Just a quick update

Ok, so it’s been a while since my last post (again). I really enjoy writing this blog, the problem is just that writing involved staring at a computer screen and that is what I’m doing about 90% of the time I’m at work which, right now, is the case about 50% of my waking hours. So I’m sure you understand that the rest of the time (when I’m not at work) I prefer doing something that does not involve a computer. Like training for a triathlon, for example. So it’s those rare moments like right now when work is slowing down that I have time to write something during work hours – don’t tell my boss :)

Anyway, let me just give you an overview of what I’ve been up to lately. To say that I’m training for a triathlon right now is actually a bit exaggerated. Yes, I’m walking, biking and swimming several times every week but it doesn’t really feel like ‘training’ at the moment. OK, maybe the swimming but biking and walking feel more like hobbies than serious training. 

Running

Well, technically there is no running. My back if finally getting better and I don’t want to screw it up again right away. So I’m walking. I actually quite enjoy it. While running is very exhausting and sweaty etc. walking is much more relaxing. Especially after a long, busy day at the office I find it very relaxing to go for a walk. I’ll do that about twice a week at the moment. I might start running again in a few weeks but for now I’m good with just walking.

Biking

Another thing that is actually more relaxing that exercising right now. I go for a bike right about twice a week and really enjoy it. Usually I do about 8-10km. I just bought a new car on the weekend and it came with a bike rack so now I might actually take the bike out of the city sometime to go for a ride somewhere nice :)

Swimming

This is where it gets a bit more serious. You might remember from my previous post that I was struggling to find the right swimming style. Well, I have now decided that I’m gonna do breast stroke. It might not be the fastest or most efficient way to do it but it’s what I’m comfortable with. I tried freestyle a couple of times but I have to concentrate a lot to get the coordination right and actually end up being slower than swimming breast stroke. On the other hand, breast stroke just comes natural and I enjoy it much more. Generally I really enjoy swimming. I usually go twice a week and already notice that I’m getting better. At the moment I do a few runs of 200meters with little break in between. I think altogether I do about 700-800 meters ‘serious’ swimming each time I’m at the pool. By the end of March I want to be able to do at least 600m in one go.

Well, that’s about where I am at this stage. Oh, and did I mention that I also do three gym (weights) session per week? So you can see I’m quite active at the moment. And I’m really enjoying it (except for the getting up at 6am three times a week part).

More to come soon ….

The Triathlon Challenge Part I – Swimming

This is probably gonna be the hardest part of the whole triathlon for a number of reasons. First of all it requires walking around in public in a swimsuit which is a bit of a challenge in itself. Most of the time, these days, I generally like what I see when I look into the mirror (especially compared to what I used to see). Sometimes when I’m walking past a reflecting window I even think to myself ‘damn you look good girl’ (it’s a little arrogant, I know. But what the hell …). However, in a swimsuit that is still a completely different story. J

Furthermore, I haven’t done any actual swimming in over 10 year (not counting splashing around in the ocean). So in a way I have to re-learn swimming. I still know the basic techniques but I’m very rusty. I could do the other parts (3km run and 10km biking) separately right now relatively comfortably. But swimming 300meter is a different story. So there is a lot of training required to make sure I’m gonna be able to swim 300meter AND then bike 10km AND run 3km. 

So, how do you train swimming? Well, theoretically it’s easy. You hope in the poll and start swimming. And that’s basically what I did last weekend. But then the question was; what swimming style do I use? Here in NZ most people are swimming freestyle (it seems to be the most common style). And when you watch triathlon swimmers on TV they are all using freestyle as well. There must be a reason for that!? However, I always used to swim breaststroke back in the days so that’s what I feel most comfortable with. But it’s also quite hard and mush slower then freestyle. My favorite style is backstroke (because your head stays over water the whole time = no unwanted water inrushes). However, the problem with backstroke is that you don’t see where you’re going which could be a bit of a problem when you’re swimming together with dozens of other amateur triathletes. And it’s all good when I’m swimming inside because you can use the ceiling as a way of knowing if you’re still going straight but on the open water with nothing but the sky above me I would probably end up swimming in circles (which would look very funny but wouldn’t be very efficient J)

So I tried to swim freestyle (just cause that’s what everyone else was doing) but that was kind of harder than I thought. Couple of issue:

1. Swimming straight: I seem to be drawn to the left and kept getting into oncoming ‘traffic’ (let’s just say I didn’t exactly make a lot of new friends at the pool that day)
2. Breathing: Ideally you breath in while your head is over water to the side and then breath out under water - easier said than done and the consequences of doing it the other way around are quite dramatic (as I have learnt)
3. Coordination: Moving your arm and legs to initiate the ‘forward’ movement while moving your head sideways to breath. Again, easier said than done (took quite a bit of concentration).

So here are my option: (1) Use breaststrokes even thought it seems to be the most exhausting, (2) use backstrokes and risk swimming in circles and being disqualified for knocking out some of the competition due to not seeing them or (3) learn how to swim freestyle. 

I have decided to give the freestyle a chance and if that doesn’t work I’ll figure out something else. I bought swimming goggles so I can keep my eyes open which will hopefully help with the swimming straight issue and the breathing and coordination will hopefully come with practice. 

I will let you know how I get on ….

A 'mini' Triathlon

So I have decided that I need a new challenge. Something to work towards, a goal that motivates me. But what to do? The obvious choice would have been another long running event but there are two issues with that. Firstly, my physio therapist kind of advised against it until all my back and knee issues are really healed and secondly, it seems a little bit boring. I feel like I need something new.

The other day I saw a flyer for the Contract TriWomen Series.

This is series of ‘mini’ triathlons just for fun (there is not 1^st, 2^nd, ... price it’s all just about participating). And as the name already suggests, it’s just for women (probably because men couldn't do something like this just for fun and would turn it into a competition anyway). While triathlon can refer to pretty much any combination of any three sports, this is the most common sequence with swimming, biking, and running. Triathlons vary in distances, the most famous is probably the Ironman (3.86 km swim, 180.25 km bike and 42.195 km run) – no worries, I have no intention to do an Ironman anytime soon ;-)

The contact TriWomen races are much, much shorter. The one I’m looking at right now would be something around 300meter swim, 10km bike and 3km run (the exact distance haven’t been confirmed yet). While I can do the biking and running part (separately) relatively comfortable right now the 300meter swimming is a bit more of a challenge. While I learnt to swim as a kid and did some regular swimming classes when I was younger, I haven’t really done any swimming in more than 10 years. My gym as a small 25meter pool and last weekend I went just to find out if I can still swim at all. Good news is I still know how to do it. The bad news is that I was puffing hard after about 100meter ;-) I might have been able to swim 300meter (in a ‘my life depends on it’ situation) but no way could I’ve done a 10km bike AND a 3km run afterwards.

So a ‘mini’ triathlon seems like a perfect challenge at this time. It’s definitely not gonna be easy but it is totally doable. It’s not a huge challenge like the half marathon last year but it is a goal and it does require regular training.

The event I’m looking at right now is on the 9^th of April which gives me 9 weeks to get ready.

Yeah, so that’s my new challenge ;-)

The next step now is to figure out how to train for a triathlon – will keep you posted.

Oh, and if you want to find out more about the Contact TriWomen Series you can visit their website http://www.tri.co.nz/.

I need a new challenge

The frequent follower of this blog might have noticed that I’m not really writing much lately. I wish I could say people have been complaining but besides my family no one really seems to care whether I’m blogging or not :-)

However, I really enjoy the writing and am quite keen to keep this blog going. I was just kind of lacking inspiration lately. I started this blog to write about my half-marathon experience and really enjoyed that. But now that is over and I don’t really have anything exciting to write about. Which is not good cause basically it means there is nothing exciting going on in my life. It’s pretty much work, eat sleep, gym, work, eat, sleep, gym,…. Not very exciting!

So, I need a new challenge! URGENTLY! It doesn’t have to be something as huge has a half marathon, just something to keep things interesting. Another long running event is not really an option right now. First I sprained my knee while still training for the marathon and then I apparently strained a vertebra as well sometime last year which then healed kind of wrong and caused some significant pain and some sleepless nights. I was having some back pain for a while but just didn’t really take it seriously. But a few weeks ago it got really bad. I would wake up around 4am every morning and could go back to sleep because my back was hurting so much. It was kind of productive for a while (you can get a lot done between 4-6am) but after a while it was just really annoying. So I went back to my favorite Physio Therapist and she told me I had sprained a Vertebra a while back and it healed kind of weird hence the pain. It’s actually not that bad though. When she said sprained vertebra I already saw myself sitting in a wheelchair but turns out a couple of massages and some stretching would fix me.

I’m still having some issues with my back but it’s getting better and I hope after a couple more physio sessions I will be back to normal. These types of injuries are apparently typical for runners, especially those that have a tendency to overdo it a little (like going from fat girl to marathon runner in 12 months). But the good news is, I don’t have to give up running altogether, I just should try to limit it a little and do some lower impact exercising as well. At the moment I’m just walking about 4-5km 3-4 times a week but once the back is alright again I will try to get back into running.

However, I also just bought a bike! Biking is much less stressful for joints etc. so for people who have injuries like sprained knees and vertebra it’s a good alternative to running. Growing up in Germany I always had a bike and used it a lot (before I had a driver’s license that is) and I kind of like the idea of being able to just bike somewhere on the weekend. The only problem is that Auckland is quite hilly (especially compared to the area of Germany where I grew up) so I’m not sure how the biking thing is really gonna work long-term. So I decided for now I’m just gonna buy a cheap used bike of Trademe (NZ’s answer to e-bay – for the none-Kiwis among you). Buying a bike over the internet is not quite that simple, especially getting the size right. And in fact, the bike I bought is a little bit small. But it will do for now and if I really do get into biking I can invest into a better, larger one.

So basically my workouts right now consist of gym session, some walking and now some biking. That’s all good, but also kind of boring. I need a challenge, some sort of goal to work towards.

Truth is, I already have a pretty good idea what that challenge could be. But I’m not gonna tell you yet ;-) Just building up some excitement. Maybe you want to guess….

I will write another post in the next few days to let you know I’m up to and why, but right now I’m running out of time (I’m still at the office and need to get ready for another meeting - and just in case your thinking ‘is she allowed to write blog posts during working hours’, let me just tell you that regular working hours ended about 20 minutes ago and I’m still here because I’ve got a late meeting with some people in India at 6.30). So, got to go now, but will fill you in on my new plans soon…

The ‘tooth brushing’ trick

Today I’m gonna share a funny little trick with you.

It falls more in the ‘diet’ category then in the ‘exercising’ category. See, one of my biggest problems when it comes to healthy eating is to be good in the evenings. Eating healthy during the day is usually relatively easy. I’m busy and have a certain routine. I eat my breakfast, go to work, eat the lunch I have prepared, have some fruit or veggies in the afternoon … I’m not even tempted by the cakes and stuff at the place where I usually go in the afternoons to get a coffee.
After I get home in the evenings, that is when the real challenge starts. That’s when I’m craving chocolate and other unhealthy stuff. I usually try to make a healthy dinner right after I get home, to make sure I’m eating something ‘good’ before my brain really has time to develop any cravings for something else. But that only works to some extent. I might not be hungry anymore after dinner but I still have cravings ;-)

And that is where the ‘tooth brushing’ trick comes into play. If I brush my teeth right after dinner (instead of right before I go to bed as I usually do) it somehow is easier to control the cravings. I think it’s partly due to the taste of tooth paste - which is not exactly suggesting chocolate (-: But I’m thinking it’s also sort of a psychological thing. Kind of like my brain unconsciously knows NO FOOD AFTER BRUSHING TEETH.

I know it sounds silly but you should try it sometime. It doesn’t always work but most of the time it does ;-)

Struggling to get back on track

We’re already almost a whole week into 2011! Unbelievable how fast time is going by. For so long I was looking forward to my Christmas break, to going home to Germany to see my family and to spending New Year’s Eve at the Coromandel with my friends. And now it’s already all over and I’m back in the office, back in ‘real’ life.

But I’m struggling to get back into my routine. Last year I had this really good eating healthy and exercising regularly rhythm. Getting up at 6am 3 times a week to go to the gym before work and then cooking healthy food (or reheating yesterday’s healthy leftovers) in the evenings. It was kind of just routine and I didn’t think much about it, I just did it. Now I have to get back into that routine but that is easier said than done.

I have done so well last year that I decided to reward myself and take it easy over the holidays. Going to Germany for Christmas I knew there would be no way that I can stick to that healthy lifestyle. German food (especially the likes of chocolate and cakes) are just too good and are just everywhere around this time of the year. And right after my return to NZ I went camping with friends for a few days and that also included some chips, drinks and generally not exactly super healthy food. So I never planned to lose any weight during this period. The plan was to maintain but the realist in me already planned for a 1-2 kg weight gain. And that’s about what it ended up being.

Now I have to get rid of those extra 2 kg again as well as another 10-12kg. And as with so many things, getting started is the hardest and I’m really struggling with it right now.

Today is my 5th day back in Auckland and my 3rd day back at work but I still haven’t been back to the gym once. I just can’t get out of bed in the morning. And in the evenings after work it’s just too hot. I’ve been going for walks in the evenings, telling myself that I’m slowly easing back into my workout routine but sooner or later I will just have to get serious about it and get my butt back to the gym.

And the healthy eating thing is also only slowing getting back on track. It’s actually kind of scary how quickly I fall back into old habits. Mainly a habit of eating when I’m not hungry just cause the food is there. And a habit of telling myself that I will start eating healthy again ‘tomorrow’. I’m scarily good at convincing myself that one more day of crappy eating doesn’t make a difference and that I will be ‘good’ again tomorrow. And then tomorrow comes and I tell myself the same thing. For a smart girl it is amazing how stupid I can be sometimes :-).

I think one of the most important things for me in these situations in to keep hopping on the scales every morning and recording the weight. If I stop doing that it gets so much easier to lie to myself and ignore the truth. I also have to drag myself back to my weekly weight watchers meeting next week. I skipped this week but as of next week I will be back, no matter what the scales say.

I’ve come so far last year and I’m sure as hell not gonna give up now. I just need to give myself a bit of a kick in the ass and tackle those remaining 12-14kg.

Still no running ....

It’s been 2 ½ weeks since my half marathon and I’m still not back to running. Why? Well, because me knee is still hurting every now and then and the Physio said I should wait until I have been without pain for at least 5 days before I start running again. She said these kinds of injuries are tricky because once you have them they are really hard to get rid of permanently. And starting training too early after an injury is pretty much the safest way to ensure you will never fully recover ;-)

So right now I’m going to the gym 3 times a week in the mornings. I do strength training (taking it easy with the workouts that put stress on my knee) and I do some cardio on the bike. Apparently riding the bike is good when you have knee injuries because it trains the muscles but because you’re sitting it’s low impact – unlike running! I also try to go for walks at least 2 or 3 times a week which is actually really nice because we have been having absolutely beautiful spring weather and I walk either in One Tree Hill which is a park just a few minutes from where I live or I go somewhere to the waterfront, like Mission Bay, and walk there. So in a way I’m enjoying taking it a bit easier after all the full on marathon training. But at the same time I’m getting a little impatient and nervous.

In a way it is totally stupid. I’m still working out 3 times a week and I’m doing active stuff on weekends like walking so compared to what I used to do most of the past 26 years it’s pretty damn good. And the weight loose has continued to go well, too. I was a bit concerned that when I started reducing the amount of work outs the weight loose would slow down or I would have to change my eating habits but it all worked out really well. I’m eating a little less carbs then I did in the last weeks of marathon training but besides that my diet is still the same and I’m still losing weight at about the same rate than before. So technically it is all going well and there really is no reason to stress or be in a rush to get back to running.

But for some reason I’m very anxious about not running. It’s kind of like I’m scared to fall back into old habits. I had this really good rhythm before the half marathon, it was like a routine I didn’t have to think about. I had my running days and my gym days and a plan for how much I would do each day and all I had to do was follow that plan. Now all the sudden there is so much more flexibility and it’s so easy to trick myself into thinking it doesn’t matter if I don’t work out today, I can just do it tomorrow and what difference makes a day. You’re probably thinking I’m totally overreacting and you’re probably right ;-) I should just relax and take it easy for a while until the knee has recovered and then start running again slowly. Too bad patience is not exactly my strong suit ;-)