TENNIS ANYONE?

20131127-165620.jpgI bought a tennis skirt this weekend. That’s weird because I don’t play tennis. Yes, I’m a member of a tennis club but that’s just so my kids can swim on the swim team… not play tennis. It’s like when you go to a Mexican restaurant and the bartender throws in an extra shot of tequila into your margarita. You’re glad it’s there. But it’s not the reason you went to that restaurant. That’s tennis to my family.

So there I was at Kohl’s in the 80% off section… which I’m a sucker for… checking out the clothes that are all crammed together so tightly it’s tough to tell what’s in there. I grabbed what I thought was a running skirt. When it finally came free from it’s 80%-off-rack prison, I realized it was a tennis skirt. It was just a simple black skirt with two knee-length black tights attached to it. Perfect for cool weather tennis… if you played tennis… which I don’t. But then I started to rationalize it. Maybe someone will ask me to play tennis. And if they did, I’d be able to play because I’d have a new snazzy tennis skirt. To be totally honest, I’ve been at this club for more than a year and no one has ever asked me to play tennis. So the chance of that happening is like a bartender giving you TWO extra shots of tequila. But the skirt was only $7.80. How could I not buy it?? Yes, it’s worth two lattes which I would actually use. But still, it’s always better to be prepared for any invitation you might get, even if the invitation is as likely as getting drunk for free at a Mexican restaurant, unless the Mexican restaurant happens to be IN Mexico in which case it’s pretty likely. AAAAHHHHH, are you starting to see how my brain works?? I have these types of conversations all the time! And this one is over spending seven dollars and eighty cents! Imagine the back and forth in my head over buying a new car!! Which I haven’t done in more than 13 years and now you know why! My brain is still arguing the pros and cons with itself over that one! But last weekend, I finally threw caution to the wind and bought the damn skirt! And now there it sits. In my closet. Untouched. Which it will likely stay for the next 15 years… because I don’t play tennis.

I hope this brought a smile to your face on this Thanksgiving Day!  I’m thankful for all of you who read my blog, support me in my desire to be a true blogger and for those of you who nudge me when I stop blogging!  All your comments and support keep me going and for that I’m truly Thankful!  Have a beautiful day!

 

FULL BODY WORKOUT

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I wear glasses. I didn’t used to. But a year ago something happened that pretty much sealed my fate. I turned 40. Apparently we were created to die at 40 because that’s the age when our wheels start to come off. First the soreness getting out of bed. Next the constant desire to nap between 10am and 3pm. And now this. Glasses. It’s like our bodies are screaming at us, “Hey YOU! Ya, you in the glasses. You should have kicked the bucket by now! Why do you insist upon waking up each morning??” Well, we do. And honestly, when was the last time you listened to your body anyway? But back to the glasses. I have a plan. I’m now working out my eye muscles so in one year from right now, I will be glasses free. Honestly, I think it’s possible. An optometrist once told me to hold up my finger in front of my face, focus on the tip of my finger, then focus on something about 30 feet away, and back to the tip of my finger. Repeat 30 times. So last Monday, I started doing that in my car while sitting at red lights. Up goes my finger, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth go my eyes until the light turns green. I get to rest until the next red light. By Tuesday, I remembered my gynecologist suggesting I start doing kegel exercises. This is to prevent incontinence which is rampant in women IN THEIR 40′S! In fact, I’m one of the few people I know who can still do jumping jacks squirt free. OK, trampolines are out of the question. But jumping jacks are still good. But really, what’s next to go? A good hearty laugh? I’m not willing to lose that ability to LOL and remain dry. So I decided to add kegels to my red light workout routine. I now pull up to a red light, and the workout begins. My finger goes up, my eyes start doing 30 yard sprints and now I squeeze my kegels and hold until the light turns green. I once read in a book you know when you’ve engaged your kegels when you just feel weird. The book is totally spot on! You start to clench those muscles down there and then you feel… well… weird. I can’t put it any better. So there I am, at the 6 red lights between my house and work, working out my eyes and my VaVa. By the time I get to work I’m exhausted!  It truly feels like a full body workout.  My next great idea is to quit my gym.  Seriously, who needs a gym when you have your car.

WENDY’S WORKOUTS 7/8 TO 7/12

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MONDAY: Had a great mountain bike ride with Donner. It was slightly cooler up at Galena than on the valley floor so we rode (well, I rode, she ran) for an hour and a half.

TUESDAY: Ran for 1 hour 30 minutes. I felt GREAT! I love when all your training starts to pay off and you actually feel good while working out. I’m thrilled with how my training is going. I then swam 2800 yards… and still felt great! I would have finished up with a triathlon and biked an hour… if only I didn’t have a job… which I do… so I begrudgingly changed out of my swimsuit put on a real suit.

WEDNESDAY: This is the day the wheels came off. And they are still off. During the 5:30 newscast on Tuesday, I felt my throat start to slightly hurt. Well, by Wednesday morning, anytime I drank it was like swallowing fire. And it’s gotten worse from there. As I write this on Monday night, my lungs are now totally infected.  When I breathe it sounds like cobb webbs tearing apart.  I have no energy. And to be totally honest, a tough of depression is setting in. I’m depressed because I’ve worked my ass off for 6 months and my taper was supposed to begin today! I LOVE tapering! It makes all those long, hard workouts worth it. So I’m depressed my taper workouts have given way to me “relaxing.” I don’t relax. Hardly ever. I don’t even know why we have couches in our house. We never use them. So missing my taper to “relax” is just depressing. But that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m hoping to be back in the saddle by Thursday. My race is in 13 days. If I call in sick tomorrow, you will now know why.

 

WENDY’S WORKOUTS 7/01 TO 7/06

20130708-184507.jpgThis week was a doozy! I considered it my hell week. Long workouts. Lots of vo2 max stuff for those of you who train. For those who don’t, sorry, I can’t explain it well enough to make sense. Suffice it to say, you go as hard as you can, like until you’re going to throw up, and then you hold it there for 15 minutes. And then you continue on with your normal workout and pray your heart rate comes back down to just grueling range. OK, here ya go!

Monday: Rode my bike for 3 hours with a 15 minute vo2 max test. The most impressive thing about this ride was that I did it alone! I NEVER ride alone. I always go with my Little Friend Lynn. She’s now a grandma and so spends some of our riding days with her grandson. And he’s so stinking cute I can’t even complain. And in the end I was very proud of myself for riding alone.  It was as if the training wheels finally came off.  And by next week I’ll be looking up to heaven and saying, “Look Mom, I went potty on the big girl potty chair!”

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Tuesday: Rode my bike for 3 hours… again alone! Maybe I don’t need that scrawny grandma after all! This ride went well, but it was HOT. Like Africa hot. And since I wanted to push myself today, I ran for 20 minutes after my ride. The temp was 101 when I took off on my run. I do not recommend this. And truth be told, I planned on running for 30 minutes when 20 suddenly became plenty!

Wednesday: Ran for 1 hour with a 15 minute vo2 max. I’m not going to lie, this suuuucked! Again, it was hot. Why is it when I trained for a marathon, it blew like hell the entire 3 months and now that I’m training for a half Ironman triathlon it’s blisteringly hot!

Thursday: I ran 1 hour and it was GLORIOUS! Why? Because I got up at 5:30 and ran in the cool air! I then swam 4000 yards today. Felt fine. Easy workout, comparatively speaking!

Friday: No workout.

Saturday: Ran 1 hour in the cool morning air of Graegle, CA where we were camping. And even though it’s about the same elevation as Reno, it seems much cooler. I then went on a 4 hour hike. Caught a trail head near Johnsville, hiked up to Jamison and Rock Lakes. Watched Domi and Darrin take icy plunges and then headed back down… and had beers at the new brewery! Stay tuned! That blog post coming soon!! 

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WENDY’S WORKOUTS JUNE 24TH-28TH

Monday: Rode the wind trainer for 1 hour 30 minutes. OMG tough! I got up really early and started riding. Not sure if it was because I was right out of bed or what… but this 90 minutes hurt every second! So what do you do after a horrible workout like that? You go running for 40 minutes.

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Tuesday: Basically a repeat of Monday, minus the run. I’m starting to get nervous about my bike. Not sure why I’m so weak on it!

Wednesday: Ran 1 hour 30 minutes and realized it was snowing.  Truly.  Look at the picture.

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See that white stuff floating above the trees. That’s cotton. It’s literally been snowing cotton in Reno for about 3 weeks. Have I mentioned I’m allergic to cotton. After sneezing the last 10 minutes, I headed back inside and onto my wind trainer for a 1 hour ride. And guess what??? Super woman! This ride was so much easier than the previous ones. I think riding a bike right out of bed is not good for you!

Thursday: Ran 30 minutes. And here’s a question for you…how many living things do you see in this picture?

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What? One you say? There are actually thousands of creatures in this shot. I know this because I ran through thousands of tiny gnats during my entire 30 minute run. Gross! Can you say extra protein today! And gnats and sweaty skin do not mix! After washing bugs off my face, I rode my wind trainer for 1 hour 30 minutes.

Friday: Swam 1 hour in Lake Tahoe today. What a great workout! It reminded  me of why I love to train. Being outside, enjoying the gorgeous sunshine and pulling through the crystal clear water of Tahoe… you can’t beat this workout. Yes, I was a popsicle when I got out, but a happy one.

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WENDY’S WORKOUTS-THE LAST 3 WEEKS

In the last 3 weeks, I’ve worked out 3 days! Not very impressive for someone with a very long race coming up in 5 weeks. But whatever virus went through Reno 3 weeks ago, it found a cozy home in me and nestled in for a good solid 2 weeks. So last Monday I was finally able to get moving again. Here’s how my week played out:

Monday: Ran for 1 hour 15 minutes. I then rode my windtrainer for 50 minutes.

Tuesday: I mountain biked Galena with my Little Friend Lynn for 1 hour 30 minutes. This was supposed to be a 2 hour ride but I forgot my bike pump, my rear tire which I patched was of course flat, so had to drive all the way down the mountain to get my pump. Ever have days like that where you JUST CAN’T GET GOING???

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Wednesday: No workout, says my coach. My ass! I replied. I rode in the Reno Rodeo Cattle Drive today. I was on horseback for 8 hours! My coach said if I wasn’t on my bike it didn’t count. I need a new coach!

 

Thursday: Rode my windtrainer for 1 hour 30 minutes. Swam 3000 yards. Then I did this new workout called Tabata.  It’s 45 minutes of cardio interval training.  I did it for a story for work, but I’m still counting it for my personal workouts.  

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I had to cram a lot into Thursday, because  on Friday, I took my daughter to Denver to visit our friend Mackenzie. We did a food marathon there… but I’m sure my coach wouldn’t count that either!

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DONNER LAKE HALF

I’ve done it!  I picked my race!  I’m officially registered.  And I want to throw up.  Who knew officially registering for a race was such an emotional step.  I feel like I’m in middle school and I’ve just agreed to “go” with the hot guy I’ve had a crush on all year.   Because now what??  What does “going” mean?  Will he pick me up at my locker?  Will he hold my hand on the way to 3rd period leadership class?  Will he call me tonight or should I call him first?  There’s so much pressure when you’re officially “going”with your 14 year old boyfriend.  And that’s EXACTLY how I feel about this race.  Will it be too hard for me to finish?  Will it abuse me and just toss me aside for a real triathlete?  Will it laugh at me as I struggle to keep pace with other racers who obviously are more competent?  I feel like there are so many unknowns now that I know which race I’m doing.  I’m committed to the Donner Lake Half.  This is my “guy.”  No more flirting with other races.  No more googlie eyes at different distances.  I’ve agreed to “go”with this ONE race.  I’m now in a committed relationship.  At least I will be until July 28th.  So about 2 months. Yeah, that’s about how long the relationship lasted in 8th grade as well.  And I survived that one so I guess I’ll survive this one as well. 

The Donner Lake Half is a half Ironman distance triathlon.  1 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride and 13 mile run.  The swim will be in 65 degree water with wetsuits optional.  OPTIONAL??  WTF?  The only option is to wear a wetsuit in my book! 

The bike is 56 miles.  Not bad, except when you look at the elevation.  We ride up old highway 40 out of Donner Lake.  Here’s the elevation map… it sucks:

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The run is 13 miles.  THIS IS GOING TO REALLY SUCK.  It’s twice around Donner Lake.  Not bad, except the backside of Donner is extremely hilly.  Maybe not to your standards, but for this girl, the backside SUCKS.  And I get to do it twice.  The website doesn’t even give you an elevation map.  Need I say more??

Back in 8th grade, there were moments I wondered why I made this decision to “go” with said hunk.  And as of right now, I have those same regrets.  Aren’t there better guys (races) out there?  Aren’t other boys (races) more attractive?  Wouldn’t a less hot boy (race) be nicer to me?  STOP THINKING ABOUT IT WENDY!  You’ve made your up your mind, now go be a good girlfriend (athlete!).  I hope I chose wisely!

WENDY’S WORKOUTS MAY 20-MAY 24

MONDAY:  No workout.

Tuesday: Went mountain biking with my Little Friend Lynn today. I don’t know why she hates me, but she does. She must hate my dog too. We started out riding in Galena, like normal, until we took a horrible left turn. “Want to go up this way?” she asked. Up was an understatement. At one point, I even pretended to be super excited about seeing Snow Flowers.20130529-185007.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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By they end, we were one curve away from Mt. Rose Ski Resort!!!! See her? She’s pointing at the curve. Damn her!

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WEDNESDAY: Ran 2 hours on the treadmill at my gym. It was super windy today in Reno. I wimped out and headed indoors. I then swam an hour which is 3000 yards. And get this. My best friend, Dawna, sent me a hot racing bikini. And today I tested it out. Loved it! Except every time I pushed off the wall, the bottoms came down a bit. I kept imagining people walking by on the pool decking going  “Whoa, just say no to crack!” Finally, at 2700 yards… that’s 108 laps… I thought, “I think there’s a drawstring on these bottoms.” I tied them. It worked. What doesn’t work is my brain. 108 laps it took me to figure this out???

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THURSDAY: Rode my windtrainer for 2 hours… again the wind. But it was the 2 hour season finale of Elementary. Now that’s a fantastic show! It actually runs neck in neck with my boyfriend’s show, Person of Interest. And a lot of you have asked me about my windtrainer. Here’s what it looks like. It’s my bike on a frame.  Hope this helps you!

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FRIDAY: Rode the windtrainer again for 1 hour 30 minutes and then went on a 30 minute run. 

And did I mention I finally picked my race??  I’ll let you know what I’m doing as soon as I officially sign up.  Baby steps!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WENDY’S WORKOUTS 5/13 TO 5/19

MONDAY: Rode my wind trainer for 1 hour 30 minutes. Boring. Same ‘ol thing. Why do I subject myself to this workout??? Totally dreading rerun season!

TUESDAY: Went mountain biking with my Little Friend Lynn today. We rode Galena for 2 hours 30 minutes. I normally take Donner when we mountain bike, but today we had to cross the Mt. Rose Highway so I left her home. Boy was I in trouble when I got home all muddy and still high from endorphins. She looked at me and played dead.

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WEDNESDAY: Swam 3700 yards. 1500 swim, 1500 pull, 700 swim.

THURSDAY: I ran for 1 hour 45 minutes today. My kids had 4-H so I left the fairgrounds on foot and ran through my alma mater. If you’ve never visited the University of Nevada, you should! It’s beautiful. It’s designed after the University of Virginia which was one of Thomas Jefferson’s creations. I came across the quad all decked out and ready for graduation the following day. This brought back some GREAT memories.

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FRIDAY: Swam 2800 yards. 1500 swim, 1200 pull, 100 swim. Rode a stationary bike at the gym. Have you ever sat on one of those seats?? How do people ride on those? I made it 45 minutes and had to get off.  I walked like an old cowboy from a spaghetti western the rest of the afternoon.

SATURDAY: No workout.

SUNDAY: Rode my wind trainer for 1 hour 15 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

WENDY’S WORKOUTS 5-5 to 5-10

20130513-164951.jpgMonday: Ran/hiked Galena which is my favorite playground anywhere. Miles of trails… Beauty everywhere. Plus I got to be with Darrin today. A rare treat for us to workout together. It poured rain for about 10 minutes. So refreshing!

Tuesday: Rode my wind trainer for 1 hour 40 minutes. Then I ran for 30 minutes.

Wednesday: Swam for about an hour and did 3100 yards. Swam 2000, pulled 1000 and warmed down 100.

Thursday:  Rode 2 hours with my little friend Lynn up at Galena.  I told her I needed to go a bit longer than we normally do, so of course she found more hills to climb!

Friday: Swam 2900 yards. About the same deal as Wednesday

 

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