People come in all shapes and sizes.
Personally, I think that's pretty cool.
I have friends who are a foot shorter than me and friends who are a foot taller.
I have friends who weight half what I do and friends that weight twice what I do.
Friends who could fit both of their feet into one of my shoes and friends whose shoes could double as skis.
I have friends who would be hidden from view if they stood behind me and friends who would do the same for me.
I think variety is wonderful and I appreciate it for what it is.
I also think that some things should not vary quite so much.
Example:
I wear a size 10 1/2 W ladies shoe. Occasionally I fit into a 10 but I'd never fit into an 11 1/2 or an 8 1/2. I'm a 10 1/2 W give or take a teeny bit.
My prescription for my glasses is -1.75 in my right eye and -2.25 in my left. It doesn't change based on the glasses I want to buy or the contacts I order.
Example number two:
If I want to buy a new top, I will be anywhere from an extra small (imagine!) to an extra large.
If I want to buy pants, I range from a size 6 to a size 12.
Depends on the manufacturer and the style apparently.
Bah!
I am not a fan of clothes shopping and, when I do decide to go, it takes more strength than presenting in front of a room full of people.
The other day I decided to go shopping for golf clothes because there is a huge sale going on and, well, I really don't have very much that works well for my new hobby. I got to the store and I walked around and around and around the ladies section. I picked up some M shirts and some L shirts. I grabbed some pants and shorts in sizes 8 through 12. I tried them all on and not one of them fit. Some were too big so I went a size down. Then they were too small. Others were too small so I went a size up. Then they were too big.
Despite literally hundreds of options, I left empty-handed. Partly of my own doing because I did not have the strength to walk around and around and around again looking for other options that might fit. I had gone earlier in the season and had had the same experience. Despite two trips to the change room, both times with armloads of clothes of various sizes, I left with nothing other than a headache and low self-esteem.
What's up with that?
Why can't I just be one size and be done with it?
I asked the lady in the change room and she agreed that it was frustrating. She said that different manufacturers no longer adhere to size standards and people just have to keep trying things on until they find what works.
That, my friends, is an exercise in frustration...and the reason why I never order clothes online.
I've had enough! If you're looking for me, I'll be the girl on the golf course wearing her trusty ol' jeans and a running shirt.
Friday, August 9, 2013
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Less is More, More or Less
Honestly! Sports really are as much mental as they are physical.
If I'm running and I'm trying to maintain a faster than usual pace, it's exhausting.
If I'm running and just enjoying the scenery and the feel of my feet pounding the pavement, I'll look down at my watch and find myself doing that very pace I couldn't do the day before. Easily.
Yesterday, in the pool, we had a really good workout. After an 800m warmup of pulling and kicking and such, we had the following set to get through:
4 x 150m build on 3:00 minutes
4 x 50m kick on 1 minute, 30 seconds
4 x 100m build on 2:00 minutes
4 x 75m kick on 2:00 minutes
4 x 200m descending on 4:00 minutes
Let me explain a few things so you can picture the workout.
When it says build we start off at a good but not too challenging pace and we have to get faster every 25m. The last 25m is a full on sprint.
Descending means that every 200m has to be faster than the one before. At least that's what it normally means. We were told yesterday that we had to do #1 faster than #2 and #3 faster than #4 but numbers 1 and 3 could be the same and numbers 2 and 4 could be the same. (just smile and nod if it doesn't make sense).
Finally, when it says to do a 100m swim on 2:00 minutes it means that the second 100m swim starts 2:00 minutes after the first. So if you finish the first in 1:35, you have 25 seconds rest. If you finish it in 1:59, you basically don't stop swimming.
The difference between this and most of our other sets is that we usually get to rest between each line on the white board. So we would do our 4x150m on 2:00 and then we'd get a few minutes off before we started in on our 4x50m kicks. Time to sip our drinks, adjust our goggles and laugh about something or other.
This time, we had to go straight from one thing to the next and did not get to stop at all until just before the final 4x200m. Then we got to stop for one. whole. minute.
I would expect to be exhausted after a set like this but I actually held my own all the way through and managed to sprint when I was supposed to sprint and kick like crazy when I was supposed to kick like crazy. Everyone said the same thing at the end - it was hard but they felt good all the way through. Some people even got a new 100m personal best despite starting off slower than they normally would and building up to a sprint at the end.
We swam 3600m in 75 minutes and felt great.
Last week (on Wednesday and on Friday) we did less distance in more time, with more rest, and we were exhausted and completely spent by the end.
I'm not exactly sure how that works but I like to think that workouts like the one I had yesterday take advantage of the long-distance part of me that is much hardier and better trained than the sprinter in me.
Give me a choice between swimming 750m or swimming 2k and I'll pick 2k.
Give me choice to run 5k or 15k and I'll run 15k (when I'm not injured of course). In fact I'm trying to build up to that distance just so I can run it on Saturday mornings again.
I guess that means I'll be in my element on Friday when I do my second 1.9k open water race.
If I'm running and I'm trying to maintain a faster than usual pace, it's exhausting.
If I'm running and just enjoying the scenery and the feel of my feet pounding the pavement, I'll look down at my watch and find myself doing that very pace I couldn't do the day before. Easily.
Yesterday, in the pool, we had a really good workout. After an 800m warmup of pulling and kicking and such, we had the following set to get through:
4 x 150m build on 3:00 minutes
4 x 50m kick on 1 minute, 30 seconds
4 x 100m build on 2:00 minutes
4 x 75m kick on 2:00 minutes
4 x 200m descending on 4:00 minutes
Let me explain a few things so you can picture the workout.
When it says build we start off at a good but not too challenging pace and we have to get faster every 25m. The last 25m is a full on sprint.
Descending means that every 200m has to be faster than the one before. At least that's what it normally means. We were told yesterday that we had to do #1 faster than #2 and #3 faster than #4 but numbers 1 and 3 could be the same and numbers 2 and 4 could be the same. (just smile and nod if it doesn't make sense).
Finally, when it says to do a 100m swim on 2:00 minutes it means that the second 100m swim starts 2:00 minutes after the first. So if you finish the first in 1:35, you have 25 seconds rest. If you finish it in 1:59, you basically don't stop swimming.
The difference between this and most of our other sets is that we usually get to rest between each line on the white board. So we would do our 4x150m on 2:00 and then we'd get a few minutes off before we started in on our 4x50m kicks. Time to sip our drinks, adjust our goggles and laugh about something or other.
This time, we had to go straight from one thing to the next and did not get to stop at all until just before the final 4x200m. Then we got to stop for one. whole. minute.
I would expect to be exhausted after a set like this but I actually held my own all the way through and managed to sprint when I was supposed to sprint and kick like crazy when I was supposed to kick like crazy. Everyone said the same thing at the end - it was hard but they felt good all the way through. Some people even got a new 100m personal best despite starting off slower than they normally would and building up to a sprint at the end.
We swam 3600m in 75 minutes and felt great.
Last week (on Wednesday and on Friday) we did less distance in more time, with more rest, and we were exhausted and completely spent by the end.
I'm not exactly sure how that works but I like to think that workouts like the one I had yesterday take advantage of the long-distance part of me that is much hardier and better trained than the sprinter in me.
Give me a choice between swimming 750m or swimming 2k and I'll pick 2k.
Give me choice to run 5k or 15k and I'll run 15k (when I'm not injured of course). In fact I'm trying to build up to that distance just so I can run it on Saturday mornings again.
I guess that means I'll be in my element on Friday when I do my second 1.9k open water race.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
My New Favourite Thing
I've been reading books on my iPhone, and then my iPad mini, for a few years now. I still read the ol'fashioned paper kind too but I have certainly come to appreciate the convenience and portability of books on electronic devices.
Heck, I used to lug three or four hardcovers on vacation with me. Now I download a few before I leave and they all fit nicely into my purse. As long as I keep the battery charged, I have hours of reading pleasure at my fingertips.
It's a pretty sweet setup.
Recently, I've made a new discovery.
Magazines.
Magazines and I have a love hate relationship.
I love them. I love buying them. I love reading them. I love the shiny pages and the fabulous photos. I love the variety and I love how much I can learn in a leisurely afternoon of page turning on the deck.
I hate how they pile up so quickly and how, once I've read them once, they sit on shelves never to be opened again. I get rid of stacks of them every few years when I start running out of room.
Imagine my excitement when I discovered that I can buy a magazine, or a magazine subscription, on my iPad.
I started off with some easy reading fluffy stuff right before my trip to Israel. I got a subscription to Vogue and one to Elle Canada. Super cheap and guaranteed to keep me occupied for at least a small chunk of my 23-hour journey.
Last month, I discovered that I could get a subscription to Triathlete magazine. The night before Gravenhurst I signed up for a year subscription and enjoyed a leisurely read in bed. I checked out pictures of the latest triathlon gear, read all about the latest training plans and learned about the best recovery foods. I felt so 'triathletic' as Doug calls it.
Yesterday, I signed up for Runners World. I've bought that magazine off the rack enough times to make a subscription worth it.
Now, every week or so, I get a notification saying that the latest issue of one of my magazines is out. I download it in a few seconds and spend the next few days lingering over the pages, the stories and the photos. (By the way, the photos are even more stunning on an iPad than they are in print.)
These emagazines are a little dangerous though. It's just too easy to click 'subscribe'. Yesterday, I almost signed up for Golf Magazine and Cycling Magazine - because I had gone golfing and cycling on the weekend and wanted to get better at both. I'm sure I would learn a lot from either of them and I'm sure I would enjoy reading them.
But c'mon! Really?!?
I've never bought either of them at the store and yet I'm willing to put down my $19.99 for a year subscription sight unseen?
I'm exercising restraint...for now.
At least until I get through my first issue of Runners' World.
Heck, I used to lug three or four hardcovers on vacation with me. Now I download a few before I leave and they all fit nicely into my purse. As long as I keep the battery charged, I have hours of reading pleasure at my fingertips.
It's a pretty sweet setup.
Recently, I've made a new discovery.
Magazines.
Magazines and I have a love hate relationship.
I love them. I love buying them. I love reading them. I love the shiny pages and the fabulous photos. I love the variety and I love how much I can learn in a leisurely afternoon of page turning on the deck.
I hate how they pile up so quickly and how, once I've read them once, they sit on shelves never to be opened again. I get rid of stacks of them every few years when I start running out of room.
Imagine my excitement when I discovered that I can buy a magazine, or a magazine subscription, on my iPad.
I started off with some easy reading fluffy stuff right before my trip to Israel. I got a subscription to Vogue and one to Elle Canada. Super cheap and guaranteed to keep me occupied for at least a small chunk of my 23-hour journey.
Last month, I discovered that I could get a subscription to Triathlete magazine. The night before Gravenhurst I signed up for a year subscription and enjoyed a leisurely read in bed. I checked out pictures of the latest triathlon gear, read all about the latest training plans and learned about the best recovery foods. I felt so 'triathletic' as Doug calls it.
Yesterday, I signed up for Runners World. I've bought that magazine off the rack enough times to make a subscription worth it.
Now, every week or so, I get a notification saying that the latest issue of one of my magazines is out. I download it in a few seconds and spend the next few days lingering over the pages, the stories and the photos. (By the way, the photos are even more stunning on an iPad than they are in print.)
These emagazines are a little dangerous though. It's just too easy to click 'subscribe'. Yesterday, I almost signed up for Golf Magazine and Cycling Magazine - because I had gone golfing and cycling on the weekend and wanted to get better at both. I'm sure I would learn a lot from either of them and I'm sure I would enjoy reading them.
But c'mon! Really?!?
I've never bought either of them at the store and yet I'm willing to put down my $19.99 for a year subscription sight unseen?
I'm exercising restraint...for now.
At least until I get through my first issue of Runners' World.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Holiday Mondays
Long summer weekends didn't mean much when we were kids and already had the summer off. They didn't really mean much to my parents either who were both teachers with several weeks holidays during the summer.
Only now, as an adult who spends a good part of my summers working rather than playing can I finally appreciate the wonderful gift that is a long weekend.
Yesterday was a holiday. We slept in until 7am and woke to find the sun shining and the birds singing. Yes, just like in a Disney movie. We had our breakfast, grabbed our coffee and headed to a local golf course where we were scheduled to meet two friends for 9-hole game. We got there early to hit some balls, for me to straighten out my swing and for the sun to warm up enough that we took our coats off.
At tee time, we headed out to enjoy a beautiful and just challenging enough golf course. We hit good balls, we hit horrifyingly bad ones. We laughed and tried not to kill any of the geese who were roaming the course in flocks.
After our game we headed to our club (the one we curl at in the winter) for lunch. A lovely outdoor table at the 18th green made us feel like we were on holidays in some very expensive and fancy country. We lingered over coffee, chatting about books and golf etiquette.
After lunch Doug and I spent a few quiet hours at home before we headed downtown with my parents for Ribfest festivities. Music, ribs, fries and fun.
We squeezed in one more episode of Homeland before heading to bed.
As a child, a day like that would have sounded rather boring and tedious.
As a working adult, it was heaven.
Only now, as an adult who spends a good part of my summers working rather than playing can I finally appreciate the wonderful gift that is a long weekend.
Yesterday was a holiday. We slept in until 7am and woke to find the sun shining and the birds singing. Yes, just like in a Disney movie. We had our breakfast, grabbed our coffee and headed to a local golf course where we were scheduled to meet two friends for 9-hole game. We got there early to hit some balls, for me to straighten out my swing and for the sun to warm up enough that we took our coats off.
At tee time, we headed out to enjoy a beautiful and just challenging enough golf course. We hit good balls, we hit horrifyingly bad ones. We laughed and tried not to kill any of the geese who were roaming the course in flocks.
After our game we headed to our club (the one we curl at in the winter) for lunch. A lovely outdoor table at the 18th green made us feel like we were on holidays in some very expensive and fancy country. We lingered over coffee, chatting about books and golf etiquette.
After lunch Doug and I spent a few quiet hours at home before we headed downtown with my parents for Ribfest festivities. Music, ribs, fries and fun.
We squeezed in one more episode of Homeland before heading to bed.
As a child, a day like that would have sounded rather boring and tedious.
As a working adult, it was heaven.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Error
Last Friday's blog made reference to the fact that I had experienced two low blood sugars the day before and had not felt either of them. It freaked me out.
Friday was a bit of a down day in terms of blood sugar. You know the kind I'm talking about? When you have no idea why you're going low over and over again and you overtreat the lows desperately trying to stop them and feeling crappy from all the food you're forced to eat but you still go low again?
No longer confident in my ability to feel lows, I checked my blood sugar obsessively all day. Like twenty times obsessively.
I went to bed Friday night feeling a little off. I checked and I was 3.4 (again!). I had 8 Dex4s which is twice what I should have had. Fifteen minutes later I was 2.1 (and hardly felt it). I had 6 more Dex4s and fell asleep. I woke two hours later and I was 20.1.
Fabulous.
I took a conservative correction bolus and fell back asleep. I woke up at 7:30am and was 3.4. I had a fig newton and lounged around in bed for a while enjoying a day with nothing on the calendar except a run.
My goal for Saturday was to run 10k. My first real 10k run in months. I was excited but, after my two days of blood sugar craziness, I was also a little apprehensive.
I pulled out my running belt (which I wouldn't normally wear for 10k) and I stuffed it with boxes of raisins and emergency gels. I popped my glucometer in with four test strips. My plan was to run an out and back course and to check my blood sugar every 2.5k (which would translate into every fifteen minutes or so). I normally wouldn't check at all for a 10k run I was not taking any chances.
I had a gel and a Larabar before I left and waited fifteen minutes for them to kick in. That is 45 carbs which, without insulin, should make my blood sugar spike.
I ran 2.5k and then stopped to check. I was 6.2 which is a lovely number if you're sitting at your desk but pretty damn low considering I had just eaten and had 7.5k left to run. I ate my box of raisins and decided to run 500m and check again. If I was dropping, I would turn around and head home. If I was climbing, I'd continue.
I stopped, popped the test strip in, drew blood, waited the 5 seconds and saw "error" on the screen.
What!?!
If I'm too high or too low, the glucometer will say "Lo" or "Hi". If it's too cold or too hot and not working properly, it will say error as soon as I put the test strip in. The only time I've seen error after a test was if I didn't have a big enough blood sample but I knew I did.
I very very carefully tested again.
Error.
Bloody hell. I had four test strips with me and had already used three by the time I reached 3k. I didn't trust my ability to run on 'feel' so I turned around and headed home. At 5k, I tried again using the last test strip.
Error.
I ran home and tested with my regular glucometer. My BG was 7.6 which was fine. I decided I still wanted to try for 10k but that I needed to play it safe. So I played it safe...and boring. I ran up and down and up and down the short streets in my neighbourhood. I was never more than 750m from home and figured I could walk if things fell apart.
I finished my 10k (running!) and my blood sugar was 5.4.
I then tested with my uncooperative running glucometer and it confirmed that I was 5.4, looking proud of himself, like nothing had happened.
Asshole.
Good news: I ran 10k in 63 minutes and my foot felt great before, during and after. My blood sugar didn't tank during or after the run, although it did hang out on the low side all day.
Bad news: my sleek little running glucometer that fits so nicely in my running belt is no longer trustworthy. I'll have to ask the Diabetes Centre for a new one the next time I'm there.
Friday was a bit of a down day in terms of blood sugar. You know the kind I'm talking about? When you have no idea why you're going low over and over again and you overtreat the lows desperately trying to stop them and feeling crappy from all the food you're forced to eat but you still go low again?
No longer confident in my ability to feel lows, I checked my blood sugar obsessively all day. Like twenty times obsessively.
I went to bed Friday night feeling a little off. I checked and I was 3.4 (again!). I had 8 Dex4s which is twice what I should have had. Fifteen minutes later I was 2.1 (and hardly felt it). I had 6 more Dex4s and fell asleep. I woke two hours later and I was 20.1.
Fabulous.
I took a conservative correction bolus and fell back asleep. I woke up at 7:30am and was 3.4. I had a fig newton and lounged around in bed for a while enjoying a day with nothing on the calendar except a run.
My goal for Saturday was to run 10k. My first real 10k run in months. I was excited but, after my two days of blood sugar craziness, I was also a little apprehensive.
I pulled out my running belt (which I wouldn't normally wear for 10k) and I stuffed it with boxes of raisins and emergency gels. I popped my glucometer in with four test strips. My plan was to run an out and back course and to check my blood sugar every 2.5k (which would translate into every fifteen minutes or so). I normally wouldn't check at all for a 10k run I was not taking any chances.
I had a gel and a Larabar before I left and waited fifteen minutes for them to kick in. That is 45 carbs which, without insulin, should make my blood sugar spike.
I ran 2.5k and then stopped to check. I was 6.2 which is a lovely number if you're sitting at your desk but pretty damn low considering I had just eaten and had 7.5k left to run. I ate my box of raisins and decided to run 500m and check again. If I was dropping, I would turn around and head home. If I was climbing, I'd continue.
I stopped, popped the test strip in, drew blood, waited the 5 seconds and saw "error" on the screen.
What!?!
If I'm too high or too low, the glucometer will say "Lo" or "Hi". If it's too cold or too hot and not working properly, it will say error as soon as I put the test strip in. The only time I've seen error after a test was if I didn't have a big enough blood sample but I knew I did.
I very very carefully tested again.
Error.
Bloody hell. I had four test strips with me and had already used three by the time I reached 3k. I didn't trust my ability to run on 'feel' so I turned around and headed home. At 5k, I tried again using the last test strip.
Error.
I ran home and tested with my regular glucometer. My BG was 7.6 which was fine. I decided I still wanted to try for 10k but that I needed to play it safe. So I played it safe...and boring. I ran up and down and up and down the short streets in my neighbourhood. I was never more than 750m from home and figured I could walk if things fell apart.
I finished my 10k (running!) and my blood sugar was 5.4.
I then tested with my uncooperative running glucometer and it confirmed that I was 5.4, looking proud of himself, like nothing had happened.
Asshole.
Good news: I ran 10k in 63 minutes and my foot felt great before, during and after. My blood sugar didn't tank during or after the run, although it did hang out on the low side all day.
Bad news: my sleek little running glucometer that fits so nicely in my running belt is no longer trustworthy. I'll have to ask the Diabetes Centre for a new one the next time I'm there.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Not Feeling It
Twice yesterday I checked my sugar to discover that I was 3.6.
Twice yesterday I was surprised to discover I was low.
I didn't feel low before I checked.
That is very unusual.
The low symptoms didn't kick in once I saw a low number flash on my glucometer.
Also very unusual.
I know it's only one day but the thought of not feeling lows is very very scary.
The thought of going to sleep not knowing if my body will wake me up if I'm low is terrifying.
Here's hoping yesterday was a crazy rabbit day and today is not.
Twice yesterday I was surprised to discover I was low.
I didn't feel low before I checked.
That is very unusual.
The low symptoms didn't kick in once I saw a low number flash on my glucometer.
Also very unusual.
I know it's only one day but the thought of not feeling lows is very very scary.
The thought of going to sleep not knowing if my body will wake me up if I'm low is terrifying.
Here's hoping yesterday was a crazy rabbit day and today is not.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
July Goal Update
This is the first year that I have done monthly updates on my goals. So far, seven months in, I have noticed two things:
1. knowing I have to be open and honest about how I'm doing keeps me focused and helps me make good choices...most of the time.
2. the year feels like it's flying by and it is always a bit of a shock when I discover that it is already that time again.
I'll assume that none of you have memorized my goals so here's the quick recap of the goal list (including updates that I've made along the way):
- complete the Tel Aviv half marathon (done!)
1. knowing I have to be open and honest about how I'm doing keeps me focused and helps me make good choices...most of the time.
2. the year feels like it's flying by and it is always a bit of a shock when I discover that it is already that time again.
I'll assume that none of you have memorized my goals so here's the quick recap of the goal list (including updates that I've made along the way):
- complete the Tel Aviv half marathon (done!)
- stay injury free (no longer a goal as I managed to develop a stress fracture in my foot)
- complete three triathlons, including an Olympic distance
- pay down debt
- log 1000k of running this year
- complete two events in the Aktiv Swim Series this summer
- play 10 round of golf
- play the baby steps golf course until I can do it in 50 rather than 61.
- pay down debt
- log 1000k of running this year
- complete two events in the Aktiv Swim Series this summer
- play 10 round of golf
- play the baby steps golf course until I can do it in 50 rather than 61.
And here is where things stand:
Complete three triathlons, including an Olympic distance
Done! I completed the Welland sprint triathlon in June and then I did the Gravenhurst Olympic triathlon followed by the Belwood sprint triathlon in July. (psst! I also signed up for the Toronto Island sprint triathlon in August so I'm actually going to surpass my goal. This is particularly exciting considering I didn't even know if I'd be able to do any races this summer due to my stress fracture)
Pay down debt
I have to be honest. Debt reduction didn't go well in July. We went away to Gravenhurst for five days. I signed up for two triathlons. We hosted friends for a weekend. All fun things to do. All pretty challenging on the pocketbook. So instead of paying down debt, I actually increased it by a rather horrifying $700.10. Not good.
Log 1000km of running this year
This goal had a pretty major setback after my foot injury but I'm still holding out the hope that I'll at least get close. I logged 73 kilometres this month bringing my annual total to 409km. Considering I missed all of April and most of May, that's not awful. If I can log between 90-100km a month for the next five months I can do it. That sounds kinda crazy at this point but I'm taking it one day at a time and this goal is not worth my getting injured again for. (It does, however, encourage me to add that extra kilometre or two in the mornings when I want to pack it in early.)
Complete two events in the Aktiv Openwater Swim series.
I completed one 1.9k swim race in July and I have every intention of competing again on August 9th. So hopefully this goal is in the bag.
Play ten rounds of golf this year.
Well, I managed to squeeze in three rounds of golf in July bringing my total for the summer to five. It seems that a friend and I may be meeting for a weekly game (we both play pretty miserably so we're actually pretty good company). Add a couple of games with Doug and I may yet reach ten before the snow flies.
Play the baby steps golf course until I can do it in 50 instead of 63.
This goal is kinda up in the air at the moment. See, I had set it when I thought Doug and I would be playing the same 9-hole, par 3 course for most of the summer. Turns out that we play at different courses and my friend and I play at yet another course. So perhaps at the end of the summer I'll head back to the original course I set this goal for and see if I am up to the challenge. At this point I have nothing to report.
And that, my friends, is the July goal update.
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