My 2nd NJ Gran Fondo

Hello everyone! Do you remember my super duper 107 mile Gran Fondo last year? Well I did the same event again this year last Sunday, September 8, 2013, but a shorter course. My friend and I decided over the winter that we'd do the Medio course this year instead so we wouldn't have to kill ourselves with all the training we'd need to do for the grueling full length Gran course. It turned out to be a really smart decision for us for a bunch of reasons, but most importantly because we really didn't have the opportunity to train much at all beyond our regular 20-40 mile rides once or twice a week. We each also put in solo 50 mile rides while the other was away on vacation, but that was pretty much it. We still did well, though!

At the start line, ready to roll!

The Medio course in the NJ Gran Fondo event was named one of "The 50 Best Rides in America" by Bicyling Magazine in 2012, so even though it was just under 63 miles [99 km], it's a pretty intense course with over 5200 ft. elevation gain-- a lot of climbing!

Speaking of climbing, the best part of the day for me, which was also the most difficult, was the first category 4 climb that always kicks my butt. The climb is about 2.4 miles long, but it's the last mile of the climb that's killer. It ranges from from 8% to 13% elevation for the entire last mile. Oh man, it's tough. The good part about this climb on Sunday was 1 - feeling so good mentally that I actually DID IT and 2 - the ego boost I got from passing the men who were walking their bikes up the hill! Oh I wanted to stop... but I didn't! Yay for me!!!

That climb is at the 24 mile mark of the course and by the time we got to the 45 mile mark or so, our legs were getting pretty tired from all the hills. But we were rock stars and finished strong with a total cycle time of 4:43:27.

My friend (and cycling partner) and I
at the finish line.

My lovely friend Mari, who is a fellow NJ blogger and athlete (go visit her blog.. she's got a Fondo post up, too!), saw my the photo to the left that I posted on instagram after picking up my race packet the Friday before and was inspired to join the Fondo at practically the last minute! She pulled her hybrid bike out of the garage (not a road bike), got it tuned up, bought herself a helmet and rode the entire Medio course on her own! Talk about inspiring, right? She's AMAZING! We were texting over the weekend and she found me at the start line where we had this cute photo of us snapped before we headed out onto the course. I took the liberty to spiff it up with some fun graphics to play tribute to her sense of adventure. ;)

Mari and I at start line!

What about you.. what kind of fitness adventures have you been on lately?

I'm linking this post up over at Joy Weese Moll's blog where she hosts a weekly blog meme for Readers' Workouts. Head on over and check it out.. it's a great way to stay connected, inspired and motivated with other bloggers (most of who happen to also love books and reading) who are working out for pleasure and health. All fitness levels are welcome!

My First Gran Fondo!

Yesterday was the big day--I participated in my very first Gran Fondo and finished with a wonderful sense of accomplishment and a smile on my face. If you're unfamiliar with the term, a Gran Fondo is a mass participation bike event that is typically a century (100 miles) or longer and is also typically held annually. It is not a race, although some Gran Fondos such as this one, have timed sections. In the case of this Fondo, the four toughest climbs were timed. The Fondo I did yesterday was the 2nd annual NJ Gran Fondo and covered 107.4 miles with 9110 ft. of elevation gain throughout the course. That's a lot of climbing!

I had been training for this long ride for months now with my friend and cycling partner. We have been riding rolling hills and climbs since I started biking, and this spring we even ventured out onto the Fondo route to practice some even tougher ones. Prior to yesterday, the longest ride I had done was 70 miles, so you can imagine I had some trepidation about riding 107 miles in the Fondo. But I did it! I want to say it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be... but it was. lol! Yet.. I handled the mental part better than I expected AND in the end, as exhausted as I was and as tired and achy my legs were those last 15 miles or so.. I felt pretty darned good crossing that finish line. :)

Up at 4 am to eat, use the bathroom multiple teams and pack my gear into the car.

What I ate: 1 egg, scrambled
                  1/2 cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese
                  4 oz. orange juice
                  4 oz. vitamin water
                  1/2 a peach

At the 2012 NJ Gran Fondo START
waiting... 

We were on the road by 5:30 am and arrived at the start line by 6:40 am or so ready to ride. I was really nervous in the morning, but after we were all geared up and at the start area, I did calm down a little.

On my bike: Two 24 oz. water bottles, both 2 parts vitamin water and 1 part water

What I ate: 1/3 Apple pie Larabar

MILE 0 START 
After a 15 minute delay the ride finally started at 7:15 am. It was pretty fun riding through the streets of downtown Morristown in a big pack of cyclists. The sound of bikes whizzing through the streets and I was a part of it! After about 5 minutes into the ride, I wasn't nervous at all anymore. Yay!

The route was pretty crowded with cyclists for at least the first 20 miles. Not so crowded that it felt dangerous, but there were always riders around you. A lot different than when Maureen and I ride out there alone in the wee hours of weekend mornings!

MILE 15
I collided with a bee and it stung me right on the face along my jawline! OUCH!!!! I hadn't been stung by a bee in a really long time. It freaking hurts! The stinging lasted at least 30 minutes and it even felt numb after a while. It did subside, but even now it stings a little and itches, too.

I took this photo somewhere between mile 15 and 20 while riding. We had just turned onto this flat road and it was a low key moment. There were quite a few times on the ride after this when I wished I could take a picture, but I was too focused on riding or too tired or plain just didn't want to stop. So here's my one photo of actual biking going on. ;)

On the road.
NJ Gran Fondo, September 9, 2012

MILE 20 Rest Stop. 9:06 am
This first rest stop was really crowded. We made quick work of using the porta potties and grabbed some food.

What I ate: 1/2 peanut butter sandwich
                  2/3 Apple Larabar

MILE 43 Rest Stop. 10:51 am
This rest stop was past the turn off for riders who were doing the shorter versions of the Gran Fondo so from here on all the riders were in for the long haul of 107.4 miles. This rest stop was less crowded, but we still didn't stay long. Grabbed some more food and topped our water bottles with powerade and water. I usually dilute sports drinks while I'm riding to 2 parts sports drink to 1 part water.

What I ate: handful of grapes
                  1/2 a peach
                  3 orange wedges
                  1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwich

We were now on parts of the route I have never ridden. In fact, I haven't even been in this area of New Jersey in a car! Beautiful countryside, although I have to admit for the most part I was focused on cycling and not sight seeing. I did get a little bit of a cramp in my side after the above mentioned rest stop, but I think maybe it was too much food or too much acidity with the oranges and the peach. I felt better after mile 50 or so.

MILE 63 Rest Stop. 12:23 pm.
Past the mid mark of the route! Yay! Two timed climbs behind us and two more to go. By now I was getting hot and my back started to feel a little uncomfortable, so I was hoping to find some shade to sit and stretch a little. However, this rest stop was in a huge open area with no shade! A parking lot surrounded by grass with no trees and it was probably the hottest part of the day at this point. We parked our bikes, which means we laid them down in the grass. Some guy next to us was putting on sunscreen and I asked if I could have a squirt. I applied sunscreen at 6:30 am but I didn't bring any along and all of a sudden I knew that was a mistake. This guy gave me his tube of sunscreen! How nice is that. I offered it to other people when I was done but no one wanted it. Honestly, he saved me from a sunburn. I got more color to my skin by the end of this day than I had all summer long. I would have been burned if I hadn't reapplied sunscreen here. Again, we moved on after topping off our water bottles and fueling up.

What I ate: 4 orange wedges
                  2 bites of a banana
                  handful of grapes
                  1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwich

MILE 80 Rest Stop: 2:04 pm
Back in familiar territory since mile 70 or so, I can picture the rest of the ride in my mind and it's doable, even though I'm starting to feel pretty tired. This rest stop is low on food but I manage to force myself to eat some more. Nothing is really appealing anymore. I had read that there was going to be gelato at the rest stops and I'm wondering where the heck it is at this point because I want it. Oh and I use the porta potty here and guess what? I got my period! Okay now I'm feeling pretty freaking amazing. I'm at mile 80 of a 107 mile ride and I JUST GOT MY PERIOD. I AM WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR! And whimper a little, but mostly roar. At least it wasn't raining, right? In the meantime, my family texts me the cutest picture ever of the three of them and a 'You can do it!' cheer and I actually get choked up. We ate a little, topped our water bottles, and were off.

What I ate: handful of hot grapes [who leaves grapes out in the sun??]
                  1 anzac cookie.

MILE 93 Rest Stop. 3:28 pm
We debated whether or not we were going to stop at this one or just ride straight through the last 14 miles, but I was in front and signaled to my partner that we were stopping. We pulled into the parking lot and I told her I just wanted to quickly check if they had gelato here. If not we could move on right away. She said she just knew that's what I was after. Hey, I do not deny my love and desire for frozen desserts! Lo and behold they had gelato! Finally!

Blueberry swirl pop at Mile 93 :)

What I ate: 1 fabulous gelato pop.
                  {Blueberry swirl.}
                  1 handful of grapes
                  4 orange wedges
                  1/3 Blueberry muffin Larabar






We set off on the last leg of our ride and now we were really fatigued. At this point, my legs started to ache but knowing we were so close to the end helped me get back on that bike and keep going. Let me tell you they made us work for that finish line, though, because we were still climbing hills up until about a mile before the finish. I'm not kidding.

MILE 107.4 FINISH LINE 4:37 pm

WE DID IT!!!!!! I finished with very tired, achy legs but felt pretty darned thrilled with what I accomplished today. I'm really happy about the whole experience and would definitely do it again.

Self portrait at finish line.
NJ Gran Fondo, September 9, 2012

We biked 107.4 miles in 8:04:25. That's 8 hours, 4 minutes and 25 seconds.
We were out on the course for about 9 hours and 19 minutes, including the time spent at rest stops. That's approximately 15 minutes spent at each rest stop.

I burned approximately 4670 calories.

I and my friend & cycling partner at finish line.
NJ Gran Fondo, September 9, 2012

Ignore the fact that one of my arms is two shades paler than the other!!! Lighting issues. We are standing in dappled sunlight beneath a city tree in the sidewalk. It's true! ;)

Would you believe we actually got back on our bikes and rode through the parking deck to find our car? Uphill in the parking deck, too! I had to laugh at that.

On the way home I finished any food I had on me--which wasn't much!-- and most of my drinks. Interestingly, we weren't that hungry when we were finished.

What I ate: 2/3 Blueberry muffin Larabar

At home, my family came out to the driveway when I pulled in and greeted me with smiles, hugs, kisses and congratulations. They are my best support team! My oldest even baked sugar cookies for me, which I sampled right away. After telling them tales from my ride for a good 20 minutes and a glorious shower, we had Thai take out for dinner and then some homemade pistachio ice cream that I made on Saturday just for after the Fondo. It was amazing!

Thank you all for your support, encouragement and cheers along the way of this journey. If there is one lesson I can pass on to you, it is to not be afraid to try something new, even something difficult that you could never imagine yourself doing. Decide to do it, set some realistic goals and get out there and do it. Because if I can decide to bike 107 miles and get out there and do it . . . so can you. Don't believe me? Just think, less than three years ago I wrote a post titled BIKE IS A FOUR LETTER WORD. Today I wrote a post titled MY FIRST GRAN FONDO!

Believe in yourself. xo

Gran Fondo TODAY!

Me, my bike and 107 miles of road. Let's do this!

I'm going to try to document the day with photos and brief comments on twitter and instagram and maybe facebook. You can follow me on twitter via @ChristineA and on instagram via @thehappilyeverafter. I'll also try to remember to use the hashtag #NJGranFondo.

You can see the NJ Gran Fondo course HERE.

See you at the finish line! :)

One Gran Fondo, Coming Up!

Almost sounds like a coffee order, doesn't it? ;)

Some of you may recall that I participated in my first sprint triathlon last September? Like I'd let you forget. ;) You may also recall me mentioning that my best event in the tri was the biking. Whereas I placed in the 23rd percentile overall, in the individual events I was slightly above average in the running, a bit below average in the swimming, and I managed to kick butt in the biking placing in the 4th percentile! I was surprised and thrilled with this achievement. I decided very shortly after the tri to focus on my strength and maybe sign up to do a biking event in 2012. One of my friends wanted to do the same thing so we decided back in September 2011 to do the 2nd annual NJ Gran Fondo that takes place in September 2012. A Gran Fondo is an Italian name typically used in the United States to describe a mass-participation cycling event that is usually held annually and usually a century [100 miles or 161 km] or longer. The 2012 NJ Gran Fondo is 107.4 miles [171 km] and 9108 ft [2766 m] of elevation gain. And IT'S NEXT SUNDAY!

Okay so if you've been paying attention to my monthly adventure posts, I've been reporting the miles I and my friend [and cycling partner] have put into training for the upcoming Fondo. We rode all winter long, nearly every Saturday or Sunday as long as there was no rain or snow falling and temperatures were above freezing. Those mornings when the temperature hovered around the freezing mark, we didn't ride more than an hour or two, 20-30 miles maximum. Then as winter gave way to spring, we started riding longer and more frequently. Then we threw in some even longer rides, up to 70 miles [112.7 km] or so. Once the kids were out of school we started riding early on weekday mornings as well. We also rode sections of the actual Fondo course a few times, including the toughest climb which still kicks my butt.

A few weeks ago, while my cycling partner was on vacation, I did a 63 mile ride [The Medio Fondo named Best Ride in New Jersey by Bicycling Magazine!] with three women I had never met before [I found them through an email contact in a local tri women training group from last year]. It took a lot of courage for me to do this. So many unknowns involved--riding with strangers, a route I've never done before, my comparative skill and endurance levels, and so on. But I did it and it was eye-opening and humbling. I struggled on and off to keep up with the pace of the group on this ride, both with speed and endurance. It was not my longest ride to date, but it was certainly the most challenging. It seemed there was always a hill in front of us. The course did have more elevation gain in the 63 miles [5400 ft.] than I had ever done in a single ride before, so at least it gave me a clue why I had such a hard time. But this route was clearly indicative of the entire Fondo and all I could think was, "I am in TROUBLE!" :(

Needless to say, after this ride, I started to doubt my ability to complete the Fondo. My anxiety went through the roof and I admit I even shed a few tears because of it. I can hear my cycling partner in my head as I type this: "No crying in cycling!" She's right! There should never be a reason to cry doing a sport you enjoy. I really need to learn to relax and just go with the flow and not worry. Why do I get so worked up over biking. This is supposed to be fun! Not stressful! I've been working very hard on that in the last two weeks and feel better today than I did two weeks ago after that grueling ride. I really believe our mind is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal. That whole mind over matter thing... that having a positive attitude really plays a roll in our success.

My new bike pedals

Oh and getting bike shoes and clipless pedals helped too. Yeah, I'm embarrassing to admit, but for the last three years since I started cycling, I have been using regular sneakers and toe cages [straps and clips] on the pedals. I have been too chicken to get the proper set up on my bike, not to mention the expense. But my sweet husband picked up on my anxiety and that I wanted to get bike shoes and new pedals, but I was scared of the change and scared of falling and is it smart to make this change with less than three weeks to the Fondo, etc., and he bought me new bike shoes and pedals two days later for an anniversary gift! It took me a couple of days to get up my nerve to try it, but after 30 minutes in an empty parking lot and just one fall, I got the hang of it. Now I've been riding around for the last week as if I always had them. :)

So for the next week, the plan is to take it easy exercise wise--nothing strenuous. Maybe just an easy ride or two to keep warmed up so to speak, but not fatigued. Absolutely nothing on Saturday and maybe nothing on Friday, either. Aside from that, the rest of my focus will be to relax mentally. No anxiety, no worries. I'm going to finish the ride. I'm ready. I'm going to feel happy about the whole thing.

As long as it doesn't rain. :|

And I don't get my period next weekend. :/

What kinds of activities cause you stress? How do you manage your anxiety?

Have you ever biked a century or Fondo? What advice can you give a first timer?

Hello July! ..What Happened in June?!

Holy smokes it's July 4th already! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and the fireworks were spectacular by you.. whether you saw them at the park or made some of your own at home. ; )

Well, I sure am starting to sound like a broken record, but dang it.. life has been busy, leaving me too few minutes in the day to read or blog and blog hop as much as I'd like. I thought the school year was never going to end there for a while, but it finally did on June 20. I swear we were the last schools in session in the whole country by then. Both girls brought home awesome report cards. My youngest ended 7th grade with all A's and a few B's.. honors in several of her classes, high honors in Language Arts. That's my girl! My oldest finished 11th grade--her junior year with a stellar report card. Also A's and a scarce B, most of her courses being honors and honors AP courses. She did so well, she boosted her overall GPA a smidgen and now has over a 4.0 GPA! YES! My girls are some smart cookies! So proud. ^_^

I imagined summer break was going to be lazy, easy, breezy, but alas it's been quite hectic. All good things, but my time management skills are forever a work in progress so I'm not very methodical about getting stuff done. Everything always seems half finished and I can't seem to carve out a decent block of time for myself to read or blog. I always think I'll get to it in the evening after dinner, but I don't know what happens. Well, I do know. I end up being too tired to be on the computer, so I decide to read instead, which ends up being pitiful anyway because I fall asleep after just a few pages. It's a vicious cycle.

My youngest is away at sleep away camp for the first time ever this week. We were busy getting ready for that last week, including packing, shopping for some supplies and getting a physical, etc. No phone calls to or from camp are allowed unless it's an emergency. It drives me batty not being in touch with my kid, but I'm trying not to worry about the little things and trying instead to picture her having a great time, making new friends, trying new things and basically having a really positive experience. I admit I'm looking forward to picking her up on Saturday.. seeing her face, hugging her and hearing all about her adventures.

My oldest landed a nice nanny/babysitting job three days a week for a family with three young girls... ages 10, 8 and 4, I believe. Even though it's a lot of work caring for and playing with the girls, taking them to the pool and activities, I'm not sure who's having more fun here... the little girls or my teen! She loves it. She's also in Volleyball training three nights a week and on her days off from babysitting she's out and about with her friends or her boyfriend. Never a dull moment.

Before I forget, here's a quick look at what I was up to in June. My memory's already getting fuzzy. :/

In fitness & health: 
My workout schedule has been pretty similar each week lately. Strength training, a weekly kickbox class, running and biking. I've spent most of my workout time on the bike, having ridden 274.6 miles in June! My longest single ride was 70.4 miles which was nearly five hours of cycling. Boy, was I tired that day!

I finished June with 133+ fitness challenge miles where 1 fitness mile = 1 mile run = 15 minutes of other cardio or strength training.

I have also been participating in the weekly Reader's Workout Meme hosted by Joy. Check it out over at her blog if you're interested in joining in. It's a low-key, casual thing.. and very welcoming. In the Reader's Workout Meme, some of the participants are tracking their exercise in total minutes spent exercising. I clocked in with 1884 minutes in June or 31 hours and 24 minutes! That averages to about 63 minutes a day. Not bad!

I recently recommitted myself [again, I know] to losing 20-25 lbs. between now and Thanksgiving. I'm working on a few aspects of my diet plus I want to add more strength training to my weekly workout plan. I'll keep you posted.

What did you do to keep moving last month?

In books: 
I read only five books in June.. I guess it's indicative of how busy I was with other things last month. Still, the five books I read were pretty darned good so I'm not complaining!

Romance .............. 4
                  Historical .... 3
                  Paranormal...1
Children's Lit........1

1. The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie by Jennifer Ashley
2. Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley
3. Odd And The Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
4. Tangle of Need by Nalini Singh
5. Caine's Reckoning by Sarah McCarty

My favorites are The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie and Tangle of Need--both books get five stars from me.

What noteworthy books did you read in June?

In photography: 
I had fun participating in a photo-a-day challenge hosted by the Fat Mum Slim blog, or @fatmumslim on twitter. The fun daily prompts helped me stay on track taking a picture every day and the best part? I made some new friends on Instagram! Yay! :) I've decided to do the #photoadayJuly challenge too. As well as a fun daily picture challenge for book-mided people hosted by Cassandra at Indie Reader Houston. You can follow this challenge on twitter or instagram using the #dailybookpic hash tag.

Come back later for my favorite photos from my Project 366.. [I'll post them in the morning.]

As always, you can follow my photography challenges on http://web.stagram.com/n/thehappilyeverafter .

In the garden: 
I finally finished the new vegetable garden. For the most part, anyway. You're never going to believe this.. but I'm not so crazy with this location anymore. I think I might be re-re-establishing my vegetable garden to the backyard next year. So indecisive, I know. In the meantime, at least I have some tomato plants in the ground and growing! Finally! I'll edit pictures into this post tomorrow.. I want to post this now before I delay it another day. And it's time for me to get my beauty sleep. Zzzzz...

Thanks for reading about my June adventures. Here's wishing you a jubilant July! ^_^

My May Adventures

If you stopped by looking for my Neverwhere Read Along discussion, I'll be posting that tomorrow.

It's June! June! Three more weeks of school and then summer! This is such a busy time of year around here. I'm sure it's the same for all of you as well.

I posted earlier this month about my youngest daughter's dance recital--such fun! She's also been busy with girl scouts as her Cadette troop is working towards their Silver Award. I am starting to feel tapped out as a leader, so I'll be glad to have a bit of a break from it over the summer.

My oldest has been busy, too. Mostly with schoolwork and a very busy social life. Last week we attended a small Academic Awards ceremony at the high school at which she received an award from Brandeis University for outstanding academic achievement and civic service. She also recently completed a wonderful project for her high school orchestra for which she filmed, photographed and edited a video about the impact of water on our community that accompanied the orchestra's performance of a beautiful piece by Philip Glass. The video was projected on a large screen behind the orchestra. It was quite moving.. especially given the devastating effects Hurricane Irene had on our community last August.

Lots of proud moments in May! While I couldn't possibly top the accomplishments of my kids, I may as well tell you what I've been up to last month. ; )

In fitness: 
I easily met my 100 fitness mile goal for May with a total of 120 miles. Interestingly, I took quite a few rest days this month, but apparently I made up for it on the days that I did workout, especially in cycling. Most of my rides these days are 30-40 miles which is at least 2 hours on the bike. On Memorial Day, my cycling partner and I clocked just under 4 hours to bike 59.4 miles---my new longest distance in a single ride.

I mentioned last month [in April] that I wanted to increase strength training and aside from my Monday powercuts class and maybe 15 minutes of abs, light weights at the end of kickbox class and a bonus TRX class, I haven't been doing any other strength training. I need to work on increasing that. Here's a look at what I did in May:

Run 23.07 miles :     ~241 minutes
Bike 170.54 miles :   ~705 minutes
Kickbox & Abs : 300 minutes
Spin & Abs :       150 minutes
Strength training:        240 minutes
TOTAL:   1636 minutes     or     27 hours 16 minutes

What did you do to keep moving last month?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

In books: 
I read eight books in May and from quite a few different genres, too. I'm pretty happy about that.

Non-fiction ...... 1
     [Health & fitness]

Romance .............. 2
     [Historical]
Crime fiction ....... 1
Young Adult ....;;.. 1
Fiction .................. 1
Fantasy ................ 2

1. Creation in Death by J.D. Robb
2. The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan
3. Saving Grace by Julie Garwood
4. If I Die by Rachel Vincent
5. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
6. Food Rules by Michael Pollan
7. Cold Magic by Kate Elliot
8. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

I have to say that I loved all of these books and would recommend each and every one. If I HAD to pick favorites? Hmm... The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan is a wonderful novella and the first in a new series. I have a review partially written that I hope to finish, but know that I did love it. It's Kindle lendable, too, so let me know if you're interested in borrowing it. I think I can lend it out at least twice.

Saving Grace by Julie Garwood. A timeless medieval romance and a favorite among so many romance readers. You can read my review HERE.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell is a really solid, engaging read, too. A lot of readers classify it as romance, but it's not exactly. It's more general fiction with romantic elements. Not quite chick-lit either because most of the book is really about the male protagonist, so it's really more dude-lit which is a brand new sub-genre coined by Brie from Romance Around the Corner. You heard it first from her, folks. Remember that when dude-lit goes rampant. ;o)

Gigi likes Cold Magic by Kate Elliot!

Honorable mention goes to Cold Magic by Kate Elliot. I originally shelved this book in young adult, but it really straddles into adult fantasy fiction. The protagonists are not minors at nineteen years old and older and in fact at the marriageable age. The setting is Victorian-England-esque alternate history with a steampunk component. A lot of fascinating people--powerful mages, princes, spiritwalkers and others-- cultures, histories and politics between peoples and three main characters whose fates get personally entangled with each other and those of power. There is a lot of information to digest in this book, but the story premise, setting and characters were so interesting that it was so worth reading. I'm looking forward to reading the second book in this trilogy, Cold Fire. The concluding book in the trilogy, Cold Steel comes out in 2013.

What interesting books did you read in May?

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A bouquet of African Roses

In photography:
My Project 366 is now a Project 362. Yes, I missed another TWO days in May. Ugh. Oh well. I decided to have a little bit of fun this month by participating in the photo a day challenge hosted by blogger fatmumslim who blogs at Fat Mum Slim. There's a daily prompt every day for the month and users post their photos on instagram, twitter, facebook, a blog, flickr or pinterest using the hash tag #photoadayJune. Fun!

As always, you can follow my photography challenges on http://web.stagram.com/n/thehappilyeverafter.

Are you on instagram? Friend me!

In the garden: 
The deer are in my yard almost every night munching on anything and everything green. I know what they're all saying..

"Hey, have you been to that organic salad bar down the street yet? It's amazing! They've got a wide variety of plants to choose from, loaded with tender shoots, plump flower buds, and lush leaves. Not only is it 100% organic but it's all you can eat AND open 24/7!" 

Nice. I woke up one day last week to discover they ate most of the tops off my budding purple coneflower plants last week. This means my coneflowers will be blooming late and won't be so lush this year. Again. I know they have to eat, too, but sheesh, I sure wish they knew how to show a bit of restraint so I could enjoy a few flowers. I have an inkling that the day lilies are on this week's menu. I haven't seen a day lily flower bloom in my yard for a couple of years now. But really, what are you going to do? They're only doing what they're supposed to do, right?

I started converting that section of my perennial flower bed into a new vegetable garden, but I haven't yet finished. In fact, that's on my to-do list for this week. A friend of mine gave me several pots of tomato seedlings that sprouted up in her garden from the seeds of last year's dropped fruit and I've got to get them in the ground soon. I'm already a couple of weeks late. A few of them even have flowers already. Oh how I love the promise of homegrown tomatoes! I'm not sure what else I want to try to grow this year. At this point, I'll be happy just to have a nice harvest of herbs and tomatoes.

Are you growing an edibles in your yard?


Thanks for reading about my month! Wishing you a joyous June! xo

My April Adventures

"Time flies when you're having fun." That explains why it's May already! 

What a month. It's been joyous, but also a bit bittersweet, when my baby.. whom I birthed, nursed, nurtured and protected all these years.. turned 17 years old this month and is now driving a car. This is way harder than the first day of school, first time away at camp, first period, first boyfriend... seeing your child get in car and drive away from home is SO SCARY. I am proud and happy to see that she has become a strong, capable, independent young woman so anxious to get out there in the world, who by the way, learned first hand how to jump start a dead battery about 60 hours after getting her license, but at the same time I miss the little girl who is no more. Never has childhood seemed more fleeting to me than it has this month. Did I mention she's smart, too? She was inducted into the National Honor Society in April. :)

In fitness: 
My workout pattern has been pretty predictable this month. I've been running twice a week outdoors and biking on at least one weekend day. At the gym, I'm either in spin or kickbox class. I haven't been keeping up with strength training this month and I can feel it! I'm making a point to get weights, planks, push ups and ab work back into my weekly workout plan--even if I have to do it on my own at home. Here are my running and cycling stats:

Run 21.0 miles [33.8km]
Bike 191.5 miles [308.2km] <-- A new monthly record for me!

I know there are many, many cyclists out there who bike way more than this in any given month, but for a weekend cyclist like me, I think 191.5 miles rocks! I'll probably end up breaking this record before the summer ends, but for now.. I'm pretty happy with this mileage. I also made some new personal records with distances in April. One is for the most miles in two consecutive days, which was 68.4 miles [110km] (42.5 on Saturday and 25.9 on Sunday). The other record was for my longest ride yet at 52.2 miles [84km]. This route was mostly easy rolling hills, with one climb at the very beginning (4 mile mark) and one at the very end (48 mile mark). Most of our rides have several climbs interspersed with rolling hills. Did I mention we're signed up to ride a Gran Fondo [103 mile (165.8km) cycling event] in September?

What did you do to keep moving in April? 

In books: 
April was yet another productive reading month for me! I read twelve books! Well, three of them were re-reads of a graphic novel and a fourth was another graphic novel, but since Lover Reborn was over 500 pages, it kind of evens out, right?

Non-fiction...... 2
   Health & fitness... 1
   Memoir ..................... 1

Romance ............ 6
     Paranormal ...........3
     Contemporary...... 2
     Historical ..............1

Graphic Novel .....4

1. Crazy, Sexy Diet by Kris Carr
2. The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole
3. Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas
4. A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole RE-READ
5. Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward
6. A Dangerous Beauty by Sophia Nash
7. The Sweetest Thing by Jill Shalvis
8. Amulet: Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi RE-READ
9. Amulet: Stonekeeper's Curse by Kazu Kibuishi RE-READ
10. Amulet: The Cloud Searchers by Kazu Kibuishi RE-READ
11. Amulet: The Last Council by Kazu Kibuishi 
12. Paris in Love by Eloisa James

I plan to review Paris in Love by Eloisa James, so stay tuned for that.

Do you read memoirs? If so, what compels you to chose the memoirs you read?

A girl and her cat

In photography: 
I missed another day in my Project 366, but I decided against starting over from the beginning. I'm just going to continue doing the best that I can and if I miss a few days in a year, so be it. I'm not perfect and the project is still fun.



In the garden: 
I haven't done a thing! I'll be so annoyed with myself if I fail to get my vegetable garden re-established again this year..



Thanks for taking the time to read about my April adventures!


Here's wishing you a marvelous May! :) 

Fitness Challenge Report Card: October 2011

Hello November! What a wacky few days we just had around here with that freak snow storm and the damage it caused. The kids were back in school today and things are mostly back to normal, but in some areas here and there it feels like you're in a labyrinth trying to figure out how to get from A to B with some roads still closed due to broken tree limbs and power lines in the streets. As far as our school calendar, it's going to be an interesting year. We already have one day taken away from our spring break in April and no snow days to get us through the winter. Let's hope it's a mild winter and all snow storms take place on the weekends!

Thankfully, our town allowed trick-or-treating on Halloween, because I heard that some other New Jersey towns "cancelled" trick-or-treating because of the safety hazards. My girls were out for a while and came home with several pounds of candy--including at least a dozen Reese's peanut butter cups [my favorite] but only one Twix bar [my other favorite]. And yet I am reporting to you with immense pride and astonishment that I have successfully resisted the evil temptation of Halloween candy for 48 hours! I haven't had a single piece! NOT ONE! This is major, people. I don't think there's EVER been a time in my life when I haven't eaten Halloween candy. We're talking four+ decades! Where this resolve came from, I do not know. Maybe it's because I know exactly how freaking hard I have to work just to burn 100 calories! Speaking of which...

Did you track your fitness challenge miles* in October?

What kinds of exercise have you been getting?

My ongoing goal is to reach 100 fitness challenge miles* every month. I came in at 119.65 for October, exceeding my goal by a nice chunk this time. I only took two days off from working out this month. One day because of those monthly cramps [omg how many YEARS am I going to go through this? For a lovely rant, see my post from 2008 titled Don't Do the Math in which I do the math. Add on a few dozen days for the last three years... ]. The other was the day after the snow storm when the gym had no power and it was just too dangerous out there to exercise under the trees!

Here's a summary of what I did in October to rack up all those miles:

Cycling [on road]....... 31
Strength training........ 25
Running [outdoors].... 28.65
Spin class [in gym].... 16
Kickbox class ........... 14
Cardio Interval class... 4
Swim [indoor pool] ... 1

TOTAL fitness miles ....119.65

I did a lot of cycling in October. My friend Maureen and I are planning to bike in a Gran Fondo, next September [100 mile bike course], so we started training by doing some longish rides together. We spent over 8 hours biking over four weekend days, logging over 118 miles. :)

I ran two 5K races in October, which was pretty fun. The first one was on my birthday in which I ran my new personal best of 30:02! I am very excited about that, but hope to break 30 minutes in my next 5K, which will probably be in January. [5K = 3.1 miles]

Empty Sky 9/11 Memorial
Liberty State Park
Jersey City, NJ
Photo taken on October 16, 2011
NJ Make-A-Wish 5K Run

The second 5K I ran took place in Liberty State Park along the pier where I had views of the New York City skyline, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty for the whole run. There is also a new 9/11 Memorial in the park that was opened just this September called Empty Sky Memorial. If you stand in front of the memorial [as I was when I took the photo on the left], the memorial fills in the skyline where the twin towers once stood. The names of all those who died on 9/11 are engraved along the wall of the memorial. When you get to the other side, you see the skyline as it is today... an empty sky. I like the design of this memorial a lot and think it's a very meaningful and appropriate addition to Liberty State Park. If you're in the area, I recommend you see it for yourself.

I still miss my Friday 5:45 am Bootcamp class. Okay, I don't miss the 5:45 am part, but I DO miss the friends with whom I took the class and I miss how freaking hard it was. At least now I get to sleep in until 6:45 am on Fridays and then I go running with my friend Marie after the girls are off to school. I have to admit it's nice to exercise in the daylight instead of just before sunrise, and Marie and I get to chat the whole time. Plus fall weather is the best for running! Not too warm, not too cold and the foliage is pretty, too.

In November, I'm thinking of running a 5 Mile Race on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This is the same race that I did a few weeks after I first started running back in November 2009. I can't believe that was just two years ago--I've come such a long way since then. Anyway, I ran that 5 Mile race in 1:01:47 and would like to see what kind of time I could get now. Other than that, I'll just aim for 100 fitness miles again this month.

What are your fitness or exercise goals for November?


Interested in joining the Fitness Challenge? Please visit the Sign Up post for more information, including the challenge rules. You may leave a comment there or on this post if you'd like to join. Be sure to include your fitness miles goal in your comment.

*ONE fitness challenge miles = 1 mile walked or run for fitness OR = 15 minute increments of other exercise for fitness such as cardiovascular or strength training exercises.

After the Triathlon: What's Next?

It's been a month since the triathlon and I believe it's safe to say that officially lost the tri "high." Sure, the pride and sense of accomplishment will always be there, but the thrill has waned. I imagine my family is grateful for the break. They were so patient listening to my incessant triathlon-this triathlon-that training chatter. :)

Last September's triathlon was on my calendar for almost a whole year and I hadn't realized how accustomed I became to having a goal towards which to train. Once the tri was over, it was a matter of days before I started thinking, "WHAT'S NEXT?"

So I've been PLANNING! Here's a running list--pun intended!--of events I'd like to do over the next several months:

_√_ October 1, 2011     5K Run for cancercare.org
_√_ October 16, 2011   5K Run for Make A Wish Foundation
___ November 26, 2011 5 Mile Turkey Trot
___ January 1, 2012     5K Hangover Run
___ January 21, 2012    Romp to Stomp Breast Cancer
                                      5K Snow Shoeing Event
___ July xx, 2012        Sprint Triathlon <--in ocean! OR Duathlon <--on land!
___ August 28, 2012    SheROX Sprint Triathlon
___ September 9, 2012  Danskin Sprint Triathlon <--so disappointed same day as Gran Fondo :(
___ September 9, 2012  Gran Fondo 100 Mile Bike Event
___ September 30, 2012  5KTunnel to Towers
___ November xx, 2012 SheROX Sprint Triathlon in Bermuda <--A girl can dream, right?

This is just a plan. Everything is subject to change. Events may be added or deleted at whim. But I do hope to do most--if not all of these events. In any case, it should be an eventful year for me. Literally.  : )

What about YOU? Do you have any Run or Walk Events on YOUR calendar? 


If not, you should find one in your area. It's FUN! 

My First Triathlon

Today was the big day when after nearly a year of mental and physical preparations, I competed in my first ever sprint triathlon! I'm also super happy to report that it was such a great experience and I met my goal of completing the spring triathlon in 1:30:00. In fact, I beat my goal by a little over a minute! Hey--every second counts! ; )

Here is my time card from today's race that includes all my stats. Times for the swim, bike, run and transitions as well as rankings for each event, my age division and overall rank. I am especially proud of my bike time and rank....  55 out of 1600 racers!!! Woooo! omg how did I DO that?

I signed up for this triathlon back in October 2010 after being inspired and encouraged by my small group of workout friends at the gym. At that time, I had been biking for a little over two years and running for almost one year. I was not a swimmer. In fact, I only learned how to swim freestyle after taking lessons just this year in February. Seven months later--today!--I completed a sprint triathlon. I swam a 1/2 mile open water swim, ranked in the top 4% of the entire race in the cycling, and ran a competitive 10:17 minute mile pace for the 5K... finishing with a total race time of 1:28:44. My final rank is 367 out of 1600 athletes, which places me in the top 23% overall. Woooo!!!! I almost can't believe it! ... but I DID IT!!!!

My friend Marie and I

I and my gym friends--missing the one taking the picture. 

Thank you all for taking the time to read my training posts and always leaving such kind words of support and encouragement all those times I write all about ME. I appreciate your presence throughout my journey--sharing this journey on my blog has been such a great outlet for expressing my doubts, concerns, plans for improvement and for rejoicing in my accomplishments both big and small.

I hope you to find something new and challenging to do in your life like I have with this triathlon. If I can do it, so can you. It'll be a journey you'll never likely forget. : )

Triathlon Check List

The triathlon is tomorrow! Finally!!! I've been planning and training and practicing for almost a year. Now it's time to pull it all together, "tri" my best and have a blast! I'll let you know all about it sometime tomorrow or Monday.

Thanks for all your support--you've been great cheerleaders!


 Clothing Items: [what I'll be wearing]
 •tri shorts
 •compression tank
 •ankle chip strap
 •sports watch
 •sweatshirt [remove just before swim]
 •flip flops [remove just before swim]

 Swim Items: 
 •swim cap
 •open water goggles
 •spare goggles

 Bike Items: 
•bike [race# attached]
•helmet [race# attached]
•running shoes
•running socks
 •spare running socks
•sunglasses
•race number belt [race# attached]
•water bottle
•flat tire kit
 •floor pump

 Run Items: 
•hat

 Misc Transition Items: 
•backpack
•headlamp [to see what we're doing at set up at 5 am]
•garbage bag [in case of rain to keep stuff dry]
•towel for transition area
•baby powder [to get sand off feet before putting on running shoes]
•vitamin water
•luna bars
•peanut butter & banana sandwich
•sunscreen
•bug spray
•antiseptic wipes
•tissues
•band aids
•lip balm
•cell phone

Fitness Challenge Report Card: July 2011

Interested in joining the Fitness Challenge? Please visit the Sign Up post for more information, including the challenge rules. You may leave a comment there or on this post if you'd like to join. Be sure to include your fitness miles goal in your comment.

I can't believe it's the last day of July already and it will be August in just a few hours! Poof! Well, it was a productive month for me in fitness. My fitness challenge miles totaled in at 123.2 miles for July! :) You can see my daily activities on my fitness blog, See how she runs... HERE. I got in a lot of swimming and biking this month and even participated in my first ever duathlon and practiced for September's triathlon by doing a mock mini tri with a local tri-women support group to which I belong.

I finished the duathlon [2mi run - 10.6 mi bike - 3 mi run] in 1:30 and a few seconds, with which I'm happy. The biking is my best component and I averaged 17.6 mph for that leg. The last 3 mile run after pushing so hard on the bike was brutal, but I did it!

I also participated in a practice min tri with a group of women from a local tri-women support group to which I belong just last Friday. The best part of that was that I did a 20 minute open water ocean swim! You may recall I struggled with that when I went to the beach earlier in the month to practice, but now I did it! Yay!!! The ocean was A LOT calmer this time and it helped that I was with such an encouraging and supportive group of women. I also did really well with the biking part, averaging 18.6 mph for a 7.3 mile ride! Hopefully I can do the same on race day in September! The run was still killer.. :/

So how did everyone do with their fitness challenge miles* this month?

*ONE fitness challenge miles = 1 mile walked or run for fitness OR = 15 minute increments of other exercise for fitness such as cardiovascular or strength training exercises.


How did you do with your fitness challenge goal for July?


What kinds of activities did you do to keep moving this month?

Duathlon Race Day!

sunrise on the Atlantic Ocean

RACE DAY

3:30 am wake up 

4:25 am at Ellen's

5:15 am arrive at race site

6:30 am check in, set up and ready

6:35 am at start line

6:50 am first wave starts

7:47 am MY wave starts

2 mile run | 10.6 mile bike | 3 mile run 

1:30:36 

9:17 am fini!

Fini! 

Lessons learned:
1. Wear sunscreen even at 7 am in the morning.
2. Hydrate well before and during the race. Do this at least when you're in transition if you aren't accustomed to drinking during your run or ride.
3. Fuel your body at the one hour mark in a race.
4. And finally ... include checking that your brakes are engaged in your set up. My rear brake was accidentally disengaged somewhere between mounting my the bike on car and starting the race. I figured this out during the race and had to stop to engage it. I only lost 30 seconds or so on my time, but I could have been in serious trouble if I really needed my brakes!

I'm waiting for the split times to be posted so I can see how I did for each leg, but overall, I'm pretty happy with my race results. :)

Thank you for your enthusiastic support! xo

Triathlon to Duathlon

I have been busy preparing for my upcoming triathlon on July 17 with quite a few new experiences under my belt in both biking and swimming. One new learning experience was attending an open water swim clinic earlier this month--an hour in the classroom and an hour in the pool with drills for open water swimming as well as an open water simulation. The next step was to swim in a real open water situation, which I did this past weekend by going to beach to practice swimming in the ocean where next weekend's race will take place. Let me just say that after [trying to] swim in the ocean, swimming in a pool is piece of cake!

The surf on Saturday was perhaps a little rougher than usual, but that's not an excuse, because I have to be prepared for any possible surf situation--calm or rough--on the day of the triathlon. It took me a good 30 minutes to get up the nerve to get in the water and get swimming. The waves were pretty big and even after getting past the breaks, which was really tough, the swells were still so powerful. The feeling of being pushed and pulled and tossed about like a cork was so overwhelming for me. I just couldn't get calm enough to be comfortable. I wouldn't say that I was panicking, but I definitely didn't feel confident or in control, and I decided that I'm just not ready for open water swimming in the ocean. So I'm not going to compete in the triathlon next weekend. :(

The good news, however, is that next weekend's event is a multi-sport event that is simultaneously hosting triathlon, duathlon and aqua-velo events. So I'm switching my race entry to compete in a duathlon instead. A duathlon is a run-bike-run event so I'm basically replacing the swim portion with a 2 mile run. I'll be doing a course that consists of a 2 mile run, a 10.6 mile bike, followed by a 3.0 mile run. An aqua-velo event is swim-bike only.

I am still planning on doing the Danskin Triathlon in September as that swim event is held in a bay as opposed to the ocean. I think I'll fare much better swimming where the power of the water isn't nearly as fierce as the ocean.

I felt pretty sad and defeated on Saturday when I realized I couldn't do the open water swimming in the ocean, but once I let it sink in a bit [no pun intended!], I feel so much less stressed out about next week's race and am now spending this week training and counting down the days to competing in my first ever duathlon!  : )

Another Tri

I got persuaded by my workout buddies to do another triathlon. So in addition to the one I'm signed up to do in September, I'm also now signed up to do one on July 17.

As in ONE MONTH AWAY! *gulp*

The July Tri is also a sprint event and in fact, a shorter course, notably in the swimming event. The swim is only 300 yards, or about 12 lengths laps of an olympic sized pool, the bike portion is 10.6 miles on a flat course, followed by a 3 mile run.

Of course, I'm anxious about it, but also kind of charged about meeting the challenge. I can do this! :)

First things first, though ... what to wear?? ;)

100 Days to Race Day

I'll be racing in my first triathlon in 100 days.
I've got a few things on my mind . . .

swim bike run swim bike run swim bike run swim bike run
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swim bike run swim bike run swim bike run swim bike run
swim bike run swim bike run swim bike run swim bike run
swim bike run swim bike run swim bike run swim bike run
swim bike run swim bike run swim bike run swim bike run
swim bike run swim bike run swim bike run swim bike run
swim bike run swim bike run swim bike run swim bike run
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swim bike run swim bike run swim bike run swim bike run
swim bike run swim bike run swim bike run swim bike run
swim bike run swim bike run swim bike run swim bike run
swim bike run and  RACE!   : )

Fitness Challenge Report Card: May 2011

Interested in joining the Fitness Challenge? Please visit the Sign Up post for more information, including the challenge rules. You may leave a comment there or on this post if you'd like to join. Be sure to include your fitness miles goal in your comment.

So how did everyone do with their fitness challenge miles* this month?

*ONE fitness challenge miles = 1 mile walked or run for fitness OR = 15 minute increments of other exercise for fitness such as cardiovascular or strength training exercises.

I set my goal once again for 115 fitness miles and I ended the month short at 108.2 fitness miles as of today. I guess I should have kept my goal at 100. ;)

Here's a breakdown of what I've been doing to workout this month:

spin class ........... 27
strength training... 24
swim .............. 16
kickbox class ...... 15
bootcamp class ... 15
bike ................ 7
run ................. 4.2

If you want to see what I did to keep moving all month long, check out my May Workout Log.

I finally got out on my bike this season. Finally! At first I put off getting out there because of all the post-winter pot holes out there. Pot holes are terrifying on road bike. A hybrid or mountain bike can handle them, but a road bike has those skinny tires. Catch a bump the wrong way and splat! Yikes. I also procrastinated getting out there because my faithful biking partner, a.k.a. my husband, hasn't been able to ride with me due to shoulder surgery on a sports related injury. It's not even that I mind riding alone. I did that a lot last summer, but I guess that first ride of the season after a six month hiatus can be daunting. Finally, I went out this past Sunday thanks to my friend Maureen who invited me out on a ride with her. We rode about 24 miles in under an hour and forty-five minutes with an average pace of 14.1 miles per hour. Not too bad considering the route consisted of rolling hills with a few tough climbs and we also took the liberty of riding side by side at times to chat when the road allowed it so of course, we our pace was a bit more casual. It felt good to finally get out there and I'm already looking forward to my next ride. Plus Maureen came up with a few goals for me to work on by the end of the summer including this killer hill that gives even cars a workout. Just another added bonus from having a friend who's a personal trainer! ;)

How did you do with your fitness challenge goal for May?

What kinds of activities did you do to keep moving this month?


Are you finding this fitness challenge helpful? I'm thinking of giving it a rest after next month, but will continue it if there's enough interest. I know some of you have been very dedicated at keeping track with me (Thanks, Brandy!), but I know we're all super busy with a myriad of other things in our lives and we just don't have the time to keep track of the hours spent exercising. I personally think keeping a log of your workouts is helpful and will continue to do it. I'm just a little geeky when it comes to lists and stats , what can I say? Plus, it reinforces what I've accomplished, which helps motivate me to keep it up. But I realize this method isn't for everyone. The most important thing is that you exercise every day. Let me know if you want me to continue the challenge. I'm glad to do continue it if you find it helpful, and I promise my feelings won't be hurt if you don't.

:)

Fitness Challenge Mid Month Progress Report: March 2011

Sorry I'm posting this a few days past our mid-month check point. I had plans of posting more this week and now, poof! It's Friday afternoon already! Anyway, I've been working out really hard in the last few weeks having already accumulated 69.5 fitness challenge miles as of today, just a few days past mid month. Let's hope the rest of the month goes just as well.

As I mentioned last month, I started swimming lessons one night a week, which has already helped me tremendously with my freestyle technique. However, I still find swimming nonstop really hard. It's the breathing. I find a do a lap and a half of freestyle and have to switch to backstroke to catch my breath. I understand that it's more difficult to breath while swimming because the water applies additional pressure to your lungs while you're in the water and well, you can't breath when your face is in the water (!), so hopefully I'll see improvement if I just practice, practice, practice. Which I'm doing one other day of the week now in addition to the lesson. We learned breaststroke in this week's lesson, which is just what I need because from what I understand from other triathletes, many swimmers alternate between freestyle and breast stroke during the race. I'm guessing freestyle is best for speed and efficiency and breast stroke is best for sighting the course and other swimmers.

How are you doing so far this month?

Do you use any home exercise DVDs?
"Move-type" video games such as Wii or Playstation Move?
On demand exercise shows?

I've been using the Get Fit with Mel B workout game for the Playstation Move lately on days when I'm unable to exercise outdoors or get to the gym for cardio. I'm still exploring all of the options in the game, but it's okay so far. Not as good a workout as what I can do at the gym or running or biking, but it's a good back-up workout.

Wishing you all a great weekend! Got any fun plans?

It's a gorgeous 79 F (26 C) right now here in NJ--a real treat for this time of year. I'm off to pick up sticks in the yard and rake out my flower bed while it's so nice outside. We'll be back into normal March temperatures in the low 50s F (11 C) for the next few days.

200 Days to Race Day!

Some of you may remember back in October when I announced that I registered to participate in my first triathlon. The race is a sprint triathlon {1/2 mile swim [0.8 km], 12 mile bike [19.3 km] and 5 K run [3.1 mile]} that takes place in September 2011, exactly 200 days from today. I only figured this out an hour or so ago and am excited to start counting down the training days to race day.

I registered for the Tri with several of my regular workout buddies, but a couple of weeks after signing up for the Tri last fall, I learned that another friend of mine (not a workout friend) also signed up for the same race! We were both excited to discover this and have talked about training, what to expect, what we're worried about, etc. often over the last few months, both of us expressing a lot of anxiety over the swimming. Today she emails me to say that she signed us up for semi-private swim lessons at our community indoor pool and it starts tonight!

Say what? At first I wanted to laugh, but I knew she wasn't kidding and that this was probably a great idea to get me in the pool and start training--starting with learning how to swim freestyle properly. So I consented and was at the pool a few hours later for our first lesson. I'm also counting today as my first official day of training for the Tri. Out of curiosity, I later looked up how many days there are until race day and discovered that it is exactly 200 days away from today! Let the countdown begin!

I'm so glad we took the plunge tonight.  {ha ha! pun intended}

Are you a swimmer? 


What's your favorite stroke?


I can't do butterfly at all and freestyle is probably my weakest stroke, but only because I never learned proper breathing technique. Hopefully I'll get that straightened out over the next several weeks of lessons. :)

Triathlon Training Begins

It's official. I'll be competing in my first triathlon next September! Registration opened this morning for a popular woman's triathlon that is held every year in New Jersey and I'm in!


The triathlon is a sprint event, so the distances for each part of the tri are short with a 1/2 mile swim [0.8 km], 12 mile bike [19.3 km] and 5 K run [3.1 mile].

I'm really excited about this, but also a little nervous. I'm doing the triathlon solely to challenge myself, do my best and feel great, but I still get a little nervous if I think about race day. A little fear of the unknown, a little fear of being disappointed in my performance, and I admit it, a little fear of all those other women trying to pass me! I guess that's all normal. I'll have to work on those mental issues so that I can be calm on race day. 

Of the three components to the tri, the swimming is currently my biggest weakness. I'm definitely going to have to work on this component from the bottom up, starting with my stroke technique and building up to swimming a full 1/2 mile without stopping. A half mile is 16 laps or 32 lengths in an Olympic sized pool. Oh shit.


The biking is definitely going to be my strongest event since I already regularly ride 12-20 miles with hills at a decent pace and the race is only 12 miles on a flat course. I'll work on my speed and endurance so that I can maintain an average speed of 17-19 mph for 12 miles.


The running doesn't worry me too much either since I started running last fall. I now run at a 10 minute mile pace and my typical runs are between 2 and 4 miles, so running the 3.1 miles for the tri should be a comfortable distance for me. The fact that the running is the last event of the tri, however, means I'll need to work on maintaining a good pace when fatigued from the other events.


I already have a great support network set up for training and race day. My husband and daughters, as always, are great at listening to my near daily reports of my workouts, set backs and accomplishments constantly giving me encouragement. They're going to be so proud of me for doing this, I just know it. Then I have a small group of four friends from the gym with whom I already work out and who also signed up this morning for the triathlon. I'm sure we'll compare training strategies and even do some training workouts together as the race gets closer.


The triathlon is a long 11 months away, so for now my training will be to simply continue my regular cross training workouts, start doing laps in the pool one day a week and maybe bribe my friend Sharon to give me some free swim lessons so I can learn proper freestyle stroke technique.


Wish me luck!


Have you ever participated in a triathlon? 


Do you have any tips or strategies  to share?