10:59/mile
Bike 8.96 miles, 27:00, 19.91mph
Wednesday: Lift u/b, l/b, core, abs
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11 days until my 25 mile Breast Cancer Awareness Ride!!!
*Information from nbcam.org
September: Month in Review
Let's compare those numbers.
- SWIM - 8100M .........................12,700M in August
- BIKE - 48.62 miles ..................70.64 miles in August
- RUN - 25.99 miles....................20.55 miles in August
I sure don't know what to think about these numbers. They are what they are. When I look at my calendar laid out in front of me, I notice that 13 out of the 30 days were REST days... I can blame a large number of these to being sick with the worst head cold I have ever had and being out of town with training for work. However, that's only about half of them and poor excuse are left for the rest.
When I look ahead to October, I know things will be a bit busy with closing on a house and moving, but at least I am not planning on going anywhere that will take away my weekend workouts. This month won't be about quantity of miles or meters, but the quality of each workout.
Here are a handful of short-term goals I put together:
- The focus will be running. Period. I want to start doing some longer runs as well as more interval runs to work on increasing speed. I am working to Shave my 5K in less than a couple months!
- Swim two times/week.... one being a longer swim and one primarily focusing on speed.
- Bike at least 1 time/week.... with the weather changing, biking isn't going to be occuring outdoors. It's time to move back indoors and I would like to get back into Spin class once a week. If I have more time for biking after that, great.
- Lifting at least two times per week... I usually break my lift sessions in half. One half focusing on the lower extremities, and the other half working on the upper body and core. I break these in half because I am trying to fit them in before or after my cardio and usually don't have enough time to get all lifting done, especially when I workout in the morning. I am trying to figure out if it would just be easier to do ALL lifting one day, and then the same on another day, or continue to break it up like this, which technically means I am lifting 4 times/week. Anything thoughts?
I think that is it. I think.
Happy October, folks!