The New Years Influx

Upon entering the gym Sunday morning for a run, bike and swim, I was immediately  met by a human wall blocking my path.  Apparently there is a an AMAZING New Years deal at the Y this month.  As a result, every resolution setting deal grabber decided that they wanted to workout.  Now, while I commend these fellow resolution setters for getting up and moving and making an effort to be fitter Americans, it has definitely put a damper on my gym experience.  The once quiet indoor track is now riddled with walkers in rows of two's and three's.  They chat and laugh and converse while I bob and weave and dodge.  Then there are the treadmills, elliptical trainers and stationary bikes.  Throughout my time as a gym member, I have never waited for a machine.  Oh how sweet those days were.   Then there's the pool.  The days of enjoying the solitude of my own lane are long gone.

On an up note, I realize that this inconvenience is most likely only temporary.  I give it until next Tuesday.

Happy New Year!

So like many other Americans, I have locked into my New Years resolution for 2011:  to run a marathon.  But unlike most Americans, I am bound and determined to actually make this resolution a reality.  I will not fall into the trap of the many who join a gym on January 1st only to never return or join Weight Watchers but never attend a single meeting.  No, this won't be me.  I will run a marathon.  It may not be very fast and I may not set any records and I definitely will not win.  But I will do it.  I will join the thousands upon thousands of Americans who do actually complete this event every year.  This is my year.  We'll call it the year of Lo.

Swim Like a Fish... Ok, Maybe a Dead Fish

So I've decided that  its time to start listening to the advice of the running gods over at Runner's World and start cross training.  So what cardio workout is more low impact than swimming?  This, I thought, would be perfect since I was always a good swimmer.  Well, times have apparently changed since 1995 when I was on the middle school swim team.  But how can this be?  I can run 8 miles over hills and through a wintery mix?!  My body and my lungs are supposed to be in shape?  So why am I gurgling, gasping and basically drowning before I've completed lap one?

Well, my faithful followers, apparently I'm not as fit as I thought I was.  While I may have come great strides with my running, I'm basically at square one with swimming.  I could just give up and hit the track or a spinning class, but then I would have to admit that I'm just a dead fish.  So, its time to regroup.  The first thing I did was whine to my fit friends.  Their advice? Relax.  It would appear that holding my breath for long periods of time and then trying to exhale and inhale in one short head tilt was not the best idea.  I needed to relax into my stroke and breathe every second stroke (not every 6th stroke like I had done day one).  I also had to cut myself a little slack.  I'm not looking to go to the Olympics here, so it would make sense to slow things down.

So I'm proud to announce that day number two has gone much better.  While I'm still working on feeling completely comfortable  and relaxed in the pool, I feel a million times better than I did on day one.  So back in the saddle I'll go until I can swim like a fishy, and a live one at that.

Message to My New Gym Buddy

Kudos to the elderly man in the neon-white, calf-high socks who lapped me multiple times on the indoor track last night.  I commend you on your years of practice and conditioning.  Enjoy your time as king of the track... for now. Because I've got my eye on you buddy.  It's on.  Oh yes, it's on.

Road to the Corps

Last year at this time, if you had told me that I would one day run a marathon, my reaction would probably have involved hysterical laughing, spraying milk/wine/soda out of my nose and rolling on the floor in a fit of cackling laughter.  For those of you who knew me prior to my new life as a runner, the closest I used to come to cardio was racing to the clearance section at DSW on Black Friday.  I worried about things like stilettos and overpriced jeans, not split times and tempo runs.  I've come a long way this year in terms of respecting myself and my body as well as the new found confidence that I have in myself.  So I have decided that 2011 will be the year that I run a marathon.  I have decided to run the 2011 Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC.  Suzy and Leo have been drafted as my support team and will be responsible for collecting whatever is left of me at the finish line.

Given the more than 400 marathon choices around our country each year, I had a difficult time choosing the marathon that was right for me.  Other marathons that were on my list were The Disney Marathon in Orlando, The Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati and The Good Life Fitness Toronto Marathon.  I knew I wanted a fun and exciting marathon that welcomed newbies.  I was looking for a marathon in a city that I was fairly familiar with but not in my home town.  But the biggest consideration was the time of year.  I wanted the proper amount of time to train, a good chance of comfortable weather conditions and I didn't want to run too close to my wedding in July.

After looking over all of my options, the MCM was the perfect choice for me.  The date for 2011 is October 30th (a Saturday).  Fall is my favorite season to run (great temperatures & beautiful foliage) and the date gave me enough time to train hard after my wedding.  The MCM also offers an expo the evening before the race where I will be able to meet up with other runners with a similar goal pace.  Since pacing is one of my biggest issues while running, a pacing group is just the thing I will need during a marathon. It will also be exciting to see parts of DC and Arlington that I've never seen before and from a different perspective.

I will be running the Buffalo Half Marathon in May as an early test run to figure out what pace I can shoot for in DC.  So, with registration starting on February 23rd, the countdown begins!

Pizza Hut is Trying to Kill Us!

Ok, so I'm about 90% sure that Pizza Hut is trying to kill us.  Every time I think that a fast food chain can't possibly make a grosser more completely unhealthy "meal" option, they prove me wrong.  The last obesity enabling chain restaurant disaster was the Taco Bell XXL Chalupa.  Weighing in at a whopping 266 grams, it boasts a heart stopping 650 calories and 39 grams of fat. MMMMMM.... heart attack.  But now, Pizza Hut decided that it wasn't enough to just cover a pizza with cheese, fill the dough with shortening (in case you don't know, thats fat), and top the whole thing off with all the fatty low grade mystery meat they can get, they decided to replace the already fat filled crust with cheese-filled breadstick bites. They call this  artery clogging monstrosity the Cheesy Bite Pizza.  The meat lover option will pump your waistline full of 460 calories and 22 grams of fat PER SLICE!!!!  Think of how many slices of pizza most people eat in one sitting.  It's not good.  Oh, and don't bother walking to your car and driving there or even picking up the phone, you can order right from your computer and pay online so as to minimize any type of physical movement.  Awesome.

Pepto Bismol Ice

Ok, so this has pretty much nothing to do with running, but for anyone who has ever had the runner's trots or experienced Emergency Crisis Lockdown Mode, this will make you laugh.