Leave Some Water In The Pool

I might have mentioned it before, but just in case... I am back in the pool twice a week again for the tri swim classes at the Middle Tyger Y. It's good to be back in the class environment, having a little more accountability for actually getting up at the crack of (way before) dawn and do your drills. It's getting especially entertaining, when we start doing time trials, seeded starts and snake down the pool from lane to lane without warming up (since you are not necessarily warming up at a race either) and the kick board races.

Today's workout had a colorful mix between freestyle and backstroke/ breaststroke/ butterfly as choice to alternate. Mixing up the strokes is supposed to make you a stronger and better swimmer and I am all for that. Breaststroke is not a big deal for me, butterfly is in my mind not even worth trying right now, but the backstroke, I thought, should be possible even though I had bad memories from last year's class and my attempts back then.

Yeah... It was a pretty entertaining training session, especially for anybody that witnessed my backstroke attempts. It's not so much the swim stroke (upside down freestyle, rotate body, keep arms straight, look at arms) than the breathing. It's really weird that I hardly ever swallow water doing freestyle or breaststroke where you have your face in the water pretty much the whole time and then you flip me around that my face is out of the water the WHOLE time and I swallow water by the gallon. I had to stop several times in the middle of the lane (I always swim in the shallow end where I can stand, because it's easier to rest and switch out toys) to cough the water up again. YUCK!!!! I know, it's just a question of practice it more and so I didn't follow the urge of breast stroking every time I wasn't supposed to freestyle, but alternate between breaststroke and backstroke and I think towards the end it worked a little better.

Baby steps.... baby steps....

Toasty In the 40s

I don't like to be cold. I don't think anyone really 'likes' to be cold. But I am also cold natured. By lips turn purple and I get goose bumps way before somebody else is feeling chilly.

In case you missed it, but it has been pretty cold around here in the last couple of weeks. Only since last week, we finally had a little warmer temps and on Saturday it in the mid 40s... The mid 40s are by no definition warm, but way warmer than anything else we had in 2010 so far.

A bike ride was decided and of course, I didn't wanted to be the sissy that was too cold. Besides, I already announced with my big mouth a couple of months ago, that I got myself some winter cycling clothing and therefore won't have any excuses this season not to be out on the bike.

On Saturday morning, I browsed in my workout clothes and decided on the following layering:



Bibs
Base Layer
Sleeveless Cycling Top
Arm Warmer
Cycling Jacket
Wool Gloves

Not in the picture:
Head Band
Wool Socks
Toasti Toes
Neoprene Booties

The bibs are great, because they cover the back and there is no gaping between the top and the bottom. The arm warmers I decided on, because that was a layer I would have been easily able to shed for the case that I got too warm. The Toasti Toes are my biggest discovery for winter cycling. I always have the problem that my toes go numb within minutes on the bike even with wearing the booties and wool socks (and sometimes grocery bags between the booties and the shoes)... Once numb, they turn blue and after cycling for around two hours, it takes at least another two hours for me to regain feeling in my toes. This time, the only toe that got a little cold, was the one that wasn't covered properly by the Toasti Toes, because the sticker shifted a little when I stepped into the shoe. I just have to watch that the next time.

Bring it on winter! I finally figured it out! ;-)

Activate Upstate 2010

How is your new year's resolution coming along? Did you make any new year's resolutions for 2010??

In case you are still looking for a goal for 2010, need some inspiration, accountability and a group setting to motivate you and keep you motivated? Why don't you just stop by at the Carolina First Center tonight and register for Activate Upstate 2010? If you can't make it tonight, then just register online for Activate Upstate Greenville, Spartanburg or Laurens!

The program description according to their website is:

"Activate Upstate is a FREE
year-round healthy living awareness program that targets youth and adult
obesity and related diseases. The program encourages participants to
accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity five days
per week by completing their daily activity log online. Participants will
receive Healthy Living information about nutrition, exercise and health
education weekly on the website. Participants also take part in weekly
and monthly weigh-ins and counseling, as well as attend “Health Talks,” a series
of lectures by wellness and medical experts that focus on topics related to
health and wellness.

Track your progress and that of the
Upstate right here! This website will provide every participant with
a confidential login so that they can privately monitor their weight lost and
physical activity during the program. Visit this website often for
the latest stats on the Upstate’s progress to lose weight and get physically
active.

Regular physical activity reduces the risk of coronary
heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. It helps control weight and
contributes to healthy bones, muscles, and joints. It helps relieve the pain of
arthritis and reduces the symptoms of anxiety and depression. People of all ages
who are generally inactive can improve their health and well being by becoming
active at a moderate-intensity on a regular basis."

The flyer to the Activate Upstate 2008 program was actually what kicked off my weight loss journey. I didn't participate in the program, but their program description just triggered something in my brain. 30 minutes of moderate activity five days a week... I can do this, I thought... And I did it and I came a long way since and my body is capable of so much more by now.

Whenever I see the posters and news articles about the program being kicked off for another year, I remember when I started back living a healty lifestyle and hope that others will do it too with a little help and inspiration with this program.

Week in Workouts

Today is my first rest day in a week and a half of workouts. And I am really resting. No running errands, no cleaning house, no going out, just rest. YAY. I am sitting in bed, watching a NCIS rerun while I type this post. Every now and then the puppy takes a break from chewing on her bone and comes over to snuggle some.

My pet peeve all of last week was the second 15-miler scheduled for yesterday. Especially after a full week of workouts as previously mentioned, that looked pretty much like this:

Monday - Strength and Stretching
Tuesday - AM Swimming, PM Trainer Ride
Wednesday - AM Boot Class, PM Treadmill Hill Workout
Thursday - AM Swimming
Friday - AM Treadmill Mile Repeats
Saturday - Bike Ride
Sunday - Second 15-miler in 2h 36 mins

As you see, I had a lot of morning workouts which pretty much means getting up at 5 AM for me. I was so ready for the weekend and to sleep in at least a little. Sleeping in for me after five days of early early wake up calls means waking up at around 7AM on my own. ARRRRGH!!!

Fortunately, the weather finally got warmer and there wasn't supposed to be rain until in the afternoon. So we took the bike out for an easy 25 mile ride. As said, it was easy, fun and social. It also seems like I finally found a combination of clothing that keeps me toasty throughout a ride in around 40 degree weather. There will be a post hopefully this week with visual material! ;-) One life saver was "toasty toes"... great invention... I should have found those things so much earlier!

So yesterday, I didn't get quite so lucky. By the time we got home from church and I got some household duties out of the way, it was drizzling. Awesome! NOT! I put on some capris, a long sleeve shirt and a cap... I only wear a cap when it's raining. I left the car at the PAC building on the Furman Campus and was planning to loop around the Campus and the Swamp Rabbit Trail for the run. The car would hold extra water and food and a dry shirt for the case that I would get drenched. Good thing that it never got that bad... It rained on and off, but as long as I was moving, I felt fine. Around mile four I already felt my quads burning and it never really got better. Even though the physical part got a little tough at time, mentally, I felt pretty good throughout the run. Only the last half mile or so was really hard on me. When the Garmin beeped for mile 15, I stopped right away and power walked back to the car. The car key dropped out of the pocket of my handheld water bottle and I had a hard time to bend down and pick it up again.

Last night we had our first D.N.R. All Stars meeting for the Palmetto200 and I had once again a hard time walking properly and was really tired. But today, I feel so much better compared to last Monday after the first 15-miler. I even was able to walk down stairs with only very little pain! :-)

Alright, now I will pack my swim bag and then call it a very early night...

Clean Up Your Act Already!

I mentioned casually a couple of posts ago, that I did quite some damage on the weight front over the holidays. After being good for almost two years, I thought to myself the heck with it and I will enjoy everything I feel like during the two weeks of winter vacation in Germany. My mom cooked a lot of my favorite dishes and she baked tons and tons of Christmas cookies. I enjoyed every single meal and every single cookie! :-)


So stepping on the scale when we got back was quite an eye opener, but I had the mindset that once I am back in my routine, things should go back to normal quickly. Well, hardly any workouts for almost two weeks because of this cough and still indulging in anything and everything high sugar, high carb, high fat under the sun sure delayed the getting back on track process.


With a week of regular training (since the cough) under my belt, things are starting to get back to normal... I already dropped a couple of pounds as well and I still feel confident, that I will be able to be back at 125 lbs by the end of the month.


One obstacle that I didn't anticipate (even though I should have) during my "Holidays Everything Goes" Diet was that my metabolism frighteningly fast got used to additional amounts of calories that I fed it for two weeks. So even as I am back in my routine, I have a much harder time to say no to sugary things and only very slowly get my act together. You see, once you are used to a clean diet, it's so much easier to stick to it... That's at least my experience. It's the time to get your body and mind used to that clean diet that is hard and slow. Unfortunately, it's much slower to clean up your act again than falling into old patterns.


Even though I still have a hard time at the moment to pass on chocolate, muffins and co., at least I was able to get my body back accustomed not to crave food in the evenings anymore.


That way, I slowly but surely clean up my act once more, also with the motivation of the half marathon in four weeks.


Oh boy... in four weeks??? Yikes!

Expressions, Phrases and Sayings

Expressions, phrases and sayings are a fun way to spice up the language... Make it more colorful and get your train of thought easier communicated. I love to use them while talking, but having English as a foreign language and still trying to use them has been sometimes confusing or just plain hilarious for my conversation partners.

This post is for the German native to get a couple of tools at hand, to not make the same mistakes, I made in the past and actually be understood right away. Of course it's also for the English native to understand the German in your life a little better. (Mental note: Send link of this post to Terry!)

German Expression	Literal English Translation	Correct English Translation
Nichts fuer Ungut!	Nothing for Ungood.	Nevermind.
Auch ein blindes Huhn findet einmal ein Korn.	Even a blind chicken finds a grain every now and then.	Ever dog has it's day.
Weder Fisch noch Fleisch.	Neither fish nor meat.	Neither fish nor fowl.
Auf dem Holzweg sein.	Be on the wood way.	Barking up the wrong tree.
Besser der Spatz in der Hand als die Taube auf dem Dach.	A sparrow in the hand is worth a dove on the roof.	A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Abwarten und Tee trinken.	Wait and drink tea.	Wait and see.
Ach Du gruene Neune!	Um, you green nine!	Good grief!
in Butter sein	be in butter	things are going smoothly
jemandem auf der Nase herum tanzen	dance on somebody's nose	to walk all over somebody
jemanden auf Herz und Nieren pruefen	test someone on there heart and kidneys	to put somebody through their paces
Das geht auf keine Kuhhaut.	That doesn't fit on cow's skin.	It beggars description.
etwas aus dem Aermel schuetteln	shake something out of the sleeve	come up with something just like that
aus dem Groebsten heraus sein	to be out of the roughest	to be out of the woods
aus dem Haeuschen sein	to be out of the little house	to be beside oneself
kurz vor dem Aus stehen	to be close to the end	to teeter on the brink of collapse
Blut und Wasser schwitzen	to sweat blood and water	to be in a cold sweat
Das sind boehmische Doerfer fuer mich.	Those are Bohemian villages for me.	It's all Greek to me.
den Amtsschimmel reiten	ride the office white horse	to do everything by the book
die Daumen druecken	press the thumbs	cross your fingers
den Vogel abschiessen	to shoot the bird	to take the cake
die Beine in die Hand nehmen	take the legs in the hand	to take to one's heels
die Katze im Sack kaufen	to be the cat in the bag	to buy a pig in a poke
die Kurve kratzen	to scratch the curve	to hit the road
eine ruhige Kugel schieben	to push a calm ball	to have a cushy job
einen Korb bekommen	to get the basket	to get the mitten
erste Sahne	prime crème	doozy
ins Fettnaepfchen treten	to step into a little bowl full of fat	to put one's foot in
mit einem blauen Auge davonkommen	get away with a black eye	to get a slap on the wrist
mit Kanonen auf Spatzen schiessen	shoot sparrows with cannons	to break a fly on the wheel
nur Bahnhof verstehen	just understand train station	It's all Greek to me.
Wer anderen eine Grube graebt, faellt selbst hinein.	Who diggs a pit for others, falls in it themselves.	Harm set, harm get.
Eine Kraehe hackt der anderen kein Auge aus.	One crow doesn't peck out the other crow's eye.	There is honor among thieves.

This is just a small selection of the things that are different. There are tons of expressions that are the same in the English and German language.

If you have anything to add, please free to leave a comment! ;-)

Winter Vacation Recap: Runner's Paradise

With fresh memories of our Germany vacation still in our minds, Terry and I do a lot of comparing of living in Germany vs USA. The contents of these conversation would fill at least one blog post and I might just go into more detail one of these days and write that post. Also, we both didn't necessarily agree and what is to be counted as a pro vs a con all the time. One thing we did agree upon was that Germany is a RUNNER'S PARADISE!

You don't believe me? Here are some visuals for starters!

Chapel on top of the hill... Great for hill repeats!

Amazing views and trail after trail after trail.


View from my room at my parent's house. Even with snow, great trails for running!


I step out of the house, head through the village on sidewalks and then go from there on the bike/ multi-purpose trail. Long runs with ever changing scenery without even having to use the car is a piece of cake. Given that the trails are better suited for bike touring than road bike riding, but that's why this post is called Runner's Paradise! ;-)

The trail network in the Kraichgau is miles and miles long (I actually tried to find the number, but wasn't lucky) and if the Kraichgau is not enough for you, the trails connect to neighboring regions as well. Actually, Germany has such a well established trail network that you hardly ever have to go on the road when traveling by bike or foot. On top of that, if you have enough of the beaten paths, you just take a random turn and find your own route, through the woods, fields, meadows or vineyards on farm tracks... Most of it is public property, so you welcome to walk or bike there if it's not clearly stated that it's private.

How does that sound you??? ;-)