Race Schedule and Results

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Long time no blog

I haven't written my blog for exactly a week. Things have been anything but calm though - work's picking up, the Ironman is in T-minus 13 days, we're deep into race preparing...

There's not too much to blog about. I **think** I'm going to be successful in hitting my goal of 143 before leaving for Panama City Beach, although the pizza party complete with cookie cake to celebrate Janet's 3:57 marathon finish (yup, she qualified for Boston with no worries - yeah Kita!!) may put me back a pound or two!

We've had some great fall rides the last few days. The trees are so gorgeous, although we've been told that they aren't even at peak yet - we find that hard to believe. It's been so great though in terms of riding weather - definitely not what we thought we'd be getting in late October, but we've been eating it up. Makes Tom's final Ironman training days a bit easier!

Well, hopefully I'll have more to write this week. We're hoping to get a new car (a Pontiac Vibe) and that could happen this week is things fall into place correctly. Otherwise, it's just more of the same... working, working out and getting ready for Panama City Beach!

Sunday, October 14, 2007

A PR for me!!!

So after a less than stellar showing three weeks ago at the half Ironman, Tom and I ran the Dayton River Corridor Classic. We've run it for three or four years now and to be honest, it's always dreadful, yet we keep coming back for more. It's really a nice race, but inevitably it's right at the end of training for a marathon and I'm hurt or burnt out! NOT THIS YEAR! I PR'ed with a 2:04:52! YEAH! My goal was to just beat my best on the course (a sad 2:14 something) and not only did I do that, but I beat my old PR by over a minute! And I bet the big ogre like guy running in front of us who I thought was going to lose a lung while running... you know, the kind who are hacking up everything under the sun and always seem to be just right behind you or right in front of you. Yeah, a lovely site! So those were my goals and I was successful. A good end to a long season!

Friday, October 12, 2007

Quitting cold turkey

I have an addiction. And it's serious. And I need to admit it to the world.

My name is Colleen, and I'm a pasta addict.

Oh yeah, like you all didn't know that already?!?! So for the past few weeks I feel like I've been doing alright with the whole weight loss thing, although not really being entirely as serious as I know I need to be. I got on the scale this week and there was no movement (which I guess is better than upward movement, but I digress...) So thinking of the things that could really help me with my weight loss has been difficult. I don't eat fast food all the time, I'm no addicted to full fat anything, we eat veggies, I drink water, blah blah blah. But I do eat a ton of pasta and with training being less now that my race season is over, I guess I need to cut back. That's hard, but I'm admitting that what needs to be done. So, with that being said, please keep on me. No pasta for a month - well let's make it that if I have ANY pasta, it has to be whole wheat and it has to be only one serving and that it can't be done more than once a week. That seems fair... Just to see if I can do it. That's my goal. I will still eat rice, in the form of the brown stuff, and potatoes so I'm not cutting carbs (I'm smarter than that!!!), but I need to break this addiction!!!

Starting Monday (and only because we're having past tomorrow night before our half marathon on Sunday) I won't eat white pasta at all. The ONLY exception I will make is the day before the Ironman and that's only because dinner is at my condo and I'm making Tom a big Italian meal (plus that's like 22 days away and if I can actually keep to this, I will reward myself with just a little bit). I think that might help - I've read a lot about refined carbs and bloating in your stomach. Maybe I'll actually lose a little.

Poor Tom - he knows about this and is still willing to help (what a great husband). I say poor Tom though because he'll get to deal with an addict quitting cold turkey. Poor guy!

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Oh what a day

So it was 90 degrees today (unheard of in October for Ohio). Tom and I decided to go to a local pumpkin patch. hehehe - nothing like being covered in sweat as you walk through vines and pumpkins finding just the right one. It was pretty humorous! BUT, we found the PERFECT pumpkins (and they were $9 total... gotta love small town farms). We aren't going to carve them until later though because they'll rot in the heat. I'll have to get a picture of them up here so you can see how we painted them in the meantime!

So to top off our 90 degree day, I decided to make Texas Chili Soup and Applesauce... ALL... DAY... LONG! I thought that I would stock our freezer for the winter, or if you know my wonderful husband, until the end of the month! (kidding dear!) 20 pounds of apples, 4 pounds of ground beef, 22 cans of chili fixin's later, I have 16 quarts of applesauce, 4 gallons of chili, fed Tom, myself, Janet and Jay and never want to eat either of the above mentioned again! It kind of helped me feel like it's fall. I'm sure tomorrow when I'm swimming in the 90+ degree heat I'll keep thinking fall.

On a side note, Tom and I are so happy that we didn't run Chicago this year. The marathon was today and it was 88 there. I guess 300 people were sent to the hospital with heat related ailments, 1 person died on the course, and the officials ended up shutting down the course at 4 hours. WIMPS - I did a half Ironman in 91 degree temps! Hehehe! Seriously though, if you do the calculations right, we would not have finished! And can you imagine the sight of people being told that they have to turn around and go home after running at least a half marathon in the heat. $110 down the drain... wowzers! Hope it's not that warm in PCB! (although I'm secretly hoping it's that warm from Wednesday through Friday, then Sunday through Tuesday - those would be prime beach days!!!) Hey, I know it's all about Tom and Jay, but come on... it's hard being a spectator!

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

One down...12 to go

Well my ticker only says 11, but it's 12 in the world of losing 15 pounds. Anyway, Yippie! I lost a pound. I'm overly thrilled because in the past 7 days, I've biked 40 miles and ran 5.5. That's it... total. (Yeah, I know... am I nuts for saying that's all?!?! Probably, but those of you reading this know that's not much in the life of me). So I'm very excited.

I do have the challenge ahead of dinner tonight at my Jill's. To celebrate her b-day and Tom's, we're having a cookout. No turkey brats here baby... it's the real thing. And they are fresh from the farm. I've never had a fresh brat. Do they taste different than store bought? She seems to think so... we'll see.

I better go workout...

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Hello... Is anyone there???

This world of blogging is sort of funny to me. I don't think that anyone reads my posts, yet I still continue to write. If I tell someone I have a blog, inevitably that is followed with a "who reads it?". My answer never fails... "probably no one, but it's fun". So with that, I'll continue blogging. I guess it's sort of therapeutic.

Tomorrow morning I weigh myself again and am slightly nervous to see my number. I need a new approach to eating, especially with my training season primarily over. Maybe I need a smaller goal in the interim. Hum...

We leave for Panama City Beach on the 31st. I would like to be at 143 by then. I think that's attainable. Probably about a three pound loss, but I have 4 weeks. It's a good goal. And I'll share that and be accountable to anyone who wants to listen! :)