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| Sunday, May 11, 2008 |
The Finish |
Thank you for all your kind wishes and support.
This photo of my training partner and me was taken as we approached the finish line.
Happy Mother's Day.
A. Elliot's Lesson Learned: Completing a triathlon is a fantastic experience.Labels: Exercise and Fitness |
posted by Alex Elliot @ 7:07 PM   |
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| Saturday, May 10, 2008 |
Something to Say about Denial |
With my first triathlon tomorrow morning, I have been trying to be particularly careful in my eating and sleeping habits this week. I have also tried hard to manage my progressively escalating case of nerves as the week went on. So you might expect that I would have gone to sleep as early as possible yesterday. Almost as if I were in denial about my need for rest, I did the opposite, and enjoyed what was for me an unprecedented social opportunity that I could not refuse.
I was honored to receive an invitation from Soccer Mom in Denial to join her and Jenn from Something to Say about Life in the Netherlands for dinner. That's right, for this weekend Jenn in Holland is Jenn in Massachusetts! How cool is that?
We had a fun evening typing talking and talking and talking. Plus there was fabulous food. We were the last ones to leave the restaurant. Hmmm...I bet my triathlon training buddy and our trainer would have something to say about that. If they ask me about it, I may need to deny it. Afterwards, we went to a bar. Relax! I was willing to stay out late for friends, but I did deny myself alcohol in order to avoid derailing my training and triathlon prep. Actually, I had such a good time that I really feel it helped me to relax before my big event tomorrow. The Big Giraffe also denied me the consequences of my late night by generously encouraging me to sleep in today! I certainly have something to say about his kindness.
I have enjoyed what SMID and Jenn have to say for almost as long as I have been blogging, and there was no denying from our prior meetings that SMID is a fabulous person. I quickly felt that I could say the same about Jenn. I have to admit that as much as I enjoyed getting to know Jen and getting to know SMID better, what most stuck with me today, other than just having a great time last night of course, was what Jenn had to say about Life in the Netherlands.
Of course, I had to find a metaphor in what Jenn described to apply to my own life. For example, Jenn described the way she shops by going from specialty store to specialty store like the cheese store, the nut store, and the bakery, just the way things used to be in the US before supermarkets became so prevalent, except that they bike everywhere. So today I didn't just go to the supermarket, but made a stop at a specialty store, Trader Joe's, to stoke my yogurt craving as well. Technically, I haven't ridden my bike in two days, but I will be on it bright and early tomorrow for the first leg of my triathlon. Yeah, not as nice and neat as in the Netherlands, but if you add biking and choosing the right store for each purchase... Of course, in the Netherlands, an employee would have started pulling together my usual order for me when I walked into the stores. Trader Joe's didn't even have my normal order; they were out of the cheaper Greek yogurt. I silently rejoiced at the "excuse" to buy the more expensive Greek yogurt that tastes twice as good.
Tomorrow's my big day. I'm all packed and just about ready to go to bed. I'm definitely nervous although not nearly as nervous as I would have thought. Apparently a night off was just the ticket.
A. Elliot's Lesson Learned: When preparing for something stressful, there is something to be said about denial.Labels: Blogging Flexibly, Exercise and Fitness, Food (Solid), Humor (at least Attempted), Outings and Playgroups |
| posted by Alex Elliot @ 8:06 PM |
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| Tuesday, April 29, 2008 |
Where the Streets Have No Name |
I'll give you a moment to get the U2 song into your head (or click on it so you can actually hear it). It will set the tone for this post. Then you can be mad at me for the rest of the day when you can't get it back out of your head.
One of the many things that just leaves me staring in amazement is the way streets are named in Massachusetts. Many streets do not appear to have a name. That's not to be confused with streets that change names every block. I've had quite a few debates with people over the names of streets. They will insist that a road may be called Belmont Street or Boston Turnpike, while I will point out that if I follow the signs for Route 9 and ignore when it is called Belmont Street, Boston Turnpike, Highland Street, or any other name, I will get to Natick and see the fabulous new mall with the Cheesecake Factory. Quite honestly, if it takes you to cheesecake, does it really matter what it's called?
This brings me to this past Sunday. I decided to take a second stab at running the course (literally) for the triathlon. Well...most of the course. I didn't do the swimming. I did the biking again with no problem. Then armed with the handwritten list of street names for the running course that I had copied from the triathlon website, I took off. Everything seemed fine, until I realized I was back at the main street without having run through every street on my list. Based on the amount of time that elapsed, there were two possibilities: I had doubled my running speed or more likely, I had somehow lost a mile of the course. How weird does that sound? It's true though. The same thing happened the week before when my triathlon training buddy and I also attempted the running part of the course. The only difference was that time she had written the directions.
Determined to find where I took a wrong turn, I retraced my steps. That's when I realized the third possible explanation. I had stepped into a Harry Potter book. You HP fans know that in order to get to Diagon Alley, someone (usually Hagrid) has to tap a strange pattern of swipes onto what looks to the average person like a brick wall with his umbrella. The wall then magically disappears revealing a magical town. I believe that the triathlon course is similar. I needed Hagrid to bring his magic pink umbrella to tap on one of the luxury driveways in this neighborhood to magically cause another street to appear. I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside.
Of course in this very nice neighborhood it is hard to distinguish driveways from small streets; I suspect one of those non-driveways may be the missing link on the secret triathlon route. I did take a gander down several driveways, but after getting weird looks from a homeowner or two, I decided it was better to hedge my bets that the course will be marked on race day than spend the next several hours in jail after the cops were called on me for trespassing. That would make me want to run and want to hide. This does impact my race gear. In addition to needing shoes, a bike, a swim suit, a helmet, brown and a bag to wear over my head or throw up in (but not in that order), I also need a magic pink umbrella.
Alright, I am sure the prosaic among you may have come up with another explanation for the missing mile on my triathlon route. It is possible that the map on-line was wrong. It could also just be my mistake. My spinning instructor told me that she missed the microscopic street the first time she ran that triathlon while waving back at a friendly (or mischievous) neighborhood kid who waved at her. HP magic sounds way more fun. My favorite explanation remains the possibility that I developed superpowers and ran the until course in record breaking speed...
All I can do is what I told my training buddy. "When I go there, I go there with you. It's all I can do."
A. Elliot's Lesson Learned: The amount of time required to finish a triathlon depends on your speed, the length of the route, and the amount of the route that you follow.
Cross posted at New England Mamas
Labels: Exercise and Fitness, Humor (at least Attempted) |
| posted by Alex Elliot @ 5:50 PM |
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| Wednesday, April 23, 2008 |
Heavy Breathing |
This past Tuesday, my triathlon training buddy and I met with a personal trainer for a running session in the park. It did strike me as ironic that one day after the Boston marathon, we were running around a dinky park.
Much to my surprise, the running went really well. In fact I would go so far as to say it's the best running experience I've had so far, even with all the hills. There was just one problem: I'm a heavy breather. No seriously, I'm incredibly noisy for the first mile I run, and I swear that you don't have to be running next to me to hear it. Yes, I'm still noisy for the rest of my run, but like a car that's warmed up, I am not quite as loud. The few people I've run with have confirmed this. On bad days I feel like a noisy water buffalo with cement shoes. It was a lot worse before I was diagnosed with exercise induced asthma. I am making progress, right?
I mentioned my concerns to the trainer. She told me not to worry; over time it will get much better. She pointed out that the participants in the Boston marathon are breathing fine by mile ten. I looked at our surrounding, small park, and thought about the Boston marathon. I felt like I had crossed mile 26, but I hadn't even gotten anywhere near mile 10. Hmmm...guess I have a lot of work to do.
A. Elliot's Lesson Learned: Running lightens heavy breathing.Labels: Exercise and Fitness |
| posted by Alex Elliot @ 7:33 PM |
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| Saturday, April 19, 2008 |
Gross |
A couple of months ago, my doctor gave me some inhaler samples. The box said that the inhaler contained 200 metered units. I was to use two units before exercising. This inhaler should have lasted me a few months. Yet one day it stopped working. I used the next sample. After a few weeks the same thing happened.
My doctor called in a prescription and when I picked it up I asked the pharmacist about the samples. She said that many times samples are just that...a sample. I questioned the fact that the boxes of the samples and the box for the prescription were identical. She said that didn't matter.
I used my prescription inhaler for a couple weeks and once again it stopped working. I couldn't figure out what was going on because my prescription was to use two puffs four times a day. I only used two puffs one time a day. Clearly something was wrong. Was I using too much of it? I didn't think that was possible. An inhaler is premeasured meaning it doesn't work like an aerosol can. I was worried that it would stop working right before my triathlon. Just what I needed. My mom suggested going back to the pharmacy and showing them how I was using it. Right before I left Suzanne called me. I asked her about her experience with her inhalers . She told me that she hadn't experienced anything like this. I then asked her if she ever washed hers, because I vaguely remembered seeing a diagram on the insert from the inhaler box. You know, the type of inserts that come inside medications and tampon boxes? I usually throw them away, but I happened to have saved one. Suzanne mentioned that she did occasionally wash hers.
After getting off the phone, I washed my inhaler out. Then I took a puff. A very small piece of crud apparently flew off into my mouth and then the whole inhaler worked. Gross. Was this from the time I didn't brush my teeth before spinning? Was this a dog breath piece of crud? Same thing with one of the samples, although this time fortunately without crud. I still need to test out the third one. I went back and read the directions. Turns out you are supposed to wash the inhaler at least once a week to prevent medicine build up over the opening of the spray. Phew, not dog breath crud.
A. Elliot's Lesson Learned: Wash your inhaler at least once per week.Labels: Exercise and Fitness, Mom-Care |
| posted by Alex Elliot @ 7:24 PM |
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| Saturday, April 12, 2008 |
Bicycling Lessons: What's Life without a Little Humiliation? |
A. Elliot's Lessons Learned after doing a dry run of my triathlon course:
- If your triathlon training buddy falls off her bike while standing still in the parking lot and almost takes you out with her, laughing will not convince her cyclist husband to take both of you seriously.
- It probably isn't appropriate to laugh at your friend no matter how funny it is and instead of helping her up, to point out that if you had been clipped in you also would have fallen over too without a doubt. This may cause further laughter from the both of you which will not make her husband take you any more seriously.
- The terms "easier gear" and "harder gear" are not the correct terms for the gears on a racing bike but they are very clear. Calling the gear that makes it easier to pedal "The Big Easy" because it is the physically larger gear is also clear.
- Going for your first bike ride on a somewhat busy street after previously only riding around school parking lots can be a little intimidating, even if the street is the actual course for the triathlon in which you will be racing next month. Unfortunately in MA there's a severe shortage of sidewalks
- Pot holes that are annoying when driving a car are down right scary when on a bike
- You might seriously wonder if you will be more hurt going over the pothole or getting hit by a car. Then you'll realize that it is most likely that the two will happen simultaneously
- You may find yourself with new found respect and awareness for bicyclists and their abilities to the point that you may take a detour when back in your car to avoid passing a cyclist
- Although it is common practice in Massachusetts for those driving cars to drive while practically touching the car in front of them, it is dangerous and bad driving etiquette. Although it is common practice for inexperienced cyclists to leave a car length's space between the bicycle in front of them, it is dangerous, because it increases the risk of being hit by a car, and bad cycling etiquette. The correct cycling etiquette is for your tires to practically be touching.
- Wearing any sort of loose pants like oh say your gray sweatpants over your biking shorts is a really really bad idea. Being a little self-conscious about how you look in bike pants is better than spending the entire ride worried that one of the times that your sweatpants got caught in the spokes of your bike may send you flying over the handles of your bike resulting in pain and self-consciousness
- I really still can't believe this, but fear of death, potholes, cars, and caught sweatpants do not increase the number of calories burned during the bicycling. I know!
- If you spend much of the ride trying to remember to avoid potholes, cars, and spokes while keeping up with your friend and practicing shifting your gears, the course will be over before you know it
Labels: Exercise and Fitness, Humor (at least Attempted) |
| posted by Alex Elliot @ 8:20 PM |
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| Wednesday, April 02, 2008 |
My New Addiction |
Suzanne got me hooked on something this weekend when I visited her in NYC. No, I can pretty much guarantee that it's not what your thinking! Actually, it's probably the furthest thing from what you're thinking.
One of my challenges in trying to eat well, lose weight, be healthy, be the perfect mom and wife, and one day rule the world all the while being blissfully happy, is trying to find satisfying snacks. That's right, the perfect snack is the secret to guaranteed success and happiness! Seriously, it's hard to find a snack that is healthy and tastes good enough that I would actually choose it over a brownie or cookie. Even if I don't have either of those favorite items in my house, which according to the Big Giraffe has been particularly true the past 10 months, I still am thinking that I would rather be eating them than the banana or pear that I am eating. I think perhaps if someone did find this perfect combination, they really would be able to rule the world!
I know you're all waiting with baited breath to hear what this fabulous find is. Brace yourself. You should also brace yourself because this is about as close to a "recipe" as you'll probably ever read on this blog!
It's non-fat plain Greek style yogurt with a teaspoon or two of jam in it. Shocking right? Suzanne had mentioned in her other blog Live Active Cultures that she really likes Greek yogurt. I had also had Greek yogurt before and enjoyed it. However I had never had the plain non-fat yogurt before in the big vat. What's the difference?
The difference is the serving size. One serving size of the non-fat Greek yogurt is a full cup whereas the Stonyville yogurts, which are what I usually eat, are only 6 ounces. In terms of Weight Watchers points, you can have a full tablespoon of jam in your one cup serving (three teaspoons of jam equal one tablespoon. Don't be embarrassed, I didn't know it until a few years ago when I was at one of those dinner assembly places) and it's exactly the same number of points as the 6 oz Chocolate Underground yogurt. It also tastes amazing because, unlike regular yogurt, Greek yogurt is double strained so it's really thick like sour cream. Yes, even the non-fat yogurt. Between the larger quantity and the thicker consistency, it also makes me feel full, thus helping me to avoid a second round of potentially more savory but less healthy snacks.
A little weird fact about me (one of many!) is that I don't like yogurt with fruit skins in it. That pretty much eliminates most of the fruit yogurts for me. Good jam doesn't have the skins in it, at least not the kind I buy, so this yogurt and jam combo tastes like a fruit yogurt without the skin.
One last tip, don't use your kids PB&J jam or any other jam that congeals easily, because nothing will push you toward a brownie more quickly than a congealed yogurt mix. Personally, if the brownie is home baked or on my counter, this new yogurt is going to stay in the fridge, but the lure of the yogurt is strong enough to keep me from hitting the road for a late night bakery run. In lieu of that brownie, well it's a really great snack.
A. Elliot's Lesson Learned: Non-fat plain Greek style yogurt with a teaspoon or two of jam makes an excellent snack.Labels: Exercise and Fitness, Food (Solid), Humor (at least Attempted) |
| posted by Alex Elliot @ 7:32 PM |
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| Tuesday, March 25, 2008 |
Wijvenweek / Shopping |
 Wijvenweek post #1. Jen at A2eatwrite wrote an excellent blog post about breasts for her participation in Wijvenweek. I h | | |
Congratulations! And happy mother's day!