I have been wanting a pair of Vibram 5 Fingers shoes for a very long time. I even wrote about them here. And, this Christmas, Santa smiled on me and I got a pair. They aren’t the Vibram brand, they are Fila Skeletoes. But I love them anyway. I have worn them to run twice now, and I am extremely pleased with how they feel. I am looking forward to training in them for a long time.
I have also spent some time putting together my training schedule for 2012. This is the year for an Ironman. The Beach2Battleship is on October 20th, 2012, and it is my goal for this year. I have the training all mapped out. I have already overcome one hurdle – where to swim. I discovered that as A UNCW alumni, I can use the university pool for a very nominal fee. So, sometime soon I need to go get that all set up. It takes a big weight off, because the only places that I thought I could go swim were very costly and not worth it. This makes swim training much easier.
As I go, I will try to be diligent at blogging my progress. I’d also like to keep a log of my mileage somewhere on my blog. I’ll be interested to see how the miles add up!
Be on the lookout for more posts as my training progresses. 2012 is going to be a very exciting year.
It’s been a few weeks since my fresh start, and I’ve been pretty good at walking/running every day. This week I have upped my mileage to 2 miles. I do the first mile with Marshall and the second with Wrigley. Saturday is the day to up again to 2.5 miles. I will probably up the time spent with Wrigs since he will be the one running the 5K with me on Thanksgiving. Although both of them could run circles around me easily.
I am proud that I have kept it up. Today my second mile was 3 minutes faster than my first and the fastest it has been since my new beginning the first of October. And I know it will just keep getting faster.
I’m losing weight too…..and people are noticing. It’s a great feeling! Things are moving in the right direction. I’m disappointed that I won’t be participating in the Ironman next weekend, but on the other hand it allows us to go to Gayle’s alma matter for alumni weekend where one of her classmates will be inaugurated as President of the college. It’s a big deal, and I am very glad we will be able to attend.
So, all in all, I’m pleased with my progress and looking forward to what will come in the future.
After way to long wishing I had time to train and work out I have come to the conclusion that there will never be time unless I make it and if this is something that is important to me I have to take the time.
To that end, I have decided to start over by running a Turkey Trot 5K. Part of the reason I picked this race is because Wrigley can run it with me. So, we have begun training. We walked/ran a mile yesterday and today. I’m not thrilled with our time, but I am pleased that we have kept it up (even if it’s only 2 days) and that I am not as sore as I thought I might be.
I am excited to get back to it. I am also looking forward to keeping my blog updated. I enjoy blogging, I just don’t take the time for it that I should…..same is true for my training. Here’s hoping that this new beginning has a successful ending.
I don’t know about you, but everyone at my house is crazy for the Tour de France. From Stage 1 until the Champs de Elysee we are glued to the TV. We have been known to watch each stage three or four times a day.
As we watched Stage 9 last night, there were times when I felt sick to my stomach. One especially bad crash involved a car who’s driver must have fallen asleep or something. He swerved to miss a tree and in doing so, actually hit one of the riders causing him to slide and hit another rider who flipped over his bike and into a barbed wire fence. Well – you just have to watch for yourself, words can not adequately describe what happened.
One thing that struck me about this accident was that the driver of the car knew the cyclists were there. He was a part of the race, it’s not like they were a surprise to him. And he still crashed into them. It made me think about the times we are out riding our bikes. The people in their cars are not there for me, they might not see me or know I’m there. If it can happen during the Tour de France, it can happen anywhere!
Which is why we always wear ID while we are riding. A great way to do this is with a Road ID. It is a stylish, easy way to make sure the right people will have access to the right information if you are incapacitated. Although they are not paying me, I am an affiliate for Road ID, so if you do decide to get one, I would appreciate you using the link on this site.
Whether you use Road ID or not, it is a very good idea to always carry some form of identification and make sure you let someone know where you will be headed and the approximate time you will be gone. It could make all the difference.
Things have been crazy around here lately. Crazy in a good way though. Our business, Glynne’s Soaps, has been growing and expanding. Last weekend we participated in Azalea Festival, a large two day festival which brings visitors from all over the world. So the week before we were busy getting ready, the weekend was mainly a blur, and this week has been spent recovering. We had fun and met a lot of great people, so even with all the craziness, the weekend was a success.
Marshall Looking Cute and Innocent
Gayle, Wrigley and Marshall
About a month ago we adopted a new puppy. His name is Marshall and he is now 8 months old, and a bundle of energy. Although you wouldn’t know it if you were looking at him now, he is sound asleep with Wrigley on the bed next to my desk. But they have been playing hard all morning. Never have I seen something move so fast to grab a sock or a piece of paper. He will dart in, grab it and be out before you even realize what’s happened.
Needless to say, my training has suffered. Now that the weather is warming up and the sun is hanging around later in the day, I am hoping to ramp it up some. I was able to get in a two mile run yesterday morning, today was busy with the Farmer’s Market, and hopefully tomorrow I can work in a bike ride.
So, things are busy but fun. As I ramp up my training, I’ll try to up my posting as well so be on the lookout.
The cycling community, in fact, the entire community here in Wilmington is recovering from a tragedy. A little over two weeks ago a father and son were cycling on River Rd. It is a popular road for cyclists, with fairly wide bike lanes. Gayle and I ride on River Rd very often. It is close to our house, so we can ride straight from home without having to pack up the bikes and drive anywhere.
Well, these two men were hit and killed (David the father died instantly and Trey his 17 yr old son died from his injuries the next day) by a drunk driver at 9:30 on a Sunday morning. I won’t get in to allthe ridiculousness of someone being drunk at that hour of the morning. Both Gayle and I were struck by the senselessness of it all, and it hit even closer to home because on any given Sunday morning that very easily could have been us riding that stretch of road. We ride it frequently on Sunday mornings.
Last Sunday, amid all the Azalea Fest festivities, Gayle graciously let me take time out to ride the memorial ride. It was an incredible experience. Over 1000 people showed up to offer their support. Most rode the 8 mile stretch, but there were some that ran and others riding skateboards. It is almost impossible to describe the variety of people, bikes, etc. There were old people, children, people who look like they spend their lives on a bike and those who looked like it might be there first time riding. The outpouring of compassion and community was amazing. I am very thankful that I was able to participate. I took a few pictures, but they don’t do justice to the crowds. There is also a video that gives a better picture of the enormity of the supporters.
Please remember when you are driving that it’s important to watch for cyclists. Especially as the weather is warming up. And it’s not just drunk driving that can cause accidents. Distracted driving is dangerous too. Texting, changing the radio station, or any other number of distractions can also result in a tragedy. It just takes a moment.
Today was a run day, so instead of doing my usual trek up on down the street, I drove a few minutes to Halyburton Park. It’s a great local park with walking trails and natural areas. The main loop is 1.3 miles. I ran the loop twice for a total of 2.6 miles. My total time was 43 minutes and 36 seconds. Time for the first lap was 22 min and 17 seconds, which makes the time for the second lap 21 minutes and 19 seconds. I was happy that my second lap was shorter than my first, although they we very close. I’m a pretty good pacer, even though my pace is slow, I get going and just keep on at that pace for as long as I need. Soon, I’m going to have to throw in some speed work, since I need to be about twice as fast as I am if I ever want to finish a triathlon.
Tomorrow is cycling, so I will probably pull the trainer into the house and ride for an hour in the evening. We will see how that goes, hopefully the TV will be a nice distraction. I’ll let you know.
Sometimes I wish that I could post long runs, 50 mile bike rides, etc. However, that is not where I am at this point. Someday it will be the norm for my workouts. For now, I have to be happy with the ability to get out there and do something, even if it seems like it’s not enough to be proud of.
Today, Wrigley and I were able to get out and walk a mile. We did a bit of jogging, and thankfully, my knee held up well. I am looking forward to getting stronger from here.
I hope everyone out there is able to spend some time doing something fun to start the New Year.
This is the story of me from fat to Iron(wo)man triathlete. It has been a long time dream of mine to compete in an iron distance triathlon. Now is the time for me to get up off the couch and get training. Let the fun begin.
I have been wanting a pair of Vibram 5 Fingers shoes for a very long time. I even wrote about them here. And, this Christmas, Santa smiled on me and I got a pair. They aren’t the Vibram brand, they are Fila Skeletoes. But I love them anyway. I have worn them to run twice now, and I am extremely pleased with how they feel. I am looking forward to training in them for a long time.
Last Sunday, amid all the Azalea Fest festivities, Gayle graciously let me take time out to ride the memorial ride. It was an incredible
experience. Over 1000 people showed up to offer their support. Most rode the 8 mile stretch, but there were some that ran and others riding skateboards. It is almost impossible to describe the variety of people, bikes, etc. There were old people, children, people who look like they spend their lives on a bike and those who looked like it might be there first time riding. The outpouring of compassion and community was amazing. I am very thankful that I was able to participate. I took a few pictures, but they don’t do justice to the crowds. There is also a video that gives a better picture of the enormity of the supporters.
