Improvement

Last week was my first Zero Week of 2013.  Obviously this isn't a good thing, but the way I see it, I have two choices: dwell on it or do something about it - and doing something about it is far more productive.

Monday, January 14: I'm convinced that the universe was plotting against me today. Woke up to a freezing cold house and discovered that the furnace had gone on strike sometime during the night.  Scurried into work for about 2 hours to collect stuff to work on from home.  Spent from 10am-3pm working in 45 minute bursts since I couldn't sit still for too long before my hands went numb!  The good news is that the repair guy got the furnace running again. The bad news is that it looks like we'll be buying a new furnace after this winter - to be fair, this isn't really shocking since the thing is 20+ years old.  Once the house warmed up, I headed downstairs to spend some time on the bike trainer and all of the following happened:

• I snapped a nail pumping up my rear tire.
• My computer misbehaved when I tried to stream Netflix.
• My cadence sensor refused to cooperate and actually show my cadence and speed.

45 minutes and several whiny trips upstairs to beg Mr. R&R for technical assistance I was good to go.  I rode for about 30 minutes and spent another 15 minutes or so lifting weights.

Even Walter required a blanket to snuggle under when the furnace was out

Tuesday, January 15: After being thwarted for over a week, I finally made it to the gym!  I ran on the evil dreadmill treadmill for about 30 minutes.  Holy crap, I've gotten slow.  Oh well. At least now I have something to improve upon.

Wednesday, January 16: My knee was feeling a little 'tweaky' after yesterday's treadmill run and rather than ending up hurt before the season even starts I took to my yoga mat.  42 minutes later I was stretched, relaxed, and feeling a little less rusty than I did the last time I practiced.  I'm hoping to try one of the longer flows soon.

Thursday, January 17: Rest Day.  I desperately needed to go grocery shopping and the first part of Oprah's interview with Lance Armstrong was on.  This was a 'must watch' for me. I came away disgusted but not really surprised. My final thoughts are: 1. I won't waste time watching the second part. and 2. I hope he remains banned from competition for life.

Friday, January 18: After two weeks of planning to go and then not going, I finally got my pool membership! My gym doesn't have a pool, but they do have a reciprocal agreement with another facility about 17 miles away so we can use their pool.  After I signed up, I hit the water. I could get used to this. The water was about 81 degrees and I pretty much had the whole thing to myself - which was good since I'm pretty sure I was a splashing, thrashing mess.  I swam about 450 meters (just over a quarter mile) - and by then my arms, shoulders, and back were burning and I was panting like a dog in July.  Added bonus: I can work on swim form and endurance without worrying about encountering any evil fish!  Maybe the whole triathlon thing isn't completely out of the question!

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 I had planned on spending the rest of the evening on the couch, but I got talked into going ice skating instead.  Funny enough, the ice rink is in the same building at the indoor track that I've been avoiding like the plague encircles the ice oval!  I guess fate wanted me there one way or another! 1 hour and 4 miles later, my toes were frozen solid and the ache in my legs matched the one in my arms. Couch time!

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Saturday, January 19: Woke up with aching arms and legs and decided a rest day was in order.  Mr. R&R and I also treated ourselves to an awesome cheese plate, a mix of prosciutto/calabrese salami/cappicola, and a bottle of Bordeaux.

These are a few of my favorite things...

Sunday, January 20: Another dreadmill run since it's about 8 degrees outside and the windchill is well below zero.  It was slightly less awful than Tuesday's run, but still ridiculously slow and my arms still ache from Friday's swim, but I'll take it since it brings my workout count for the week to 6!

Spot wanted to come too!

 This week was a vast improvement over last week and I'm hoping that the coming week will be another good one.  I'm spending the rest of today doing things that will set me up to succeed again next week (read: eliminating my usual excuses): finishing my laundry, pre-making a few meals, etc.

How was your week?

Zero Week

Week 2 of the Great Wiggle War of 2013 (sounds catchier than 'trying to get my act together' - doesn't it?) is done.  Here's how it shook out:

Monday, January 7: Make plans to hit the gym with Mr. R&R after work.  Get news that sends all forms of motivation crashing through the floor.  The only running I did was to the refrigerator and the only lifting I did was moving the beer bottle from the table to my mouth.

Tuesday, January 8: Slept like crap on Monday night. Woke up an hour and a half before my alarm and couldn't get back to sleep.  What I Should Have Done: Haul my butt down the stairs to the bike trainer.  What I Did: Laid on living room floor reading while one of the bunnies used me as a jungle gym.  Felt like falling asleep driving home from work.  Gave up all pretenses of working out and went to bed at the grandmotherly hour of 9:30pm.

Wednesday, January 9: Pure laziness. 'Nuff said.

Thursday, January 10: Dinner with Little Sister and Mason.  I had plans to hop on the trainer after they left, but they were here until almost 10pm.  I'm okay with that because spending time with the people who are important to me will always matter more than a missed workout.

Don't ask why he's in the bathroom sink.  Just revel in the cuteness.

Friday, January 11:  A big old drama llama kicked up this week and by the time I got home, all I wanted was to crash on the couch and hope the stress headache I had developed went away.

Saturday, January 12: My brother was in town and since I rarely get to see him/talk to him/spend time with him, I opted for a long lunch with him followed by running errands and household tasks.

Sunday, January 13: Woke up to another coating of ice on every available surface.  Resigned myself to utter failure in the workout department this week.

There you have it - my first Zero Week of the year.  I'm sure it won't be the last one, but I find myself actually looking forward to Monday (tomorrow) and the fresh start that comes with it.

Muscle Memory

Okay, the formal definition of Muscle Memory, at least according to Google, is: motor memory: your memory for motor skills.  In my case it's more like 'remembering muscles I forgot I had'.

You may have noticed that I haven't posted race recaps for the first three races in the Great Lakes Running Series.  That's because I didn't do them.  After I got back from France, work went from crazy to batshit crazy, the weather went to crap, and the holidays hit.  In short: I didn't train, therefore I didn't race.  I should have known that trying to work around 50 hours a week, train, and keep my assorted family commitments was a recipe for disaster.  It's not like I haven't had this problem before.  So here I am: work has calmed down immensely and I'm working closer to 40 hours a week, the holidays are over, and I haven't done much in the way of exercise in about 2 months. I'm about 4 1/2 pounds over my happy weight and about 7 1/2 pounds over my "fighting weight".  Oh...and the Expo Run  is on January 27th.  Clearly I have my work cut out for me.  This week is all about getting back in the habit of being aware of what I'm eating and why I'm eating it (damn you delicious holiday cookies) and ramping up my level of physical activity - essentially another Wiggle War. I'm really not expecting a PR from the Expo Run, but I'd like to finish without completely embarrassing myself!

So this week I've gone back to tracking calories in vs. calories out (I'll probably post a review of the app I'm using if I decide to stick with it), making a point to drink more water, attempting to get on a decent sleep schedule, and trying to spend less time on the couch and more time moving my butt!

Here's a little breakdown of my week:

Monday, December 31: 40 minute Sun Salutation/Yoga Flow DVD.  Discover exactly how much flexibility has been lost since ceasing in-studio practice several months ago and how much I miss yoga.

Tuesday, January 1: Alternate house-cleaning and couch-laying on last vacation day for a while.  Whine about delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) from above yoga flow.  Vow to practice yoga more often.

Wednesday, January 2: Back to work.  Park self in chair at 8am. Get up only to microwave soup and refill water bottle.  Get home with every intention of working out, but then get one of those phone calls that leaves only one acceptable course of action: drink wine.

Thursday, January 3: Get home from work. Contemplate driving to indoor track since it's a frigid 19 degrees outside.  Opt for bike trainer/strength workout DVD in the basement. Struggle to complete it.  Experience jello-legs immediately.  Feel good about having done it - even if it kicked my ass!

Friday, January 4: I never pay attention to how many times a day I get up to run to the printer/copier/water cooler until I have sore legs. Apparently I am a human Jack-In-A-Box.  Realize at 4:30pm that I'd gotten so caught up in a project that I never ate lunch. Consider gnawing on office furniture.  Arrive home, order pizza, and proceed to spend the rest of the night with Mr. R&R sorting through the guest room closet (aka: miscellaneous catch-all space) and drinking wine.

Saturday, January 5: It's a sunny, reasonably warm (34 degrees), not too windy day. Pile on layers and go for a 3 mile run for the first time in...well...too damned long.  The first 1 1/2 miles feel pretty good.  The last 1 1/2 miles are hellacious: uphill, into a bitter cold wind that has sprung up out of nowhere...and some jerk who didn't think that city shoveling ordinances applied to them, thus leading to running over a large patch of ice.  Crawl through door feeling thoroughly humbled.  I'm pretty sure a septueagenarian with a limited mobility could have out-run me today.  There's only one way to fix it: Quit slacking, suck it up, and RUN!

Sunday, January 6: Wake up to a thin sheet of ice covering every flat surface in sight and quads that feel absolutely shredded.  After a near death experience on the aforementioned ice while walking a bag of trash 15 feet from the back door to the bin, determine that today is a lost cause since I don't want to walk on the ice, much less drive or run on it!  Continue guest room cleaning project, bake egg muffins as a grab and go breakfast for the next week, make lunch for Monday and Tuesday, and generally spend the day getting my metaphorical ducks in a row.

And there you have it...my week in a nutshell.  Was it perfect? No.  Was it better than the 8 weeks before it? Hell, yes! 

Looking Back: 2012

Before I go barreling headlong into 2013, I thought a look back at 2012 was worth while.  So here it is...my 2012 Year In Review.


Popularity Contest: 
*based on total number of pageviews

Most Popular Post: Tundra Challenge Review
I think it's hilarious that the worst "race" I ever participated is also the most-viewed post of all time on my blog!  I hope, that in some small way, I managed to keep others from being taken in by this shady excuse of a race.

 Runner Up: Date Night (Part 1)
Ah yes, the long run gone wrong.  At least the dinner tasted good!

Honorable Mention: I Do All My Own Stunts
Give me a fun trip and I'll give you a fun post!

Athletic Endeavors

Favorite Race: South Shore Rock 'n Ride Duathlon
I became a duathlete that day - and it made me more determined to eventually become a triathlete!

Most Fun Race: Warrior Dash
This race was a great because I got to spend time with my old friends...and meet a new one!

Toughest Race: Madison Half Marathon
There's a moment during almost every race where I ask myself "Why am I doing this?"  I asked myself that question a number of times during this race and came the closest I've ever come to dropping out of a race.

Trippin'

Favorite Trip: Paris
This was the most unexpected and amazing trip of my life.  I can't say enough good things about France, but if you ask me about it, I probably won't shut up for days.

Runner Up: North Carolina
Beautiful views, serious relaxation, and tons of outdoor fun!

All About The Animals: 

I couldn't not mention the critters!

Favorite Walter Pic of the Year:

Favorite Spot Pic of the Year:

Favorite "Group" Pic of the Year:

Favorite Mason Moment: 

2012 been filled with so much good  and I can only hope that 365 days from I have the good fortune to say the same.  So here we go - I'm raising a glass to celebrate 2012 and I'm ready to pop the cork on 2013.

Happy New Year!

The Terrible Twos

That's right...RabbitsandRuns is two years old today!

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Thank you to everyone who has read/commented on/supported my ramblings over the last two years.

We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from the RabbitsandRuns Family!

Love,
Mr. R&R, Mary, Walter & Spot

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Lobster!

I started my day off with a trip to see the lovely 'Mane Wrangler' (also known as my hair stylist, K) and then, since we were already downtown, Mr. R&R and I had lunch at the Milwaukee Public Market.  The Public Market is vaguely reminiscent of Seattle's famous Pike Place Market - although it doesn't even come close to Pike Place's diversity and charm.

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 One of my favorite things to eat at Pike Place is the crab cups and ceviche cups.  They're super cheap and absolutely delicious.

It turns out that the Milwaukee Public Market has a killer bargain of it's own...lobster dinners for $13.95 at the St. Paul Fish Company!

We each started out with a cup of clam chowder.   Mr. R&R and I agreed that it was the best chowder either of us have had in a long time.  It was apparent that there was nothing 'canned' or 'commercial' about it.

Then it was time for the main event: Lobster Dinner for him and a Lobster Roll for me.

According to Mr. R&R, the lobster was delicious and pretty much melted in his mouth.  My lobster roll was also really good - rich and creamy with big pieces of lobster and just enough spice to take the edge off the richness -  tucked inside a folded slice of grilled bread. 

By the time we finished our lunch we were both ready to lapse into a food coma, but we stopped at C. Adam's Bakery  and picked up a couple of huge cookies for later (chocolate chunk for him, peanut butter chocolate chunk for me) and spent the freezing cold walk back to the car plotting what other Market vendors we'd like to visit  in the future.

Long story short (too late), if you're ever in Milwaukee: A) Let me know and B) Make sure to stop by the Milwaukee Public Market for a bite to eat.  Even if fish isn't your thing, I think there's something there for everyone!