Monday ramblings

Well decided to post something other than pictures. I have not been motivated to write very much lately. Last week was brutal with process changes at work, and my workouts with my trainer have definitely reached a new intensity level. The good news is my knees are feeling much better, although not perfect.

Just a note that yesterday I went to visit my Dad for Fathers day. Now he is 73 yrs old and I am 43 years old but somehow when it comes to your parents you will always feel like a kid around them. Anyway, I have always had this need to make my father proud, and when I was doing the tri a few weeks ago I decided not to invite him to come watch me because a: I wasn't 100% sure I could do it. b) I was afraid he would say no, he was too busy (which would have killed me) or c) that he would come and be embarrassed of me. So it really is with delight that I write that he actually shed a few tears when I was telling him stories from my tri. Love it! He will definitely be coming to my next one in August.

On another note, my friend Helen, who also trains with the same trainer as me, and who did the Tri with me, went back home on the weekend to see her ailing Grandpa. Now this is a 6 hr drive north. She wrote to me on the Saturday, totally upset that she went to see him in the hospital, and all he could say was that she looked like she was 6 mos pregnant and she should ask for her money back because the personal training was not working. How can people be soooooooo horrible. My heart broke for her.

Anyway on to other news. I think I need to keep a bit of a note of what I am doing at the gym these days, so I can come back and review later.

Today:
-warm up was 0.5 miles on the treadmill - speed from 3mph(walk) up to 6mph(run) time was 6 mins, which is down from 7.5mins last week. Goal is 4 mins.

- working out the legs today. So I was on a leg press 185lbs 15 reps, then to a calf press, 15 reps (not sure the weight), then a leg curl 15 reps (quads) leg curl (back of thigh) 15 reps. I did this 4 times each, then had a break for 2 minutes and then did another set 4 times. At the end of the first set I was actually crying because the pain was so intense (I know, big baby- lol) but by the second set I got into the grove, focused and shut out the pain.

next came mat work, on my hands and knees I did leg raises - lots of them (about 40 or 50 reps on each leg)

next was abs, 20 crunches, 20 with my knees up, 20 full body sit ups, and 20 bicycles. followed by plank position for 30 secs.

DONE :)

Tomorrows goal: run 1 mile, walk on an incline for 1 mile, swim for 30 minutes.

Boxing and becoming an athlete

Well I boxed on Friday and had an amazing workout. I was feeling really good about the workout and how I was feeling. My trainer brought his camera in with him and taped one of the sequences. I didn't want to look at the video because in my mind I have a vision that I look amazing, cut like a boxer, strong arms and have perfect form. I know that is not reality, but that is what I imagine and my hope is that if I can see it, I will eventually be it -lol. So anyway I finally watched the video and was actually pleasantly surprised by how I look. Not great by any means, but really not that bad either. I am hoping to get a copy of the video and will post it here eventually.

I took Friday off of work and took my Nephew to my eye doctor to do his very last requirement to join the Canadian Armed Forces, and his vision is fine. He has completed all of the tests, all of the interviews and all of the paperwork and is official accepted into the army. He now has to wait until there is an opening in the artillery section which is now where you has decided to go. I am so proud of him. He has come such a long way and I look forward to watching him graduate from boot camp sometime in the coming year.

Finally, I went to my cousins house yesterday and saw lots of relatives whom I haven't seen since Christmas and it was so funny, and a bit surreal, that everyone now relates me to fitness. One friend of the family hugged me and then yelled out to everyone, "she just climbed the CN TOWER" while everyone cheered. My cousin and her husband were planning our upcoming triathlon and my cousin was asking me to help her pace herself in the pool, and another cousin, her husband, and her son, all specifially have me in mind to run a 5k race in June with my cousins son for crohn's desease as he was recently diagnosed, which of course I will do. It was just so strange and so wonderful to be looked at as an athlete, having my family look at me with pride and think of me as a bit of a role model for what can be accomplished.

Having a great weekend so far.... amazing date night on friday night, helped out a friend yesterday who was having a spa birthday party for her daughter, 1st communion party Saturday night and today, I am helping out my sister who is having a spa birthday party for my niece. I will be glad to get back to work tomorrow, just so I can rest!