Snowmagedon Part II

Its been a long winter here in the Mid-Atlantic. First there was the pre-Christmas, 2 feet of snow, cancel school for 3 days, everything is shut down event. Now we are expecting round 2--actually there are teeny, tiny snowflakes coming down right now.

Last night I went to the grocery store, that's what we do when snow is coming. Was in absolutely necessary-no. Did I need things to cook to keep me sane, yes definitely.

The best was this forcast I came across this morning--I'll have some of whatever HE is drinking!
http://www.accuweather.com/video-on-demand.asp?collection=cities&video=BWI&lineup=NE

Woohoo Down Three Pounds

I shouldn't be looking at the scale every day. Things go up and down all the time. I was shocked to see today that my loss from last Wednesday was 3 pounds as I've seen numbers almost as low along the way but not on official weigh in day. Total lost 12.2 pounds in 26 days.

Tri training class started this week. Swim class started yesterday, I. am. slow. Too slow for the advanced class but further along technique-wise than the beginners, I put myself in the advanced class to get more work in. This week afterwards I got in a short run, runner's yoga and a little strength training. Sunday, we start the bike and run, its much worse not keeping up on the run than on the swim--not looking forward to it.

Watch out LoserMoms!

What does Marty Bass Have Against the Buckeye State?

I listen to the same station every morning on my way to work. Back in December when the Browns BEAT the Steelers the weather guy commented that the only person happier than him about that happening (because it was good for the hometown Ravens) was Tim Tebow because he wouldn't have to go to Cleveland. At the time I thought he was rather obnoxious but that is par for the course, people around here think it was awful of the Colts to move to Indianapolis but its all Cleveland's fault that the lost the Browns. I can't tell you how many times I've been told "its just not the same, they didn't leave in the middle of the night." Okay, they left in broad daylight but it was no less of a tragedy to Browns fans left without a team.

This morning, I get into the car and again, Marty Bass is bad mouthing the Buckeye state, today he called the Professional Football Hall of Fame an overrated tourist attraction stuck in the middle of nowhere Ohio--paraphrased but accurate in its sentiment I do believe. Perhaps he'd like to move the Pro Football HOF to Baltimore too? How about the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame?

OK, end of rant. Come on Marty, what is up with the Ohio hate thing?

Return to tri training 2010

Yes, that is me in the blue cap being overtaken by women in the swim wave behind me at Iron Girl 2008. I am displaying hideous form--my excuse, I was sighting--you know, trying to figure out how the ^%$& I had to go before I was out of the nasty lake water!

In order to try and remedy my horrid swim times and start back on the road to triathlon shape--or actually any shape, I signed up for swim technique class with Coach Liz. Seemed perfectly sane, until that first morning when the alarm goes off at 4:45 AM. Yes, that is right, the middle of the night! My friend told me she can't make herself get out of bed before 5AM so if she has to get up at 4:45 she sets the alarm for 5 and makes the clock 15 minutes fast--I like the way she thinks. I took another path, I just refuse to think. Call it early morning autopilot--hit alarm, pee, swimsuit on, brush teeth, grab swim bag, coat, out the door. By the time I am really awake, I am at the gym. Hitting the water, that pretty much does the rest of it.

So I spent three pre-dawn mornings the last two weeks trying to remember to keep my head down, breathe out a lot right before I get more air, rotate on every stroke, and pull with my whole arm. I am sure there are things I am forgeting. Unfortunately when I am in the pool sometimes it is the breathing part I forget and once you realize you are in oxygen debt the other stuff really seems insignificant!

Next week starts tri training class, only one morning a week with an insane wake-up call. Sunday mornings we get to sleep in before hitting the gym at 6:45 AM for bike and run fun. Can't wait to see my tri buddies and hoping that I can find my endurance--I had some! I will miss sleep though.

I'm Back and I'm Fat

I'm back and I'm fat. Maybe I am back because I am fat, maybe I've been missing because I'm fat, all I know is I may have done several triathlons, I ran a half marathon and suddenly (or maybe not so suddenly) I weigh as much as I ever have when I am not pregnant.

I am almost two weeks (started on 1/2) into Phase I of the South Beach Diet--week one I rocked it, -5.7 pounds, I was hoping that another week of breadless, fruitless, potatoless living would get another big number (yes, I watch the Biggest Loser). -1.7 pounds, I was surprised it was that much because, being scale obsessed, I've been on the scale every morning and it just feels like its not changing. But I feel better, no afternoon compulsion for a siesta, maybe my clothes are a tad less tight. This weekend I will take my measurements and see if I've made any progress there.

So, what the heck do I do from here:

• Keep up the "good carb" eating--I am going to add in a few high fiber, whole grain carbs and a few pieces of fruit, I don't think I can make it through training without them!
• Get back into triathlon training--man its a whole lot harder hauling around all this extra weight! Went to the gym for the yaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn! 5:15 AM stroke class this morning
• Be accountable to someone--I chose the LoserMoms (thanks Sarah from Sarah and the GoonSquad for showing me the way) and I am recording it all on WeightWatchers online.

Let the games begin!

Celebrating the "F" Word

No, get your mind out of the gutter, not THAT "f" word but rather FORTY. I hit that milestone last Wednesday and you can visit Gman to see pictures of the (almost) surprise party that marked the occasion.

Thanks hon and Es and everyone else who made it all so special!

13.1 miles summed up: Hot, Hilly, Hellish

Here is the race report I wrote up for the tri club:

Racer:
Heather Zoller-Gritz
Race:
Country Music Half Marathon
Date:
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Location:
Nashville, TN
Race Type:
Run - Half Marathon
Age Group:
Female 35 - 39
Time:
3:46:45
Overall Place:
21638 / 22749
Age Group Place:
2058 / 2179

I met my sister in Nashville so the two of us could run our first half marathons. I've been fighting a nagging foot issue but put in the miles and after a good 10 miler last Sunday felt prepared for the race. After running consistently in 50 & 60 degree weather I wasn't prepared for it to be 80 by the time we started (in corral 27, almost an hour after the first runners started) to only get hotter and sunnier along the way. I felt good for the first five miles other than what seemed like constant uphills, not big hills just lots of them (very decieving elevation chart. Cytomax and water on the course and I took some at every stop. At the halfway point I was right where I expected to be, right about 1:30 (I was aiming for 3 hrs).Unfortunately things went downhill (not literally) from there. I started to feel sick to my stomach and felt increasingly dizzy so I sat down in the shade, ate my sport beans and waited for the bathroom. I felt considerably better after about 10 minutes of downtime. At the next water stop I took Cytomax, water and added some salt (literally, from 2 packets sitting on a table).

That did the trick and I was able to alternate running and walking but my calves felt really tight every time I ran. I kept telling myself time didn't matter, I just wanted to finish. At mile 11 my calves started seizing up so bad I couldn't walk, the cramps went all the way down into my feet. I had to stop, stretch and massage them to keep moving, first one side, then the other. I felt like I was getting passed by 100s of people every time I stopped. By that time I just wanted it to be over, it was hot, no shade and I was moving so slowly I really thought it would never end. There were cheerleaders giving out jelly beans and then a Gu station, I had some of each and some water and that seemed to help with the cramps but I couldn't run at all, my calves wanted nothing to do with it so I walked the rest of the way in.

There was good music all along the course and tons (31000 between the marathon and half) of people. There were a good number of shuttles moving people from the finish line to the start. The finish was at LP Field where the Titans play which was pretty cool. I will definitely carry some liquid with me next time if there is any doubt about whether I will need it.

Yesterday at the airport I was talking to a guy in the security line and he said of the 20 halves he has done this was by far the hardest, that definitely made me feel a bit less of a wuss. I am seriously torn between awe of the accomplishment and disappointment that I didn't run much more than half of it. Probably a good life lesson in accepting what you can't change.

The day the oven died

I ran after work and came home to relax before throwing something together for dinner. Gman started up the grill and I turned on the oven. When I opened it to put a couple of things in it, I noticed it was still cold although it had preheated. I switched it from convection to regular oven and still no HEAT. Hmm, isn't that the whole freaking purpose of the oven?! On to Plan B.

Gman is on the case, promising to try and trouble shoot it tomorrow. Part of me wants to get rid of the bugger and put in a shiny new one, a GAS one but I was hoping when I did that I'd get a whole new kitchen to go with it!

I Wear Ugly Man Shoes

These are my new "ugly man shoes." When I started running I never, ever thought that finding the right shoe was akin to the pursuit of the holy grail. There are so many permutations of running shoes--what is your arch, pronation, how far do you run, how much do you weigh, do you wear and orthotic--if not, hey we can sell you one. With the formula you'd think that they could pop in the data and come up with a shoe that makes you run like the wind. Wouldn't you?

I have been wearing New Balance shoes for most of the time I've been running other than a misguided detour over to Mizuno. I also ended up at the podiatrist for custom orthotics when my foot started burning and then feeling like I was running with a knife stabbing me continually in the forefoot. The orthotics helped, some. They let me get from 3 miles to 5 miles before the pain got unbearable. This then lead me to the great running sock search.

Injinji toe socks, super thin Nike socks, Adidas bamboo socks. Each were okay but only for so long, like 5 miles. The super thin socks are winning so far but not sure they'll hold up for a half marathon. The bamboo socks are okay but I put toenails (short ones) through them on a regular basis. The toe socks were great for awhile, theory being it separates the toes and helps take pressure off the forefoot. Still, pain between 3 and 5 miles.

Finally, with a 9 mile run staring me in the face I went back to the local running store for new shoes. Anyone in Howard or surrounding counties--go to Feet First, they rock (locally owned, knowledgable staff, new high tech equipment and big new store!). I gotta say that it was the best shoe fitting ever, even if I ended up with ugly man shoes. I learned early on that you have to be willing to pay whatever and wear whatever feels good. The cute or cool looking shoes are rarely the ones. The heavier you are and the further you run the more true this becomes, IMHO. I must have tried 0n 2o pairs of shoes, each of them having some annoying factor, rubbing the top of the toes, rubbing the ankle, slipping the heel, or all of the above. After much trial and error out came the ugly man shoes. Smart sales guy didn't TELL me they were man shoes. Smart guy. It would have made me resistant, because that is just the way I roll. He gave me the super special way to tie the shoes so my heel wouldn't slip. Nothing sewn across the top of the shoe to rub in one spot or another. Ahhh, running shoe nirvana.

Now I feel I must begin to stockpile the ugly man shoe. Unfortunately in the running shoe world the companies remake their shoes all. the. time. And the new, improved version, isn't necessarily an improvement for all of the devotees of the current shoe. I did get a heads up that Hola Bird Sports is a great source for shoes at a discount, especially the discontinued ones. And the best news FREE SHIPPING.

Where Have I Been?

Well, its been a really interesting Spring! Work has been crazy, lots of new people in and old out. New assignment taking an extra 20 hours or more per week. In this world you don't say no. The work has been interesting and exciting but also exhausting!

Gman and I did take a short break and went to Las Vegas with Builder Mama and her Mister. It was a nice break from the chaos.

In between working and sleeping I've mostly been running. T minus 13 days until the half marathon! I ran 9 miles yesterday and felt good. It really made me think I wasn't nuts for signing up for 13.1 miles. Hopefully the good feeling will hold a couple more weeks. My sister has been cranking out the miles considerably more quickly than I but my real goal is just to FINISH.

I dropped out of my first tri of the season, just not enough hours in the day to get in the biking and swimming necessary for that one. I am S-L-O-W in the water and would have to, horror of horrors, buy a wetsuit! Right now I am just concentrating on the running.

Hopefully I will be around more often. Love to you all :)

Weigh In Week 1, Take 2

Today I weighed in at WW and was down .8 pounds. That is certainly better than gaining weight but still a downer. I have really picked up the workouts getting ready for triathlon torture, er I mean training class. To be basically be maintaining is really ticking me off, I managed to do that this time last year and I was eating whatever, whenever. One theory is that I am not eating enough. Buildermama turned me on to the Livestrong site today. You can track your food there much like Weight Watchers but at least for me I get about 25% more calories and that is without adding in my exercise. Given all of that, next week I am going to not spend any time hungry, I am going to eat more!

Leg, what have I done?!

I have a sore leg. Its achy. Its annoying. Nothing seems to make it better or worse for that matter. Different times, different parts of the leg bother me more than others. Yesterday I had a little Mr. Don treatment, last night stunk but today seems to be better. Let's see what happens as the week (and getting back to serious training) continues.

I started back to Weight Watchers last week. Tomorrow is my weigh-in and its not looking so good. I feel good, I think I look thinner but the scale just isn't telling the tale. Its muscle, right?!

Come on, show yourself

Its National Delurking Day so please, show yourself, leave a comment!

These are a few of my favorite new things...

For Christmas I got a variety of new triathlon/running/biking/swimming gadgets to my delight. I thought I'd take this chance to give them a run down for all my gadget loving friends.

The one I've been looking most forward to using is my Finis SwiMP3 player. Swimming laps makes me CRAZY, not that its a real reach but I just get bored, lost in the counting of how many times I've gone up and and down the pool. Any possible distraction and I am SO on it! This nifty little waterproof MP# player uses the bones of the face to conduct sound. Nothing to stick in your ears and try to keep it there, they slide right onto the goggles. I have to say my first try was a little bummed because it wasn't very loud and if I blew too many bubbles the sound was drowned out. I came home to find out that I needed to be holding the volume/skip button instead of just touching it. I will give that a try the next time I go to the pool. They were definitely comfortable, the sound was clear it just wasn't loud.

GeekGirl over at Athena Diaries has been touting the wonders of the Injinji toe sock and as much as I wanted to give them a try I hate ordering things and having the shipping be as much as the purchase. My solution, tell my sister to buy them for me for Christmas! The first time I put them on I wondered what I had done. Its a little weird having something between all of your toes. Once I had them on and hit the road though I was in love. I have been having some foot issues and it seems like having my toes apart just a little bit helps. I don't think they'd be a good tri choice as it takes me a looooooooong time to get them on and they are a bit thick to wear in my cycling shoes.

Finally, Gman got me two Spinervals DVDs to keep me entertained during the winter while I am on the bike trainer. I am a bit, fat, wussie when it comes to riding outside in the cold but riding inside on the trainer is B-O-R-I-N-G (yes ALL in caps!). I also get lazy and don't keep my cadence up or wimp out on the resistance. The two DVDs he got for me, Autumn Training Ride and Lake Placid, are from the Virtual Reality series. You follow on Coach Troy's back wheel as he rides through the countryside. I did the entire autumn ride which was filmed in Baltimore County, I did the first section of the Lake Placid DVD--the whole thing, 56 miles and just under 3 hours. Even with Coach Troy I don't know that I can stay in the saddle that long inside.

So, that is the best of my triathlon booty from the recent holiday season. Now there is just no excuse not to get out and ride, run and swim. So far, so good this year. Given the weather and my distaste for the treadmill I scour the weather reports to try and figure out the best days for an outdoor run.

Recovering from Chaos

The time between Thanksgiving and New Year is total chaos. Everyone tries to fit in a "special" holiday version of meetings, there are lunches, brunches, cocktail hours and dinners to attend. At church there are special services, choir for the kids, the pageant and decorating. And those are just the things outside the house. Inside we are hauling the decorations out of the garage, hanging the lights and making sure that the prized holiday decorations are on display for their maximum exposure before they head back into their 11 month hiding spots. Its always a little sad to put the decorations away and say goodbye to the holiday season but having a method to the madness helps.

In our current house we are blessed with the Christmas corner of the garage. There is a little cubby space just wide enough for the boxes of Christmas paraphernalia and the tree right inside the garage door. The previous owners even made a base so things that get stacked there are off the floor. After spending much time wrapping the lights onto the branches from the trunk out to the tips I was loathe to take the tree apart. my dear husband managed a set-up that would allow us to box up the tree with the lights on and store it away for the summer. Things like that are just one of the many things that make me love him. Also in our streamlining frenzy last year I threw out extraneous stuff, reduced the total number of boxes and carefully labelled those we kept. It made getting it out and putting it back to rest much easier for this year. I actually had most of the work done in the matter of an hour--even with the help of the children!

On the outside front Gman is a big fan of the heavy duty winders for extension cords to wind up the light tubes and some of the other lights. Next year we need to do a lighting overhaul and make sure that everything is working or gets thrown out and gets put away with labels.

So my chaos-recovery strategy--eliminate, label and relax!

Still not packed up from your holiday chaos? Check out other posts at the Parent Bloggers site to see advice from other experts. The folks at SC Johnson might have some products to help you out as well. Their http://rightathome.com site can help you find solutions.

Looking Into the Crystal Ball for 2009

If only it were as easy as looking in the crystal ball to see what the year has in store!

Weight goal, 60 pounds by the end of the year, 5 pounds a month, definitely doable (I've done it before and vowed never to have to do it again). Back to Weight Watchers I go.

Exercise goal, finish the Country Music Half Marathon, April 25 with my sister Jennifer. Then on to tri season and the Tri to Win Sprint Triathlon, Iron Girl and at least one other triathlon (maybe an Olympic distance?!).

Money goal, with Gman dig ourselves out of our credit card debt, at least halfway.

You notice I never used the R-word, resolution, these are my goals for the year--measurable and I hope attainable.

Run #1 down today.

Year In Review

When I think back on 2008 two things really stand out to me. One an accomplishment of my own, one a loss for my whole family.

In January I started training in earnest for triathlon season. I remember my first Sunday training class, I was pretty sure I might die by the time it was over. I went to church afterwards and was barely able to get up and down for hymns. My face was bright red for hours. I had to go home and take a nap. But I did it. I was excited to go back the next week. I got to meet some neat new people. I went to swim one morning a week at 5:15AM, in the pool at 5:15 AM, which meant leaving my house a few minutes before 5 which I believe is still officially night. The payoff was completing 2 sprint triathlons, an indoor tri, 3 5Ks and an 8K for the year. I joined the Mid Maryland Tri Club and met cool people living the tri lifestyle. I stretched myself like I would never have imagined. It carried through to all parts of my life, really if I can do a tri, I feel like I can do anything! I lost 25 pounds on Weight Watchers and felt like an athlete for the first time (subsequently I've gained back 10 of that but isn't that what New Year's resolutions are for?!). I am headed into to 2009 with the goal of finishing a half marathon in April, the same 2 sprint tris, and an Olympic distance tri somewhere late in the year. Did I accomplish everything I wanted, of course not. Did I accomplish things that I wouldn't have imagined a year earlier, yes.

The second thing that most immediately comes to mind when I think of 2008 is the loss of my grandmother on July 4. I lost both of my grandfathers before I had kids. They were both important to me but my grandmother influenced me in so many significant ways. Part of it too was with the loss of my grandmother it changed so many other things. The house that had always been hers my entire life was sold. I'll never spend time in that house with her again. The things I took away from her house were things from the kitchen. Grandma and I spent much time in her kitchen, cooking, baking, talking. As a kid I would take a walk and end up at Grandma's house, she always had time for a talk and an apple or something to drink. When I am in the kitchen using her measuring cups, using her recipes or her rolling pin I feel connected to her and growing up. She was an amazing woman of faith who I will miss and I am sorry my kids won't get to know better.

In comparison to those two things there are other important things from the year that might be the milestone of another year. My second nephew Brady Augustus was born in January. In February Gman and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary (and I finished the Tri to Help Indoor Tri). March brought PDQs seventh birthday. April had Gman and I celebrating birthdays. In July I ran the Run for the Roar race in Marietta, we spent two whole weeks in Ohio for Grandma's funeral and our vacation in the Hocking Hills the following week (at the big log house, as the kids dubbed it). August was the big race, the month I'd been training for all year. I became an Iron Girl. What an exhilarating experience! Boobah started Kindergarten in September after months of waiting to find out if she was admitted (she missed the cutoff by 2 days and we had her tested). The Pouter started high school, we were very proud of his choosing to apply and being accepted into the STEM program. I also completed the Police Pace 5K with a friend who wanted to get back into running. In October we made it to Marietta College for Homecoming, I hadn't been back for that event in many years. My BFF from College and I ran a 5K race with my sister. When we were in college no one would have believed that we were going to run, let alone get up early in the morning to do it! In November I travelled to Richmond to run the NTelos 8K with Buildermama. Neither of us ran the entire way but we did have fun and and after a debate about whether or not to even go we were glad we did in the end. I got a new boss this year and its been a working whirlwind but I've learned a lot and have enjoyed almost every minute of it! He is new to the company and brought in some other new people who are positive and fun to work with. Finally, we are in Ohio to celebrate Christmas and the end of another year. Lots of time for family and friends.

Tomorrow, new year, new goals.

Mystery Solved

Just a little less than a year ago we adopted Thumper, a two-year old Florida White rabbit. He is litter trained, he doesn't eat much, he makes no noise. Pretty much the perfect pet, except for the chewing. Speaker wires, phone chargers, backpack handles, paper, chair skirt, chair lining, anything he can get his teeth on, he chews. Luckily none of this has been a bunny frying experience to date. When he is out and about and the children are afoot he likes to hide. Under the kitchen table or behind the chair (with the chewed up skirt) are his usual haunts. Today I didn't see him for hours. He wasn't in any of his usual places. I sent the girls to check out their room (he used to like to go up and leave pellets in front of the dressers in their room). No bun. I noticed the garage door open a crack. Had he ventured in there? I couldn't imagine spoiled, warm bun hiding in the cement floored garage but who knew. Nope, no bun. The basement? Nope, no bun.

Finally, I moved the usual chair and he wasn't there. I cleaned up some bun debris from a chew-fest and noticed that after I moved the chair back it seemed to move some more. When I looked under the chair I noticed a definite droop, that when pushed, MOVED. Aha! The inside of the chair. He'd gnawed his way into the lining of the chair and was hiding out inside. Thankfully bun has been located. Now, how to keep him OUT of the chair.

Stress, Run, Run Away

The last few weeks have been stressful. In addition it has been cold and the daylight very fleeting. I've felt like a bear stuffing myself to lay down for a long winter's nap. I've been sleeping extraordinarily well (for me) and getting up in the morning from my nice warm bed into my cold, dark house has been a real chore. This week at work the stress has been turned up a notch dealing with the inevitable pre-holiday crisis that no one has time to deal with but has to figure out how to make time.

This afternoon I looked up and it was still relatively light out, it was 50 degrees, and I had running clothes in the car. I did what any stressed out girl would do, I turned off the computer, stuffed everything in my bag, changed my clothes and went for a run. Sans iPod. Really, that was the hardest part. It felt good to stretch my legs, to not worry who was going to come with the next demand or question that I really didn't want to answer. It was me, answering to myself for the running I haven't been doing over the past several weeks. The good news, nothing hurt, my breathing was never very labored. The bad news, I was excruciatingly slow and my heart rate was high. All in all, I'll take it. I was worried that by the time I got another run in I'd be horribly out of shape!

Today an e-mail came out about the Cherry Blossom 10-miler. I really wanted to do it as a tune-up for the half marathon. It's just two weeks before that race. They scared me with the 2:20 time limit and the "we'll pull you off the course" talk. Am I really up to that? Should I just stick to the training plan and not add this race? Last year it filled up in 4 hours so if I decide I want to do it there is no time to waste!

Big D

Last Monday my brother-in-law, his Dad and his cousin went out to hunt. The night before they'd played with my nephews and watched the Steelers win. A good weekend all in all. Unfortunately after a morning of hunting they went to meet up and my BILs father was lying on the ground. He'd had a massive heart attack. He was just 60 years old. I have had my BIL in my head and heart all week. He and his Dad were so close. They loved to hunt together. His Dad had been his baseball coach, watched him become an all-American in college and play semi-pro ball. Bib D loved my nephews. My BIL being an only child, my nephews the only grandchildren they were spoiled with love and attention from Pap. Thankfully they got one last evening with him before he went on his last hunt. I went to the funeral. My BIL spoke eloquently about his Dad. His uncle spoke about him, saying that they'd been busy the last few years and didn't find time to go to their hunting cabin always putting it off until next Spring, Summer, Fall. He reminded us all that now is the time for living, you never know how much time you have. Big D, I didn't know you that well but I know the impact you had on many lives and I know that you will be missed.