Tag Archives: lunch

My First Baby Brick!

You guys, I have big news.

I caught the baby fever in the blogosphere, and I had my first baby today.

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It was a baby brick. (A brick workout is doing two or more sports in a triathlon in a row.)

So, remember I signed up for that triathlon? It’s like a month away. And honestly, I’m not totally feeling it. I signed up for it just because I bought a bike and because I think I *can* do it relatively easily (it’s a sprint tri), not because I’m really dying to do it. But since I’ve signed up, I might as well give it a try, eh? Plus, watching Anne train for her sprint tri, Meghann and Kelly training for a half-Ironman and Emily training for an entire Ironman is pretty inspiring.

So I went to the pool today and did some laps. The swim part of the race is 400m, which is equivalent to 437 yards. The plan I’m (very) loosely following called for 30 minutes of swimming and 20 minutes of running today. My goal was to do 400 yards stopping as little as possible so I could stimulate the race, and it actually wasn’t too bad. I stopped counting laps after that, and just kept swimming. The guy I was sharing a lane with said that I needed to use my legs more–that I was more pulling myself with my arms. I guess I need to read more about swimming form.

I got out of the pool and changed quickly to run. I ran one mile on the treadmill and realized why they call it a brick. My legs felt. like. bricks. Really heavy and sluggish. I started the treadmill at 6.0 mph, an easy pace for me, and ended up pushing it up to 6.6 by the end because I just wanted to be done.

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During a race once, I saw a shirt that said “sweat cleans you in places soap can’t reach.” YES. There’s nothing a little sweat can’t make at least a little better.

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My stomach’s also feeling a little better now that I’m trying to relax as much as I can. I had a turkey burger on a bagel thin for lunch and then a smoothie immediately after my workout and still feel just fine! Whew.

Keeping Busy

I have to keep busy, or I will go crazy.

[So, judging by my last few posts, I haven’t been busy enough these past few days.]

During the day, I need to break up the interviewing/prepping/following up with trips to the gym and long walks around the city with my camera. (I’m realizing photography makes me much happier than I ever realized.) And projects around my apartment. Like going through all the papers that are shoved in a “Misc.” folder. And making some sense of the mess above my fridge.

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Or, you know, just take it to my kitchen. (And yes, that is indeed the smallest squeeze of BBQ sauce ever. The TJ’s BBQ sauce has some SERIOUS kick.)

Mostly, I just need to manage my stress to keep my stomach happy. The more relaxed I am, the less it bothers me.

I need to remember that good things come to those who wait and all those other silly cliches that…are actually true. I need to remember that this really is a time for me to figure out what it is I really want to be doing, and also that tons of other people have been through this before and have come out stronger for it.

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And I need to remember to keep eating well so that my body doesn’t hang on to any more physical stress and inflammation than it needs to. This morning, that was oatmeal with flaxseed, almond milk, sunflower butter and some sliced banana. And iced coffee in a Solo cup, because I’m classy like that.