Reset & Recommit

I have a million and one excuses for why the Raise The Bar challenge went off the rails shortly after Day 60: Puerto Rico, Christmas, New Years, crappy weather that makes me want to hibernate...blah, blah, blah.  At any rate, I've managed to undo a lot of hard work in the last few weeks, but all is not lost. I'm resetting the clock to Day 64 (right about when I fell apart), and recommitting myself to this challenge for the next 26 days. 

(source)

Day 64: Freeze It Off or Burn It Off:
Unless you live under a rock (or outside the US), you've probably seen that large parts of the country are experiencing record-breaking cold temperatures courtesy of Winter Storm Ion.  When I rolled out of bed this morning the weather looked like this:

Schools are closed. Grocery shelves have been stripped bare because apparently cold weather = lay in provisions for the zombie apocalypse. And lucky me, I didn't have to drag myself out in the cold and go to work because I happened to have scheduled my very last vacation day from 2013 (my boss let me roll 2 days over into this year) TODAY!

I had a handful of things that I wanted to get done today in between long stints of vegging out on the couch, so I tackled the thing that would have been the easiest to let slide later in the day: my workout. As it turns out, a sweaty, muscle-burning workout (Pump Extreme) was just what I needed to drive the chill from my bones - at least for a little while!

When Mr. R&R got home from work he headed to The Cave to do his workout and I got to work on dinner.  I normally save this dish for a weekend meal since it requires multiple pots/pans, but a steaming hot bowl of pasta sounded like the perfect dinner on a freezing cold night.

sauteed spinach, mushrooms, and onions over whole wheat pasta with a sprinkle of feta

I also made balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts as a side dish and they were fantastic.

Day 65: Rise and Grind
I went back to work today after four glorious days off - and promptly felt like I'd never been away!  I have to admit that it was nice going back to my normal routine.  I ate my meals and snacks on schedule (something I struggled with when my routine was disrupted), came home, and headed to The Cave for some quality time on the trainer before dinner.

 I was really pleased with my average speed - especially since I increased the resistance on the back wheel (read: made it harder) in hopes of being a stronger rider when I get back out on the roads in spring.

Day 66: I Have No One To Blame But Myself
Tonight's scheduled workout was Hard Core Abs.  However, since I was freezing cold, I decided to hop on the trainer for an easy spin/warm up while Mr. R&R did his workout.  I forced myself to stay in my small chain ring for the duration, although seeing low speed numbers was driving me crazy, but it was probably for the best since I'd already punished my legs the night before and planned to do it again on Thursday!

Hard Core Abs was brutal and I have no one to blame but myself.  The workout has always been a tough one, but I was getting better at it...until I let everything go to seed!  I foresee a long road back to the core strength I was rocking before the holidays.

Day 67: Reset, Recommit, Re-Up
I shouldn't be this excited, but compared to the last few days, it practically felt like a heat wave!
 

You Know You're From Wisconsin When 2 Degrees Feels Warm!

I forced myself through 55 minutes of Pump Revolution (one of the trainers in that video just grates on my nerves), chugged a protein shake, enjoyed my chicken pita pizza, and then did something I've been meaning to do for a while: I re-upped my tri team membership for 2014. Yep...you get another season of me trying to keep all the plates spinning while training in all three sports. :)

Day 68: Ice. Cold. Beer.
It was actually a little warmer here today (low 30's), but a steady stream of rain hitting frozen ground made for one very scary walk across the office parking lot and a slow, slippery ride home. I met up with Mr. R&R, Miss Placed, and Yada Yada for happy hour (up the street from my house) and then proceeded to hibernate in the house (along with a yummy pizza) for the rest of the night.  Now that's what I call a rest day!

Day 69: My Driveway Is An Ice Rink
All that freezing rain yesterday lead to my driveway and most of the city streets becoming a giant ice rink. In the interest of not breaking an ankle, Mr. R&R and I stayed in, worked out (P90 strength for him, Pump Revolution for me), and spent some quality time with the bunnies.

Day 70: Something Old. Something New.
FINALLY! I finally dragged my ass to the gym (because I have to check-in there at least once a year in order to keep my membership/pool privileges active) and ran.  I didn't run for very long since I still hate the treadmill, but I RAN, and holy cow...I have a lot of work to do. That 2 miles hurt way more than it should have.

The Proof Is On The Garmin!!!

I also submitted my registration to become a member of the local running club.  I had the opportunity to participate in a few of their Wednesday night fun runs last summer as part of the Iron Cheerleader's tri training, and since I'd like to do more of those runs, why not do it as a member?!?

Now I just need to start running more!

Are you part of any teams or social groups?  What ones and what drew you to them?