Party Arty

This picture of RDJr. and I is just so cute that I had to post it here, as well as on FB. Doesn't he look adorable? Well, I'm biased.

Party Arty is a "young professionals" fundraiser for The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. It was a good time - dancing, people watching, chatting with friends. Of course, I can now count on two hands the number of drinks I've had in 3 months and that is why I went into Sunday's workout a little dehydrated (the truth comes out). Gotta hop back on the wagon because I've got a BIG build training block coming at me this week, and the next ... and the next. Hope I can find my Big Girl pants.

Testing, Testing, 1-2, 1-2

Test time this week! It's rest week/step-back week so of course there is going to be a test. And I knew this one was coming ... dum, dum, dum ... THE SWIM TEST!

But wait! This test is new. I've never seen it before. For the past three years I have done the 10 x 100 on :10 rest. If I remember correctly, that test is only 30 minutes long - total - with warm-up and cool down. But this new test ... an hour long with warm-up and cool down and it's 3 x 300 but luckily, on :30 rest.

In preparation for the test, I started to think about what pace I would try to aim for. I haven't timed much of anything these days because it's all been about base fitness. When I am "timed", it's at masters in a long course meters pool (well, for anything over 200) so yeah ... where would I start?

I came up with a pretty good goal, then I set a realistic goal. I beat that realistic goal by :01! But I was kinda upset that I didn't make Goal A. Of course.

Logging into Training Peaks with my times, I asked the Boss Lady "what does it all mean?" I have a vague idea of what my time was at the last 10 x 100 (which was over a year ago) and it was REALLY close to my time, per 100, for this new test. BUT the tests are different - apples and oranges.

Naturally, I stewed about this. Even though I didn't want to ... even though I knew I shouldn't. I was dead-on consistent with my times and I did my best - really! There was absolutely no way I could swim any faster. AND IT'S STILL JANUARY!!!

Don't over think it, Andrea.

What else is going on ... oh yeah. I thought I would revisit my goals for the year and report back on how they are going. Let's see ... ahh yes, here they are:

Get 8 hours of sleep every night - I am doing pretty well with this one. This week, during rest week, I've been waking up way too early so that I only get 7 or so hours of sleep. Guess my body is telling that is enough.

Take a multi-vitamin every day - Not doing so well with this one. I don't know why. The vitamins on sitting right below my computer screen at work - so I would remember to take them. I think I take about 1-2 a week. Time to get back on track with that.

Drink 64 oz of water daily - Doing pretty good with this one. I have a schedule of what to drink and when and I count my decaf tea as water. Think I'm staying pretty hydrated and if going to the bathroom every 45 minutes doesn't prove that, I don't know what will.

Stretch after every bike or run - BAD, bad, bad about this one. Self-sabotage on this as I usually wait until the very last possible second to do my workouts and back them up with some sort of social outing. This means, if I'm lucky, I have JUST enough time to do the workout, eat, shower and get to the party, dinner, or movie on time. Nope. I can't spare even 5 minutes to stretch properly or I will be late. Or later.

Eat a recovery snack 15 min. after every workout - Rockin' this goal! Although there was this one day that I had a killer pool set and I forgot not only my workout nutrition, but also recovery Cliff Bar. I found one Cliff Shot Blok in the bottom of my gym bag along with some Nuun - well there's my pre-workout nutrition, but recovery? I didn't even have change to buy some trail mix out of the vending machine at the gym. I got out of the pool, did not even dry my hair, and RACED home. Got there in 30 min. and found something to eat. Whew! That was close! Ha! Ha! Ha!

If you think you need an ice bath – TAKE ONE! Um, kinda. Who wants to take an ice bath when it's 11 degrees outside?? AND YOU JUST SPENT THE LAST HOUR RUNNING IN SNOW? I have to say, recovery socks and Recovery e21 have been the recovery plan of choice over the ice bath these days.

Cut back the alcohol - AWESOME!! I haven't "quit" but I can count on one hand the number of drinks I have had in the past three months. Okay, maybe one hand and two fingers, but considering that 5-6 drinks every Friday, Saturday and Sunday (and Tuesday and Thursday) used to be the norm, I would consider this HUGE!!!


WINTER! We were pretty spoiled during the month of December, here in KC. Temps usually in the 30s and 40s for highs. Not too bad. And NO SNOW!! Last week, that changed. First snowfall in the amount of 7". It had just melted when we got hit again yesterday with 9". Sunday we are supposed to get 3-6" more!!! Good thing I have Yaks!! And cheers to Snow Tubes, Suicide Hill and good friends who make sledding outings something I can log into Training Peaks as "cross training".


Hang in there. April is right around the corner!

Resolutions are for quitters

Happy New Year!

Keck asked me last weekend if I had any New Year's resolutions and I said no. "Really? Not a one?", he said. "Nope, I have goals". Goals and resolutions aren't the same thing. At least I don't think so.

Goals are strategic, thought-out, realistic (hopefully) and something you will stop at nothing to achieve. Resolutions - seem to me anyway - like hopeful wishes. Like, "I want to loss weight this year". As it stands, that is a resolution. To make it a goal, you would then follow that up with, "I've seen my doctor and s/he tells me that my BMI is 20% higher than it should be, so I've hired a trainer and will commit to going to the gym 3-4 times a week. I will eat 5-7 servings of fruits and veggies each day, I will drink 64 oz of water each day, etc.".

My goals are mostly sport related, but I have a couple of personal ones too. Those are between RDJr. and I so I won't share them here, but we're talking about doing some exciting things together in the coming year and especially, year-end.

Okay, okay ... maybe I do have a couple of resolutions, or hopeful wishes, for the year. Again, since they are not "goals", I have no active plan for making these things happen. It's more like, if and when I find the time, I hope I remember that at one time, I had resolved to do them:

Be More Creative
I went to Paper Source last week to buy New Years cards. I forgot how much I love that store! While I was there, I became inspired to MAKE a book for RDJr. documenting my favorite memories of the past year. It was FUN! and a bit messy, but FUN! And the finished product looked pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. He was impressed as well, which is all that matters.

Happy New Year, RDJr.!

Make My Own Frozen Treats
RDJr. LOVES ice cream. I think it is his second love after Bailey, and I am a distant third. So I asked for, and received, a new ice cream maker for Christmas. (My old one broke.) My first attempt turned out fabulously! Of course, I went with fro-yo instead of cream, and 2% fat instead of whole, but the end result was still well received by the tasters. Yes, it did TASTE healthy the next recipe is going to have to be something more decadent.

Cherry Almond Coconut Fro-yo, Yo!

Bake More
My co-worker got me a subscription to Ready Made magazine (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!! Ready Made!) and in the December issue there was an article about Four and Twenty Blackbirds, a pie shop in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I have to admit, reading it made me jealous. For one, I have always wanted to run my own bakery and two, I have always loved the idea of a "Four and Twenty.." as the name. AND THIRD ... I LOVE TO MAKE PIES!!! More so than any thing else. So, I would like to practice making more pies this year.

Get More Ink
This fall, I resolve to get more work done on my right arm. Gotta be outta the water for that though, so it has to wait until the 2011 off-season. What am I thinking of getting? Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie, of course!! No. Really. I'm serious about that.

Organize My Desk at Work and KEEP IT ORGANIZED
This is futile and truly is just a hopeful wish. There is no way this will ever happen.

So there you have it! My resolutions/wishes for 2011!

And now for something completely random, I'll leave you with some fun photos of RDJr. hamming it up on New Years day (yes, we spent the entire day at Target/Bed Bath & Beyond/Pier One/Home Depot) because he's just so cute and because another resolution is to add more photos to my blog.