Week of rest and sleep…Timmy was thankful to have company on the couch.

A week ago tomorrow, I went for a run with my pal Pam and was DRAGGING…poor Pam must have thought I eaten a few too many cookies at the Holidays because I simply could not keep pace with her for the life of me. But she dragged me along until about mile 9 when I proclaimed “I’m bonking” little did I know my body had other plans for me. I made it home safely and showered, curled up on the couch to put my feet up and BAM. Chills, fever hit and I asked G if he “caught the license plate of the MAC truck that hit me?” I spent the entire weekend sprawled on the couch freezing, sweating, repeat. I knew I had a fever. Anyway, a week later and zero workouts (I mean not one) I’m feeling a LOT better and hope that I can get some easy workouts in this weekend in preparation of a better workout week next week!

Oh, the cherry on top of my crappy flu week: On Monday as I was walking to the Dr.’s office, I was using my mouth to assist in putting my mitten on when SNAP- I chipped my tooth. Ugh! I spent the week worrying about what my dentist would say (and do to fix it.) Well, I have GREAT news! My dentist fixed me up last night and my smile is better than ever :) I am SO excited!!

Can’t wait to start off a new week, and new month! Smile often!

Bart Yasso’s got nothin’ on me…

Yasso 800s are evil, but a great way to measure improvement. Last winter I was in “full running mode” with my 5th Boston Marathon on the horizon, I was running a lot. This year, not so much. Over the past few weeks went from <20mi/week to up over 30mi/week (I’ll be between 36-40mi this week by the time it’s over) and I’m struggling to find my running mojo. Don’t get me wrong, I can do the work, but my endurance isn’t there (yet) and I’ve felt “slow” ever since IMWI in Sept.

So, I’ve been going to indoor track for a couple weeks now and last night’s workout was 4-6x800s, Yassos if you like. Well my friend Pam turns to me and says “my watch battery broke, can I pace off you” Sure Pam, I’m thinking (until you smoke me!) See, Pam ran a 3:37 marathon to BQ last year…I’m not quite up to snuff with Pam’s running. I was thinking I might have one or two 3:40-3:45/800s in me until I fall apart b/c I haven’t been doing speedwork a lot, and I haven’t done a run over 9mi in months. We’ll see, I thought…

So turns out, I had more in me than I thought. And I was only going to do 4x800, not 6x800…until Pam convinced me she needed to do 6, so I caved. And did 6. Here is how they went:

#1: 3:34
#2: 3:34
#3: 3:29
#4: 3:30
#5: 3:32
#6: 3:33
I chased Pam until I couldn’t chase anymore and she was easily 5-10secs ahead of me on every 800, but it’s awesome to have friends to run with and chase..so not too shabby all things considered and looking back on last March and all the miles I logged and the speedwork I was doing then, my Yassos were anywhere from 3:36-3:31. I’m exactly where I was back then. I seem to have a love/hate relationship with the track…

"Be the Change you wish to see in the world"

"Be the Change you wish to see in the world" by Mahatma Gandhi.

That is the quote on the paperweight I have on my desk (thanks for the gift, Mom!) This quote could not be more appropriate these days. Things need to change.

Somehow I was convinced that January would be a nice easy month of relaxing and settling into the new year comfortably. But suddenly it’s 1/21/09 and we have a new (read: competent) President that I was SO excited to see inaugurated yesterday. I could not be more proud of being an American right now. Watching the crowds, the politicians and all the pomp and circumstance yesterday was enough to bring me hope that change may actually occur with this new Administration. I’m not very political, but I will admit this was the first Presidential election I’ve ever voted in because sadly, it was the first time I cared enough to do so. I am proud to say I voted for Obama, Change we can believe in.

It’s been a while since I blogged and somehow I forgot my password and seems as though Blogger is going to make me set up a gmail account now too? So not cool…and not very helpful in my quest to blog more! Guess I need to change my password and my email.



In my previous post I wrote about losing the same “10lbs” I’ve been talking about for years and it’s with pride that I share I have lost 6lbs so far this month, and I’m down 10lbs since October (after our trip to Hawaii where I ate anything and everything in sight!) So apparently logging my food is good thing (and ever so eye opening) and having a supportive husband who can eat anything and not gain a pound, but will put up with my grilled fish (or chicken) and green bean dinners on a nightly routine is ever so helpful. So the quest continues to be leaner and more fit (numbers don’t mean much to me, I want to be strong and fast.) so these little changes I have made these past few weeks seem to be working, I will continue on this path of being healthier in an attempt to change my body composition.



If you know me personally you have likely heard me cry and complain about my “saddle issues” and discomfort on my terrific (yet painful to ride) P2C. Well, I am happy to report after more than a dozen fittings, six saddles and almost that many trips to the doctor I am SO HAPPY to report that I think we might have found the problem. I rebuilt my road bike geometry (on my original bike) and found that my tt bike hood drop was ~3cm LOWER, causing my hips to rotate too far forward and place all my pressure forward (not on my sit bones) causing me all these problems. SO easy fix, raise my aero bars, and match the geometry of my road bike FINALLY I am comfortable on my tt bike!! Fitwerx2 rocks. They are currently setting up my tt bike with the new numbers- I will pick it up this weekend. We all had smile on our faces after the fix on Saturday, I suspect everyone and their brother was tired of my crying and complaining. I have renewed hope that this fix will allow me to make appropriate gains on my bike this season. I could not be happier to be on two wheels; hooray for Change.



Next month shall bring new changes (yeah!) and challenges so I look forward to tackling those with revived energy! Bring on the changes...

Following through....

I'm terrific at starting things.

Lists, journals, diets, you name it...but I really have to rack my brain to remember things that I have followed through with to my satisfaction. I have great intentions, but usually end up getting sidetracked and forgetting and never getting around to finishing things.

In 2009, I resolve to following through on some of the things that I always intend on doing and usually start, but never finish.

1. Losing these stubborn ten pounds I've been talking about losing forever now! I have begun a training/food journal that really will focus more on how I feel and what went right/wrong and what hurts/doesn't and how I'm improving in an effort to see how I'm affected by things. I would like to log a minimum of 5x/week through Jan. and see how I do. This is a self inflicted challenge.

2. I would like to organize all the addresses I have for friends and family (that I scrounge for every Dec. when I go to do my Christmas Cards) this will allow me to actually SEND the cards I buy for people throughout the year and keep in touch with people better. I will buy a new address book and update before the end of Jan.

3. These are just a couple of many, many things I have attempted to start and never finish. I will likely add to this list, but in the spirit of New Year's Resolutions I am starting small as not to easily fail. I would like to add one thing to this list of things I'd like to follow through with each month this year. Hold me to it!

The good news in this post is I have NEVER EVER dnf'd in a race. If I start a race, I finish it....it may be the *only* aspect of my life that I follow through with!

Happy New Year!