Getting back up to speed: The 4 corners of my new life.

What a wild crazy journey the past few months have been.   But such is the roller coaster of life, right?

I went through a whole depression/ mourning period the past bit and now I am finally feeling myself.  Not my old self, but rather a new self.  Mike and I have been defining our "new normal" and in this journey I finally feel like it is life again.  Our life again.  My life again.

So in the midst of trying to figure out how to be happily married given the 1500 miles that lie between us, I became injured at the end of April which threw me another curve ball as it meant that I had to stand down from the one thing keeping me moving forward consistently.  Without physical activity I lost focus and started to spin a bit out of control with depression and all the things that come along with that.  Anger.  Sadness.  Pain.   Lack of motivation. 

I have since found a solid recovery plan for myself. 

Eat Clean, Train Mean, Recover and Do It All Again Tomorrow. 

This mantra, the 4 corners of the base for my new lifestyle, has become the new road map for me to get back on track mentally and physically.   I have been living this way for a month or so now and I can say that it has all become such an inherent part of me a complete health habit. 

It was not easy at first, but after putting in the time day in and day out it now is really second nature.  The longer you do something, the easier it is to just do it.  I find fewer excuses now and way more success.  In my first month of eating clean, training mean, recovering and doing it all over again each day I lost 11 pounds without trying.  My lifestyle and my goals were, are, finally aligned. 

About freaking time.

So here is what I learned along the way, with a shorter (much shorter) summary at the end. 

Eating Clean
In my long transition to veganism I have relied on some crutches of sorts, namely processed vegan foods,  in order to get me through.  I guess this is the path that one takes, right?  You make baby steps towards your goals tweaking and refining yourself along the way. 

I started out vegetarian - eating eggs, dairy, cheese and vegetables.  I then swapped out the eggs, dairy and cheese for vegan alternatives and relied heavily on processed fake foods to replace the processed meat containing products I was trying to avoid.  Processed food is processed junk  no matter if it comes from nuts, animals or plants.   Fake is fake.  Crap is crap.  Junk is junk.  No matter how you slice and dice it, whole foods are the best foods.

I have since done some research and through the help of Brendan Brazier's Thrive series, The Happy Herbivore, and Engine 2 I have learned more about fuelling my body without relying on processed foods.  I am ditching the tofu and eating more raw fresh foods which has had a huge improvement in my day to day quality of life.

I have given up the white refined sugars and get my sweet on using fruits to keep me in check.  I use mainly sprouted, non-GMO whole grains and pseudo grains, and tons of dark leafy greens to bulk out my meals.  For protein, I simply eat a wide variety of foods all day long to keep the fire stoked and the body working and supplement with Vega Performance Protein in smoothies and recovery shakes from workouts to get a healthy dose of BCAA's to aid in recovery. 

I try to use whole legumes firstly, with nuts and seeds (hemp, chia, flax) and tempeh.  I am trying to avoid the overly processed and mainly nutritionally devoid tofu whenever possible. 

I track my food intakes so that I keep on target.  I am focusing on the nutrients I need, versus calories per se.  I am active by nature and have realized that food is a fuel, a life source - but not something to live for.

If we are working out to make up for the poor food choices we make during the day - then we are wasting our energy and will never make progress.  Real change must come from habit.


Train Mean
Before endurance triathlon I was a cross-fitter.  I absolutely adored cross functional fitness and power lifting.  I am a strong person, so I found an activity that I could do that tested and pushed me and that I could grow with long term.

Well, long term until I decided that every minute not swimming, biking, or running was a moment that I should be swimming, biking, and or running.  Enter injury.   I ignored my body and as a result it gave up on me.  My injury is 100% due to my lack of recovery and balance in training. 

This injury was the set-back that I needed to reset and refocus.  I am now back in the gym 2x a week doing Alpha Training (Lifetime Fitness's version of Cross Fit) and have been finding my happy place again.

I realize now that after completing an Ironman that I can balance strength, power, and endurance.  I just have to set the limits in each that allow for balance understanding that none of the three will be at 100% full potential, but rather at a level that will allow for diversity and balance.  And each phase/month/week/day/hour/minute the balance may change. 

Right now I am not following a plan per se, but I am getting close to pulling the trigger on a half Ironman in mid November.  I guess that it will be a dry run to see how I refine the current balance of my life to include much longer efforts. 

My Alpha coach knows that I am an Ironman triathlete and that I will not be giving that part of me up, so he is allowing for modifications to the workouts and weights so that I can get the benefit of weight training without over taxing my body.


Recover
I am now seeing a Fascia Stretch Therapist (FST) twice a month to help with my recovery, as well as I take rest days as needed and stretch after every workout.  I am no longer taking recovery as a luxury that I cannot afford.  Recovery is MANDATORY and I will not sacrifice that part of myself any longer. 

If we spend days tearing our bodies down in order to rebuild how long can we sustain and grow without allowing some down time for our bodies to evolve and get ready to do it again?  Maybe some can sustain longer than others but in the end it will catch up to each and every one of us.  Recovery is just as important as nutrition and training. 


Do It All Again Tomorrow
I have gotten into a routine now with managing my Michigan household solo.  I am balancing work, travel, home responsibilities, doggy responsibilities, health, and overall wellness.  It sounds like a lot, and honestly it is but that is where prioritization comes in.  If I want to focus on health and wellness - balanced health and wellness, then I have to live the part 24/7, 365. 

I have started getting to bed earlier (9-10pm) and waking up earlier (5:15-6am).  I find that with this I can squeeze in a morning long walk with the doggies, then a quick run or short bike around the hood - even just 20 minutes is enough to start my day off right. I can also ride my bike to work if the weather cooperates.

During the day at lunch I can swing by the gym (which is directly across from my office) to swim or stretch should my work day allow.   After work I am either at the gym for Alpha training or out at the parks for endurance training.   At night before I go to bed I take the doggies on their 2nd walk of the day.

Weekends I get in the long endurance stuff - which is really the only time my training volume will change depending on Ironman, Half Ironman or sprint/maintenance work. I start off my Saturdays (the ones that I am actually in Michigan)  with riding my bike to the local Farmer's Market to stock up on produce and the whole foods for the week.  I then get on the road for my workouts and then when back at home I catch up on DVR'd television shows and hang with the pups taking in some me time to reflect on how things are going as well as to look over what I have going on in the next week. Sundays are food prep, endurance workout, house work, and a once a month a vegan dinner party with friends.  


Having a routine is making life easier as it becomes more manageable for me.  I know pretty regularly what my requirements are for the week, so I can make adjustments as I see fit.  I am blessed with as busy as this life is for me it is pretty consistent.    I always make it work somehow, compromise being the key to that success.  

Sometimes the day is just about survival to get to the next day, other times it is about fulfilling my dreams and working towards my goals in big ways.  No matter how the day starts out or ends up, I am in control of my reactions to what comes my way.




I guess the Cliff Notes version is pretty simple:

* Eat clean, whole foods all day long
* Fuel your body, listening to what it needs
* Do something. Even 20 total minutes of something a day (be it in 1 20 minute walk or 5 4 minute bursts of random activity) is better than 0 minutes of nothing.
* Get good quality sleep and more of it.
* Get into a routine that works for you, not against you.  If it isn't working tweak and compromise until it works. They key to routine is often COMPROMISE.
* You can have it all - you just cannot have it all at 100% all of the time.
* Recovery and rest are important
* Understand and accept that how the day starts is not indicative of how it will end.
* Know that it takes 21 days to form a habit.  Tough it out for the first week and then see how much easier it becomes every time you hit the alarm to start your day.  

Staying On Track While On The Road - Part 1: Training

Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows...

OK, maybe not so much rainbows and lollipops, but I am getting my fair share of sunshine this week that is for sure.

I am fortunate enough that for 1-3 weeks each month I go to Florida to spend time with Mike, my husband, and telecommute for work so that I can maintain some sort of work life balance. 

This was my first of many trips and I must say, it has been wonderful!  Since his weekends are actually Wednesday/Thursdays, I fly down after work on Tuesday evening, then take time off from work on Wednesday and Thursday so that we can spend the days together, then work from my Florida location on Friday and Monday, flying back home Monday after work. 

I have been able to keep up on work, and even took a few meetings on my off time just to make sure that things were moving along well.  Since I come from a job background which was heavy on travel, I am very independent and can work well outside the office.  I have always looked at the world as my office.


In years past trips like this would have meant disaster for both my training and my lifestyle.  Ever since that fateful trip to Mexico last year, I have since realized that I am at the mercy of nothing but myself.  And with that I have learned a few things about staying on track while travelling. 



The key thing that I have learned in the 16+ years that I have travelled for work is to set myself up for success, not for failure.  What this means is that I need to do some planning, do some research, and to make sure that I have with me or at least access to the things locally that I need to keep as much of a routine as possible so that I do not fall off of training or health track.

It is so easy when we travel to just throw in the towel, to give up and give in to all the temptations around us.  After all - aren't we supposed to live it up when we travel? 

I have found that I am much happier if I can maintain at least some form of semblance to my regular home life while away from home.   One thing that I can do pretty much anywhere is to run.  I pack my running shoes and a few running clothes in my carry on, so that I am able to get in this at the very least where ever I go.   Which brings me to:

Travel training trip #1: Scope out the area for running friendly trails and scenic routes, as well as Hotels for run friendly facilities should the weather or area not cooperate.

Because of this I have ran in the People's Square in Shanghai, China along the Danube river in Regensburg, Germany, and around Frankfurt and Baubenhausen, Germany as well.  I have run through Guadalajara, Mexico (before the days of the Drug Lords killing everyone, now days I run via treadmill), through quite a few States in the Union and in Canada. 

Have shoes will run. 


Travel training tip #2:  Plan your work, and work your plan. AKA - be realistic about what you can accomplish and when you can accomplish it.

I am one of those people with a training plan that I follow each week.  Obviously as the weeks progress my training focus changes, but no matter what I always have a plan as it is my road map to achieving my goals.

One thing that has in the past derailed me from my endeavors is that I throw the plan completely out the window when I would travel.  I would tell myself that I just could not maintain anything while travelling, so why bother to try. 

While the plan is a good guide, it is not set in stone and you should be willing to be flexible in your training.  The best way to make sure that you can achieve the training is to be realistic in your availability to work out,  both by which days and times available as well as what activities you can maintain with little stress to your other obligations.     

I like to make my travel days my rest days. Travel is fatiguing and you can end up wearing yourself down and digging a hole that you cannot recover from if you do not take rest. 

I then do a little research to see what activities are going on in the area and what equipment I will have available to me.  

For this trip I first looked for running races in the area, as if there is a race I will for sure get in my run.  Since I was staying over a weekend I signed up for a local 10k run which is great for me since I had a 6-7 miler on plan anyhow. 

With that out of the way, I then looked at what options I have for cycling and since this is my In-Laws house I have many bikes available to me including my husband's road bike which is actually a good fit for me.  OK - run and bike availability... check! 

Now it is a matter of getting the workouts in. I scheduled them for when I was most likely to succeed at getting them done - my long stuff on the weekends when I am alone, and the short stuff in the mornings or before dinner when Mike is relaxing so that I do not take away any time from us.  Also, Mike is a cyclist and likes to swim so I am able to get in some workouts with him which always helps!

Travel training tip #3:  Recruit Support.

If travelling with other people, see if anyone wants to workout with you at the hotel gym - they don't have to do what you do but sometimes just having someone in the vicinity is enough to get the workout done.

If they say no - let them know clearly what your intentions are for training while on the trip and see if they can oblige by allowing some time for you to get it done.  When I travel with coworkers, they assist me by selecting hotels with exercise rooms and pools so that I have the most equipment available to me, and have even worked our dinner schedules around my training hours.   I hit the gym for a quick pre-dinner workout while they hit the hotel bar for a pre-dinner drink. 

I have some awesome people in my life! 

Travel training tip #4:  Missed a workout?  MOVE ON.

Don't try to double up workouts to squeeze in missed ones. Sometimes it is best just to keep on moving forward. 


Travel training tip #5:  Learning for next time.

Missing a few workouts is perfectly acceptable.  However... if you missed some workouts on the trip due to reasons other than illness, weather,  need for rest, or for other obligations such as family time or work time, then you need to review what happened to result in missing the workouts, so that you can be ready for it the next trip.   Maybe you over planned your time? Maybe you are putting too much pressure on yourself?  Maybe it stopped being fun? 

Training isn't life, and unless you are a pro, it also is not your job.  It should remain fun and refreshing, nit something that weighs you down and makes you feel obligated to complete it. 

If things fell apart for training on your trip - it isn't always a bad thing either.  Just take the notes as to why things happened and evaluate, getting ready to beat the excuses next time. 

Sometimes the best thing to do is push "pause" in training and allow for the down time.  Use it as a reset for when you return.  Just don't stop all together! 

Next up, Part 2: Nutrition

Mas medicino y una grande aqua por favor.

I.

AM.

SICK.

The wonderful Mexicali drugs I am taking... don't ask me what they are or what they all do. I do know that one is Paracetamol (for stuffy head), another one is a great tasting (raspberry!) lozenge for my sore throat, and the other two are a mystery to me. Dixen and Syntex are the names on the meds. I think throat meds are what they be... but who knows really.

Not the typical "I am in Mexico and drank the water, stupid me" type of sick (I am lucky in that I never get that type of sick here), but the "I cannot breathe, I lost my voice, I am exhausted and my sinuses feel like they are going to explode" type of sick.



What a freaking great way to end my trip to Mexico.



:(



Not even Starbucks can save me now I am afraid to report (I have tried! One in Mexico and one in Houston so far... and shortly going for my third.) I am so sick and pluggy that my ears hurt terribly bad on the landing in Houston this AM. I am fearful of my next flight into Detroit here in the next few hours.



Needless to say - there will be no swimming for me tomorrow AM as I am expending more energy than I have by even the simple task of typing. Oh yes - I am that sick. *pitty party - table for 1 please*




All I can think of is that I only got in two weak workouts in Guad - about 20 minutes each - and that I need more time in the saddle for my duathlon coming up way too soon.

What's a girl to do?


Today I leave you with this thought - I just left SUMMER to come back to SPRING at Lana's and TNT Coach Ken's requests. How is THAT for dedication to the sport and more importantly to my friends?

On the bright side - it is warmer in Michigan than it is in Houston, my bike is missing me more than my cats, and I am ready to ride - once I can remain in the saddle without dreaming of a nap.


So I have no clue what this weekend holds for me and my health. As soon as I am able to - I am out there at Kennsington, Island Lake, and the Poto! Time for this Runnergirl to get serious about training again!

Keep on running mi amigos! Hasta luego!

My you have a nice...

... crawl.

Yes that was actually said to me at the pool this evening.

The pool - pretty good sized even if not a real lap pool

Followed immediately by "Your stroke is smooth and even..."

Apparently the old man watching me do laps in what was definitely not a lap pool was analyzing my stroke technique. I managed to keep a straight face, but barely.

Me after laps in the pool

He clarified his statements by assuring me (in front of his wife) that he was in fact a collegiant swim coach back in earlier days.

Dang. And here I thought the old man was trying to pick me up.

I thanked him... or rather started to thank him for his kind words... when all of a sudden mine failed.

I went mute.

My voice... gone.

Yeppers - here I am all drippy wet from swimming, hopped up on those good Mexicali wonder drugs (legal of course) for headache/sinus/allergy pressure whatevers, and my voice dissappears.

Score!

I "called" Mike only to get him laughing at me beacuse he could not understand my grunts and whispers.

You lucked out mister - your lady is a mute!

The free weights in the hotel gym that is open 24 hours.

So two workouts in three nights. Not stellar and barely an hour between them but I'll take it. My goal is to run again tomorrow AM, as the pool is not lit and it is dark when I rise, leaving plenty of dark space for snakes and other Jenn-killing items to reside in the water undetected.

So why am I coming home? I love tropical climates!

OK - well enough of my woes for the evening.. I hope that all are well!

Keep on running!

Jennifer

On the road again... this time to the land of sunshine and tequilla.

I just wanted to check in on the eve of my latest trek. I am off yet again to the land of sun and tequilla...

Oh yes - it is my bi-annual trip to that little ole' country known as Mexico, or 'May-he-coe' to those in the know.

More specifically I will be at that not-so-little dot called Guadalajara, the tequilla capital of Mexico. This little gem is located just about 3 hours from Puerta Vallerta, and is one happening artisan state.

I know what you are thinking, and all I can say - DON'T HATE! Two tropical locales in 1 month, yeah life is hard.

So for all you haters out there (Christina - COUGH) rest assured that my feelings about this trip are bitter-sweet to be quite honest.

My Hotel

The sweet part is that I will be able to get a lot of neccessary work done, in addition to really enjoying the city again. I love Gaudalajara. I am comfortable there and every time I leave I feel that I have been given a deeper look into the city that has such a life about it. You would not beleive the culture here! Three museums all right in a row - The national museam, the state musem, and the local Gudalajara museum all touch. They are adjacent to the Cathedral and a huge gathering place filled with crafts and artisans.

If you ever travel to PV on vacation, I suggest making the short trip inland to Guadalajara. It is definitely worth it!

As an example of the deeper meaning to this city that I am finding, I have found that Guad actually has three large metroparks. The admission is like $0.50USD to one of them the other three being free of admission, so I think that I can swing that. :)

My only issue is that I am staying in a different hotel than usual, the Crowne Plaza. This means that I will be further from the parks than previous. I did see that one is like 2K away from my hotel, so I should be able to walk there, however it is on the side of town that I have not ventured out into yet.

Hmmmmm... oh what an adventure I am going to have! ASSUMING that I can break away from my manager and get in a decent day-time workout. He wants to eat and drink all night whereas I quit drinking (except for the Mango martinis at Bar Louie in Flint - Hellloooooo swank!) and I am not a huge eater anymore. I know - SHOCKER, right? I mean I eat of course - 6-8 small meals a day in fact. I mean that I am not an eater for the sake of eating anymore. I am a chicken breast away from being vegatarian again. In fact chicken and fish are the only meat type items I consume anymore - the rest is pretty much octo-vegitarian.

So what is the down side to this trip (in my eyes at least)?

The bitter part to all of this is that I will be missing some key workouts in preperation for my race that is coming up here in the next few weeks. I think that my best bet is to focus on swimming and weights as my running is finally in check.

So we will see what transpires south of the border. I have packed my weight and swimming gear - having to leave the running shoes at home due to packaging constraints.

I will be able to check in while on this trip, so you know what that means. PICTURES!

I am such a nerd.

Keep on running y hasta luego mi amigos!

700 yards of heaven

Today. What a good, albeit busy, day.

1 - Still need to solidify the travel plans for the next month or two - but for sure on the plan are Mexico (1 week), Wisconsin (1/2 a week - if only for the cheese curds!), Boston (maybe 2 days), and Texas (4 days).

All this by March. Potentially.

2 - Good news - I am also going to Florida for almost a full week with Mike for a vacay... Miami, Del Ray Beach, West Palm Beach - you name it we will be there.

3 - Weighed in at work today for my challenge with a few co-workers - I am down 5.6 lbs since we started on 1/7, and down over 11lbs since 12/25. VICTORY! I hit my January weight loss goal a week early. :o) I WILL be down 25-30 lbs by Florida. Darn it!
and quite possibly the sweetest of all things -

4 - I set out tonight at the gym to repeat my 400 yard workout from last night. NOPE. Was not having that. I did 200 yards of 25's followed by 300 yards of kick drill 50's (front and back kicking), rounding out a stellar and quite easy 400 yard workout - then decided to crank out some more 25's and then add in 50's. At 600 yards I decided to cool down with an additional 100 yards this time of breatstroke. I even did 1 flipturn in that 100 yards just to see how the CO2 would go.

Not so bad.

SWEET. And wow - that 700 felt like 400. I think my plan of swimming everyday is going to do wonders for my Saturday long swims (whatever I can finish in 1.5 hours).

Well I am dried out - tired - and ready for bed.

Night all!

I am home! I am home!

I made it home alright yesterday. I made one teensy weensy little error on Thurday night however... so let me just start there.

**does Wayne and Garth's fading out sequence*

Thursday night after work, I got early enough so I decided to head out to the movie theater to catch Harry Potter, Order of the Phoenix. It ws offerend in English, so I decided to go ahead and watch it there instead of waiting until I got back to the US.

Good movie overall, not my favorite in the series as far as movies go but none the less it was a good time. It was missing a lot from the book as the moves always do, but I feel as though if I had not read the book some things would not have made a lot of sense or held the same importance.

But as usual I digress. After the movie ended, I went to get some pesos for the cab ride to the airport in the morning. The bank was closed, so I had to find random ATM. Found the only one in the area, however it did not take American Express. I ended up taking money out of my hotel room. Thank goodness otherwise I would be in big trouble!

So I get back to my room, order dinner in, and then start my packing. At about 11:30PM I decided to review my plane trip for the next day.

Somehow I thought that my plane left at 8:30AM, so I would have to be at the ariport at 6:30AM, nd awake by 5:30. ERRRNT Wrong. My plane left at 6:30AM! I would have to be there at 4:30AM! Holy crap. I would have to wake up at 3:30AM, and it was already 11:30PM. Needless to say, I got so very little sleep before heading out on my return home. I really need to check my return trip plans well in advance!

I slept as much as I could on both planes, but the problem is that I have no idea if I was out for hours at a time or minutes. I kept waking up, readjusting myself, then falling back asleep. When I finaly landed in Detroit, I headed over to Mike's terminal and hung out with him until he took me home. After a nice dinner of chinese food, I came home and brewed some tea... then crashed. It was fter 10:00PM. I had been up for 18 1/2 hours and needed some major sleepage.

I am still a little tired today. In fact I am contemplating taking a little nap before I work on some chores and head to the gym to get in a nice swim workout. I was going to bike today but it is rainy so swimming sound just as fun. Tomorrow is a nice long 9 miles running.

I hope that you all had a good week!

RunnerGirl - out to go sleep just a little more!

Mexico is Hot and Rainy.

My hotel in Guadalajara, MX

I tricked Blogger so now I can post! W00t!!!


Today I re-discovered that Mexico is actually pretty cool. Yeah, I knew this already, but have been sort of bitter about this trip. It just interferes too much with my life, lol. But hey - I can consider it a little mini-vacay even though I am working.

Let me recap my day:
*Got up at 4:30AM (3:30AM Guad local time) to head out to Aeropuerto.
*Made it in good time, went through security no issues. Boarded the plane (GOLD ELITE Baby!!!!!) and narrowly missed the 1st class upgrade that I am offered due to my GOLD ELITE status. (Can you tell that I am freaking excited about being GOLD elite? Travel has paid off!) Slept on the plane a lot. I was tired!
*Landed in Hot-Lanta, GA only to see that my connecting flight had no gate listed... and I was in an airport that has 7 concourses... none anywhere near the others, and NO departure boards. So I ran to end end of 1 concourse (time check 9:20AM - my flight to Mexico boards at 9:45AM) only to see that I need to be over one more concourse... which is like 20 minutes away. So I run. In very uncomfortable shoes. I get to the correct gate JUST as they were calling my name to switch my ticket and board. *whew*
*Had the most annoying plane trip ever to GDL! Two loud screaming kids in back of me kicking the seat, beating the seat, and all around being annoying, plus the guy sitting next to me kept picking his nose, sneezing, and wiping his hands all over the place. SKEEVES ME OUT. I am a germ freak - and that annoys me. Oh and to top it off, he kept blowing his nose... ewwwww. So I slept some more. Well between kicks and screams that is. And I made a huge dent in my Tri book.
*Make it through customs with no issues, and even got the green light (you have to press a button on a stop sign, green you are free to leave. Red you must surrender your bags and have them searched. Yeah. While you leave. You have got to love customs!
*Co-worker picks me up and drops me off at my hotel. The workers here are almost TOO nice. *Get to my room, settled in for a few minutes then enjoyed some comida at one of the casual retaurante's (Frutas y Flores - es muy delicioso!),
*Headed out to the pool to get in a few drills before the rain hit.
*Rain hit HARD
*Ate dinner in my room then went back to the gym and got in my chest and tri workout.
*Yes people - I worked out twice today!!!!!

It is actually slightly warmer in Michigan than in Guadalajara right now. But it is still muy caliente!

One observation as to how much this city has changed in the year and a half since my last visit - they have tons of Starbucks now! And a lot of American resturants like Chili's and McDonalds. I will not be frequenting those establishment, but still... it is odd to me. At first glance, I would think that I was in El Paso, or someplace in Arizona. But then I see the crazy taxi cabs and all of the street vendors, and the people backing up on the highway to make a wrong turn... and I remember that I am definitely in Mexico. DEFINITELY IN MEXICO.

Guad is the "Silicon Valley" of Mexico And it shows. Holy cow. There are TONS of shopping centers. Lots of car dealerships (some pretty cool Renaults and SEAT's here). In fact I am right across the street from the largest and oldest of such shopping centers, Plaza Del Sol.

Rest easy my friends - I have plenty of Iced Tea to get me through. And one of Mike's shirts so I am sure to sleep well tonight. *awww*

I am bummed because my cell phone does not work properly here. I have an International plan, but somehow it does not allow me to call FROM Mexico - only TO it. Yeeeaaaahhh.... that is not going to work for long.

Tomorrow and Wednesday I am at our Periferico plant (AKA the Ghetto Guad plant) and then Thursday I am in La Tiejera (AKA the Garden of Eden Guad Compound). Friday I leave for home.

This week my co-worker Daniel (From Germany) is going to take me all around Guad so I can see more than this block. I really wish that I had my camera, but a lot of the pictures would be exactly the same as last year, so no real loss I guess!

All this and I have been up since 4 30 AM. Time for bed soon!

I am just impressed that I managed two workouts... while in a foreign country, for business. *pats self on back* Ouch that hurt... my tris are still sore.

On another note - running oddly enough - I am scheduling just 3, 2-mile runs this week. Guad is a death trap for pedestrians. So I am chained to the dreadmill by my boyfriend, as he does not want me to come home in a pine box. Trust me I am not complaining. The man loves me, I love him, and I sorta want to live out my life not being crippled... or dead. So this week not only am I swimming my heart out, lifting weights like Draper, I will be running on the treadmill. Just not so much like Dean. I can only take so much, you know?

I feel so bad because I missed my 8 miler Sunday due to travel stuff. Ugh. So I am definitely getting in at least 2 miles at a time just to even things out and not loose my running mojo!

~})i({~
RunnerGirl

Go big... or go home! That is the fun part of the journey.

Off to the land of beer, beef, and cheese!

That sentence alone is 1000% better than the entire plot for Epic Movie. ;)

I am leaving tomorrow afternoon for Milwaukee and West Bend, WI for an overnight trip. :( No biggie.

I am looking forward to feeling better, which I say I mostly do as I am now only coughing when cold air rushes me.

Unfortuantely, after reviewing what is available at the hotel, I see that there is an indoor pool (yeah for me), however, the fitness center is off-site (we get free passes). I will be arriving at 5PMish, then we are heading to dinner, so maybe I will just do my Self Challenege workout in my room. And I will bring the DVD player and some good workout DVDs... but then again.. this IS just an overnight trip!

SO I will do the self challenege workout then. All I need is the audio (already on the new iPod), and the workout cards/magazine (thank goodness I am a subscriber!)

Well, off to bed. My video iPod is all synced up now with a few TV shows, and my iPod shuffle is all synced up with my workout music, schedules, and misc. fitness podcasts. Oh and a few good NPR podcasts as well. I must stay educated!

Have a good start of the week. I will check back in with the results of my Self Challenge workout tomorrow.

TTFN,
RunnerGirl

Oh. My. Goodness. Wake me up, please.

So today started out like any other day. Or so I wish.

I woke up late for packing my bags to check out of my hotel (I had a 10AM flight back to Detroit). I then learned that my flight was late, so checked into my flight and headed back to the resturant for breakfast. *whew* how lucky was I? This is surely going to be a great day, I thought. LMAO - famous last words, eh?

I arrived back in Detroit without incodent - which is always good! My boyfriend works at the airport, and is able to go to the gates to either wait with me before a flight, or wait for me to land and welcome me back home. (I know - he is so sweet!). Anyhow - it was snowing in MI so he stayed home. I did not become aware of this until I had been waiting for him to appear for a few minutes. I was a little upset - not at him, but becuase I really missed him.

Paid for parking - $81.00. Rape me, OK DTW? Jeesh.

Went to 9-A Gold, row 1 in the parking deck where I parked. Hmmm... but where is my car? 5 minutes go by. 10. 15. I panick. I search the entire 9-A gold section, then proced to 8-A, only to find out that it is brown - definitely did not park here. I clearly parked in 9-1 GOLD, row 1.

At this point I am bawling like a little girl. I was exhausted, hungry, missing Mike, and now was sans car.

I called and he headed straight out to the airport to help me resolve this issue. I decided to walk a little further down to 9-B GOLD row 1. Not there. And plus, I clearly walked through Parking "A" into the terminal, so why would I park in B given I would have had to walk past 1 elevator to get to the one I took? Not likely.

Then I walked through 9-C GOLD row 1. Oh shit. There is my car. Called Mike to let him knwo to go back home as I found the car.. 2 sections away from where I thought that I parked. The issue here - I managed to walk past 2 seperate elevator systems on my way to the one I wen tthrough to get into the terminal... WHY????? How dazed was I monday morning to be so... off??? In addition - it took me so long to leave the deck that I had to pay parking again - this time only $5. I call it a stupid tax. My work will call it rediculous.

Oh well *shrugs*

So fast forward to being back home. Took 2 conference calls, checked emails, then we took a nap for a few hours. Grabbed a long over due dinner, came back home to watch TV.

While I was gone in Huntsville, AL this past week, apparently Mike discovered the delicious smells of incense. I, in my infinite wisdom, decide to combine all the incense we have into one of the holders - one with very very sharp corners. Do you see where this one is going?

Yep. I sliced open my finger. I rush to the kitchen sink, run cold water over it, go to the bathroom, put antibiotic cream on the wound, and put a band-aid on it. All better!

Fast forward another 2 hours - when I happen to touch my finger, only to realize that I PUT THE BAND-AID AND ANTIBIOTIC CREME ON THE WRONG FINGER.

WHO DOES THAT???? Me. That is who.

I need sleep. This day has just been crazy.

So let's recap:

• Woke up late
• Plane late
• No Mike at airport
• Lost car
• Found car
• Slept for hours
• Cut finger
• Put band-aid on wrong finger
• Still need sleep

Welcome to my life! Hope tomorrow's run goes better!

Birds in the Trees

I took this picture in the Botanical Gardens in AZ. It is some sort of woodpecker but I do not knwo what type it is. If anyone knows, please let me know!