Perhaps I Should've Gone For a Half Marathon

I know that sounds a bit dramatic considering how much more difficult that would be than a Sprint Triathlon. However, I am finding that I absolutely suck at both biking and swimming. Running seems to be the only thing that I can manage to do. In the fortunate situation of the triathlon, I will probably even suck at that since I'll be so exhausted from the swimming and biking.
I biked to my parents house last night for dinner and on the way I decided a few things about biking.
1. I am the slowest biker ever.
2. I think I actually hurt my knee biking. I've done some research on why this may be the case and I've concluded that I might have my seat in the wrong spot. I may bring my bike to a bike shop to have them help me. Of course then they might tell me how much my bike sucks.
3. Being the slowest biker is not going to be helped by my mountain bike.
4. If somehow I am not in last place after the swimming portion, I definitely will be after the biking.
It was during this bike ride that I was questioning why I did not just train for a running race only. Yes, a half marathon would be really hard, but at least I would probably not finish last.

Then, this morning I woke up early to go swimming. Last Thursday I did not swim in the morning and then by the time I got out of work and tutoring, there was no more lap swim at the Y. Sunday's swim work out was really tough so I had to get up. I knew I was not going to swim the 35 minutes I was supposed to, so I decided to run on the treadmill first. Good thing I did because I barely made it 20 minutes in the pool. First of all, Lesson #1= do NOT do Level 3 of the shred and then swim the next day. I did about two strokes before I realized what a horrible idea that is. My arms were literally throbbing. I don't even think I made it through the 23 laps I've been trying to do every time. Oh well, hopefully Sunday will be better (and I will not do the shred of any kind on Saturday!). A few things I noticed about swimming:
#1- I am still trying to navigate lane etiquette. I always feel like I should ask people if I can join their lane. But at the same time, it is really not THEIR lane...I don't ask people if I can use the treadmill next to them. Is this the same? Probably not...
#2- Also on lane etiquette, are you supposed to just go on one side of the lane? Or circle swim? Or, is this something you are supposed to work out with the person when you ask them if you can be in their lane? I had actually never seen any other way of sharing besides circle swimming until last week when the woman I was sharing with just stayed on one side. I wondered why I had never seen this before. It makes a lot more sense than circle swimming because really one person does not take up the whole lane and this way you don't really have to wonder about passing people. Although, circle swimming is probably for more than 2 people?
#3- Chlorine. Look, I know the point of it- I do. However, I really do not enjoy the fact that I can still smell it on my hands now 13 hours after swimming, after SHOWERING and of course washing my hands probably at least six or seven times. Also it makes my hair and skin feel nasty. So while I can appreciate the point of it, I still hate it.

In better news, I still love running and I am so looking forward to my outside run on Saturday morning (if somehow it finally decides to not rain). I tried out my new sneakers today (I exchanged the other ones) and I love them. I literally broke a sweat at the store trying them so many times because I did not want to get ones I didn't like again. I was afraid I was bias because they have pink on them. But it turns out they are pink and amazingly comfortable, so perfect.
Also, because my legs were absolutely killing me, and I've done every aspect of the triathlon (biking, swimming and running) in the past 24 hours, I decided to treat myself to some frozen yogurt. There is a place in the center that I have been going to since I was probably 6 so I decided to take Eric there. It's called "Candy Castle" and it was pretty much my favorite place in the world as a child. I haven't been there in at least six or seven years so I decided to give their frozen yogurt a try. It turns out they now have (or maybe they always had...) soft serve frozen yogurt with mix ins so I got a yummy vanilla with Butterfinger mixed it. So basically a healthier version of my favorite at Coldstone Creamery. Speaking of which, Coldstone is also doing a mom gets an ice cream free thingy so if your mom likes Coldstone, check it out :) Here is my beautiful frozen yogurt:
Well it looks a little melted, but trust me it was delicious.
And last but not least I have to tell you guys about this awesome game I play with my darling kindergarten kids today. It's been raining all week in Boston so our outside time has been limited and stir crazy is not quite a strong enough phrase to describe my kids right now. I found this game on one of the Self Magazine blogs and turned it into a kids game. However, it is also used for adults who need some child-like motivation to guide their work outs. Basically, you grab a deck of cards and assign each suit to a different exercise, like this:
For adults you may want to do lunges, push ups, squats etc. Or use the kids ones :) Then I had the kids spread out throughout the classroom and each take a turn turning over a card. The child would say out loud what they got, "10 of hearts!" and the kids would then all do 10 jumping jacks. If they got a King of Spades, they'd all do 11 frog jumps. By the end my kids were exhausted and I was happy :) I could see myself getting bored with my work outs one day and playing this game as an adult. It could be fun! If you have children at home or work with them, I highly recommend this game for rainy days.
That's all for now.
Don't forget only one more day for the giveaway!!! If you want to win a No More Trouble Zones dvd, quick send me an e-mail! And even if you don't want to win, follow my blog anyways just for fun.

I'm DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today was a long day. I should say, most rainy days with kindergarten kids are long days. After school I had to drive up to the lovely city of Lowell for my final meeting of my master's program. FINAL. yup- that's right DONE. Two years of getting through a long day of work only to have to do SCHOOL work for hours. Two years of being glued to my computer (not like that will change, but it will be my choice now). DONE DONE. I don't think it has quite hit me yet, because although I am happy, I literally should be throwing myself a party right now. This summer when I go on trips I won't have to worry about whether there is internet at the hotel, I won't have to come back to write papers while my family, friends etc are out enjoying themselves. I am starting to dream of all the fun I can have on Saturday and Sunday mornings now when I don't have to work out quickly so I can write papers! Maybe I can do nothing. Just sit on the couch and watch Friends episodes....ah, amazing.
So on my way up to Lowell I decided to stop by home and borrow Eric's Garmin because I always nearly kill myself trying to read my mapquest directions when I go there (by the way, my masters program was online in case you are wondering why I do not know how to get to my own school by now haha). I think it's just me but I really hate the Garmin. Sure, there are times when it is helpful but almost always it gets me more lost than I would've been if I just used mapquest. Today for example the Garmin pulled one of it's most annoying tricks. "In 3.1 miles take exit 5 A-B to Grand St." Is it A or B? Don't tell me AB! That does not help me! So I did what I always do, I guessed and of course no sooner have I got off at Exit A when I hear the dreaded: "Recalculating." Ugh! This alone was pretty annoying, but then on the way home I am driving a different way (I got so lost on the way there I really didn't want to repeat that way) and my Garmin keeps on saying that I need to go straight for 2.1 miles. After about a minute, I notice that it STILL says 2.1 miles! It's completely frozen. And I have missed my turn. There is a good chance I am going to use trusty old mapquest to get to Lynn where I have to take my Reading Specialist teacher test on Saturday. Or knowing me, I will probably take the stupid Garmin again and then complain about it yet again :)
Just for fun, here is a picture of me wearing my new sneakers (and my running skirt!). I had to take it in the mirror because Eric would not enjoy me waking him up at 5 am to take a picture of me.

As it turns out I actually was not a big fan of the new running shoes. I don't know why, they just felt really strange and not cushiony enough. I am going to go back to Marathon Sports tomorrow afternoon and see if I can try on some different shoes. I'm hoping I get a new perspective and a bit more attention on a weekday. I am not looking forward to trying to find parking again. Plus I hate being one of those high maintenance people. But then again, it's really not worth being in pain or wasting $100 on shoes I don't like. So...here's too being high maintenance.
Okay time to go focus on my other addiction: American Idol. Don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY!

Fancy New Gear

Today was a crazy day at work because I got a new student in my class. She does not speak a word of English, which seems to be the general theme for my kindergarten class this year. I'm beginning to think I should just not talk, because 1/2 my class doesn't understand me and the other half doesn't listen anyways!
This weekend I did some shopping for training/racing gear. First, I had a recommendation for a triathlon book so I set out in search of this book. Lucky for me, the only place that had the book in the area was a bookstore in the center of the town I work. I knew this meant I would see someone I know, so I dragged Eric with me and headed to the bookstore. Fortunately I only ran into one kid that I know and he hid behind his mom while we talked to her haha. This is probably one of the least shy kids I know, but something about seeing a teacher in the wrong environment confuses even the most comfortable of kids. I wanted to get some frozen yogurt, but I saw some more families I knew outside of the store so I decided that was my cue that I didn't need any dessert. Here is the book I got:
I haven't read every word of it yet, but I have skimmed through and it is already answered a lot of my questions about what to wear, how to go from one sport to another, and what to do on the day before/day of the race itself. I am sure I am going to be referring back to this book a lot as the race gets closer.
Also, with all of the training that I am doing I decided I should really get myself a serious pair of running shoes. My sister recommended a place called Marathon Sports where they actually look at your foot shape, how you walk/run etc and then recommend a couple of different shoes. I decided to try it out since I clearly have no idea what I am doing when it comes to running shoes. I headed over to the Cambridge location on Sunday. I love Cambridge because there are all sorts of great restaurants and stores there, but there is absolutely no where to park. It took me forever to find a space. The store was crowded but I still got a good amount of attention from one of the guys who worked there. He told me that I do not overpronate (yay) and that I do not need a ton of extra support in a shoe (does this mean I can buy cheaper pairs guilt free?). I brought up my recent problems with my knee and past history of shin splints, so he recommended I try a shoe with a little more cushioning. He also said that I should go up a 1/2 size because my feet will swell when I run. I had never heard this before but I figured he probably knows what he is talking about. I ended up with these:

They are actually Asics, which is completely different for me because I am very faithful to the Saucony brand. However, the Saucony shoes the guy gave me were not as comfortable (possibly because they were a 1/2 a size bigger than I am used to!) so I decided to try something completely different. I'm planning to run on the treadmill (aka completely torture myself because it's going to be raining and I'm sure its better for my knee to have the cushion) tomorrow morning so I'll let you know how they go. I also had a small impulse buy at Marathon Sports (if you are wondering how I am affording all this new gear- it's my new tutoring job and my travel point earning credit card of course!).
This is going to hold my ipod on my arm so that I don't have to hold it in my hand anymore. For as long as I can remember I have had serious side aches while running and I have had all sorts of theories about why I get them. However, my latest (supported by both my mom and sister) is that I need to have my arms more relaxed while I am running and holding something doesn't really support that. So...here is the solution: The Nike Sport Armband!
I really love work out gear...probably more than I love working out. But it is certainly a good motivator :)

Finally, for all the ice cream lovers out there- I just found out that TCBY will be giving out free frozen yogurt to Moms on Sunday. So if you are a Mom, or have a Mom, or have some kids that you can borrow to pretend you are a mom (hmm, do you think any of my kindergartners would pose as my kids for the day? they call me mom all the time so it wouldn't so hard)- go to TCBY on Sunday!

Italy in Boston

There are a lot of places I love in Boston: Fenway Park, Newbury Street, Faneuil Hall etc. However, I think if someone told me I could only go to one part of Boston for the rest of my life, I would pick The North End. There is nothing quite so wonderful as the crowded streets, yummy Italian food and yummy gelato and canoli desserts. Last night Eric, Tiff, Ronnie and I headed into the North End and after running my first 5k I was feeling like I deserved a yummy meal. I have a couple of restaurants I want to try in the North End, but we decided on one for last night called Trattoria il Panino. I almost never stray off Hanover street for restaurants, but this one was on a nice side street right off of Hanover and had a beautiful garden area (that I will definitely be eating in next time!). I am pretty boring and almost always get some kind of pasta with regular tomato sauce, but let me tell you the quality and taste of even this simple meal can vary depending on the place. At Trattoria il Panino, it was definitely Italy quality. Tiff and Eric both got a special that was Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Ravioli. I tried it and it was delicious too.

We also ordered this wonderful bottle of wine called La Aristocratico. It's a Pino Grigio (my all time favorite) that I have never tried before and it was so good! I got to be the lucky one to taste it for the table and make sure it was good (anyone else feel like a total idiot when you do this?) and I was so happy about how great it tasted I didn't even have to fake the usual "yup tastes fine" haha. We finished up with some dessert from where else but Mike's Pastry. After, we came home to watch the Celtics. And don't worry, I did manage to get up this morning and go for my training swim. Although it did take me suspiciously long to finish the 23 laps...maybe I shouldn't have skipped my swim last Thursday. The good news (swimming wise, horrible news for every other aspect of my life) is that it is supposed to rain a lot this week so I will probably get a lot of swimming in. I leave you with a picture of Eric with the dog version of him (haha aka Tiff's dog Bruschi). Don't forget to enter to win the GIVEAWAY!

GIVEAWAY!!!

It is time for my first ever GIVEAWAY!!! Because I have become such a serious Jillian Michaels fan, I will be giving away one of her great work out videos “No More Trouble Zones.” This sixty minute video involves circuit training and is designed to get you in amazing shape!

To enter you can do any of the following (depending on how many you do, you will be entered that many times):

1. Follow or subscribe to my Blog.
2. Put a link to this giveaway in your blog (if you have one).
3. Put a link to this giveaway on your facebook.
4. Tell me one thing you would like to see more of on my blog ☺

Please send an e-mail to RedSoxCap10@gmail.com to tell me which of the four you have done. I will keep all of the names and pick a winner at random on Friday May 8th! Then I'll ask you for your address and you'll receive it by early next week.

I DID IT!!!

I finished my first ever 5K today...woo!!! It was so fun! The whole morning I was so excited. I never thought I'd be that excited to run. The picture above is right near the end you had to turn and then I sprinted to the finish line :)

Race Recap:

The Good:
*Eric, Caroline and my Dad coming to watch and cheer me on!
*Running through a town I've lived in for almost 20 years and being like, where am I?
*My running playlist on my ipod was awesome. Thanks to everyone who gave me recommendations!
*Eric told me last night it would probably take me about 35 minutes. I was aiming for 30. I beat Eric's prediction by over seven minutes and my own by over two! My time was 27.50, yayyy!

The Bad:
*There was a girl wearing a running skirt (giving them a bad name) who was driving me crazy. She kept on walking and then sprinting, which meant I had to keep putting in the extra effort to pass her every time she walked again. Luckily, about half way through I left her in the dust and didn't have to think about passing people for awhile.

Overall I'm really happy I did it. It feels like a huge accomplishment even though I know it's only a 5k. I can see why people get addicted to race because I am already on my way!

Ode to Oatmeal

Today is an off day for training so I thought I'd blog about my new favorite food (and by new, I mean I have been eating it for breakfast every day for the past year!). When I was younger I did not like oatmeal. It turns out, I was making it too watery. I buy the Old Fashioned oats and I ignore the oatmeal:water ratio they tell you on the box. I simply cover my oatmeal with water and they I have the perfect amount of water. I got my mom and sister doing this too!
The other ways I make oatmeal really yummy is by adding in fruit and cinnamon. I started by adding blueberries pre-microwave and apple post microwave. Then last year I was in Chicago visiting my college roommate and she didn't have any blueberries so I put in raspberries. It turns out raspberries are even better because they break apart in the microwave and spread out the yummy raspberry taste throughout the oatmeal. After that trip I have been addicted to the raspberries since. Today I decided to try strawberries and while they don't spread out as much as raspberries, they are also really good. I buy the fruit frozen and just add a few each morning. I also love putting apple on my oatmeal. I like how the apple adds a cold, sweet, crunch to my oatmeal. Yum. If you don't like oatmeal now, try adding some fruit and cinnamon and see how it goes. If you do like oatmeal, what is your favorite thing to add to it?