No Swim

Found out today I don't have to swim in the tri relay this weekend.  I am a bit relieved, though I am going to continue swimming as cross training.  I really enjoy it.  Should have gone today.  Still haven't gotten my workout in, maybe this evening.  I am battling a cold the kids have brought home from school, but it's not too bad.  Just feel really tired and have sinus issues.

Day 8 = Liquid

weight - 130.8  If my stupid scale didn't give me a decimal place, I could say I lost a pound in a week.  Oh well, close though!
swim - 14 x 100M

The weather was so nice this morning!  It felt like fall kinda, mid 60s!  I hope it's like that tomorrow when I do my long run.  As I sit here drinking a Dr. Pepper (don't shake your head, it's been a while since I've had one!), my foot is aching so badly.  I don't know what I did to it this morning but I think I dropped something, or hit it on something.  It's right on top of my foot near my ankle.  It's swollen and a bit and bruised.  Hmmmm.

For breakfast I had a smoothie.  When I go on a health kick, smoothies become a staple.  They take the place of one of my meals.  Yesterday it was lunch, today breakfast.  Here's how I make mine....

Let me start by saying that my immersion blender broke a few months back and I found this cool little Oster smoothie maker.  Just stick everything in the blue bottle, screw on the blade, lock it on the blender and plug in.  It's so easy!  Then you remove the blade and screw a top on that has a spout to drink out of.  FAST FOOD!! :)

 Ok, so Chobani Greek Yogurt is my favorite thing ever.  Especially Pineapple flavor.  Plus it has 13 grams of protein in one serving and 140 calories!  Today I used it, with an overripe banana, (side note:  I cannot choke down a banana to save my life, but they are like Gold in a smoothie!) fresh cherries, pitted, fresh pineapple, and some pineapple/orange juice.  I also threw a little milk in.  I am so on a pineapple kick this summer.

 Here is the finished product!  I like to put it in a fancy glass to drink cause it makes me feel like I'm at a spa... don't laugh at me.

So, this smoothie energized my swim this morning.  Liquid fuel for a liquid workout.  I think I can do the 400 if I have to.  I'm gaining confidence each time I swim.  Felt great except when my foot cramped towards the end.  Kinda right where it was already hurting.... strange.  This pain better be gone by tomorrow.  This smoothie has some serious calories.  I'm guessing total about 350 maybe.  But it has so much protein that I'm still not even really hungry for lunch and it's been 4 hours and a good swim since I drank it.  Love me some Smoothies.  My friend Caryn makes smoothies for breakfast too.  She is an elite runner from Atlanta.  You can visit her blog here.  Have a Wonderful Thursday!!!

Day 5 = Water Woes!

Weight = 131

Went Swimming!  Wow it was hard!!  I swam 50s mostly for 50 minutes.  I lost count of my laps.  But didn't rest much so got a good workout.  The main thing I noticed is that my arms get really tired.  They are not use to pulling water, or being used much at all for that matter - it's a totally different exercise than running.  Here I sit 30 minutes after my workout, I have the good post exercise feeling but I feel refreshed and, though my muscles are fatigued, definitely feel like the rest of my day will be without aches and pains.  I may be swimming a lot more in the future.  It's just a great workout.  As I was toweling off an older lady said, "You have a beautiful stroke, you look like you are just gliding along out there."  My response, "Thank you but I didn't feel that way."  I always wondered what I looked like swimming.  Ha!

The sprint triathlon has a 400m swim.  Initially I thought, "that's a piece of cake!"  Now I'm thinking otherwise.  I think I can do it in 8 minutes though, and if the team needs me that will give them a decent start.  My goal will be sub 8 minutes but I bet it ends up somewhere around 8:30 - 9:00.  If I can pace myself and not go out too fast, I will do much better.  I am going to swim a lot over the next 2 weeks and see what happens.  Maybe I won't have to do this relay at all!

Day 2 = Yawn

I've been so tired this afternoon.  I only ran 3.5 miles this morning and I was soaking wet with sweat.  I must be tired from losing all that water.  My plan was to then go swim some laps at a local indoor pool.  My friend has asked me to be on stand-by for her sprint triathlon relay team since their swimmer is nursing an injury.  The race is 2 weeks from tomorrow so I better get some swimming in.  I swam on the swim team all growing up and into high school so it's pretty easy for me, but still, I would want to swim well if I had to jump in for their team.  Anyway, I get there and they only take cash or check which I don't have.  I was planning on getting a month membership with my credit card but I guess that will have to wait until Monday.  I had lots of errands to run today, along with mowing the yard, so didn't get a chance to get back there.

I may take tomorrow off and then run again Sunday morning.  I will weigh in again on Monday. :)  Feeling good about the weight going down.  I've been watching what I eat and think I can lose the first 5 pretty fast... after that it will require more mileage.

I'm so far away from where I should be right now.  It's ugly.  I really wanted to maintain over the summer, and here I am almost starting over again.  Still I'm excited about the process of regaining my endurance, even though it's quite painful here in the beginning stages.

Me and my boys playing on the computer today...