Sunday brunch

Chris and I slept in, went for a run around the neighborhood, and then headed to First Watch for brunch. I love First Watch not only for their great food, but for the fact that they give you your own pot of coffee and pitcher of water. The water was especially welcome today as we were sitting outside in Florida, in August, in the 97 degree humidity! But that still didn't stop me from having a cup of hot coffee.

I ordered the veggie omelet.

Look at all of the veggies inside!

And we shared a blueberry pancake. I adore blueberry pancakes.

Here's my "after" shot. As you can tell, I left a good portion of the carbs on my plate.

Because I made up for it by sharing the blueberry pancake!

We ran a few errands after brunch, one of them being a trip to Costco. Here's my loot: organic spring mix, extra virgin olive oil, 0% Fage plain greek yogurt, Chobani non fat flavored greek yogurt variety pack (peach, blueberry & strawberry).

I know this is strange, but I never stir in the fruit flavors in my Chobani yogurt. The fruit is on the bottom, so I just scoop out the yogurt and leave the syrupy fruit in the container. The yogurt still has the fruit flavor, but without the unnecessary added sugar and calories. Without the fruit stirred in the yogurt retains its thicker consistency, and I love thick yogurt.

Look at this GIANT tub of Fage (2.2 lbs)! I've never seen this guy before so I just had to bring him home. I'll be eating a lot of yogurt over the next few weeks; good thing I love it!

When we got home I immediately made us each a yogurt snack. 1 container of strawberry Chobani, 2 sliced strawberries, 1/2 of a small banana, sprinkle of granola, sprinkle of almonds, sprinkle of flax.

And I just have to mention, the award for most offensive beauty product packaging goes to....

Seriously? Got Turkey Neck? Does this make you want to buy their product? Do you think that model on their packaging has severe turkey neck that that's why her picture is cut off from the lips down? I had to stop in the middle of Costco to document this marketing wonder.

Now it's time to start thinking about what to make for dinner. Turkey?

District 9 & Amigos

Chris and I went to see District 9 & then had dinner at Amigos. Both were ok -- not great, but ok.

I had a margarita on the rocks, a large ice water and about six of their giant tortilla chips & salsa.

For my entree I ordered a veggie quesadilla but with only 1/2 the cheese & a side of vegetarian black beans. The veggies in the quesadilla were pretty good; zucchini, yellow squash, onion, peppers, carrot, brocolli and tomato. I ate about three of the four quesadilla wedges, a bite of quacamole (it wasn't very good) and none of the sour cream.

I ate nearly all of the black beans. They were very good and simply prepared.

Now I'm sitting on the couch watching Mad Men and drinking Perrier!

Good night!

Wonderful Saturday!

I swear they didn't give me decaf at dinner last night. I was a busy body until about 2:30 am, which is very unlike me. Consequently, I blew off my 6 am wake up call for an early morning open water swim, which was my original plan for this morning's workout. Instead I slept in, took care of some chores around the house, then hit the YMCA for a short treadmill run and a 30 minute lap swim. Since I was still full from dinner last night, I skipped breakfast and just snacked on a banana while I drove to the gym.

After my workout I had 15 minutes to grab a coffee before heading to YogaMatrix for a journaling workshop. It was an awesome workshop! And although I didn't feel hungry my stomach was audibly growling. I drank my iced latte and found a stray protein bar in the bottom of my gym bag.

I like the flavor of Think Thin bars and I really like the fact that they contain 20 grams of protein with zero grams of sugar. However, this particular bar was so beat up and melted from being in my gym bag in the hot car that eating it was a long, messy process.

By the time I got home it was 3:45 and I figured I'd better have a snack to hold me over until dinner. Chris and I are going to dinner and a movie tonight, so I didn't want to eat anything too heavy. I decided a smoothie would be the perfect "meal."

I threw the following in my Vita-Mix blender...

- Four whole strawberries (tops and all)

- Big handful spinach

- a few baby carrots

- 1/4 of a frozen banana

- large scoop of cottage cheese

- 1 tbs hemp protein powder

- 1 tbs flax

- drizzle of raw honey

- ice cubes

- a splash of water

The result? Fugly but tasty! It looked a bit like a poop smoothie, but it was very nutritious and quite good. It filled me up perfectly and will hopefully hold me over until dinner.

I have a reusable 20 oz insulated cold beverage cup from Starbucks. It works great for drinking smoothies and is easy to clean (dishwasher safe).

A pescetarian dinner

My husband treated me to a lovely dinner celebration tonight at Seasons 52.

I kicked off my decadent meal with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. I sipped this one glass throughout the entire meal.

We shared a tomato basil flat bread appetizer.

And my husband was kind enough to let me nibble off of his starter salad, which was a greek salad.

I chose one of their grill specials for my entree; grilled cobia curry with vegetables over aromatic Himalayan basmati rice. The vast majority of the time I eat a lacto ovo vegetarian diet (lacto ovo = dairy & eggs), but every now and then I order fish in a restaurant. And this cobia was fantastic! The curry sauce was excellent; very light, spicy, and so flavorful.

Before:

And after:
Can you tell I liked it? I ate pretty much everything except about 1/4 of the fish, a few bites of rice and all but one of the onions. And then I somehow managed to find room for TWO desserts! In all fairness, the desserts at Seasons 52 are served in shot glasses, so they're gone in a few bites. I couldn't decide between the red velvet cake and the carrot cake, so I snagged both! And I ordered a cup of decaf coffee to go with my sweet treats.

I then rolled out of the restaurant in a food coma. What a wonderful dinner!

Coffee & Lunch

Greetings! I had a great workout today. When I got to the gym I realized I had left my iPod at home, which made the thought of an hour on the treadmill extremely undesirable. My own thoughts just aren't enough to keep me entertained for six miles! Fortunately, when I arrived at the Y a group exercise class was just about to start so I jumped on in. An hour of spin (fancy stationary bikes) & weight lifting intervals later, I was saying "ooooooommmm" in yoga class. Yoga was GREAT today! Awesome class with a lot of back bending. Total workout time: 1 hour 45 minutes

On my way home from the gym I treated myself to a latte. I thought a picture of a latte by itself would be kind of boring so I made my dog Bella pose next to my coffee. I told her to "sit" and I can just see her pea brain thinking "Why must I sit next to your coffee? What gives, lady?" And by the way, that's her bed behind her.

The latte held me over for a few hours, at which time I began thinking about what the rest of the day had in store for me. Today is my husband's 2 year accident anniversary (he was in a bad accident two years ago today), and we're celebrating tonight over dinner at Seasons 52. Consequently, I wanted to make it a light lunch so I wouldn't spoil my dinner appetite (and also to not feel guilty when I drink wine and order dessert!).

I decided on a salad made of...

- spinach

- carrots

- onion

- zucchini

- tomato

- avocado

- sprinkle of feta

- balsamic vinegar and olive oil drizzle with cracked black pepper & sea salt

And on the side I had two of those yummy fruit and nut crackers topped with laughing cow light cheese. Delish!

We'll see if I'm brave enough to take a photo of my meal at Seasons 52. I hear that's the hardest part of being a food blogger; taking pictures in restaurants.

TGIF

I'm going for a run followed by a yoga class this morning so I didn't want anything too heavy in my stomach. I decided on a quick and easy 1/2 cup of cottage cheese topped with 1/2 of a nectarine and a sprinkle of Honest Food's blueberry vanilla granola plank.

I have a long to-do list ahead of me today so I'd better hop to it!

Wine & snacks

Just got home from book club and we had a great evening of conversation and snacking! I ended up having...

- 1.5 glasses of wine (that's 1 point 5, not 15!)

- handful of grapes

- 2 apple wedges

- three sesame crackers

- three pieces of cheddar

- five blue corn tortilla chips with salsa

- 2 handfuls of popcorn

I didn't have my camera with me so I have no photos to share. The snacks were perfect and will tide me over until breakfast!

Hot dog & chips

I ate a large lunch/dinner today. I will likely have a snack later, but not a regular dinner. This is a favorite meal of mine. I loooove kale. Love it! I took a big bunch of kale, washed it up, dried it in my lettuce spinner, tore it into chip size pieces, spread it on foil lined baking sheets, slightly sprayed the kale with olive oil and gave them a dusting of sea salt and cracked black pepper. About 10 to 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven yields a delicious batch of kale chips!

Here's what they looked like before going into the oven:

I made myself a veggie dog on a sprouted grain bun (didn't have any hot dog buns so I used a sandwich bun) with a slice of melted swiss and Gulden's spicy brown mustard. I also sliced up a small Pink Lady apple for extra crunch. The flavor combo of the hot dog/mustard/swiss with the savory kale chips and the sweet/tart/crisp apple is a winner. I love this meal!

HUGE mountain of kale chips! I ate every single one! The kale chips are on a dinner plate and my apple and dog are on a small side plate.

For dessert I had an individual square of extra dark chocolate topped with a teaspoon of almond butter. The spoon pictured is a tiny cocktail spoon and the silver bowl is an extra small prep bowl.

Off to book club!

Breakfast of champions

I wasn't expecting this, but when I made breakfast this morning I felt like blogging about it! So here we are, day two of food blogging. I tossed and turned all night and woke up hungry. A hearty bowl of oats and hot tea sounded like the perfect start to my day.

My bowl contained...

- 1/4 cup oats cooked with 1/4 cup water & 1/4 cup milk and a dash of sea salt

- stirred in 2 tbs cottage cheese and 1 tbs ground flax at the end of cooking

- topped with 1/2 a nectarine, 4 strawberries, almonds and a dollop of almond butter

I'm now full and ready to start the day!

What I ate for Dinner

When it came time for dinner I was craving veggies, big-time. I realized I had not yet eaten any today, so I whipped up the following in 17 minutes. Yes, I timed myself. Anybody can spare 17 minutes to make dinner. Heck, it's faster than take out!

I took a small, baked sweet potato and topped it with a scoop of low fat cottage cheese and a sprinkle of Mrs. Dash (I know, it's very 80s, but what can I say, I like Mrs. Dash on cottage cheese!) I sauteed onion, yellow pepper, zucchini, carrot, and kale in a touch of olive oil. I surrounded the potato with the sauteed veggies, topped with diced fresh tomato and finished it off with a drizzle of 25-year barrel aged balsamic vinegar (so good!) and a few grinds of sea salt and cracked pepper. 17 minutes, start of finish. Oh, and I had a glass of shiraz!

Here's a close up of my dinner. I swear there's a sweet potato under everything!

Now I'm full and very happy with my dinner. It hit the spot!

Hope you enjoyed my day of food. I have a new respect for food bloggers. It's a lot of work photographing every single thing you eat!

What I ate pre and post Workout

After working the morning and early afternoon away, I figured it was about time I hit the gym. But before I could leave the house I had to make sure I was properly fueled! A square of dark chocolate did the trick!

I went to the gym and ran 3 miles in about 27 minutes, then I jumped in the pool and swam about a half of a mile in an unknown amount of time (they removed the pool clock!!!!????!!!!). I was planning to swim longer, but it was an outdoor pool and the water was so warm and the sun was so intense that I decided to bail. My total workout was about one hour, excluding the time it took to change into my suit.

I was a bit shaky with hunger by the time I was showered and dressed, so I headed to Starbucks for my post-workout recovery drink of choice! Venti iced latte, nothing else added.

And I tried a new Larabar flavor to go along with my iced latte, Key Lime Pie. I think it's a keeper! LOVED the subtle lime flavor that was enhanced by the rich coconut. The ingredients in this bar are quite simple: Dates, Cashews, Almonds, Coconut and Lime Juice. What's not to love? Real food... and real good food!

Oh, and I almost forgot, I drank about 50 oz of pencil flavored water at the gym. Yes, think No. 2 pencil. That's exactly what the water from the Blanchard Park YMCA poolside drinking fountain tasted like. Isn't that strange?

What I ate for Lunch

My breakfast was light today, so a few hours later I was hungry again, but still not quite ready for lunch type foods. So, I made myself a wonderful bowl of protein packed greek yogurt awesomeness! My bowl contained...

- 1 container 2% Fage

- handful raw oats

- tablespoon ground flax

- 1/2 cup blueberries & cherries

- sprinkle of sliced raw almonds

- sprinkle of unsweetened coconut

YUMMY!!!!

But after all of the soft, yogurty goodness my mouth was craving some crunch so I had one fruit and nut cracker from a bakery I visited in Cashmere, WA on Sunday. It hit the spot!

What I ate for Breakfast

Sometimes people ask me what I eat. A vegetarian triathlete is a strange concept to many (mostly male carnivores). Since I'm addicted to food blogs, I thought I'd post what I ate today. I didn't do anything different for the sake of the blog (I swear!). I ate what I normally would eat on an average day. I didn't try to "clean up" my diet. Yes, I ate chocolate. Yes, I drank wine. I don't plan on stopping either of those anytime soon!

So here's my breakfast...

When I woke up this morning a piece of sprouted grain toast with almond butter & strawberry jam sounded lovely. I drink tea every morning (except for when I'm traveling), so of course I had to have a mug of tea. I usually drink two mugs in the morning with a touch of milk and local Winter Park raw honey. Today was no different. Although only one mug is pictured, I followed up with a second mug, mid-morning.

My food philosophy is simple. I eat when I'm hungry. I eat what I'm hungry for. And I try to eat whole foods, intuitively. I'm not perfect. If I'm craving cheesecake, I eat cheesecake. But I'll only eat a half of a slice of cheesecake. When I want chocolate, I eat it. Nothing is off limits. I drink a lot of water and I don't drink soda. Nothing fancy. I don't count calories. I don't count points. I love food and I really enjoy eating every meal!

Um, Olympic distance? Was I high?

I'm a bit nervous. I have an Olympic distance tri coming up and I'm woefully undertrained. What's a girl to do? Suck it up and do it, is my gut reaction. The Danskin sprint distrance tri I did earlier this year was a breeze! I had a lot of fun, but that was a SPRINT distance! Oy!

I bought a new night splint for my left foot at Road Runner Sports in Seattle last week. I haven't worn it yet, but I'm hoping it will help with my plantar fasciitis in my left foot. My right foot is doing much better, but my left foot is still giving me grief.

I really need to increase my running miles. My eight mile run on Thursday didn't agree with my left foot and I just can't have that! I need to be running 30 miles a week, at least, in order to really prepare for the November relay. It non-negotiable and my foot has to get on board!

I might run in a 5k this weekend to support a new charity that's being promoted by an acquaintance of mine. But then again, I may have to forego the 5k for a 10 miler in order to stay on track with my training. However, I do enjoy the energy at 5ks, especially if it's supporting a cause I believe in. In this case, the cause is fighting homelessness. Who can NOT get behind that cause?

Check it out at: http://www.steppingonward.com/

Upcoming Events

I've got the Danskin tri coming up next weekend on Mother's Day at Walt Disney World.  Hopefully it's better this year! Last year it was too much of a pain in the rear getting to the race site.  I don't like having to ride a ferry with my bike and all of my gear.  Too much of a hassle for a sprint distance race. This year it's at Ft. Wilderness, so hopefully it will be easier to get to.  And maybe the run course will be shaded??!!??  One can hope.

I recently ran a 1/2 marathon at Disney and it was a blast. And about two weeks ago I rode a metric century on Amelia Island to raise money and awareness for organ donation. I've got one other event scheduled in the fall; the Ragnar Relay race across Florida. I need to register for a few more triathlons over the summer. 

Today I plan to hit the gym for a strength workout and maybe a pool swim.  Tomorrow morning I'm swimming Lake Cane for some open water training.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do on Sunday; either a run or a 40 mile ride. We'll see what I'm in the mood for.  The ride is a good one with a good group; it's the Florida Freewheelers east side expedition ride.  It takes you through some really pretty orange groves around Christmas, FL. 

Happy Friday!

Hello 2009

It's going to be a GREAT year! I'm very excited about 2009.  

2009 Resolutions

Run a 1/2 marathon in March at Disney World

Floss twice a day

I think that's about it for my resolutions.  I may do some longer distance triathlons and I may ride a century (100 mile) bike ride in February, but I'm not making those a resolution.  What do I want to do more of in 2009?  Read. I love reading and need to carve out more time for it. I'd also like to start practicing yoga more often.  I found a great yoga download site.  I hope to start doing yoga at home on a more regular basis.

Good luck to you and your 2009 resolutions! 

Goals....what's my next goal?  It's been a while since I've posted.  I completed the Danskin women's triathlon in May and had a lot of fun.  I hope to do an Olympic distance race later this summer. But in the meantime, I've decided to start lifting weights more frequently. I think I'll reduce my cardio workouts and increase my strength training workouts and see how that goes.  As a guide I plan to follow the Body for Life program.  Wish me luck! 

Stupid Florida

So I have to tell you about my day yesterday. Up until about 6:15pm my day was 10 out of 10. I got a big project done at work, I took my dog for a lovely walk around a lake in my neighborhood, took a nap, then went to the Y for a training swim. My swim went really well. Warmed up, did drills, then swam about 1,000 meters. I had set my gym bag on the pool deck (outdoor pool), so I got out of the pool, grabbed my bag and hit the showers. I’m in the shower totally naked, digging through my bag for my shampoo when a large cockroach crawls up from the bottom of my bag. I FREAKED OUT. And I was NAKED with all of my CLOTHES in the COCKROACH BAG! The next 10 minutes were miserable. I was trying to figure out a way to get home without having to put clothes on. I managed to get my essentials out of the bag, throw it in the trunk, drive home with the constant sensation of cockroaches climbing all over me. As soon as I got home I took another shower and put on fresh clothes. So gross. Sometimes I really hate Florida. I made my husband de-roach my bag. He said the roach was hiding under my headband, so I threw it away. I really wanted to throw the entire bag away, but it would be too expensive to replace all of the contents. The roach must have climbed into my bag while it was sitting on the pool deck (it was outdoors, dusk, and right next to a river). I organized my bag before I went to the Y and looked through all of the contents and there was no roach in it then. Yuck. Double Yuck.

Then to top it off I gave myself whiplash trying to get water out of my ears. I misplaced my earplugs so I got water in both ears and was thrashing my head around all night like an 80’s butt rocker and now my neck feels like I was rear-ended by a speeding semi. But the good news is I got the water out of both ears late last night. And I think I’d rather have a sore neck for a few days versus double ear aches and possible ear infections. Note to self “buy new earplugs.”

Danskin here I come!

Last year I missed the registration window for the Orlando Danskin women's triathlon. Every year that race fills up faster and faster! It's crazy. This year it was filled up and closed in 8 hours! Luckily I was by my computer when registration opened so I raced online and got myself registered but in my haste I misspelled my own name! Oh well, hopefully its close enough that they'll let me in on race day. :)

Training is going really well so far. Here's what I've done this past week.

Saturday - ran 10k on dirt trails
Sunday - biked 17 miles
Monday - lifted weights and did a few miles on the treadmill
Tuesday - 1 hour of swimming
Wednesday - rest
Thursday - lifted weights and did a few miles on the treadmill
Friday - 1 hour of swimming (planned workout for today)
Saturday - 12 mile bike ride and 5k run (planned workout for tomorrow)

I'm meeting some people from my Tri Club for a brick workout tomorrow; 12 mile ride followed by a 5k run. I need to start working on my transitions again.

The good kind of sore

I went for a 5k run yesterday morning and yesterday evening I did a one hour reformer pilates class. This morning my abs are mildly sore, which actually feels good!

Today I'm going to take it easy and only go for a brisk walk since I'll be running a 10k tomorrow morning. I don't want to push it too hard.

I've started tracking points on the Weight Watchers system and am having so much fun! I've never been on a structured diet before, so this is a new experience. I'm down three pounds the first week. Goodbye holiday weight!

I'm Back...sort of

The second half of 2007 was AWFUL, but I'm back! Hopefully I'll be able to post more frequently now that life has normalized again.

Fitness wise, I'm doing so-so. I'm running a 10k this weekend. It's a trail run, so that will be fun. I'm planning to do the Danskin women's triathlon at Disney World in May. I haven't swam a lap since November, so I'd better get going. I'm thinking of joining the YMCA by my house so that I can have access to a pool close to home.

I also need to buy a new bike and start riding more. All I've been doing lately is running, and not running much at that. I've entered a 1,000 mile challenge for 2008 and I'm already behind. MUST GET MY BUTT IN GEAR!!!

The Open Water Swim

Call me a chicken. Call me a fool. I don't care, as long as I still have my limbs, which I do. Open water swimming Florida is a test of courage. When every lake is inhabited by alligators (over 2 million of the suckers in Florida), it takes a bit of courage to go jump in a lake and start doing laps. Especially when the water's so murky it's the color of coca cola and you can't see your hand in front of your face underwater AND you're swimming right next to a bunch of marshy grasses. That was me on Sunday at Lake Mary Jane, the lake in which my triathlon will be held.

I'm registered for the Moss Park Triathlon on August 18th. Moss Park is located in SE Orlando and is home to Lake Mary Jane. The water was a toasty 82 degrees, but it was slightly scary. I managed to swim laps for 30 minutes and got used to putting my face in the dark water. That was my goal for the day - swim laps in the lake without having a panic attack. As sick as this sounds, I was happy when a family with little kids jumped in for a swim....I figure gators prefer human veal over the chewy old Bessies like myself.

I also did an open water swim at Wekiva Springs last week - it was fantastic. There's actually a swimming hole right over the actual spring. 45 million gallons of pristine water pour out of a rocks spring every day and feed into the Wekiva river. The water is a crisp 72 degrees, but it feels so good on a hot day. And, the water is crystal clear. It's stunning and not scary at all. I will happily swim endless laps in that spring.

I've actually signed up with two coaches to help me prepare for the triathlon. I meet with them on Monday mornings for a 1.5 hour cardio workout - swim, bike and run all in 1.5 hours. Then on Wednesday mornings I meet them for an hour of strength training specific for triathletes. The rest of the week I do additional swimming, biking and running on my own.

Whew...I'm tired!

Bloggus Interruptus

When I converted my ‘old’ blogger account to a ‘new’ blogger account way back in January, all of the sudden I couldn’t access my account to add or edit posts. Then all of the sudden I could.

So I am not participating in the Danskin triathlon as planned. I waited and waited and waited for registration to open and then suddenly while away on a business trip registration opened, filled and closed in THREE STINKIN’ DAYS!!!! Can you believe that BS? Three days? Oh baby, was I mad. Oh well.

In my frustration I abandoned all tri training and focused on running. I’m running a 15k on Sunday. It’s the Disney Minnie Marathon Weekend, Women Run the World 15k. Two friends from my book club are running with me. I’m also kayaking the Wekiva River in Central Florida on Saturday, so I should be pooped come Sunday night. Between the race and the kayaking, I’ll get a nice upper body workout on Saturday and lower body on Sunday!

Depending on how the 15k goes, I’ll either find another 15k a few months out and see if I can improve my time or register for a half marathon and train for that distance. I’ve found that for me I get more enjoyment out of running longer distances rather than running faster. I’m a slow running, but I don’t mind. When I go for long runs I listen to an episode or two of This American Life and find myself chugging along with a big grin on my face while Ira Glass entertains me.

First Tri Workout

I did my first official triathlon training workout. Back-to-back 12 mile bike ride, 3.5 mile run & quarter mile swim. I'm pooped!!!!

I've set a new mileage goal for January. I've cut back on my miles in order to accomodate the biking and swimming I'll be doing. I don't want to kill myself!

January Goal = 80 miles
Miles Completed = 11 (run/walk = 8.5/2.5)
Miles to Go = 69

I ran, I ran so far away

So I'm running more now than I ever have in my life. That's really not saying much, but for me it's a big deal. Being able to just open my front door and run for 4 or 5 miles feels really good. My walking buddy, Julie, and I are running a 5k together in February. Oddly enough, the 5k goes through my old neighborhood in Winter Park, FL. We lived in an area called the Winter Park Pines and the race is called the Run Around the Pines. I plan to run an upcoming 10k as well.

I keep waiting for registration to open for the Danskin triathlon in May at Disney World. I need to get my butt in gear and start my training. Running isn't enough. I've asked for a trunk mounted bike rack for my car and a wireless odometer for my bike for Xmas. I hate riding on the street, so once I get my bike rack I can take my bike to a nearby trail called the Little Econ and go for nice, long rides.

I'm very happy with the Orlando park's department. They are linking a bunch of trails in the greater Orlando area to form one massive multi-use trail system. Yipee!

Next Challenge?

Ok, I have four events I'm mulling over....

Danskin Triathlon Why??? I've always wanted to do a triathlon and this particular race comes to Disney World in the spring of '07. I've already purchased a racing suit for my swimming workouts. I'm fairly certain I'm going to do this race.

The Out of the Darkness Overnight Why??? This is a 20 mile walk through NYC that starts at dusk and ends at dawn. How cool would that be? And proceeds benefit a suicide prevention and mental health charity.

Race for Hope Why??? This is a 5k race in Washington DC raising funds for brain tumor research. My grandmother recently passed away from a brain tumor, one of my best friends is a brain tumor survivor, and another good friend of mine is currently battling a recurring brain tumor. This is a cause I am 100% behind.

The 3-Day Why??? Because I had such an AMAZING 3-Day experience this year! I may not do another 3-Day in 2007, but I will walk again some day.

I've been enjoying expanding my workouts from walking, walking, walking, to walking, swimming, belly dancing, weight lifting, etc. Yes, I've started a belly dancing class and it is so much fun!

Team Julie Survived the Breast Cancer 3-Day

We’re back from our wonderful 3-Day weekend. I want to thank you all for your tremendous support during our training and fundraising. I managed to complete all 60 miles with zero blisters or injuries. I feel very lucky as I was one of the few on day three who was walking without the aid of an ace bandage, ice pack, or blister dressing. The other half of Team Julie flew through the 60 miles with nothing more than a slightly sore ankle!

Amazing!

Day one began with a beautiful sunrise on Clearwater beach. Opening ceremonies were emotional and invigorating, setting the tone for our phenomenal weekend.

We were on the road shortly after 8:00 am. It was slow going at first, with 1,700+ walkers trying to make it down one sidewalk. We were entertained by gracious passersby who greeted us with horn honks, waves, thumbs up, and shouts of support and encouragement. This road-side support continued for all 60 miles!

Walking 60 miles in three days is made much easier by the many pit-stops along the way. Every 2 to 3 miles you can stop to “Refuel, Relieve and Rehydrate!” There were several slogans repeated all weekend to make sure the walkers took care of themselves. We heard the phrase “Drink and Pee, no IV” many, many times.

The 3-Day would not be the amazing event it is without the fabulous staff and volunteer crew. If you ever want to participate in a 3-Day but don’t think you can walk 60 miles, consider volunteering to be a crew member.

Day two took us back to the beautiful gulf beaches. The weather was prefect – not too hot and not too cold. The highs topped out in the mid-80s and the overnight lows in the mid-60s. We couldn’t have asked for better weather.

Part of the 3-Day experience is camping out with your fellow walkers and crew. I am not a camper, but the 3-Day camp was a blast! One side of camp housed the sleeping tents, port-a-potties, mobile showers and mobile sinks. The other side of camp held all of the social activities, such as our meals, the evening entertainment, the 3-Day gear shop, the foot massage tent, etc.

On the course each day we were amazed by the tremendous community support. They don’t call this walk the 60 mile buffet for nothing! You cannot walk a quarter mile without being offered cookies, popsicles, candy, fruit, etc. by cheering supporters. Girl Scout troops handed out Girl Scout cookies. One man was even handing out free beers to walkers while holding a sign that read “Beers for Boobies.” Fortunately, no flashing was required.

Closing ceremonies in St. Petersburg wrapped up our prefect 3-Day weekend. The Tampa Bay walkers alone raised over $4.6 million for breast cancer research. Near the end of closing ceremonies every walker removed a shoe in honor of the breast cancer survivors who participated in the walk. It was an amazing sight.

Thank you again for your support. I know I will walk in another Breast Cancer 3-Day and I encourage everybody, women and men, to walk or volunteer to be a crew member in a 3-Day near you. They have already announced the 2007 dates, which you can find online at www.the3day.org. I guarantee it will be a wonderful experience you will never forget!

See you on the flip side!

Tonight is my last night at home before I leave for the 3-Day. I’m pretty much all packed. I miraculously fit all of the following into a 25 inch long duffel bag.

twin air mattress with pump (takes 4 D batteries)
sleeping bag
pillow (normal size)
8 by 10 tarp
3 days clothing – including 8 pairs of socks (2 each day & 2 spares)
one pair runners
one pair tevas
gallon zip-loc bag full of medical supplies
toiletry case
disposable camera
5 luna bars
journal & pen
2 rain ponchos
mylar emergency blanket
flash light & extra batteries
alarm clock
spool of twine
peppermint tea
tent flag (so I can find my tent in a sea of 2,000 tents)
extra plastic bags

Hopefully the zipper doesn’t burst.

My nerves are just barely acting up. I would say I’m more anxious than nervous. I know it will be an amazing experience. I’ve just been building up to this weekend for so many months that I’m not quite sure what to do with myself now!

Wish me luck!

It's almost here!

The Tampa Bay Breast Cancer 3-Day will begin with Opening Ceremonies at Sand Key Park in Clearwater, FL on October 13th at 7:30 am and conclude with Closing Ceremonies at Spa Beach Park in St. Petersburg on October 15th at 5:30 pm.

The journey will highlight the most picturesque areas that Pinellas County and the state of Florida have to offer. Day One begins at Sand Key Park in Clearwater. Walkers will enjoy award-winning views of miles of Florida coastline beaches and will be energized by the warm Gulf breeze.

Day Two will include more of the same breath-taking views. Walkers will stroll down world-class beaches and intercoastal waterways. Local neighborhood beach shops will be featured as well as some of the most beautiful homes located between the water and cobblestone streets.

Day Three highlights historic St. Petersburg neighborhoods that line the Tampa Bay waterfront. Finally, we will celebrate at our closing site Spa Beach Park (close to The Pier in downtown St. Petersburg). This park provides a view and an experience you will not want to miss.

Julie and I are heading down on Thursday & spending Thursday night at the Sheraton Sand Key resort in Clearwater. Thursday will be spent swimming in the ocean and lounging by the pool with a good book. Friday morning the fun begins!

I'm back...quick update

Sorry I haven't posted for a loooong time. I had a great 1st half of the month & then came down with the flu. I was at 90 miles by the 16th...on track to reach 180 miles for the month. Then I had to travel to Seattle for 2 weeks for business and caught the flu on the flight to Seattle. I was SICK...I had every symptom in the book (nose, chest, stomach, fever, etc.). I was down for nearly 2 weeks, which totally derailed my mileage goal. I managed to squeeze in an additional 27 miles while sick with the flu, but that's it. Oh well, I'm feeling better now and I'm doing 15 miles in the morning with my walking buddy.

The event is quickly approaching! October 13th is right around the corner. I need to start getting my stuff togther so I can figure out what I need to buy.

Quick post

September goal = 180 miles
Miles walked = 42
Miles to go = 138

Between travel and out-of-town family visiting, it has been SO HARD to fit my miles in and it shows in my monthly totals. I am terribly behind schedule. I'm going to try to fit in another 12 miles this afternoon. I want to be at 90 miles by Friday.

September Mileage Goal

August is over and now on to the most difficult training month...September. 180 miles. I have to walk 180 miles in 4 weeks. Oy. Wish me luck.

August Miles DONE

August goal = 135 miles
Miles walked = 135
Miles to go = big, fat ZERO

Yipee! I polished off my miles for the month while watching Nip Tuck season 2 on DVD. I'm excited for season 4, which starts soon!

I'm going to take this opportunity to vent about Ernesto. Sunday morning they revised the path of Ernesto and said it was going to be a category 1 headed directly for Orlando, Florida - more specifically east Orlando, which is where I live. The eye was going to go right over our neighborhood. I fretted and stressed for three days.

I stocked up on food, water, batteries, etc.

I drained water out of the pool to accommodate the 10 inches of predicted rain fall.

I dug trenches from the foundation of our house to the lake behind our house to encourage storm water run-off away from the foundation.

I moved all of our pool stuff into the garage.

I combed the yard with a trash bag picking up any object that could possibly be turned into a projectile with high winds.

I trimmed dead branches off of trees.

I read my hurricane and flood policies.

I super chlorinated the pool in anticipation of the introduction of organic matter with the storm water.

I stuck my fingers in areas I would prefer never to stick my fingers to ensure our pool deck drains were clear.

I set our refrigerator and freezer to the lowest setting in anticipation of a power outage.

I cooled the house waaaaay down so we wouldn't sweat to death in the event of a power outage.

I filled up my car with gas - premium gas - because the regular and mid-grade were sold out.

Then I woke up this morning and braced myself for flood control - namely continuing to drain the pool as it fills with rain water and sweeping accumulated rain water off of the pool deck and into the lawn. I even had a dorky rain poncho ready to go.

Then I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And nothing!

Sigh of relief.

And then a twinge of bitterness over my hyper-preparedness.

All's well in Orlando!

Bye bye Ernesto and don't come back!!!!

I've earned a lazy Sunday evening...

August goal = 135 miles
Miles walked = 121
Miles to go = 14

17 mile walk this morning followed by 2 hours of cleaning the garage and grocery shopping for the week.

I'm pooped!!!!

Mileage Update

Since It's been a few days since I posted my mileage for the month, I thought I'd give you a quick update.

August goal = 135 miles
Miles walked = 104
Miles to go = 31

Julie and I are going to walk 15 miles in the morning, which means I'll only have 16 miles to walk next week to get me to goal for the month. Piece of cake! =)

Donations!!!!

To all of my friends and family who have emotionally and financially supported me during my 3-Day training and fundraising - here's a HUGE THANK YOU!!!! ((((HUGS)))))

If you haven't already supported me in my fundraising efforts, I am asking that you PLEASE take this opportunity to support my training partner, Julie.

Visit her fundraising page at www.the3day.org/TampaBay06/julief and make a donation. Truly, any amount helps - $5 or $500 - it all adds up.

Thank you in advance for your donations. Your generosity is sincerely appreciated.

What's next???

I hopped on the treadmill around 9:45pm last night and ran for 5 miles. It took me about 55 minutes, so I'm not breaking any speed records! But at least I ran for 5 miles. I've been doing so much walking for so long I'm trying to ease into running some more miles.

I'm staring to think ahead past the 3-Day. What's next????

I've been looking at this triathlon training schedule.

And this 1/2 marathon training schedule.

I was originally planning on jumping right into the Disney full marathon in January but now I'm having second thoughts. I don't want to set myself up for failure. So I think I might train for the Danskin triathlon and then find a 1/2 marathon to trian for. If that goes well, I can do the Disney marathon in January of 2008. I think that's a more reasonable goal.

The Golf Lesson

August goal = 135 miles
Miles walked = 75
Miles to go = 60

I walked 20 miles on Sunday, 4 on Tuesday and 8 on Thursday. I hope to walk another 4 tomorrow and 15 on Saturday with my training buddy, Julie.

The 20 miles on Sunday went surprisingly well. I wasn’t even sore the next day. My good friend Tanya joined me for the first 10 miles. It was her birthday and she decided to torture herself with a 10 mile walk on her birthday! Crazy girl! But I was grateful for the company. It does make the miles go by much quicker.

Today I walked 8 miles around my neighborhood lake. There’s a 0.9 mile track around the lake and some kids were hitting golf balls into the lake. They ranged in age from about 5 to 9.

At first I was thinking to myself “Look at those trouble makers hitting balls into the lake!”

By about the third lap around I realized I was thinking like a grumpy, sour-puss old lady. The kids were being respectful of people using the exercise path and were not hitting balls at ducks or anything.

So on my fourth lap around I gave them a big smile and by the sixth lap around the ring-leader of the group, a nine year old boy, flagged me down and asked if I wanted to try hitting a ball into the lake.

Me, never having golfed before, said “Sure, why not!” So I grabbed the club and he set up the ball on a tee for me.

First swing….miss

Second swing…miss

Third swing…miss

The group of kids were being so kind and encouraging to me. Little six and seven year olds were saying…

“Don’t worry, it gets easier. It is hard at first. Keep trying. Here, I’ll set up the tee better for you. Don’t give up.”

I felt like an idiot but I kept trying and the fourth swing shot the ball into the water.

Cheers and applaud erupted from the group of kids and the ring-leader gave me a high-five!

I thanked him for the golf lesson and he just beamed! As I was walking away I heard him proclaim “I just gave a golf lesson!”

I had a smile from ear-to-ear the last 2 miles back to my house. You can learn a lot from children.

On the road again....

I'm traveling for work so fitting in my training has been a bear. I just finished a 6 mile walk on the hotel treadmill. It's been really hard finding time to walk. Between work, my personal commitments in Seattle and my family commitments related to my grandmother's death, I've been squeezing in 5 to 6 mile walks at 10 and 11 at night.

This morning I set my alarm for 5am to get up and log some miles. Well, the person who last stayed in my hotel room liked country music and had set the alarm clock to a country station. In my sleepy haze at 5am I thought that a mean cowboy was in my room yelling at me to get up. I beat up the cowboy (aka turned off the alarm) and went back to sleep. Fortunately I woke up around 6:45 but was bummed that I overslept and didn't get any miles in! That mean cowboy ruined my plans! :)

August goal = 135 miles
Miles walked = 32
Miles to go = 103

I've got to WALK, WALK, WALK!!!!!

I'm toying with the idea of registering for the Disney Marathon in January 2007. I have to decide soon, because registration is almost full. The 1/2 marathon is already closed. I've been incorporating running into my 3-day training because I can only walk so much and running helps the miles go a bit faster. I should just do it. What do you think????

114 Miles DONE

July goal = 114 miles
Miles walked = 114
Miles to go = zero, zip, nada

I got up early this morning and did 12 miles before it got too hot outside. I'm so glad to be done for the month. It's my b-day weekend, so I get to kick back and relax. Next week the brutal training starts up again with an even higher mileage goal for August....135 miles.

The good news is I am going to spend half of the month of August in Seattle for work. Training in Seattle is WAY easier than training in Florida. The hotel I'm staying at is 13 miles from my office. I am going to bring my walking gear to work with me, change at the end of the day, and walk home 2 to 3 nights a week. If I can manage three nights a week plus a long walk on the weekend, I should be close to 100 miles by the time I return to Florida. If I can pull that off, I will be sooooo happy.

Around and Around the Lake I Go

My training partner, Julie, ended up not joining me for my walk last night so I walked 11 miles solo. I walked 1.5 miles from my house to this lake in my neighborhood, which has a 0.9 mile path around it. 9 laps around the lake plus the 3 mile round trip walk to and from my house equals about 11 miles.

July goal = 114 miles
Miles walked = 102
Miles to go = 12

Julie and I are now supposed to meet on Thursday night for a long walk. I'm going to try for 12 miles Thursday night to bring me to my July mileage goal of 114 miles!!!!

What's on the menu tonight??? Easy yoga....oooohhhhhmmmmmm

Total Body OUCH

Saturday Julie and I met at RDV and spent 4.5 hours at the gym...

8 am - 9:30: Treadmill
9:30 - 10:30 Power Pump (weightlifting class)
10:30 - 11:30 Swimming, sun bathing, steam room & sauna
11:30 - 12:00 Shower and change
12:00 - 12:30 Lunch

Sunday, I did yard work from 10:30 am to 7:30 pm. I didn't do any walking, but 9 hours of yard work tuckers you out!

So here are my totals.....

July goal = 114 Miles
Miles walked = 91
Miles to go = 23

Here's my plan for the week...

Monday = 5 miles
Tuesday = 11 miles
Wednesday = cross train
Thursday = 7 miles
Friday = cross train
Saturday = Day off - birthday weekend!
Sunday = Swim in the ocean - birthday weekend!

I'm dragging my husband to the gulf coast with me for the day on Sunday!!

Pants off Dance off

Friday night I was channel surfing and stumbled on to Pants off Dance off. Have you seen it? They are looking for contestants for Season 2.

It's soooo totally absurd!!!!!

At the moment our television viewing is being recorded for Nielsen and my husband isn't excited about the fact that they now know we're a Pants off Dance off household!

The Island

July goal = 114 miles
Miles walked = 86
Miles to go = 28

I managed a 4 mile walk around Lake Eola in downtown Orlando yesterday. Today "The Island" saw me through 6 miles on the treadmill. I'm 28 miles to my July goal!!!!!

I'm worried about my right big toe. It is starting to hurt when I walk - and not blister hurt, but stress fracture hurt. I'll give it a rest tomorrow and see how it feels.

Around 2 pm today I experienced overwhelming fatigue that knocked me on my @ss for about 2 hours. In college I had a poor diet and ended up with severe anemia. I didn't know it was anemia at the time, but I would get so tired that I literally couldn't get out of bed some days. I was working full time and going to school full time, so I attributed it to my busy schedule. When I finally made it to the doctor for a check-up, she was flabbergasted by my blood work. I was put on mega iron supplements and came back for a re-test 2 weeks later. Magically, the debilitating fatigue disappeared.

That is what I felt like today...circa 1997 anemia. So, I made a doctor’s appointment for next week. Or it could just be the fact that I've walked 86 freakin' miles in the past few weeks!

Sonic Boom

Have you ever experienced a sonic boom? I hadn’t until this week. Monday morning I was just sitting down to finish my cup of tea before starting the day when BOOM – the house shook, our sliding glass doors bucked back and forth, and I thought something had crashed into our house.

My very first reaction was EARTHQUAKE. Having grown up in an earthquake prone area where I experienced several earthquakes, that was the closest sensation I could equate this to. But then I thought This is Florida! We don’t get earthquakes in Florida! That’s when my something smashed into the roof a la Donnie Darko theory kicked in.

I sprinted out the front door, where my husband was standing by the side of his truck (he had just walked out the door to go to work). I screamed out into the middle of our cul-de-sac WHAT THE F*CK WAS THAT!!!!

We raced into the house, turned on the news and realized it was the space shuttle re-entering the atmosphere about 30 miles from our house. It created a double sonic boom. Monday was the first time since 2002 that the space shuttle landed in Florida. What a way to start my day.

All my husband had to say was “Why did you have to yell what the f*uck was that in the middle of our neighborhood?” Hey, I couldn’t help it.

On to the business of training. Monday I did yoga while watching wife swap. And Tuesday I walked 4 miles on the treadmill while watching Say Anything with the audio commentary by Cameron Crowe, Ione Skye and John Cusack.

Here are my totals…

July goal = 114 miles
Miles walked = 76
Miles to go = 38

Orlando Wetlands Park

July goal = 114 miles
Miles walked = 72
Miles to go = 42

I met my mini-goal for the weekend....20 miles. My training partner, Julie, and I tried a new trail...the Orlando Wetlands Park. Very interesting place. Vultures everywhere - a bit creepy. We saw alligators, snakes, turtles, tons of birds, snarling raccoons, and heard some crazy toads. Oh, and we were attacked by thousands of very large bugs. It is hard to describe the atmosphere of the place. Extremely interesting and beautiful, but also scary and desolate. A horror film could easily be filmed there. I would NEVER walk in that park by myself, but with a partner I felt safe.

I haven't had much of an appetite the past few days, so after walking over 20 miles this weekend I figured a "good" meal was in order. So after our walk Julie and I had lunch at Perkins (think 1/2 a step up from Denny's). When you're covered in sweat, dirt and bug bites, you're somewhat limited as to where you can comfortably eat without being stared down. After a quick paper towel bath in the Perkin's restroom to remove the most apparent layer of grime, I ordered the "build your own omelete" meal - omelete, choice of hasbrowns or home fries, and choice of muffin, toast or pancakes. I had a veggie omelete with hash browns and pancakes. I didn't eat it all, but came close! I don't plan on eating dinner as I'm still full 5 hours later.

Half Way to Goal!!!

July goal = 114 miles
Miles walked = 62
Miles to go = 52

I'm over 1/2 way to goal for July!!!!!!!!!

I walked somewhere between 10 to 12 miles today in the blazing sun (I lost track of my miles, so I'm estimating on the low side for my official monthly mile total). I had to take frequent rest stops in order to avoid overheating. At one point I became very nauseous and broke out in goose bumps and chills even though it was in the 90s with high humidity. Fortunately right at that moment I passed an area of the trail with a big shaded kid's play area with benches, restrooms, and a misting station! And boy did I need a good misting and a rest on a bench in the shade! I was able to cool off enough to finish the 10 miles without further incident.

I ended up NOT meeting the other 3-day'ers for the official training walk. I didn't feel well last night and didn't get to sleep until around 4am. I REALLY didn't want to get up at 5:15 to be out the door by 6am to drive 50 minutes to meet the group at the trail head at 7am after 1 hour of sleep. So, I shut off my alarm, woke up at 8:45am, ate breakfast and went to a closer trail - the Little Econ - and was pounding the pavement by 10am. Even though it was warmer, since I walked from 10am to 1pm, rather than 7am to 10am, I am glad I let myself sleep in.

When I made it back to my car, I did a quarter mile cool down walk around the maintenance building for the park that maintains the Little Econ trail. What did I find??? A tiny chicken coup filled with sorry looking, overheated, half bald, shit stained chickens. AND the chickens had an empty metal feeding dish in the coup with an official park logo on it....thus leading me to believe these are official Orange County Parks Department abused chickens. I was furious. So I'm going to email the local news and see if they will bust them for keeping these poor chickens in such brutal conditions. Wish me luck.

Prozac Nation & Harold and Kumar

Prozac Nation and Harold and Kumar go to White Castle saw me through a wee bit over 7 miles on the treadmill yesterday. I finished watching Harold and Kumar over dinner, at which time I promptly started watching it again with the audio commentary featuring the director and the guys who played Harold and Kumar. I made it about 1/2 way through and then fell asleep. I plan to finish it up today....very entertaining. We had an electrician at our house the other day doing some work and he totally reminded me of Freakshow.

So here are the totals....

July goal = 114 miles
Miles walked = 52
Miles to go = 62

Tomorrow I'm going on my first official training walk....7am at the West Orange Trail - 10 miles, moderate pace. I'm excited to meet other 3-day'ers on this walk. Then, Julie and I might do a 10 miler on Sunday at this wetlands park I found in Christmas, FL - about 40 minutes east of Orlando.

My goal??? To be at 72 miles walked by EOD Sunday.

Syriana

So I watched Syriana while walking 5.5 miles on the treadmill this morning, which brings my July totals to....

July goal = 114 miles
Miles walked = 45
Miles to go = 69

I walked another 4.5 miles later in the day running errands, but I won't count those miles in my monthly walking totals.

Tonight I had my book club meeting. We discussed "My Sister's Keeper" which was my pick for the month. It was very well received by the group and stimulated some great conversations. Overall, we hated the mother and hated the ending, but very much enjoyed the rest of the book. And, we had a fabulous dinner at Season's 52 - I had a patron silver margarita, cod w/ veggies in a miso broth & a wee bit'o carrot cake w/ decaf coffee. My mention of Carrot Top in my last post apparently put carrot cake on my mind, since I jumped at the offer of carrot cake at dinner tonight.

Changing topics....my wonderful friend Dinah did a truly amazing thing...she featured me in her blog. I cannot thank her enough for her support. It means so much to me when others step up and help me fundraise or join me on a training walk. Sniff, sniff...

Fun at Flea World

July goal = 114 miles
Miles walked = 39.5
Miles to go = 74.5

Julie and I met at 8am this morning at a trail in Lake Mary. It was a very enjoyable 10 mile walk with the temp peaking at around 90. Fortunately there was some cloud cover so the sun wasn't pounding directly down on us the whole time. We passed some acrobatic goats, a dead armadillo, many barking dogs, and one frisky senior in a wheel chair. The long walks are soooo much more enjoyable with a partner. Walking 10 miles solo feels like 20 - but walking 10 miles together feels like 5.

We then ate lunch at a cute cafe in Lake Mary before heading over to perhaps the scariest shopping destination in Central Florida...Flea World. We were considering renting a booth at Flea World to sell household goods to raise more money for breast cancer, but after Julie nearly had a panic attack and was convinced that the entrance to Flea World is in fact a worm hole which leads to a 3rd or maybe even 4th world country, we decided to move to Plan B. Plan B is to sell baked goods and ask for donations at the Winter Park Farmer's Market. Winter Park is the high rent neighborhood in Orlando and, more importantly, home to Carrot Top. Maybe some carrot cake is in order??? Now I just have to work on convincing the City of Winter Park to let us beg for cash one Saturday morning at their 'farmer's market' where poodles in pink leather jackets and rhinestone encrusted sun glasses (no kidding - I swear) prance around among the booths filled with organic, wheat-free, gluten-free, dog biscuits. Oy.

July goal = 114 miles
Walked so far = 18.5
Miles to go = 95.5

I did 8.5 miles on the treadmill yesterday...yuck. BOOOORING. Today I think I'll cross train and then hopefully log another 8 miles on Friday and another 15 over the weekend. My goal is to be at 40 or more miles by Monday. Let's see if I can make that goal!!!

July goal = 114 miles
Miles walked = 10
Miles to go = 104

Julie and I met at Red Bug Lake Park for an 8 mile walk this morning. I did a quick 2 miles by myself over the weekend. I need to keep the pace WAY up this month to meet my goal.

My hubby and I were able to watch the shuttle launch this afternoon. The rear of our house faces directly toward Kennedy Space Center, so we had a nice view. By far that was THE best fire work we saw today. This is the second shuttle launch I've seen since moving to FL. Apparently there is a push for something like 17 shuttle launches over the next four years. I would like to go to the space coast for one of the launches eventually and with 17 planned launches before the shuttle is replaced with a new vehicle, I think our chances are pretty good of seeing the shuttle launch up-close before it's retired.

This is a quick post from the road. So far I'm managing to get my miles in even though I'm traveling for work.

To recap this week...
Tuesday - 4 miles
Wednesday - 6 miles
Thursday - 6 miles

Here are the totals...
June goal - 77
Miles walked so far - 61
Miles to go - 16

What's green and goes "squish, squish" ???

Me on my walk on Sunday. It POURED on Julie and me yesterday. Fortunately, I remembered to bring my green emergency rain poncho. 89 cents from Target's camping section....great idea, self (patting myself on the back). But the poncho only fell to my waist, so my lower half was soaking wet, including my shoes and socks. At least I was better off than Julie who almost lost her contacts because so much water was pouring down into her eyes. We managed to walk 6 miles in the downpour. Then later that day after I dried out and changed clothes, I went back to Target and bought six more ponchos. Bring it on!!!!

Got in another 6 miles today. I'm meeting Julie at the little Econ on Sunday for another 10 miler.

June goal - 77 miles
Walked so far - 35
Miles to go - 42

June goal - 77 miles
Walked so far - 29
Miles to go - 48

Silly Alberto has prevented me from walking outdoors....so I did 10 miles on my treadmill today....the most miles I've ever walked on my treadmill. In fact, when the time display got to 99 minutes, it just automatically shut down - which surprised the heck out of me! Here I was trucking along and BAM....it stopped! :) I found the 10 miles on the treadmill to be much more of a mental than a physical challenge. Physically I could have gone much longer than 10 miles, but mentally I was going a bit crazy! I watched Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon & American Beauty to pass the time.

Lightening and Wind and Rain, Oh My!

5:00 this morning was when we first felt the impact of Alberto reaching Florida. We awoke to torrential rains, crazy wind, thunder and lightening. It felt like a movie set where they generate the effect of a hurricane. No damage and we never lost power, but it was enough to keep us up until about 5:50 am, at which time we feel back to sleep.

Alberto is bringing heaving rains to Orlando all day today, so I'd better get my treadmill set up if I hope to get any miles in. And let me tell you, I NEED to get miles in!

Yesterday afternoon I got a little freaked about the storm so I went grocery shopping and stocked up. Taking my groceries out to the car, I got caught in a DOWNPOUR that left me soaked to the bone. My poor groceries got soaked, too. I'm still getting used to the quantity of rain we get in Florida. It's amazing.

I managed to drain some water out of our pool yesterday to accommodate the heavy rains. It turned out to be simple. I was just afraid that I'd get the water draining and then wouldn't be able to stop it. You're NEVER supposed to completely drain pools in Florida because our water table is so low that an empty pool will essentially turn into a boat and float out of the ground. The water is what holds the pool in the ground. If your pool pops out of the ground, you're looking at a minimum of $50k to repair it. Ouch!

Welcome Alberto

We have our first named storm of the season...tropical storm Alberto. In honor of Alberto, I shampooed my hair. I managed to get in 5.5 miles today before the pre-Alberto storm rolled over our house. I'm trying to not care about hurricanes (although my nervous nature makes this a bit tricky sometimes). There's nothing I can do about them. If a hurricane comes, oh well. I've got my food, my water, my tarps, my flash lights, my emergency radio, and my hurricane and flood insurance....so bring it on Alberto! Just don't dump 30 inches of rain on our house in 1 day like you did in Cuba, that would suck. To put that into perspective, Seattle gets an average of 38 inches of rain per YEAR....parts of Cuba just got 30 inches in 1 DAY. Oy.

Remind me why I agreed to walk 60 miles?

Sometimes breast cancer is the only motivation I can find to lace up my walking shoes and drag my lazy butt out the door. I really should have done this 60 mile walk before I moved to Florida.

I did 5 miles yesterday and thought I was going to DIE. It was 90 degrees with humidity and the route I walk has zero shade with blacktop that radiates heat back at you. I know I have to train in hot conditions because that is exactly what I'll be facing during the actual 60 mile walk...but DAMN it sucks!!!

I travel to Seattle a lot for work and when I go on walks in Seattle it is soooo much nicer than Florida. I can do 5 miles in Seattle without even breaking a sweat. But in Florida, by the time I get back to the house I'm verging on heat exhaustion and my face could easily be mistaken for an over-ripe beefsteak tomato with a severe sweating problem. At this point I really don't know how I'll handle a 15 mile training walk in weather like this. But, I'll keep at it and maybe I'll get used to it.

My training goal for June is 77 miles and I'm pathetically behind schedule. Between my travel schedule, my cold, and the unbearably hot weather, I've only managed to squeeze in a measly 13.5 miles so far. By Sunday night I hope to bump that number up to 25 miles. Wish me luck.

June goal - 77
Miles walked so far - 13.5
Miles to go - 63.5

Guess who's back????

I'm back from 2 weeks in Seattle. And what did Seattle give me? A terrible cold!!! So tomorrow morning I'm pounding the pavement again after 1+ week(s) of minimal walking. It's heating up in Central Florida, so I'm going to walk early tomorrow morning.

We just had a thunder storm and the pool water is reaching dangerously high levels. I hope to drain some water out of the pool tomorrow. I am a bit nervous about this, as I've never done it before. When we lived in the rental house I could have cared less how high or low the pool water level was....it wasn't my pool nor my house! But now that I actually own the darn thing, I guess I'd better take care of it! And not that I don't value my hubby's contributions to this family, but staying on top of household issues such as the pool water level aren't high on his priority list...which I totally understand. It just means more work for me...boo hoo

I just heard on the news that over 2,300 strikes of lightening have hit Orlando during this evening's thunder storm. During the storm my hubby was - jokingly - trying to get me to run around outside with a mouthfull of tin foil while swinging a golf club. Silly hubby!

I'm getting some quotes on some other projects around the house - painting the exterior, installing a paver patio, landscaping, irrigation system, exterior lighting, interior lighting, etc. So many projects! I also have to get the house re-keyed this week. We're getting all new door knobs and locks as well. The previous owners had sub-par taste and we're sick of looking at bright yellow fake brass knobs.

'bout time for bed!