Before I can comment on last night’s episode of Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition, I have to watch the parts I missed –the beginning and the end! I saw a lot of the “middle,” but chose sleep over the end, knowing I could watch what I missed today. I did see Mike’s 90 day weigh in and he lost exactly 100 pounds, which meant he would be participating in a triathlon with Chris, but I will have to watch today to see how that went. Biking is not something I really enjoy, but I am always working on my swimming in the warm months, logging about 100 laps a week, working on ONE long swim each week…this week my long swim was 55 laps. On the day I swim for endurance, I swim at whatever pace feels right and mix up my strokes. On shorter swim days, I try for speed, usually doing interval training. Though I missed Dara Torres swim last night, I hope to catch her tonight, when we find out if she heads to London. Good luck Dara (who happens to be a local). Of course it was great watching Michael Phelps lock up his place in 8 competitions in London! You both will be my inspiration when I hit the pool this afternoon, so thank you!
When it comes to running, it’s NEVER easy for me. There were years, when I was in my 30s and 40s that I pushed the running, did 5Ks and spent Thursday mornings running my long runs which were never marathon material, but I would do 4 or 5 or 6 miles in the park listening to some good, heady rock-n-roll. More recently, my running has been a few minutes here and there, mixed up with a lot of walking in between. Sometimes I am good with it, other times I am frustrated that I can’t do more and know that it is my brain that is stopping me much more than my body. Last week Carol shared a tip with me that Carolina (the running queen who does every big marathon) shared with her. JUST DON’T STOP. Slow down, “run” in place, do whatever you have to do but don’t stop to walk. Out on the street, running with Jane last week, we kept that mantra in mind. Though we only tried 5 minutes at a time, (followed by a quick walk break and then repeating several times) we were able to log much more running time than walking time in our sessions. I will be mantra as I continue to work on my running this summer, hoping to join Carol in a 5K this fall.
The beach is a great place to combine some running and swimming. Beware that the softer the sand, the harder it is on our knees. Always try harder sand, before hitting the soft stuff. Running at low tide will allow you to run on what feels like a hard, flat track. Avoiding angled sand to prevent muscle injuries. When your done running, hit the ocean and swim. It will cool off your muscles to help prevent inflammation while you are still working your body at the same time. The, take some time to just float. It’s earned and well deserved. Remember to hydrate more often than you think is necessary. These summer temps are killers right now!
