OK, let's rock!

What's a little cold??  And a little wind??  I mean, who really cares anyway?  It's just a number and / or a feeling.  Dress appropriately and get over it, right?  Ya, I knew you would think that.  And I agree....let's rock!

What a great run session last night.  1.5 mile warm up, then speed work for ~4 miles as follows:  (note: 1km == 0.6 miles): Fast as you can for 1km, then 2km, 2km 1km, with 90 seconds rest in between.  I'm a running newb and this was my first session like this.  While I was motivated to get out there and do it, I really had to dig deep to keep up the pace.  It was uncomfortable, to say the least.  I worked hard and that last interval of 1km felt like it went on forever.  I was so thankful it went by in 5 mins, 24 seconds.  Not fast by a runner's standard, I know, but I'm working on it.

I had a decent ice buildup on my hat and even eyelashes by the time I got home.  But it pales in comparison to my black neck cover (left), which is white with frost in the picture.  I had all of 15 minutes home before I had to get in the car for swim class.

At the pool, I'm actually doing fairly well.  This is my first time swimming with this crowd and they were on their second session since the fall.  That's the period where I was lazy and took a lot of time off.  They were out there freezing their toes and working hard.     Somehow, I managed to be seeded in the fast lane and have worked hard enough to stay there.  Among all the drills, the main sets are usually timed (as in your max time is, say, 1:45/100m for 10x100m intervals).  We work hard and typically stay in the 1:30 - 1:50/min space, but towards the end of the hour, it's all any of us can do to stay below 2 min/100m. I really enjoy swimming but I think I picked up an inner ear infection from the pool as I have terrible vertigo / dizziness symptoms when doing kick drills on my side.  The pool spins and I veer off track, despite my best efforts to ignore it and stay focused.

Great news on the eating front.  I am on week 2 of a 'decent' diet (meaning eating well) and day 2 of a smokin' clean diet (meaning eating REALLY well).  I'm watching quantity and quality and weighed in this morning at 164.6 - that's down a couple pounds from the day before and may be a result of dehydration from the run/swim (though I drank 2 liters of fluids last night).  In any case, I'm not worried about it - as long as I continue to eat well, my training plan will get me down to race weight pretty quickly.

So, as this blog is also about our dogs, I have to say that I slept on the family room floor with Bumper last night.  Without boring you with the details, I think his auto-immune condition is relapsing.  He went from being stiff to unable to get up without screaming  - all in 24 hours.  I got him to the vet without delay and he's back on meds to help manage pain and inflammation.  It will be another night on the floor with him - he can't do stairs right now.  But it's like camping in your own house and think about how close I am to my coffee machine in the morning....I don't even have to go downstairs!  If you can spare some positive vibes for Bumper, please do - he needs them.

I think most of the US was blanketed by snow today, as was Ontario and eastern parts of Canada.  I think we got around a foot, which is the largest accumulation in 24 hours this year.  I cleaned my 250' laneway, decks, greyhound racetrack in the backyard, and helped my neighbours with their snow.  The plow gave us all 3 foot high walls, but at least the road was cleared!!  As a result of my 2.5 hours outside and busy work day, I didn't get my 90 min bike in.  Will have to make it up tomorrow.  I'm not someone who can train at 11:30 pm and be productive the next day.

I almost forgot - I made a significant commitment yesterday:  I signed up for my first marathon - the end of May!!!  Please let me find some inner strength to get to the start line healthy and finish that baby in fine form!

Run - 8km - warm up + speedwork 1km, 2km, 2km, 1km,
Swim - 60 mins
Work - whatever is left
Sleep on the floor with the dog - priceless.