an intersting observation...

So, as mentioned, I have been pretty sick the past few days. Feeling much better today, but for the past few days I have been sick sick- like, in Ferris Bueller's day off, the scene where Cameron Frye is sitting in bed staring off into space with a pile of medicines and tissues- sick.

So, this has meant that I haven't trained since Sunday. Yes, I am going on three days without training, and besides driving me crazy, has brought up an interesting observation. I really don't know what to do with my time. Seriously.

For example, Sunday, I came home from my ride early, which subsequently left me with the majority of the afternoon open in addition to the evening. I don't remember the last Sunday that I have had the whole afternoon available since I am usually doing a long workout that takes up the majority of my day on Sundays- riding, running, some gym time. I slept for a while, then woke up, then studied for a little bit, surfed the 'net, I tried to watch TV but there is nothing on the 73 channels on basic cable, then I didn't really know what to do. I wanted to wash my bikes, but didn't feel well enough to do that. So, it got me thinking- what do people who don't train do with their time? I am serious. For example, what happens on 'normal' weekend days that does not involve swimming, biking, and running, and the usual morning coffee leading up to such events. I do not know.

I came up with the following ideas- sleep (but I am sleeping so much, and training so little that I can't sleep anymore), shop, eat, housework, watch TV, read, and drink. That is about it. I also realize that people with families like to spend time with their kids, spouse, etc, but neither apply to me.

So, I often get the question: 'How do you find time to train like that?' Before, I would just respond with answers such as 'I guess I just make time,' or 'you just make time for the things that you like to do...' Blah, blah, blah. Now I am going to get to the bottom of this and just return the question and say 'what do you do with the time that you would be training?' I'm sure that will fly over well.

So, if anyone does know what people do with their time, please inform me. I'm really bored, but hoping to be back in the swing of things tomorrow- going to try a spin on the trainer.

exam report:
national dental boards, written examination, part II, day 1

Felt pretty good with the studying that I have gotten in, and went into today feeling about as calm as I have ever walked into a Prometric testing center. After fighting a febrile illness for the past few days, I have unfortunately become reliant on NSAIDs and whatnot to keep me from shivering/ sweating/ couging all the time and today was no exception. Not the best way to take boards, but I guess sometimes this is what the world gives you. The worst part is that I didn't want to infect and/ or disturb everyone in the testing room, but I got sick outside of the window to reschedule the exam, and needed to show up today and take the test if I wanted to pass my boards.

Showed up today at the Prometric center, pretty buzzed off of the cold medicine that it took to get me out of bed and not shivering, explained my situation to the proctor in my squeaky barely audible voice, and asked if I could at least bring in some tea or hot water in a nondescript cup so I don't cough during the exam. No go; however, I was offered the private test taking room. Wow! I was a little reluctant at first, thinking it was going to be like the study rooms in a library where 90% of the time the person in there before you ripped a big fart before they closed the door. Once I got going, I fell in love with this special ed. test taking room! I got a full sized desk- I could even put my feet up on it while taking the exam, spaciousness, and no disturbances besides myself. They also had these awesome cinnamon candies that were perfect to keep me from coughing. After a while, the room got really cold, and I got my down vest and hat from the lobby. I was later told to take off of my hat because the cameras 'could not recognize me.' OK. I asked if they could do something about the temperature in the room then- bingo!- no problem, I got a space heater. So eventually, here I am, sitting in my own private sauna, taking national dental boards. I almost didn't want it to end so I needed to go out to my cold car in the parking lot.

So, between the private sauna, cinnamon candies, and free coffee in the lobby, I was pretty stoked about the whole testing situation. I just hope that the cold medicine didn't dumb me down even more than usual. No matter the result, day one is done!

favorite things...

so, I guess this is what happens when you feel like crap, fall asleep all afternoon, and wake later. You can't fall asleep again. Oh well, I guess this means another blog entry because I am sick of studying for boards.

Just some random musings on some little things in my life, nothing big, nothing novel, just the good stuff...

- Recent foodstuffs that I cannot get enough of:
- hummous/ hummus: although always a hummus fan, I have recently become obsessed with the stuff. I have been trying all different kinds, trying to weed out the ones that are 'good' because they are good, or 'good' because they like to hide some un-hummus like ingredients in there. I have found that this stuff ranges from 25- 90+ calories per serving depending on brand. My recent 'good' favorites include: Wild Garden brand and Melissa's Edamame hummous. In honorable mention comes the hummus from Baker's olive bar (a wild card in the nutrition dept) and the Costco pine nut variety courtesy of Matt- very yummy, but I think that they are hiding some crack in there or something because it is almost too yummy.
- cottage cheese or plain yogurt with mandarin oranges: I don't know what the deal is, but the flavor of mandarins is amazing! It is just enough fruit to taste good, and just enough sugar water to enhance it. Best of all, it is from a can!
- bell peppers and cucumbers: the vegetable snacking delight!
- chocolate covered prune bits- I never thought that these two things would even go together, but they are delightful, and come in a bag!
- and no, I haven't had any peanut butter yet... I stood my ground walking past the PB aisle at the grocer yesterday...
- Target archer farms brand high protein cinnamon cereal- I love cereal, but have never found one that actually fills me up without eating half of a box, so I shy away from it as a meal, but this one will keep the rumbles away until at least 10:30/ 11 on my belly's schedule, which is a good to excellent rating in my book.

- I am very excited that Patagonia has their new spring dresses out. I love to wear dresses all summer, and theirs are downright the best.

- I am toying around with the idea of not doing an Ironman next year. I know, a very, very, very long ways away, but sign ups start this summer if I want to do one. I don't even know where I will be living or working, but just the thought of focusing on something different might be good for me. I know that this season hasn't even started yet, and realize that. I'll probably cave and sign my soul away to WTC another time. For me, the lure of Ironman is something that remains for me to figure out, something that so many other factors play into besides S,B,R for a successful day- a day that I haven't had yet- a day that few ever get. It is something that one must understand, not conquer to succeed. It has a mystique that attracts me; however, other races have the raw power and pain that I find so attractive in these thoughts of focussing on shorter distances. I just think- Am I tough enough? who knows.

- I forgot that my car was black until I washed it this weekend. Wonderful!

- I don't understand why there are so few women cyclists.

- I keep my toes painted because I like it, and I don't need to look at what ugly color my toes are from running. I recently took my polish off, and was excited to see only one black toenail! I think that this is a new record!

Weekend awesomeness...

This is it- what I have been waiting for since about November- Its 'warm' !!!!!!

This weekend's activities have revolved *mostly* around the two things- training and some final studying for my upcoming dental boards this next week.

Rode yesterday for my usual Saturday ride. I look forward to my Satruday easy rides because I am usually pretty shelled from the previous two days of hard workouts. Believe me, I love my geeky stuff, but I love having some recovery rides built into my week that all I have to do is just be on a bike for the absolute fun of it. It is a nice contrast from staring at w, hr,c , etc. etc., and keeps me mentally fresh for those rides. Took a bit to get out the door seeing that it was still pretty darn cold in my book, but I had a blast once I was out there. Just played around in the hills north of Omaha for a few hours, and headed back in. It was great to see Bryan out riding- we chatted for a bit then went our separate ways. It is always nice to see a familiar face when you are out riding by yourself. I love riding my road bike because I don't have any computers on the bike- it's just me and the road. I felt surprisingly really strong on my ride, even though I was just taking it easy and my legs were pretty trashed from a long M pace run in the gym the day before (I don't know if it is the heat of the gym, or the workout, but those runs take the life out of me). It almost caught me by surprise that I actually felt strong on a bike, since that hasn't happened in a really, really long time. No numbers to back it up, just the feel of the road. I don't know if it was just the fun of being out, or (*gasp*) this training thing might actually be working, but it felt great.

This morning was breakfast and a ride with planned with a few classmates. The last minute bail out rate was 3 out of 4 attendees. So, as I was sitting in my kitchen thinking I was going to be like the girl stood up by her date on prom night, my buddy Andy showed up ravenous after his long run at the gym, and was absoluely delighted that he was going to get everyone elses food! Good for us, bad for them, because I had stirred up my best batch of pancakes ever made- pineapple, orange, banana, mango, oatmeal, whole wheat pancakes ( I have no idea how all of that stuff fit in the pancakes and they still stayed together in the pan). We loaded up and headed out the door. Time for some riding.

Andy had an easy spin still planned for today, and was going to join me for the first half hour or so, and I was going to continue on to do my usual 4h ride, followed by some runnng/ lifiting time at the gym. I was really excited to ride and see how my new postition was going to feel on my TT bike on the road, it was good to be out, and got in some good riding time. However, the sore throat, chills, and aches that I woke up with this morning and chose to ignore because I cannot possibly be getting sick one more time this winter were not 'spinning themselves out' like I thought they would. I felt crappier and crappier as the ride went on; I was so mad. This is the last workout in this training block, and all I need is this one day to a) actually ride outside for a long ride in the beautiful sunshine, and b) finish things out and head into a recovery week. Wasn't going to happen. After debating in my mind, I reluctantly decided that it would not be in my best interest to slog through my training with absolutley no quality for no other reason than putting those hours in the books, and likely go into taking boards feeling like crap. Time of death of the workout called, and I headed back in the direction of home.

As disappointing as it is to fall short of a workout, and as crappy as I now feel both shivering and sweating under the covers, I am still happy that I at least I did get a bit of riding in on this beautiful sunny day. It just lifts the spirits being out there on the road with good company.

So, this is what the fuss is about...

After being in Omaha for four years, I had heard of this interesting tradition only taking place during lent called a fish fry. Now, don't think that there aren't fish fries where I grew up- WI; however, my connotation of a fish fry was the following:
- venue: some sort of elks club, american legion, or 'supper club' of sorts- during the whole year- not just lent
- hours: from 3:30-6:00 to accomodate to the 'schedules' of the attendees (see below)
- crowd: blue hair and bald heads
- fare: beer battered cod, tartar sauce, white bun, 'slaw, and weak decaf coffee

So, I keep hearing about people attending fish fries in Omaha, and wonder what they are doing at these venues hanging out with, er, old people at 4:00. So, last night I finally attended an Omaha fish fry, at a church, at 7:30 at night, and found out why these things are awesome!

I pulled up to the Holy Name Catholic church to meet my friends Bob, Greg, Adam, and Pat in line already, and smelled the intoxicating aroma of beer, smoke, and grease in the air- I knew it was going to be a good time.

So, the whole event was a wait in line outside, and then through the catacombs of the church- literally. I felt like I was at Disney World, where you make it through the cattle chutes of one building, thinking you are at the ride, but actually just have another building of cattle chutes to go through. This is the ultimate sign that whatever you are waiting for must be 'worth it.' Along the way, you are greeted by various priests giving out beer. At the end, you have all you can eat batter fried cod, fries, slaw, and don't forget- the white bread with butter. And to be honest- it was some pretty darn good fried fish. Tender yet firm, just the right amount of batter, and hot and fresh from the fryer. All that one can ask for.

The only downside was God's wrath on my belly from eating all of that fried food and beer- yet totally worth it.

And 'observing Catholocism' for a few hours last night must have worked, because it is sunny and 'warm enough' to ride outside today. Yay! I'm thinking it might be in my best interest to try to work off this fried food gut bomb..

its like pulling teeth...

This evening was the usual Tuesday night festivities of my tempo run and drill work in the pool. Tempo run felt great- it is my longest bout of tempo pace to date- which is exciting. It is funny how one's perspective of a particular workout changes as your other workouts get harder. I used to, er, dare I say, 'dread' my tempo runs (in that sort of- 'this is going to hurt' type of way), now I look forward to the opportunity to run longer at that pace, and prove to myself that running faster can be fun. Today's run initially felt harder than usual, but then I started telling myself "well, it doesn't hurt as bad as ...(insert hard workout here)... " Several songs on the 'pod and a while later- I only had a few minutes left and the treadmill jolted me into cooldown mode. That is always fun. (side note: I hate the auto cooldown- I have literally unknowingly thrown out verbal profanities during long runs when I almost fall after the treadmill does this after an hour) This is why I am looking forward to racing soon. I think that, amongst other things, it will be good to begin that paradigm shift to remind myself once again of what racing feels like.

Got in the pool, and did my usual warmup for some drill work. My arms felt really fatigued, and didn't know why until halfway through my workout- I was in surgery all day pulling teeth. It is almost embarassing to admit this, but I guess the art of tooth extraction it took its toll. Too funny. I have rarely ever felt any effect on my body from performing dentistry, but it was one of those long days. Now, if I only started counting my time in surgery in my training log as 'cross training', I could tell everyone how many 'training hours' I am getting in at this time of year... indoors nonetheless...ooooooo.

Weekend occurrences...

Just trying to take care of myself and prevent any sickness after last week. Unfortunately, much of my time for the next week and a half is going to be spent studying for upcoming national dental boards, or procrastinating doing just that. I am not good at sitting still and thinking anymore.

Besides that, just the usual weekend workouts. I deemed myself 'back to normal' on Saturday, hoping that my almostsickness was over and looking forward to once again getting in my usual training (I hate deviating from 'the plan'). A few friends came over for breakfast and a ride today- pretty much one of my favorite things in the world to do is the morning breakfast, coffee, and ride. The fare this morning was blueberry banana oatmeal whole wheat pancakes, strawberries and bananas, and egg scramble with peppers and chicken sausage. Bob also brought some muffins- yum! I really do love cooking for people, and love cooking breakfast food- I think it may have something with the Norwegian in me coming out.

I have been pretty spoiled this winter in the sense that I have only needed to do a few of my 4 hr trainer rides solo. The good thing is that they are getting easier overall, but it still surely makes it more bearable with company. After being bailed on last minute by a few people who decided not to ride today, it was great that Bob stayed and did 2 hrs on the trainer.

The ride went well, and my new bike position felt great, even after four hours (yay!). My body wasn't too happy with being back in the swing of things. The numbers were downright pathetic (ie: very high (Z3) HR for very low (low Z2) wattage). This has never happened before, but I guess this is a part of the journey, and whether it be my almostsickness, or just a bad day, or anything- they come and go. I still feel very accomplished after getting in a ride, and finishing things up when for the majority of that workout, I wanted to quit because the numbers were so very, very, crappy for my long ride. I had a great gym session after my ride (still a continued obscurely very high HR while running), and am feeling very good with how I am running off of the bike- especially after my long rides. Finished up the evening with watching the tour of Cali prologue over at Matt's, then heading to the gym to warm up in the hot tub. Life is good.

Non bike related highlights of the tour of Cali prologue:
- Dave Zabriskie's moustache- absolutely amazing
- Mario Cippolini back in the racing scene

Just really really really looking forward to having it get nice outside. I can't wait to breathe fresh air again.

Time for new pants...

So, for some reason, I have finally noticed that on the majority of my dress pants, the butt is not where it used to be. I hate saggy pants, but I have unfortunately been putting up with it. For some reason, all of my pants are now not filled out. You see, I like my pants tight like how they fit when I buy them. I want them to move with me, not me to move with them.

So anyway, the search started, and produced a few new offerings, but I made a couple observations in the world of women's pants during my journey.

- Fabric: I am amazed by how some stores try to get away with selling pants made from a poly/ rayon/ viscose/ whatever disgusting fiber blend for the same price as wool. This is just horrible. These sythethetic fabrics feel nasty and look nasty. They are only to be used for technical clothing- in which they are awesome!

- Fit: Every store has their line of of cuts. Much to my dismay, these have names like 'curvy,' 'contoured,' and other names (Ann Taylor does have a 'lindsay' cut, but it clearly wasn't made for me :) ...) . I am built like a roman column. There is no fit for this. I have big legs-that is what happens when you ride and run for years. I would really like a pair of pants that are the tightest in the waist and butt, not the legs. Not happening. Tried on pants that were literally held up by my thighs, and the waist sagged down. Really funny look. After learning from Bryan that male cyclists also deal with this, er, problem, I think that I am going to start a clothing line for cyclists- sort of like those lines for people with 18" biceps.

so, on these notes I have found the two paris of pants in all of Omaha that fit my simple criteria. I'll take it.

Evolution of the aero position...

A photographic novella...

A little history here... First of all, I will just say that I love tweaking with my bike positions. Yes, I take pictures of myself on my bike- a bit narcissistic, yet pragmatic. Ever since I first rode a road bike, I have committed myself to a 'work in progress' that will hopefully become closer and closer to perfection, similar to how a mathematical limit infinitely approaches a given value in plane. Let me establish a point, and start by saying that I know that I will never have an aero position like the Bjorn Supremacy.

I know that I will never live up to the potential of my bike, and I know that I am not even that talented at riding a bike. However, I do know for a fact that every bit that I can optimize my position on the bike is free speed, and let's face it, who wants to work harder than they need to.

Last season, I took quite a bit of time to perfect my aero position. I allowed myself to adapt step by step, changing one variable at a time to achieve methodical optimal power and minimal perceived drag. I swapped out parts, even took a few trips to Lowe's to purchase different bolts and whatnot to change my whole front end and take my elbow pads as low as possible. The product was worth it. I found the Profile Design Carbon X aerobar pretty horrible until I swapped out a bunch of parts- now I think it is the best thing ever (but I guess i can't really say much since I won it).

My goal was to be able to be comfortable in my aero position for the 112 mile IM bike leg. I took the attitude that I could make myself adapt to anything. And I did. Somewhat like when you first start riding regularly. At first, you can't get over how badly your taint hurts after one a ride, but then after 2 weeks, you are fine. Bring on the miles.

After Ironman Lake Placid, my last important race of the season, I took a few weeks away from the bike, then put in my fun, easy miles in the fall on my road bike. My poor TT bike was collecting dust for a while until I took it out for a ride in the late fall. Whoa- apparently I really was adapted to my position during that summer. I caved, relaxed my position up (a good and bad reason not to cut one's steerer tube) and rode my TT bike about once a week in the fall.

So, being sort of lazy, I have used that position for a while. I am doing the majority of my rides on my TT bike right now. It is super duper comfy, and there is a reason why- I am pretty much like a sail- even I will admit it is downright pathetic. So, like any good science experiment, our start point is established.

I previously wasn't going to be racing long on my TT bike until June- I wasn't rushed to optimize my position because right now my head angle is perfect to watch TV on the trainer :); however, I will now be doing a half iron at the end of March.

#%%^, I'd better get this figured out again, starting NOW.

So this past week, I tweaked during rides. First step was to take the front end down again- to where I was dialed in last season. It felt low, but doable. Here is the product.

With all of my aftermarket modifications on my aero bars, I minimized the adjustability of my elbow pads and thought that their position was ultimately fixed short of some epoxy and zip ties, but I figured out another way to get them angled a bit more optimally. I present the result, and the position.


Now today, I tweaked the saddle position (haven't touched height)- I was happy for a while (first photo), but found myself rounding my back more after I was on the bike over an hour(second photo).


hmmm. Still a work in progress. Comments, suggestions, and criticisms welcome.

And yes, I realize how nerdy this whole ordeal is.

The sixth sense...

I have come to realize that one of the many benefits of being an athlete is what you learn from your body, and the astute sense that you develop in listening to your body. We become very refined in our ability learn from our own physiology. We can tell when we are 'on,' or when our heart rate is even slightly out of normal in everyday happenings or workouts, when riding at 190 watts is feeling more like 200 that day, when our running gait is falling perfectly into place, or when we recover from a workout not as well or better than we normally do. Pushing our bodies to their physiologic limits for hours on end seems to heighten an awareness of these systems that only comes with this practice.

This heightened sense also brings with great responsibility. Like the past few days. I knew my body was fighting something- I know, it sounds a bit crazy, but that is the best way I can describe it. Not recovering how I normally do, tired all the time, no power in my legs, and a general feeling of being 'off', were just some of what was going on. I wasn't sick, or even feeling sick, but knew that I was on that tight rope. In the past, I try to continue on as planned and dismiss these physiologic messages with excuses such as, stress, hours of sleep, cycle changes, training volume or intensity, nutrition, etc., but based upon my N=3 of pushing through it and subsequently getting sick 3 times this winter ( I know, its downright ridiculous) , I am trying something new. Listening to my body.

So, I did it, I backed off on my workouts for the past couple days- a lot. I don't like it, and that part of me that loves my training log to read like a perfect road map really doesn't like it, because no matter what, missed traning is a missed opportunity to improve- it is a failure to accomplish a goal that I set out to pursue, and that isn't a good feeling. However, what I am trying to do is not have a perfect tranining log, but do the right thing to consistently pursue self improvement. So far, it is working- still feeling good.

Goodbye, my love...

So, as I was scraping the sides of my latest jar of Skippy Natural Superchunk yesterday to put on my waffle, I was making the mental note to myself to buy some more next time I am at the grocer. You see, I love peanut butter. I don't eat it at every meal, or eat it by the spoonful on a regular basis by any means, but It is a fantastic food, and I find a way to eat it here and there. Some of my favorite ways to eat it include:

- PB on Kashi waffles- absolutely amazing!
- PB tossed into any sort of Asian dish with hoisin and chili sauce- instant wonderfulness and turns a pile of sauteed junk into 'a meal'
- PB and banana whole wheat pancakes. Incredible.
- the ever so classic 'ants on a log'
- and I can't leave out, my favorite pre-race breakfast: whole wheat bagel with PB and banana with soy milk to drink- guaranteed no belly problems for the whole race (knock on wood).

So, as I was making my mental note to buy more, I thought, I wonder if... if... if...I could hold off on my PB consumption. You know, just to see how long I can go. I don't think it is 'bad' by any means, but at 90 kcal in 1 T, it does pack a mean punch that could be consumed in a multitude of better ways. So, that fateful jar that is pictured above is now deemed my last. I will keep those last few bits in the cupboard 'in case of emergency', but no more will be purchased until a few days before my first half iron this year.

Denizens of the local gym...

So, although we all see the crowd of 'usuals' at the local gym, I have come to pick out a few 'regulars' who make my day brighter with their quirikiness. Their idiosyncracies make themselves stand out, and I can't help but write a few words on them.

1- hot tub people. So, I am convinced that there is a whole crowd of people who tell their significant other that they are 'going to the gym' and meerly arrive and sit in the hot tub. I'm not talking about the little post- workout dip. We're talking hours here- I have no idea how they don't just shrivel up. I even saw two men sitting there with a pitcher thermos of bloody marys- compete with celery sticks. wow. (I wanted to ask if they would share)

2- people with ugly tattoos. I am convinced that there is a pre requisite to joining the gym of having an ugly tattoo. I'm not talking little ones here, I'm talking full arms, large tramp stamps (oh, sorry, 'tribal'), skulls with hearts, nebraska "N"s, and don't forget about the greek frat tattoos (usually very very large). These people say, if you are going to go- go all out.

3- people who show up to a spin class in full euro pro kit. enough said.

4- peacock man. This guy likes to show up fully accessorized to stand out. We're talking multible bandanas, stocking hat, tight tank, ugly tattoos, sweat bands, male dance pants, and gold chains. Usually seen only doing ab exercises.

5- Dudes who are really fat and drinking protein shakes

6- The guy who showed up to the gym with some Taco Bell fourthmeal in his hands, including jumbo drink. This is one of the boldest, and best moves I have ever seen at the gym. I really hoped that he took it to the hot tub to eat.

7- Girl who goes on the treadmill for some apparent 'long run' in long sleeves and pants in the super hot gym. She brought a whole buffet with her- PowerBars, Propel, Gatorade, Water, Hollywood crap magazines, yet she is constantly getting on and off the treadmill every 10 minutes to go do something, talk to someone, adjust her hair, etc.

8- Dude doing some sort of adapted bikram yoga in the sauna- taking up all of the floor space in the process, and requiring the 8 other people to do nothing else to do but stare at him going through the sun salutation.

9- Big guy who shows up at the pool, and surprisingly smokes everyone. He mows his mass through the water like it is nothing at all, creating a large wake in the process. Needless to say, I am very impressed.

So, I just checked my comment card box, and it was full.

I hereby give my loyal fan(s) what they want- a new post. I apologize for dropping off of the face of the planet for a week. I am back at it with no excuses other than laziness.

In no other than the best format ever-a bulleted list- I will give you my happenings and thoughts from this past week.

- first and foremost, I mentioned my bike fitness test last weekend. Without going into details, bottom line is that the results were nothing more than a necessary reminder that there is always someone training less than I, yet performing better than I, and there is always someone training more than I and performing worse than I. I train for myself, and myself only. Like i mentioned before, I know that hard work will pay off with time. If it hurts, you know what? It's probably worth it.

- I learned out this week that the gym has their thermostat at 72 deg F. WTF!!! I have my house thermostat set at 63. I was appalled when I found this out. I don't even know what to say about that. I am telling myself that I will hopefully become so well adapted to heat, that I will need to do all of my long runs mid day this summer or I will get too cold. I hereby am inviting anyone who is a member or visitor of the Cass 24 hour fitness to join the coalition that I am forming to point out how ridiculous this is to any and all management personnel.

- I finally feel like my running is coming along. This is the very first time in my life that this has happened. This is on par to when I was first able to run 3 miles without stopping. Pretty huge in my book. I never ever thought that I would experience 'ease of running' at the paces I am now. It is very exciting. Now, the final test will be if all of this treadmill running will pay off when I hit the pavement.

- Climbing into bed with freshly shaven legs is one of the best feelings ever.

- I really wish my laundry would put itself away right now, and also wash a load of chamois and technical wear would wash itself for the week. I'm not getting too hopeful.

Weekend fun...

Made it back safe and sound from Madison, great times had by all. I made it back just in time to recharge the 'Pod,' get in my 'long' run at the gym (recovery week 'long' run), and head to my friend's birthday party for the evening. Fun stuff, and all of the time in the car gave me my fix of 'me' time for a while.

Saturday was an exercise in hunger management. I volunteered to help out with a kids free dental clinic all morning, where I was told there was going to be food for breakfast and lunch. I didn't eat much the afternoon or evening before ( I really need to watch to kcals with it being a recovery week and trying to loose some kgs, or as I tell myself 'be lazier' - don't need to buy food, prepare food, clean up food, and eat food as much-ie: be lazier- fwiw, I am now the lightest I have been in my adult life, which is pretty exciting), and went to bed really hungry hoping to have an awesome bagel or muffin for breakfast like there was the year before. Little to be known, there were only a few aspartame yogurts arriving at 9:00 for 'breakfast.' No coffee. After helping out my fair share of kids, I left early to go home for some provisions, and head over to Matt's to do a fitness test. The results are in, and more to come on that note.

Today was a nice laid back morning with a bit of studying, followed by finishing the press of coffee on the trainer for the first part of my 3 hr easy ride to finish up my recovery week. Made it 1.5 hours then couldn't stand it. Don't ask me why. It just seems like once in a great while my trainer tolerance is absolutely zero. I have been doing 4 hour z1-2 trainer rides on the weekends all winter (obviously, except for recovery weeks). A 3 hour easy ride should be a breeze, but not today. After 1.5 hours, I was going crazy. I made the executive decision to bundle up, and head outside in the upper 20 deg weather to ride. Being one of those 'chronically cold ' people, this is weather I am normally not accustomed to, or enjoy riding in; however, today, it was better to be cold than to be on that blasted gerbil wheel. I took my mountain bike (well, actually my brother's, but he gave it to me after he never rode it because he 'had kids and no longer had time to ride') on the scenic route to the grocer (the bike is now almost an unintentional single speed due to both shifters dying), bought supplies to make beef stew , and rode another scenic route back. Pretty fun, really cold, very wet and sloppy, but better than being inside. :)

Finished things off with a great run and lift while my culinary creation simmered, came home to the lovely fragrance of meat and vegetables cooking and topped it off with a warm bowl of stew in my tummy after a long workout. Just another one of those days that remind me of how lucky I am to have the privilege to live the life that I do. I truly am a poster child for lacking any and all athletic talent whatsoever (hence the title of my blog- I am not just saying this trying to be a humble Norwegian); however I have a great time, I can see myself getting stronger, and I know that with time, hard work will pay off. I am experiencing something everyday that few people get to see even once in a lifetime. Pretty darn cool. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the quest for perfection in every workout that it is nice to have those thoughts where you get to remind yourself of why we do this, and then know exactly why we call it fun.

Mad-Town- day 1: travleing

Took a few 'personal' days from school and traveling to Madison 'on business' to interview. Conveniently, I had the entire morning to myself before I left Omaha because I wasn't meeting friends until they were done with a racquetball match at 8.

So, I am sure that one of the greatest things in life is sitting around in the morning, drinking coffee, relaxing, and eating the best and most important meal of the day- breakfast. It is great. Even better is when others can join you. Funny thing is that I used to hate breakfast food, and now I can't get enough of it. I have been making toast and french toast for all meals of the day. I have been going through about a loaf of cinnamon bread a week- I keep waiting to get sick of the stuff but I don't. This morning's fare was an egg scrambled with peppers, onions, and smoked salmon; french toast; and strawberries and kiwi. I was actually really excited that I had all of that stuff in my fridge. Finished the press of coffee while riding my bike, finished packing and did some laundry for my trip, and baked up some thank you gifts for the friends that have been so nice to house me on all of my trips to Madison. I love mornings off!

I should have known that I was getting close to WI when the gas station that I stopped at had a crock full of brats and kraut next to the roller grill. Next think I knew I was driving through thick snow that I went through for the last 90 miles to Madison. Oh well, that's winter in the Midwest. It was a beautiful snow, but probably not for the several cars that were overturned in the ditch. Not fun to see. I guess you just take it slow, and be thankful that you are still have your wheels on the road.

Met up with friends for some awesome Thai food. I'd mention the name of the restaurant if I could remember or pronounce it, but I can't. There were some awesome curry dishes, but I was really craving a good pad thai, and that is what I got. I forgot how much I love a real pad thai (as much as I love the pad thai from noodles & co... ). Yum.