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By kilax, January 21, 2018 2:45 pm

Highlight of the Week: Running with Dad / teaching two challenging classes / two great long runs / warmer weather!

Monday | January 15, 2018: 4 m run (w/Dad)
Loc: Switzer/Anitoch Loop, Temp: 14°/14°, Time: 46:50, Pace: 11:42 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, slow & cautious on the ice and snow
Tuesday | January 16, 2018: 7 m run (incl. 8 hill repeats) + 25 mins strength + 10 m ride
Loc: hood, Temp: 20°/23°, Time: 1:21:29, Pace: 11:38 avg, Difficulty: easy/medium, Felt: great, just very slow on slippery snow
Indoor Ride Time: 39:18, Pace: 15.3 mph avg avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: okay, still pissy about work
Wednesday | January 17, 2018: rest
Thursday | January 18, 2018: 10.2 m run
Loc: reverse Kilbourne/VP Woods loop, Temp: 31°/32°, Time: 1:41:19, Pace: 9:56 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, glad to run on clear roads, grateful for the stress release
Friday | January 19, 2018: teaching strength class + 1,008 yd swim + 17 m ride + 4 m run
Strength: Airex pads, kettlebell, & circuit, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, but tired (sleepy)
Loc: FitNation, Time: 21:32, Pace: 2:08 min/100 yd, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Indoor Ride Time: 54:19, Pace: 18.1 mph avg, Difficulty: easy/medium, Felt: good, excited to teach the class!
Loc: Lake Andrea, Temp: 40°/40°, Time: 37:06, Pace: 9:16 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, held back in the wind!
Saturday | January 20, 2018: teaching indoor cycling (16.5 m) + teaching fitness boxing + 3 m run
Indoor Cycling Time: 54:12, Pace: 18.3 mph avg, Difficulty: easy then hard at the end, Felt: good! sweaty!!!
Strength: dumbbells & boxing, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: hood, Temp: 46°/46°, Time: 29:34, Pace: 9:51 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great to have the sun on my legs and arms
Sunday | January 21, 2018: 13 m run (incl. 8×400)
Loc: Outlet mall/Lake Andrea loop, Temp: 37°/38°, Time: 2:12:41, Pace: 10:12 avg, Difficulty: easy (a few intervals were hard), Felt: great

Notes:

• I was able to get one last run/bike in with Dad on Monday before we went back home! It was another challenging run – it had snowed and iced over the night before. I’m glad neither of us fell during that workout, or the previous ones!
• I did not manage my time well this week. I put off my speedwork – I usually do it on Thursday, but wanted to run long after a stressful work day, and I didn’t want to do it Friday or Saturday after cycling intervals. Also, I should not have waited to practice my cycling class until the day before I was teaching it! I was all about doing what I wanted to in the beginning of the week, not what I needed to. Sigh. Will I learn my lesson? <— likely not.
• As I was running next to cars on the road Thursday, I could taste the salt their tires were spitting up on me from the road, even through my gaiter! Yummy…?
• It was a blast teaching indoor cycling and fitness boxing back to back. That cycling workout though – it nearly did me in! It was intense! I hope my students felt it, too!
• I didn’t end up doing my scheduled Thursday speedwork until Sunday, then when I looked at my calendar for Sunday, it showed tempo. Oops. Um, let’s count Friday as tempo?!
• I was able to run forty miles last week and this week. I’d like to stay at that average for the year, but right now it requires two double digit runs a week, and that isn’t always going to be feasible!
• Does anyone else come up with a huge to do list during their long run, then try to remember it all to write down when they get back?

Link to Training Week 430

Comments (16)

By kilax, January 20, 2018 7:06 am

The playlists I create for my weekend* classes are crucial to the success of the class.

I keep fitness boxing songs at a certain tempo and energy, to keep the class moving. And I put the most intense songs at the end of class.

When Mom came to fitness boxing!

My indoor cycling class relies on the playlist to lead the workout. The workout is timed “per song,” and I find appropriate songs for intervals, “hills,” riding out the saddle, sprints, and so on. (It’s quite a bit of work, ha!)

I have favorite songs, but I’m always trying to find new music so things don’t get stale.

So here’s my question! When you’re attending a group fitness class, what’s more important to you – that the song has the right tempo to get you moving, OR that you’re familiar with the song? Or a bit of both?

I am wondering if people work out harder to songs they know, or if a tempo of a song they don’t know can just take over and lead the way. IF that makes sense.

When I took group classes, it was all about tempo and style. I remember taking a few and thinking “I HAVE to find out what that song is!” I didn’t need to be familiar with the song.

It’s different when I run though – I prefer the upbeat, sometimes high tempo songs I know.

Let me know what you think – I am curious how other people operate!

(And I think my students like my playlists. I’ve gotten compliments on them, and two gave me an iTunes gift card for Christmas and said “we love the playlists you make!” Aww.)

*I’ve found it doesn’t matter as much with my weekday strength classes, but I do often put the higher tempo/more intense music at the end of class.

Comments (8)

By kilax, January 19, 2018 6:47 am

My baby, the KIMBOT, hit a huge milestone yesterday – 200,000 miles!

Major thanks to Steven for snapping this pic. I knew he’d be in the car when it hit 200,000 and I kept telling him over and over I wanted a photo of it. He was driving on the interstate when it happened, so he pulled over and took the pic. He said the lighting was really weird, so he had to wait for a semi to drive by and conceal all the shadows, then take burst mode photos until he got a good one. Aww. That’s true love!

To treat her, she got a car wash today! And maybe she’ll get detailed after the crummy weather is over in the spring.

I’ve had my Infinti FX35 since 2009. She’s a fun, reliable car (we’ve had typical wear and tear, and made investments in her). I foresee her being my ride for quite some time… but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been looking around. Particularly at the Jaguar F-PACE. drooooooooooool

Someday…

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By kilax, January 18, 2018 6:23 am

• When we were in KC this weekend, my snister gave me a mirror they had that no longer fits with the decor of their house, but I think will look great above the table in our foyer. I am excited to hang it!!! <— much adulting.
• Also, when we were in KC, I had to get a photo of me and mom (and Steven, ha) wearing our Holiday Mile Challenge tees and medals! Mom enjoyed the challenge, and wants to keep walking, and do the Chocoholic 5K this year!

• I was bummed we couldn’t watch the Summer Olympics in 2016 (we don’t have a cable account to log in to watch them stream), so we ordered an antenna and tuner to see if we can get a signal to watch some of the Winter Olympics in February. I hope it works! We’re equidistant from Milwaukee and Chicago, and kind of in a dead-zone, reception-wise, but this antenna is supposed to have a far range! We’ll see…
• A space I designed is actually being built, as I designed it (mostly), on the floor I work on now! That’s exciting for me!

Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 163

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By kilax, January 17, 2018 7:35 am

The other part of our Kansas City trip was to celebrate a late Christmas with my parents and Christina and Will! This is how we typically split our holiday celebrations with our families – one in December (on Christmas) and one sometime in January. I like spreading out the cheer (and do not like trying to cram two families in to back to back weekends – too draining).

We drove to Kansas City because we had gifts to bring, and would have gifts to bring back. It’s about five hundred and seventy-five miles, one way.

GAH.

We did the first drive in four shifts. One of our stops was at Hurts Donuts in Des Moines. Steven loves sharing his love for Hurts Donuts with everyone!

Crazed, been in the car too long eyes

Nine hours is a loooong time to be in the car (we left at noon and got there at 9:00). We were definitely getting punchy well before we arrived. Ugh. But I know all about raising chickens now (that is what Steven researched while I was driving).

William waited up for us! Aww.

On Saturday I ran in the morning with Dad (William did not want to come, ha),

helped with party decorations and food prep,

ate Minskys,

then we had our Christmas!

Aka, all the ladies exchanging things we bought each other at Bath & Body Works. Seriously – my mom and I bought each other the same candle. Steven said it was somewhat painful to watch us open each item and ooh and ahh over it and smell it and pass it around. Ha ha ha. Ha. Don’t worry, it wasn’t ALL Bath & Body Works.

After presents, Christina treated me, Mom, and Alyssa (our sister-in-law) to manicures! Can you tell which hand is mine?

Then we ran errands for the party, and picked up Chinese food for dinner! I got the tip on where to order from from a worker at Bath & Body Works <— yes, we have a problem.

Why did the restaurant ask if we were having a party? This is food for six people. Ha.

Sunday was all about the party (and a morning run with Dad, and Steven met a friend for breakfast)! After the party, we went to see my brother-in-law Andrew’s new office, and he encouraged me to write my signature equation on his whiteboard. Ha.

On Monday, I ran with Dad again! I feel lucky we got to work out so much together. It’s a treat for me to chat with him, one-on-one, for so long, uninterrupted by other things!

We also went to Mud Pie, then headed out around 11:30. And made the long-arse drive back home (three shifts this time). I’d say we were less punchy this drive, yay!

Something exciting happened on our drive – we saw a sun dog in person for the first time! I was so excited! It lasted for a couple hours, and became most prominent/beautiful right before sunset. I was only able to get a bad photo through the car window.

And… that was our trip! Ha. My post makes it sound like we didn’t do much, but we were busy the whole time! I hope we have more relaxation time during our next visit! And that we take more photos together!

Comments (19)

By kilax, January 16, 2018 8:33 am

William’s first birthday party was on Sunday at Christina and Will’s house in Kansas!

Will, William, and Christina

I loved the party theme – “Time Flies”! There were lots of plane details in the decorations, and in the food.

Each airplane closepin held up one of his one month photos! Recognize that blanket in the photos?

Somehow, PB&Js taste even better when cut in plane and cloud shapes! (There was a meat option, too)

The plane toys were a huge hit with the children (ha, and adult) guests!

We ate,

William ate his cupcake (they did a smash cake the day before his birthday the previous weekend),

and opened gifts!

We got him this roller coaster he had on his wishlist, because, duh. It’s for ages 2-5, so he uses it with an adult for now. It’s also fun for adults – you know we tried it!!!

It was great to visit with everyone at the party! Some of my family was there (my parents, and my older brother and his family),

and my in-laws came, too!

And of course, Christina and Will’s friends and some of Will’s family was there!

I was glad we had decent travel weather (for January) to go to Kansas City for the party. It was frigid and windy each day we traveled, but we didn’t have any issues with snow until we were two hours outside of Chicago on our way home yesterday. I would have been bummed to miss the party if the weather got in our way!

And back to the “Time Flies” theme – HOW is this little guy already ONE?! Craziness.

My snister and I are really close, and chat every day, and know everything that’s going on in each other’s lives. So I always know how William is doing and what he’s up to! But I wish we could all see each other more often. I miss them all!

Comments (17)

By kilax, January 15, 2018 9:22 pm

GUYS!

It happened! I completed my SMART goal for 2018 and ate one vegan donut!

I was an overachiever and drove much farther than from my house to Milwaukee to get one… I drove from my house all the way to Mud Pie, in Overland Park, Kansas. That’s 575 miles. One way. FOR ONE VEGAN DONUT.

SUCCESS ACHIEVED.

Okay, in truth, I was in Overland Park for a late holiday celebration, and my nephew’s first birthday party. My snister, Christina, mentioned that Mud Pie Vegan Bakery recently opened near her home. We were going to fit in going there if we had time during our packed visit together!

Also in truth, I didn’t recall that they had donuts. Christina has been sending me drool-worthy photos of everything she gets, but I could only recall a scone and a bar.

So we get there, and I see they have donuts, and I tell my mom and snis, “Oh! I can complete my one goal for 2018 today!” and they are like “huh?” Ha.

So to be 100% HONEST and TRANSPARENT and REAL… it felt half-assed. Like I didn’t put the work in. I let my snister do it (she even had a Groupon!). And then it just happened that they had vegan donuts. It wasn’t even planned.

And I got a scone and a bar, too. And a chai! The donut wasn’t even the focus of the trip!

I had built this goal up to mean SO much in my head, but now that it’s over, and that it happened so randomly, I feel a little sad about it. Sad about how it all went down. Sad that it was the only thing I was going to accomplish this year, and it’s already over.

Ugh. What to do. Eat more donuts? Focus on something else?!

Comments (4)

By kilax, January 14, 2018 9:01 pm

Highlight of the Week: Running with Dad!

Monday | January 8, 2018: 5 m run (incl. 8 hill repeats) + teaching strength class
Loc: hood, Temp: 34°/36°, Time: 49:08, Pace: 9:50 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great, annoyed with traffic
Strength: kettlebells, Airex pads, and partner work, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, hungry
Tuesday | January 9, 2018: 10 m run
Loc: 9th St/VP Woods Loop, Temp: 30°/28°, Time: 1:44:30, Pace: 10:27 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: awesome
Wednesday | January 10, 2018: rest
Thursday | January 11, 2018: 7 m run (incl. 4×800, 6×1:00) + 15 m ride
Loc: hood, Temp: 63°/64°, Time: 1:09:24, Pace: 9:55 avg, Difficulty: easy-ish, Felt: held back by the wind!
Indoor Ride Time: 56:15, Pace: 16.0 mph avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Friday | January 12, 2018: teaching strength class + 1,218 yd swim + 4 m run
Strength: Airex pads & kettlebell, + boxing, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, hungry
Loc: FitNation, Time: 25:46, Pace: 2:07 min/100 yd, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good
Loc: hood, Temp: 19°/18°, Time: 39:22, Pace: 9:50, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great, anxious to pack
Saturday | January 13, 2018: 5 m run (w/Dad)
Loc: Line Creek Trail, Temp: 12°/12°, Time: 53:50, Pace: 10:41 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: good, glad to run with Dad!
Sunday | January 14, 2018: 10.1 m run (w/Dad)
Loc: Line Creek Trail/Quivira Loop, Temp: 17°/18°, Time: 1:54:35, Pace: 11:21 avg, Difficulty: easy, Felt: great

Notes:

• I think there is some law of running that when you are doing hill repeats on a road, 50% of the time, there will be traffic when you need to turn. Gah. I was so happy to run outside Monday, but the traffic and wind made me a bit nuts!
• I have lost some weight (about 14%) and my run paces are dropping as a result of that. Yay!
• It was in the mid 60s when I did speedwork this week. Nutso! And it was quite windy, eek. My paces were all over, but it was nice to do speedwork outside in shorts!
• I didn’t think I’d get to run with my dad in Kansas City, because it was so cold, but he brought his bike and rode with me in the cold Saturday and on the snow/while it was still snowing on Sunday. YAY! I love my one on one time with Dad when I am running.

Link to Training Week 429

Comments (2)

By kilax, January 13, 2018 8:35 pm

… can’t wait for William’s party tomorrow!

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By kilax, January 12, 2018 7:38 am

I received all of these books as gifts, except Life’s Too Short To Go So F*cking Slow, which I bought myself.

What Made Maddy Run is about Madison Holleran, a college freshman and track athlete at University of Pennsylvania, whose death by suicide was a horrible shock to her loved ones and the college community. This story began as a column written by Kate Fagan for espnW, then Fagan developed it in to a book.

The book discusses Holleran’s story, Fagan’s story (she also struggled as a freshman college athlete), the pressure on young people, and suicide. I was mostly interested in Holleran’s story, not so much the author’s (ha, sorry), and found the insight on social media’s effect on young people (and everyone!) to be very interesting.

I struggled with keeping interest in some of the pages when it was copies of texts or chats, but other than that, the book held my interest. I recommend it! It leaves you with a lot to think about.

Life’s Too Short To Go So F*cking Slow is the story of Susan Lacke and her friend Carlos. In the beginning of the book, Lacke has just moved to Arizona as a newlywed, works at a university, and does not have her sh*t together. She is greatly intimidated by her boss, Carlos, who’s an orderly, hardass Ironman athlete.

One day Carlos tells her she is going to join him swimming the next day, and she goes. And keeps going. And becomes interested in swimming, cycling, then running. Eventually she starts doing triathlons. Carlos keeps pushing her, and doesn’t put up with her whiny bullsh*t. They develop a unique relationship that she cherishes. This book documents stories from their years of friendship.

Yeah, that’s a horrible description, ha, but this read was super quick and enjoyable! I finished it in just a few hours. If you like relationship stories, you’ll like this.

I saw an interview with Louise Green in Bicycling Magazine, and I enjoyed it, and it mentioned her book, Big Fit Girl, so I put it on my wishlist without looking it to it too much. Oops. I was hoping it would be more story-based, but it seems more like a “rah rah, love your body”/inspirational kind of book, with some reference information in it, and it’s not for me. I didn’t get very far.

Something similar happened with Race Everything by Bart Yasso. I tried to read it, but it was too reference-y, with lots of training plans, and tips, and not very much story telling (although there is some!). I think I should be reading Yasso’s book My Life on the Run, instead. Again, my bad!