I Always Forget Until I Remember

I always forget how much I enjoy riding my bike outside, until I actually do it again.  Up until last week, my bike hadn't seen the light of day since the Pewaukee Triathlon last year.  Yes, you read that right. I haven't had my bike outside in over a year.

Usually the only time I have to ride is after dark, and the weather here is not bike-friendly for about 8 months a year, so I'm generally relegated to spinning in place in The Cave with a movie on in front of  me.  Last Monday night, Mr. R&R and I both made it home from work at a reasonable hour and decided it was a perfect night for a bike ride.  We changed clothes, hauled our bikes up from The Cave, pumped our tires, made sure we both had flat kits and fully charged cell phones, and took off.

It was weird remembering how to actually balance my bike and how to clip in and out at corners.  It came back pretty quickly along with a reminder how rough road riding can be on the...ummm...lady bits.  Overall, the ride was pretty slow, but it was fun.

Time: 38:13
Distance: 7.06 miles
Avg. Speed: 11.1 mph
Avg. Cadence: 73 rpm

The ride had us both in a multi-sport mood, so we switched shoes and headed out for a 1 mile run.  The jello legs were definitely there, but I rocked that mile out in 9:01 and it reminded me how much I miss multi-sport racing.

When the weekend rolled around, we both wanted to ride again and preferably somewhere we've never been before.  Enter: The Ozaukee Interurban Trail. This is another old rail trail that runs from the Northern end of Milwaukee County (Brown Deer) all the way to Sheboygan. The best part?  All 30 miles of it are paved!

After a false start (we took the wrong trailhead), we rode through a bunch of little towns and generally had a good time.  I was grateful for the 'warning: poison ivy' signs in the early miles.  I was annoyed when we lost the trail for a bit in Cedarburg (seriously...the trail wove through a couple of parking lots).  I nearly lost my shit when there were 6 stop signs in a quarter mile just after Cedarburg.  I fell in love with the trail just North of Grafton when the trail passed by fields complete with a herd of grazing cows and a little donkey.

We turned back at the 15 mile mark, even though everything in both of us wanted to keep exploring and stopped at a gas station for a water refill and an absolutely delicious cruller.   I'd forgotten how much riding makes me want to eat all the food!

Time: 2:33:46
Distance: 30.24 miles
Avg. Speed: 11.8 mph
Avg. Cadence: 70 rpm

The following weekend we wanted to ride another trail, so we headed for the Glacial Drumlin Trail.  Unlike the New Berlin and Ozaukee Interurban Trails, the Drumlin isn't an old railroad bed, so it offers a bit more in the way of elevation changes as it winds its way West.

The Drumlin actually runs over 50 miles between Waukesha and Cottage Grove, but only the first 13.5 miles are paved and road bike tires + crushed limestone = no bueno.  When we reached the end of the pavement neither of us felt quite like turning around yet, so we rode a few miles along a county highway before heading back toward the car.

We were both running low on water and were really happy to see that a young guy had set up a table full of cold bottled water alongside the trail and was refilling people's water bottles!  I've heard the term Trail Magic used in conjunction with long distance trails like the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails, but never the Drumlin (which is also part of the Ice Age Trail at one point)!

Once the hydration issue was solved, we found ourselves ravenous and stopped at a little trailside coffee/sandwich shop called Mama D's in the town of Wales.   Mama D's is super bike-friendly (multiple bike racks out front, lots of yummy-sounding food/drink options, and no one looked askance at two sweaty people wearing spandex and clomping around in bike cleats) and the sign out front made me smile.

We both opted for the box lunch: choice of sandwich, chips/fruit, a bottle of soda/water, and a cookie.  It was all really good and the peanut butter cookie was the size of my face!

After wolfing down our food, we were ready to ride the last 7 miles back to the car.  Unfortunately my Garmin lost the GPS signal while we were eating, so the ride was not recorded as a single activity.  This really isn't a big deal, but Garmin tracks personal distance records and this ride was going to be one! The final miles flew by thanks to a nice energy burst from lunch and before I knew it, I was using my water bottle to hose all the trail grime off my legs before we headed home long enough to clean up and drive out to Maverick and Goose's house for an evening of beer, barbecue, jam-making, and a bonfire.  Note To Self: Clear Calendar of Social Plans After Long Rides.

One of these things is not like the others.

Part 1:
Time: 1:58:45
Distance: 28.35 miles
Avg. Speed: 14.3 mph
Avg. Cadence: 78 rpm

Part 2:
Time: 26:33
Distance: 7.07 miles
Avg. Speed: 16.0 mph
Avg. Cadence: 78 rpm

I'm so happy that I've rediscovered how much I enjoy riding and hopefully there will be a few more adventures on it before summer comes to an end.

Firecracker 4 Race Recap

Aaahhhh, the 4th of July.  A time for barbecues, fireworks, and, in my case a last minute decision to race.  All last week my email inbox was being flooded with reminders that there were two racing options in the area on the 4th.  Wisconsin Trail Assail was offering a 5k trail race and the Badgerland Striders were offering a 4 mile race on suburban streets, but I wasn't really sure I wanted to roll out of bed on a long weekend, so I didn't sign up for either.  

Fortunately, both races offered a race day registration option, so when Mr. R&R and I made a last minute decision to do the Firecracker 4 it wasn't a big deal.  We laid out our race clothes, set an alarm, and figured that if we woke up feeling like racing, we'd go.  If not, we'd get some extra sleep and figure out something else to do that day.

6:00 A.M. came fast, but it was still much better than the 5:00 A.M. wake up for Rock 'n Sole.  It was the usual shower, get dressed, and the coffee/Clif Bar/water combo on the way.  It took us about 15 to get to the race site and another 10 minutes to find a place to park.  The parking at race site was extremely limited and everyone resorted to parking on adjacent residential streets.  I can tell you that if that was my neighborhood, I'd have had a fit about all the traffic and noise that early on a holiday!

We made our way to the registration tables, forked over $25 each, got our shirts and numbers, and hightailed it back to the car to drop off the aforementioned shirts (which were actually pretty nice).

We hoofed it back to the park, did a quick warm up jog, stretched a bit, said hi to my in-laws (Mr. R&R's mom was running too) and headed for the starting area.  Mr. R&R and I seeded ourselves toward the front of the pack after seeing a huge number of jogging strollers and people planning on doing the 1.7 mile walk option further back.  I don't love being too far up because getting passed like crazy sucks, but it's better to get a clean start than having to dodge and weave around strollers and people plodding along three abreast.

The Strider's PA system was malfunctioning, so no one could hear any of the pre-race instructions nor could we hear the singing of the national anthem - kind of ironic for an Independence Day race.  The sound of an airhorn going off, however, was unmistakeable.  It took maybe thirty seconds for the herd to surge forward and for me to hit the line.  I hit 'start' on my Garmin and it was go time!

I had absolutely no clue what to expect from this race since I've never done it before and the course map was just that - a map with no elevation chart, so I had no idea if there were any big hills involved.  This was also a distance I've never raced before, so figuring out how to pace myself properly was definitely going to be a challenge.  My only solid goal was to run sub-40 minutes, but I was sort of hoping that I could push it a little and come in sub-38 minutes.

Mile 1 was mostly flat and downhill and I knew I was probably running too fast, but I couldn't seem to slow down. When I glanced down at my watch, I had a serious 'Oh $#!%, that wasn't smart' moment. I had run an 8:49 mile.  Oops. 

I pulled back on the pace a bit and slowed to a walk through the water station at Mile 1.5 to snag a few sips of water and dump the rest down my back - it was getting hot out there.  Mile 2 was a slightly slower 9:23 - still a little fast, but better.  

Somewhere just past Mile 2, I started feeling worn out and the heat was starting to get to me.  I slowed to a slow jog/fast walk up a hill and suddenly my fellow TriNewbie Herd alumna P tagged me on the shoulder.  I sped up a little and we chatted for a minute before she resumed her blazing pace and I continued cursing the hill.  I kept up a run/power walk combo for the rest of the mile and then got really pissed at myself when Mile 3 clocked in at 10:04.  If I wanted that sub-38 finish something was going to have to change - and fast.

I pulled myself together just past the Mile 3 marker with a little help from a kind spectator who was offering to spray runners with his garden hose!  After a nice, cold blast of water, I picked up the pace a bit more.  The next thing I knew, the course finally started to go downhill instead of up!  The male and female winners of the race were jogging back along the course as their cool down and shouting things like 'only 800 yards left!' and 'Keep it up!" That was actually really good to hear since.  At the bottom of the hill, I glanced at my watch and heard a nice volunteer shouting '400 to go! Finish Strong!' Sub-38 was starting to look possible again.  I picked up my pace a little more as we wound along a park path (loose sticks hurt when they jump up and hit you in the ankle).  Finally I saw the final turn.  

The final part of the race was a 100 yard cross-country sprint to the line and that's exactly what I did.  I redlined it to the finish, knowing that this was my last chance to get that sub-38 time.  I heard my father in-law yelling my name.  I saw Mr. R&R cheering from the sidelines (he, of course, kicked some serious ass). I passed a bunch of people who were slowing down on their way to the finish.  I crossed the line, stopped my watch, and immediately felt like I was going to puke.  Not cool.  I was looking for either a bottle of water (to get the feeling to go away) or a spot devoid of spectators so I could just get it over with.  Fortunately, I found water.  I made my way through the chute, met up with Mr. R&R and said hello to P (who also had a good race).  

Once my mother in-law finished, we met up with Mr. R&R's parents and chatted for a few minutes before heading for the food.  Another bottle of water, half of a banana, and a bunch of grapes later, I felt pretty good.  In fact, I finally felt good enough to do something I never get to do after a race: DRINK THE FREE BEER!  Many of the races around here offer all runners over the age of 21 a free post-run beer, but I always feel to crappy to drink it.  The beer was made even better when I discovered it was New Glarus Spotted Cow and not gross Miller Lite - and it was handed to me by none other than the Iron Cheerleader!  I hung out and chatted with him for a few minutes, discovering that he did indeed lie about never doing another Ironman - he's registered for this year's race and then we were joined by another TriNewbie Herd alumna, A. This little race was quickly turning into a reunion!

I made my way back over to Mr. R&R and his parents, said goodbye, and headed home.  By the time we got there, official results were posted online.  So, how did I do?

Time: 38:09 (9:32/mile)

Overall Place: 524/956

Gender Place: 183/445

Age Group: 29/58 (F35-39)

I missed that sub-38 by 10 lousy seconds!  I was mad, but not too mad since it was a secondary goal and I obliterated my primary goal of going sub-40.  Overall, it was a fun race and it was really nice to see so many familiar faces.  I would definitely do this race again.

We spent the rest of the day being lazy, cooking out, and playing with sparklers.  All in all...a perfect way to spend the 4th of July.

Spicy italian sausage, mediterranean orzo salad, chips

How did you spend your holiday?

Take It To The Bridge - Round 2 (Rock 'n Sole Recap)

Two weeks ago I rolled out of bed after a measly 4 hours of sleep, looked out the window, and swore loudly before stumbling first to the coffee pot and then the shower.  Why the cussing?  Because not only was it 55 degrees outside, but a Seattle-esque mist was falling from the sky - and I was due to run a half marathon in approximately two and a half hours.  I love running in cool weather, but I despise running in the rain.  Still, the rain/mist was better than running in heat and humidity.

After a quick shower, I slipped into my revised race-day outfit (added a long-sleeve shirt over my singlet), poured myself a microscopic cup of coffee, kissed a still-sleeping Mr. R&R goodbye, and headed downtown. On the way, I managed to force down most of my usual Clif Bar while sipping on a little coffee, and tried to pump myself up with loud music.  The mist seemed to ease up a little bit as I drove, which greatly improved my mood, and it improved further when I scored a free parking spot on the street about 3/4 mile from the start line.  Not paying $10 to be .25 miles closer suited me just fine.  I took my time locking up the car, trying to decide if I really needed the long sleeved shirt or if I was just being a big baby.  One stiff blast of wind off of Lake Michigan made that decision easy.  I was keeping the shirt on.  I tucked my car key, a couple dollars, and my id into my newly-acquired SpiBelt (more on that another time), clipped it on under my singlet so it was resting against my lower back, and started walking toward the Start Line Village.

The scene at the Start Line Village was about what I expected - lots of cold-looking runners milling around and hanging onto their outer layers as long as possible!  I plopped myself down on a reasonably dry curb and started stretching. About 20 minutes before the gun went off, I dropped my stuff (fleece jacket and an extra water bottle for after the race) off and made my way to the Start Corrals.  Once I was in the corral, the mist came back as I finished stretching and focused on calming my nerves and staying warm!  At 7AM sharp, the gun went off (along with a brief rain shower) and the corrals surged forward.  It took about 1:45 for my corral to get to the Start Line, I hit go on my Garmin and started running.

I honestly had no real goals for this race other than to 'do better than I did last year' and keep the 2:!5 pace team behind me (see last year's #YouHadOneJob).  Rock 'n Sole is NOT a PR course due to the long climb onto the Hoan Bridge and the monstrous hill just past the 10k mark and I only trained for 8 weeks(instead of the usual 12), so I had no illusions of breaking my PR here.

The first few miles went by pretty comfortably.  I was breathing well and actually had to remind myself repeatedly not to pick up the pace if I didn't want to crash and burn later.  I hit the 5k mark in just under 31 minutes, which would annoy the hell out of me in a stand alone 5k, but felt just about right.  I grabbed a quick drink at a water station before beginning the long climb up the Hoan.  My pace kind of tanked on the bridge, but I expected it, so it didn't bother me much.  I slowed at the water station at the top of the bridge, knocked back a Roctane, and let the wonderful combination of sugar, caffeine, and gravity do their job on the way down.  Imagine my surprise when I realized that I was ahead of the 2:10 pace group. I was feeling really good and a tiny part of me started wondering if I might actually end up PR-ing.  Mile 6 brought lots of loud spectators (I heard several shouts of 'Go TriWIS!) and lots of cute little kids looking for high fives.  I was nearly euphoric when I hit the 10k mark, looked at my watch, and realized that I had a new, albeit unofficial, 10k PR (1:01:47).  The euphoria was short lived as I reminded myself that I still had 7 miles to go and the monster hill was coming up fast.

Oh that hill...that mother-effing hill...

I made it about 3/4 of the way up before dropping to a power walk.  This was actually a tactical decision since I knew that hill destroyed me last year and I wasted far too much time last year trying to recover from pushing too hard up it.  I got to the top feeling pretty decent and started anticipating the portion of the course that winds through Lake Park.  Mile 7 was reasonable, but then the wheels started to come off.  My stomach started acting up and I slowed down trying to get it to settle.  Miles 8 and 9 sucked.  I knocked back another Roctane around Mile 8 (right as the 2:10 pace group passed me) and hoped that it would kick in soon and not completely screw my stomach.  Mile 9 was torture as my stomach threatened a full on rebellion. Then the Roctane kicked in, I felt like a million bucks, and Mile 10 was my fastest mile of the entire race.  Of course, the good feeling didn't last and Mile 11 was an absolute train wreck.  I was reduced to an evil run/walk combination dictated entirely by my stomach threatening a full scale rebellion.  When I was able to run, I was pacing between 8:50-9:30/mile, punctuated by near-crawling walks whenever my stomach demanded it - which was often.  I was pissed off at my body and was starting to get really sick of being wet from the non-stop mist, and my shoes were starting to squish a bit. I tried to distract myself by watching the very back of the pack still heading toward the evil hill.

I slammed another GU at the last water station, hoping that it would work the same miracle as the last one.  No dice.  Around Mile 12, I suddenly got really hot - like burning hot, want to jump in the freezing cold lake hot.  I pulled over long enough to peel off my wet long sleeve and tie it around my waist and got back to the business of running fast for a little while and then being hobbled by my stupid stomach.  I regretted that choice as soon as I got out onto Lakeshore State Park (an island with nothing to block the wind).  I. Was. Freezing.  Ugh.  I did my best to haul ass off the island as fast as possible. Coming around the back of the Marcus Amphitheater, I chatted for a few minutes with another TriWI member who was using the race as part of her training for her third Ironman and she was struggling too. We commiserated about feeling pretty crappy for about a quarter of a mile before she had to peel off and puke.  I kept going, knowing the finish line was close - and just like last year, my watch was showing that the race course was about .17 miles longer than it should have been. Grrr.

I took the final turn and the finish line was in front of me at long last. I picked up my pace a little and focused on being done.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a girl in a blue tank top (who looked to be about my age)  picking up speed and trying to pass me and my only thought was "Oh no you don't!".  I started sprinting.  The finish line announcer saw us and said something like, "They're coming in hot!".  I kicked a little harder and Miss Blue Tank Top couldn't match me...I got her by a couple of seconds.  It was finally over and I had achieved both of my goals.  My official finish time was 2 seconds faster than last year.

Official Time: 2:14:01 (10:13/mile)
Garmin Time: 2:14:05 (10:06/mile) The course was .17 miles over the official 13.1 distance!

Much like last year, the finishing chute was a bit of a disappointment - really disorganized, lousy snack options, and it took forever to get a damned bottle of water.  I collected said water, a somewhat under-ripe banana, and my medal and made my way over to say hello to YadaYada who was scarfing his banana and waiting for Texas to finish - and looking like he'd barely broken a sweat.

As the post race soreness started to set in, I hobbled my way over to bag and tag to retrieve my fleece and then hobbled another mile or so back to the car - all the while racing another clock.  You see, Mr. R&R was slated to leave on a business trip to India that morning and his car to the airport was scheduled to arrive at 10AM sharp.  I was bound and determined to make it home in time to say goodbye in person!  I'm pleased to report that I made it...with 6 minutes to spare.

After Mr. R&R left, I collapsed in a heap on the couch and cowered under a blanket for a while as post-race chills made me down right miserable.  I had hoped to be able to meet my dad, Little Bro, and dad's dog at Fido Fest down in the village in time for lunch, but between the chills and my stomach finally launching it's full scale revolt, I had to cancel.  Instead, I finally took a much needed, scalding hot shower, to finally get rid of the chills and spent the rest of the day alternating between napping and watching bad tv with Walter and Spot.

In closing, it may not have been the greatest race I've ever run, but I'm really proud of how well the first 7 miles went and I'm happy to report that although the Bull$#!% Voice told me to give up when I started feeling sick, I squashed it down and did the best I could despite a less than ideal situation.   On to the next!!!!!!

Where The Wild Things Are

I promised you that things were about to get a whole lot sweatier around here - and I didn't lie.


Monday, May 11:
When I woke up this morning, it was gray, foggy, and chilly - and I was irritated.  It was only 6:45am, but the bull$#!t voice was already hard at work making up reasons why running just wasn't going to happen tonight.  As the day wore on, the fog turned to pouring rain and the bull$#!t voice went into overdrive.  The voice did a whole lot of work for nothing, because by 6:30pm, it was overcast and windy, but there was no rain.  I got home, put on my running shoes and headed out for four miles.  The first mile was pretty uneventful, other than seeing a great blue heron taking flight over a retention pond.

I had just made it into the parkway when I spotted a wild turkey!.  I remember hearing somewhere that those things are mean, so I moved to the other side of the road and watched as he strutted along.  Somewhere between the turkey and Mile 2 I saw my first bunny of the run (I don't know if I've ever mentioned it, but I tend to keep a 'bun count' on my runs as a means of occupying my mind.)  I hit the bottom of my least favorite hill in the world, turned around, and headed back up.  Just before Mile 3, I spotted a little deer peeking out of the woods.  It wasn't a fawn, but it definitely wasn't full grown either.  A little later I spotted 4 more bunnies, bringing the total up to a 5 Bun Run.

Around Mile 3.5, things got super interesting.  I was running up a path through an office park when I spotted a mama deer with her little fawn grazing on the other side of a little drainage creek.  We stared at each other for a moment before they went back to eating and I kept running.  Less than a quarter mile later, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw a HUGE coyote standing right in the middle of the path!  I stopped my watch long enough to make an unexpected climb up a muddy hill followed by a cross country run (watch running again at this point) until I was well past the coyote and then scrambled back down to the path.  The remaining bit of my run was, fortunately, free of wild life.

Tuesday, May 12:
My bike has been doing nothing but collecting dust for months but that changed on Tuesday night.  After doing a little rearranging in The Cave, pumping my tires, and remembering how to clip-in/clip-out, I hopped on for a nice, easy 45 minute spin.  My speed was better than I expected and I passed the time watching the beginning of a movie, and I was nice and sweaty (and starving!) when I was done.

Wednesday, May 13:
Groundhog workout time! I needed to run 8x400 and since the track was likely occupied by high school track teams, I decided to do my intervals on the road.  I programmed the desired workout into my 910xt (the VivoActive doesn't have the capacity for these kinds of workouts - yet) and set off in the general direction of my mom's house.  After a brief warmup, it was Groundhog Time and I was really pleased with my split paces!  I ran .25 miles for each one with a minute and a half of rest in between.

Final Verdict:
Split 1: 8:45/mile
Split 2: 8:37/mile
Split 3: 8:26/mile
Split 4: 8:36/mile
Split 5: 8:24/mile
Split 6: 8:34/mile
Split 7: 8:47/mile
Split 8: 8:21/mile

After all the intervals were done, I jogged the remaining quarter mile or so to my mom's house as a cool down and hitched a ride back home along with a healthy does of doggy kisses from Puppy Girl - who really loves sweaty runners!

Thursday, May 14:
I wanted to run.  I really wanted to run, but Mother Nature (and my hatred of sopping wet shoes) had other plans.  I'd just finished changing into running clothes when the sky opened up and showed no signs of stopping any time soon.  Grrrr.  I hauled myself back upstairs and switched to bike clothes.  I got myself situated to ride, flipped my movie from Tuesday on, and hopped on the bike.  OW!!!!!  My booty is not used to the abuse of riding yet and putting any weight on it hurt like a beast.  Fortunately after about 10 minutes, my bum went numb and I was able to get a decent 45 minute ride in - and faster than the one from Tuesday.

Friday, May 15:
I really wanted a beer by the time I left work on Friday, but instead I got a 3.5m pace run.  Pace runs are just what they sound like - every mile run at or near goal race pace.  At this point in the season, I'm not sure exactly what my goal race pace is going to be, so I decided to shoot for 'somewhere around  9:30/mile'.  That pace would be more than enough to beat my half marathon PR, so it seemed like a reasonable goal.  NAILED IT!!!!!

Saturday, May 16:
The original plan called for today to be a rest day, but the forecast called for severe thunderstorms on Sunday.  Looks like my 8 miler was happening today.  I was a little sore and wiped out from the last few days and it was pretty hot and steamy out by the time Mr. R&R and I left the house, so there were no real pace goals - just to run 8 miles.  We ended up running 9.5 miles at about an 11:00/mile pace.  Normally, I'd be absolutely furious at that pace, but I've been doing some research and it's actually recommended to do long runs at a pace 60-90 seconds slower than what you're hoping to do on race day.  For my first 1/2 of the season, I'd be more than happy to run a 9:30-10:00 pace, so it worked.  I chased the run with a less than healthy snack of gummy bears on the walk home - and sugar never tasted so good.

Sunday, May 17:
Rest Day and not a bad choice because those thunderstorms came true!

Weekly Totals:
Bike:   25.49 miles (1 hour, 30 minutes)
Run:    20.22 miles (3 hours, 28 minutes)
Total:   45.71 miles (4 hours, 58 minutes)

How was your week?  What did you do that made you proud of yourself?

Where I've Been and Where I'm Going

It's been a while.  Again.  Sorry to keep pulling a disappearing act, but something always has to fall below the Suck Line (I really love her for this post) and it seems like my blog is usually one of the first things to get pushed below the line.  As usual, I'll try to be better about it, but I'm not making any promises.

So, where've I been?  Well...

In mid-April, Mr. R&R and I jetted off to Puerto Rico for 5 days of pure relaxation, fun in the sun, and to celebrate his birthday!

I could tell you all about it, but I think the pictures say more than I ever could.

View From Our Room

Blue Skies and Palm Trees...All Day. Every Day.

Lunchtime Libations

The Rice Alone is Worth The Trip

When we got back, I started running again because just like every year. around this time..it's training season.  If you're ready to follow me through the ups and downs of another training cycle, stick around.  It's going to get sweaty around here, because I really want to add to my collection of race bling!

Walter & Spot Day 2015

Hi everyone, Walter and Spot here.  We're doing our annual takeover of our mom's blog on our favorite day of the year: Walter and Spot Day!  Yes, we know that lots of humans think that today is a holiday called Easter, but we know better.  It's all about us today!

We started our day with breakfast and a good snuggle under our favorite box and watched tv (mom says that our favorite show, the one about fishing, will be back on again soon) while mom and dad did chores.

A little while later Grandma Naner came over and brought us a super creative present.  See...we told you that this is an awesome day!

We loved the carrots and the parsley, but the coolest part was the wrapping.

We got a new doormat for our house!

While mom and Grandma Naner ate lunch (we got some basil leaves from whatever mom was cooking), we hung out in our house admiring our new doormat and then they came back in the living room to pet and play with us and to give us bites of banana for dessert!

See what we mean?  Best. Day. Ever.  Now we're gonna go crash.  It's been a busy day for us!

Have a Happy Walter and Spot Day...see ya next time!

Insanity Week 7.2: Do It Better The Second Time Around

Week 7.1 was, for all intents and purposes, a train wreck.  I was lazy. I made stupid choices.  Time to fix it.  I knew going into this week that there were going to be 3 challenging meals (1 breakfast meeting, 1 dinner out with a vendor, and an epic German feast to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday) and 1 night where working out was not going to be possible (vendor dinner and event) because I wasn't going to be home at a reasonable hour.  I was bound and determined not to let these things completely derail my do over week.

Day 43.2:
My do-over week started with a breakfast meeting.  There was no way to get out of it, so I settled for making the best choices I could under the circumstances (2 eggs and dry wheat toast).  The food didn't sit well (that restaurant's food never does sit well with me), but by 1:30pm I managed to down my chicken avocado wrap and then proceeded to get so wrapped up in work that I forgot about my apple walnut yogurt mess until about 6pm.  By then it was too close to my workout to eat, so I chalked it up as "one less thing to prep for tomorrow".  Tonight's workout was Max Cardio Conditioning and I could definitely feel that I'd taken a few too many days off in a row.  It was a good wake up call and by the time it was over, I was actually hungry for dinner (chicken, baked potato w/ spicy brown mustard, and asparagus).  Nothing gets the appetite going like an ass-beating of a workout!

Day 44.2:
Today was much better on the food front. I got to eat all my own food and my body definitely thanked me for it.  My rematch with Max Cardio Intervals went well enough and I slept like a baby.

Day 45.2:
What is it with me and Wednesdays?  Last week it was a trip to Dr. Beast and Mexican food.  This week it was a vendor dinner and event.  My boss and I met the vendors for dinner immediately after work.  I did the best I could with the available menu (light beer, plain grilled chicken sandwich, side of fruit) and then proceeded to spend the rest of the evening attempting to be sociable. I was fading fast and did my best to hide it (it's really hard to stifle yawns!), got home as soon as possible, and crashed hard.

Day 46.2:
I could definitely tell that I was out too late last night.  I was slow and sluggish all day long, but I knocked a couple of annoying items off my to do list and headed home for Max Interval Plyo.  I still think it should be called Max Pushups.  My arms and chest were screaming by the time I was finished, but I pulled off 15 of the 16 pushups in the first round of Level 3 drills, so I was a little proud of myself.

Day 47.2:
What I should have done after work: Max Recovery.  What I actually did: Ordered dinner from Mekong Cafe,  a Thai/Laotian/Cambodian restaurant, after one of my coworkers raved about it and watched Iron Man and Iron Man 2 with Mr. R&R and the bunnies.

We ordered a bunch of different things and basically had a tasting menu for dinner.  First up was an assortment of appetizers.

We sampled (clockwise from the top): crab rangoon, temple tofu, a crispy spring roll, and chicken satay.  The chicken satay was the unanimous favorite and the crab rangoon was really good too.  The crispy spring roll was good, but nothing special.  Neither of us cared for the temple tofu.  It was just a lump of fried tofu - and the thing that makes tofu awesome is seasoning since it acts like a sponge for all the flavors around it.  This lacked any sort of seasoning so the two bites I took were akin to chewing on a fried kitchen sponge.

We also tried the fresh spring roll.  It was absolutely beautiful to look at and came accompanied by three different dipping sauces (peanut, sweet sour, and rice vinegar).  It was good, but it wasn't any different than other spring rolls I've had.  The peanut sauce, however, was awesome and we practically licked the little container clean!

Our next course was Pork Pho.  Both Mr. R&R and I are huge fans of Anthony Bourdain and have been dying to try pho since we re-watched the Vietnam episode of Parts Unknown.  The soup came with a variety of add-ins like lettuce, bean sprouts, holy basil, and rice noodles and we loaded up our bowls.  It was really pretty to look at, but the broth was a little on the bland side and from what Bourdain has described, the soup should have been bursting with flavors.  I think we're going to have to try pho from some other local establishments before passing final judgement on the dish.

Our final course was a spicy red chicken curry.  It was really good, but it didn't photograph well at all (kind of resembled cat sick on the plate)!  The curry was a fantastic mixture of sweet from the coconut milk base and heat from an array of chilis.  I would definitely order it again.

Day 48.2:
We slept late, got a bunch of stuff done around the house, and meant to squeeze in Max Cardio Conditioning and Cardio Abs before my dad's birthday dinner.  Well...all of a sudden it was 5:30pm and we needed to leave the house in 20 minutes!  I dove into the shower, wielded a blowdryer in one hand while slapping on some makeup with the other, threw on a dress and some cute boots, and hauled ass downtown (20 minutes away) to meet the family.  We made it with less than a minute to spare!  For the first time in a long time, I didn't think about what the "healthiest/least unhealthy" option was. I ordered one of my favorites and another glass of cabernet.  The food was good and my dad definitely seemed to enjoy himself, so I'd deem the evening a success.

Day 49.2:
Damn you wine...3 glasses and I end up sleeping until 10am!  Mr. R&R and I enjoyed a leisurely morning complete with a late brunch (eggs, southwest roasted potatoes, and fresh fruit) and watching Ironman 3 before doing battle with Fit Test #4.

I kind of expected to have a poor showing on this one because the last two weeks haven't been the best in the food and fitness departments.  I ended up surprising myself - and feeling like I was going to puke.

I think I may have expended a little too much energy on the early moves (particularly the Switch Kicks) because by the time I got to Low Plank Obliques I was totally gassed out.  If I'd had any energy left, I probably would have had a minor tantrum, but instead I was laying facedown on the basement floor and gasping for air.  I guess you can't win 'em all.

There are two weeks left in my Insanity Workout Challenge and I'm starting to look forward to wrapping it up.

How was your week?  Any favorite asian dishes to recommend?