um, yeah

so all last week every spare moment was spent getting some artwork together for the AMI salon that needed to be in by Friday. So... haven't trained. and then over the weekend was Kim's bachelorette party, and reconnecting with high school peeps and Getting Things Done (like laundry, cleaning, chores) so all said and done, no training.

This week I hope to remedy that.

But we'll see. Wedding on Saturday. Rehearsal dinner Friday, and guests staying Tues-Sun. Meanwhile, I think I might eat my dinner on the train and workout when I get to my apt at night. It's really the only solution I can see, besides exercising in Lake Bluff, but then what would I do with my stuff....

Also, I've been seeing lots of baby bunnies around lately. I named the two on my bike commute to work Flippity and Flop.

but oh

i NEED a good long run! i crave it so!

ah, bler.

like how am i, like, going to do this?

I literally cannot find time to train. Besides the 6 miles of biking mon, wed, thurs. which could count for 12 miles bc my rear tire is flat...

I am exhausted by the time I get home each night. And weekends are spent recovering from the week, and honestly, I'm a little afraid the mono is coming back because I get really weak spells where I get dizzy.

I'm eating like 2,000+ calories a day and am still hungry! and somehow through all this my ab muscles are becoming ridiculously defined. Which brings my closer to my Christmas wish of abs like Shakira.

I can't believe I just admitted that I want Shakira abs by Christmas in a public space.





........










please don't judge me.



Well, I will give myself this week to adjust... maybe it's just getting used to the new job's time schedule. If I can eat dinner on the train ride home maybe I can run or bike by the time I get home and then collapse in bed and get up and do it all over again.... this is the only thing I can think of. And I'd really like to get to swim with the team wed nights, so I need to figure out how to get back into the city by 7. oy! oy! oy!

I am going to try to get a long bike ride in Saturday with a FRIEND before KIM ACTON'S bachelorette party which will be so fabulous.

indeed.

frustration

pretty furious right now. Took me 3 hours to get home from work today (normally takes 2) because of L malfunction... .. . .. ... ..... and on top of the 16.50 on public transpo I spent 14 dollars on taxis that I had to take because the public transpo failed me.... I will spare you the details, I vented to my poor roommate as soon as i got in the door, but I am still furious. FURIOUS!

Part of my commute also is a 3 mile bike ride from the commuter rail to my workplace. So, I bike 6 miles a day on a lovely country path and today I even ventured to the bluff in Lake Bluff and Is. It. Gorgeous. When I get a camera I will take pictures for you. It's even more beautiful than the bluff at my undergrad. I might go swim down there after or before work one of these days. so gorgeous, it must be explored.

the biking is all the workout I can squeeze in- I am gone from 6am-8:20pm every M, W, TH, and from 7am-6pm each Friday, so working in workouts are going to take some effort.

Tomorrow I pick up my bike!! May long bike rides commence. Just in time for the heat wave. or heat pump, as my local meteorologist calls it. bring it, just bring it.

my poor feet

So, on Saturday the weather was so nice I decided to go for a walk along the lake. Which, doesn't really mean sand, more like cement. And, I took off my shoes as soon as I got to the lake. On a 90 degree day. At noon.

I ended up with blisters all over the bottom of my feet from the hot cement. They are healing and I hardly feel the pain anymore. But, ouch. and d'oh.

I like feet, I think they can be really graceful. I think ballet has opened my eyes to how feet can elongate the legs and the correct pointing and positioning and turn out of the foot can be a really graceful movement. Once in a drawing class we had to draw a model's feet, and she said that it was more vulnerable for her to have us draw her feet than for her to pose naked and draw her body. She was older, and her toes were pointed like she had worn lots of pointed shoes in her life. Feet have a lot of personalities and tell a lot of stories about people.

Anyway, kinda took a break from working out the past couple days, but ready to start training this week. Full speed ahead!

sore!

A little bit sore today, but it's a good feeling. I'm surprised I didn't feel queasy running yesterday, as I had just split half a pizza with my roomie and eaten a ton of grapes right before I ran...

right after I got back from running yesterday I felt really weak, like I couldn't stand. So I plopped on the couch and worked on my research. after about an hour passed, I started to feel really energized and good, as though suddenly my runner's high had kicked in. I actually like not exercising for awhile, because when you come back to it your legs are fresh, and you feel the effects of running so much more strongly. I sound like a drug addict.

it's true, though. I work behind a computer; there are few reasons for me to ever leave it. So having an excuse to exercise and go to the lake and GET OUTSIDE is welcome. I'm actually also looking for a pick up soccer team to join- I used to love it so much in grade school, and played whenever I could with friends in Boston, but haven't really done it here in Chicago. A beach volleyball team would be fun to join too, but I think it's too late in the season for that. Anything that would get me outside more...

Also in the works: thinking of a fall east coast road trip to VT, ME, NY, and MA. to see the foilage, of course. and maybe a camping trip? I miss the east coast camping trips too! All these things I just never really picked up again when I moved to Chicago... but now with grad school ending...

ah plans. plans plans and more plans.

first run since FOREVER

and it was deeeeelightful! :)

only about a 30 minute run, with some walking breaks, but by the time I started my cool down walk home, my legs were like jelly.

But the sky was a beautiful deep blue, a color almost purple and I wished, not for the first time, that I was in the country and had horizon to horizon to enjoy the color of the sky... but then I do have the lake, and it was a world of blue out on the edge of walkway that juts into the lake. And the yellow-white city lights complement the blue of the sky with warmth.

And I got caught in the rain. and it made me ridiculously, undeniably, giddy.

soooooooooo

Dropped my bike off today to get fixed at Copenhagen Cyclery. I forgot how eclectic Wicker Park is... so many stores! I need to get over there more often, it's really not that far away. My bike should be done on Friday, so whoot! I can start bike- commuting again, thank GOD! Oh, and I'm getting a new seat, so no more duct tape... and squishy wet seat when it rains.

I've been doing sit ups and push ups regularly, and also squats, since the hamstrings do not get exercised enough when biking, swimming, or running. I was told that poor strengthening of them can lead to knee pain, and is a major cause of missed races, since it takes awhile to act up. So, one minute of static squats a day. 50 seconds in, and it burns like fire.

Anyway, I'm going to go run and hope that I get caught in rain. Summer rain running... nothing better!

Goals for this week...

Because if I put them on here, maybe there is a better chance they will get done.

Tri-wise:
1. drop off bike to get fixed, buy new seat.
2. sit-ups and push-ups every day, at least 250 total.
3. Stretch for 5 min every day.
4. Run twice this week- as long as I can.
5. Swim once this week.
6. Get dr's note sent to Kate.
7. Make list of what is still needed to buy for tri.

Research-wise:
1. Get proposal handed in by Tuesday.
2. Get sketches handed in by Friday.

Also, guess what? I got a job! I am muy excited. It's basically my dream job, except for the fact that it isn't located in London, where I have an ache to live. I think I start this week. oy.

Happy Fourth, I love America. Fireworks start here in 20 min, still debating whether to go. Mleh.....