Year-End Check Up

At the start of 2008 I created my annual Life Plan and so now is the time to see how things went. Did my life go as according to plan? And if not was it better or worse and how can I use this information to help in making my 2009 Life Plan.



Life Plan for 2008

Health and Fitness:
1) Drink at least 64 ounces of water/tea a day

. . . Nope I still don't drink enough fluids every day - but I do pretty much drink just water, tea, or seriously watered down Crystal Light anymore. Soda, diet or not, is such a rarity anymore I'm happy to say. But still need to work on finding the key to this drinking thing.

2) Run a 10K

. . . Nope, but I did do a duathlon which involved a 12 mile bike ride and a 5k run. I'll call this a plus, because it got me so excited to do more events which was more than I expected out of this goal.

3) Brush Teeth 2x a day everyday

. . . Nope, not this one either. It's better but still rare that I'm not so exhausted by the end of the day that I just fall into bed. But a recent thing has started which I hope to continue until it's become a habit is flossing daily.

4) Weigh 125 or less

. . . Nope, didn't get here - but I did get my Body Fat percentage down to sub 18% for a while this year during the PN course, which is cooler because that meant I was packing some serious muscle. No idea where it is now, but I need to get back in the habit of tracking this so I know where I'm at. I'm basically happy where I'm at so that's a plus. Numbers aren't everything.

5) Get the legs I’ve always wanted

. . . Well, this is difficult to say. What I meant when I wrote this was lean, muscular legs which meant I got past the final frontier for fat on my body and I'm not there yet. But when I look at my legs now I see them so much differently since I started spinning, running, cycling and doing this duathlon and training for others - I see these amazing machines that do things that I never thought they could and I'm so freaking impressed with them that I'm more than willing to forgive some cellulite and smooshy fat if they keep me moving like they have for the past 6 months or so. Rock on, Legs!

6) Eat dinner at home at least six days a week

. . . I would say that this is a true statement. We still eat lunch out a lot, but we've been really, really good about eating dinner at home most every night. Finally I can say yes!

Personal/Intellectual Growth:
1) Read/Listen to 50 Books

. . . Absolutely!!! I've read or listened to 59 books this year and have today to finish the one I'm on for a nice even 60.

2) Take time for myself (that’s not at the gym) at least once a week.

. . . This is still a struggle and I've been thinking already of how I want to try again to tackle this one in the new year.

Relationships:
1) At least two dates a month with Jay

. . . Yes! There was a period of time when I went on strike over the summer with this one, but we worked it out, came to an understanding and we are back on track (which reminds me I need to start looking at January for getting a sitter for our date nights next month.)

2) Spend at least an hour a day with Megan uninterrupted

. . . No, I can't say that I've been as good with this as I'd like. I need to refocus and regroup on this one as I still think it's really important.

3) Have evenings when the television is not on before Megan goes to bed

. . . Yes, it happens. No, it doesn't happen often, but it did happen last night and was a blast.

4) Eat dinner at the dinner table more often

. . . Sometimes we do better than others. I don't remember how bad it was when I wrote this but I don't think we do too bad now.

6) Plan at least one night out a month with girlfriend(s)

. . . Abso-freaking-lutely! I established the 1st Tuesday evening of every month as Girls Night Out and it's worked out great. Not everyone can make it every month, and we cancelled this month because the holidays are so crazy, but I'm so glad that I did this. I also created a Book Club where we meet the 3rd Tuesday evening of every month and it's been so great to have another evening out as an adult. It just goes to show that if you want something, you have to do something about it.

Career:
1) Join a professional Paralegal organization

. . . Done! For the good it's been, but I did it.

2) Decide if the stress is worth the paycheck -or- If I can be just a stay-at-home mom
3) Look for another job, but only take one if it’s perfect
4) Work only the number of hours a week that I’ve agreed to

. . . 2, 3, & 4 - Done!!! I no longer work for the woman that was driving me insane, I work for a wonderful woman now, along with a second attorney and contemplating a third and my work life is just grand!

Financial Health:
1) Save 10% of our income

. . . Done!

2) Pay off Home Equity Loan

. . . Done! Then as a reward for paying off early they dropped our line of credited by 3/4's - like we're the ones that screwed up so badly. Damn lenders.

3) Have $10K Emergency Fund

. . . Done!

4) Fund Roth IRA’s to their annual maximum

. . . Nope, was working on it and the stock market crashed so now we just started buying a couple of stocks we were interested in on our own and figure we can't really do any worse that the brokerage firms right now with losing our money and it's been kind of fun.

Well, it appears that in all areas of my life besides Health and Fitness I've done really well, which is not at all how I feel. I feel great and that I've come so far this year as an athlete that I'm somewhat in awe of myself and my accomplishments and can't wait to see what I do next year. After all, I trained for and completed a duathlon, I took a 3 month nutrition course, I joined an awesome gym, I've discovered yoga and enjoy my practice, I've discovered spinning which has led to cycling that I love and I'm good at, I've started running again - not far or fast, but without the terrible pain from before.

This is a Life Plan and Goals - it's not a strict set of instructions. You have to be flexible and venture off course. If I had stuck to the 10K plan, I would have never discovered duathlons.

Chart your course and seeing where it leads you - I'll be sharing my plan for 2009 very soon. I wrote this post initially a few days ago and was struggling a bit this time. I'd written that the inspiration hadn't hit me yet "except in a couple of key areas, but who knows - this year may have a narrower focus. After all, I'm feeling good about my career, intellectual growth, and financial health."

Well this morning upon waking - when I have all my best thoughts - it hit and I wrote it down, now I'm going to live with it for a day or two, tweak it and then I'll let you know.

The Best Gifts of All

I had a wonderful Christmas and I hope everyone else enjoyed their holiday of choice as well. I got a lot of great presents: lots of cycling gear and gadgets for my new bike (which I hope to actually get out and ride one of these days), I got these bowls that I really wanted and didn't think anyone would actually get me and I'd never buy for myself, and J and I got each other Ipod shuffles to join the 21st century and even managed not to get each other the same color.

But I got a couple of other things that weren't wrapped and I must hold in my heart and not my hand. The first one started out a gift from Janie - my competition in the Meltdown, PN classmate and Canadian counterpart - that I got in the mail on Christmas Eve. I didn't even know she knew my address! It was this very cool ornament from Nova Scotia (New Scotland) where she lives. The thought of her taking the time to pick something out, search out my address and send it to me meant so much to me, but just when I didn't think it could get any better the email response that I got back from her blew me away and completely had me tearing up:

I wanted to send you a gift - I'm hoping we can continue to become
better acquainted. We seem to think and do a lot of things alike and that's
cool. I have a lot of respect and admiration for what I know of your
accomplishments through your blog and facebook. Having done similar things
myself, I know some of what you've been through and the personal strengths and
struggles you've had. Some days just reading your blog can turn my day
around because you're going through the same things and you've got the guts to
talk about it whether its good or bad. No matter, its always
inspirational. Thank you. I've had a tremendous life-changing
journey in the past 3 years and sharing and communicating with people like you
helps me realize that in this big old world I'm not alone in my quest
for health, fitness and maintaining youth.

I haven't even responded to her email yet, because I don't know what to say. She'll see this post first and hopefully that will explain my delay.

I experienced a Christmas Miracle . . . my father came to our house again this year on Christmas Eve and was here on Christmas morning to see his granddaughter open her presents. After lunch we sat at the table for a long time talking during which my NRA member, card-carrying member of the Republican party, Rush Limbaugh loving - father brought up the Big 3 Auto bailout which initially had me rolling my eyes, because we just can't discuss politics since we are on the opposite sides of just about every issue - this year was exceptionally bad as we all know how heated the election was this year. But I was about to tune out when I realized that my father and I were actually on the same side of a political issue! I can't remember that ever happening before. It was a very pleasant change which I enthusiastically acknowledged and then quickly changed the subject as not to encourage any further political conversation.

I got a very green velour sweat pant/jacket combo with a very nice compliment. J's grandmother who lives in velour sweat outfits apparently got this new outfit and it shrank in the wash and was too small for her and as "the smallest person they [J's mom and grandmother] know' it was passed on to me. For the record I tried it on - it was actually still too big in the waist but not too bad, but J just kept looking at me with this look that said - you look like my grandmother, so I put the clothes in the Goodwill bag but I tucked the compliment away for a rainy day.

Lastly, has been the numerous looks of joy, shrieks of excitement, and countless giggles and belly laughs that I've seen from Megan these past few days as she's fully enjoyed every second of Christmas only as a child can.

The Nail on the Head

Kristin Armstrong's blog is probably my favorite blog and I know I've told you before you should be reading, but in case you haven't listened, this is from her last post and I don't think I've heard it said any better, I know I have a lot of lessons that I can learn from this:

And here we are, a week away from Christmas, days away from Hannukah,and
the pace of the season threatens to outpace us. I came to the conclusion
that a great way to honor Erin, to honor each other, to honor ourselves and to
honor the intended spririt of the holiday season is to give ourselves
Grace. The grace to listen to our bodies when we are tired. To enjoy
an extra cookie, or three. To huddle up in cold weather and snuggle our
children instead of begrudging our lost workout. To take time to savor the
chaos and the onslaught of relatives, knowing that soon enough things will
settle back to normal and the only thing that will stand out is the reflection
of how we spent our time. To hug our grandparents and listen to their
stories. To let the kids wrap the gifts, decorate the cookies, sign the cards,
and string the lights without our 'help.' To stretch out with a good book.
To leave dirty dishes in the sink and linger at the table. To sleep in or stay
up late. To include someone who feels blue this time of year. To allow our
greatest gift to be our presence, in the moment and in our hearts.

She's a Brickhouse

I have been so unmotivated to workout this week. I hate this non-stop below freezing crap. But I rallied this morning and went to the gym to workout, because there still is the next duathlon in less than a month and Jelly Bellys, chocolate covered macadamia nuts and Christmas cookies aren't going to get me there.

I went to the gym (rather go run in 4 degree temps this morning) I went with the plan of running 4 miles. I just can't lose that the distance now that I did it once. It seemed really ambitious given my recent laziness but aim high, right?

I got on the treadmill and although I was in shorts and a light sweat drying shirt I was still HOT after about a half a mile. I decide screw it, I don't care what anyone thinks (most of all me) and I took my shirt off and ran in my sports bra. You got to do what you got to do to meet your goals, and if it's run half-naked then go for it. Shortly after than I slowed my pace a bit - I realized it was more important that I get to the end rather than how fast I got there. Shortly after that I rethought my goals and dropped it to 2 miles.

As I ran my way to 2 miles, I hated that I'd lost so much that I'd gained. So a new plan emerged and at 2 miles, I jumped, gratefully, off the treadmill and onto a spin bike. I rode for about 15 minutes keeping my heartrate up the whole time ( the bike doesn't bother me - I don't really train for the bike - I can do that forever it seems, or at least as far as I need to go so far).

Then the plan shifted again and as I finished on the bike I jumped, longingly, off and onto the treadmill again and ran for another mile. I felt really proud of myself and happy for the accomplishment and that I didn't just quit and go home after 2 miles. If fact, I stayed a little longer walked it off on the track and then went and stretched. While stretching I had a very enjoyable conversation with some other women at the gym.

So the next duathlon is on January 17th, the format is 1.5 mile run, 3.6 bike, 2.5 run, 7.2 mile bike, 50 yard dash. I think today's training was a good step in that direction. From here I will keep my motivation up and not lose anymore ground.

For about an hour of working out and stretching I burned just over 600 calories.

This week I worked out a paltry 4 days/4:40:19 and burned 1641 calories (I don't even want to think about how many I ate!)

Today was a good day.

Head Case

Well, I did it. I've thought about it for the past year, probably off and on for a majority of my adulthood. But spurred on by Katie, who told me she was thinking about it (and did it!) I decided it was time to get into action myself. What is it that I've done exactly? Well, you know that I've become a fit, strong, and healthy woman physically. I've done this by trying several different things, like going to Phat Camp, hiring a personal trainer, building an amazing online network, taking a nutrition class, joining a hiking group, setting goals, entering races and competitions, etc. Now, I've taken the first step toward a holistic view of a fit, healthy, strong and will start working from the inside, as well as, the outside. I saw a therapist, a psychotherapist for the first time this week.

I plan to continue to go for as long as I continue to feel the benefit of this type of "workout". Isn't this the ultimate "workout". I get to go and work it all out! The first session was good, I got a good feel for the woman that I choose. I did my research before meeting with her and felt her experience was a good match to handle my kind of crazy. I liked her personally, felt comfortable talking to her and enjoyed that she had a sense of humor - very important for the people close to me in my life.

I went in with three things that I wanted to start working on:

1) Food - of course, I want to have more control over stressful, boredom and emotional eating, an end to the mindless eating and the food that calls my name (why does brocolli never call my name? Or a nice grilled chicken breast? But those damn cookies have me on speed dial!)
2) My family - the family I grew up with. Don't most of us have family issues that need a little help, if not your own (like my husband that grew up with the Cleavers) then your inlaws.
3) There are just some things that not everyone needs to know :)

The first session was pretty much background and on how I got to this point, so no major breakthroughs yet - not that I expected that. Unfortunately because the of the holidays I don't go back again until mid-January, but I'm looking forward to it.

This one too . . .

Probably August 2009 - http://www.venusdemiles.com/index.html

You can change a flat tire. You can fix a toilet. And you can make one mean margarita. Created for women by women, Venus de Miles is Colorado’s first women’s-only bike ride. We invite you to ride, in the spirit of challenge and in the spirit of charity in support of Greenhouse Scholars, an organization providing mentorship and scholarship support to high-performing, under-resourced students. We invite you to become a part of this Colorado first and only—because you’re a woman, and because you can.

Where You’re Going
So let’s be clear about one thing…this ride isn’t a competition. It’s all about doing your personal best, whatever that may be. Nobody’s keeping time of the event, so if you need to take a minute and catch your breath, do! However you ride, you’ll still come out a winner.
Venus de Miles has two rides to choose from, both of which start at Prospect Park, Prospect New Town in Longmont.
35-Mile Route
The shorter route is a 35-mile loop, taking you up through Hygiene, past the Foothills Reservoir and then down through Niwot before heading back.

65-Mile Route
The second, 65-mile route also takes you through Hygiene and Niwot but then turns west, venturing through Lyons and Jamestown.

If the rides sound tough, don’t worry—there are plenty of stops along the way, with refreshments and bike repairs at the ready.

Thinking outloud

I'm starting to think of goals for the coming year - which now for me now includes a race schedule. (How did I get here? This is not my beautiful house. This is not my beautiful wife. Oh wait! I AM the beautiful wife!) So thinking outloud looks like this:

I am planning on this:

Saturday, January 17, 2009 :: Denver, Colorado: Chilly Cheeks Duathlon Series #2
Race Name Chilly Cheeks Duathlon Series #2
Sprint duathlon Run 1.5 miles, Bike 3.3 miles, Run 2.5 miles, Bike 3.3 miles:
Location Cherry Creek State Park


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And this:

Saturday, February 28, 2009 :: Denver, Colorado: Chilly Cheeks Duathlon Series #3
Race Name Chilly Cheeks Duathlon Series #3
Sprint duathlon Bike 10 miles, Run 4 miles:
Location Cherry Creek State Park

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This would be a challenge, do I have time to get up to this distance running?

Saturday, May 09, 2009 :: Denver, Colorado: Barkin Dog Duathlon
Race Name Barkin Dog Duathlon
Sprint duathlon Run 3.1 miles, Bike 18 miles, Run 3.1 miles:
Location Cherry Creek State Park
Start Time 7:30 AM

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I'd love to do a big ride like this. Not sure how many miles are doable and I'd want to do it with someone. Anyone?

June 7th - Elephant Rock Ride

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This looks like fun:

Saturday, June 13, 2009 :: Bennett, Colorado: Big Sky Duathlon
Race Name Big Sky Duathlon
Sprint duathlon Run 2.5 miles, Bike 15.5 miles, Run 2.5 miles:
Location Community Center
Start Time 8:00 AM

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This would be a blast - just need a partner:

Saturday, June 27, 2009 :: Denver, Colorado: The Great Urban Race - Denver
Race Name The Great Urban Race - Denver
adventure race About 5 miles. A create-your-own-adventure race!:
Location
Start Time 12:00 noon

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How can you not want to do something called Cabbage Head?

Saturday, July 18, 2009 :: Wiggins, Colorado: Cabbage Head Duathlon
Race Name Cabbage Head Duathlon
Olympic duathlon Run 3.1 miles, Bike 18.6 miles, Run 3.1 miles:
Location First Community Church
Start Time 8:00 AM
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Or there's this one that could be fun, just to try it up in Leadville (eval. 10,200)

July 19 - Du-It-High Duathlon - (5K Run/20K Bike/5K Run) - Leadville, Colorado
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I could do this, although it's a week later:

Saturday, July 25, 2009 :: Aurora, Colorado: My Way or the Tri Way
Race Name My Way or the Tri Way Duathlon
Sprint duathlon Bike 14 miles, Run 3.1 miles:
Location Aurora Reservoir
Start Time 8:00 AM
USAT Sanctioned
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This would be good - killer climb on the bike:
August 8 - Aspen High Country Triathlon/Duathlon 2 mile Run, 17 mile bike (with a 1,500ft vertical gain) and a 4 mile run in the Elk Mountain Range and the scenic Maroon Creek Valley - Aspen, Colorado -

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Some time in August is this one which I would love to do one of these years if I can get my BFF to do it. Are you listening, Denise?:


The Muddy Buddy
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And this one I really want to do again, this is is what got it all started - but this is the only information so far:

August 27 - Colorado Wild Women Duathlon - new distances this year - Aurora Reservoir - Aurora, Colorado

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This is what insanity looks like. I'm not doing it - the run would kill me, if I could even run that far. Just sharing:

Saturday, September 12, 2009 :: Aurora, Colorado: Harvest Moon Triathlon, Duathlon and Aquabike
Race Name Harvest Moon Duathlon
Half Iron duathlon Run 3.1 miles, Bike 56 miles, Run 13.1 miles:
Location Aurora Reservoir
USAT Sanct/Certif. RD


Now all I have to do is work narrow this down, coordinate with Jay's race schedule, get the money for registration fees, figure out how to ride my new bike without falling off, and get really, really, really fit!!!

Sacramento Continued

Finally, I'm back to tell about the fantastic time I had in Sacramento.

We left on a Thursday, after a long delay at the airport in Denver we finally got off the ground and left the snow in Denver and landed in the fog of Sacramento. Katie, who I met at least 3 years ago on the Body-for-Life Tracker website (I think), was waiting for at her parents house for Jay, Megan and I. Katie was awesome enough to hook us up with her parents house for the weekend while they were away on vacation.

Friday morning, we took our time getting up and had a great time finding a place to eat breakfast, given the fact that the fog was so bad we couldn't see past the sidewalk while driving down the street. We did finally find breakfast and we decided to go to the Jelly Belly factory for a tour given that the weather wasn't cooperating for much else. After consulting Katie, at work, she texted us all the necessary information and we were off.

The tour was very cool and had a craving to try all the different flavors. We spent a whole lot of money in the gift shop and then it was time to see Santa, who as luck would have it was visiting the Jelly Belly Factory that day.

From the Jelly Belly Factory we hit a California icon - In 'n' Out Burger. Yummy!! (Why can't we have those in Colorado?!)

If I keep eating like that I'll end up looking like this:

Then that night it was dinner with Katie! We went to Joe's Crab Shack (what a crazy place! Jay was goosed by a total stranger right in front of us!) It was so great to talk to Katie face-to-face after years of Instant Messaging, and to have someone to split my entree with!




After dinner was probably my favorite part of the weekend. Jay and Megan headed back to Katie's folks house and she and I went out alone and found a cofee shop were we could carry on real time conversation. The evening ended too soon.

Saturday morning Katie headed back over and she and I went for a run together. We went out for 3 miles, never sure who was setting the pace but it was a good click. It was cool running at sea-level - Katie and I could actually talk with whole time. Amazing what a little air will do for you. But in the end Katie turned on the juice and beat me handily to the finish.

That afternoon we headed of to the Expo so Jay could pick up his race packet. Katie and her son Brian Jr. met us there. Brian Jr. and Megan were instant friends. We also ran into fellow blogger, and marathon runner, Leslie, but unfortunately we didn't get to talk for long before she ran into another one of her fans. (Fast forward to the end of the story - Leslie had a great race and qualified for Boston!)Check out the awesome shirt that Katie got me in this pic!


That night we had dinner over at Katie's house and Brian Jr and Megan got to play again and we got to meet Katie's husband, Brian, and her sister, Emily, then after getting a little lost on the way back to Katie's parents house it was off to bed.

Finally it was marathon day - which you can read about in the previous post. But Katie once again came to our rescue and took Megan and I around the race course to cheer Jay on, in the cold California fog. (Whoever says that California is warm and sunny, hasn't been to Sacramento in December.) Once again Megan and Brian Jr. had a great time, and were excellent cheerleaders chanting, "Go, Guys, Go!"

Sadly, the outcome for Jay wasn't what we hoped

and it was time to say goodbye to Katie so we could head home the following morning.

I'm indebted to Katie for everything she did for me and my family this weekend. I had a wonderful time!!!

Back from Sacramento

This will be a short post - although it should be a long, long, long post. I just don't have the time or energy to give it the attention it deserves, but I do want to get it started.

We are back from our 4 day whirlwind trip to Sacramento. We went so that Jay could run the CIM marathon and qualify for Boston following a disappointing run at the Denver Marathon this past October. Unfortunately this run was even more disappointing. His body/legs were just not ready for another marathon so soon. He'd been battling Achilles tendinitis for the past month or so and had barely run at all. He'd worked at cross-training: swimming and biking, to keep his cardio levels up but it just wasn't enough. He's Achilles started really hurting him again about halfway through and his times were just dropping from there. Although I still couldn't be more proud, and still amazed that he finished (although I don't know why this shocks me anymore). He's ready to not think about running for awhile and heal properly. He says he wants to build up some leg strength, which means joining me for rides and weights which will be fun. Boston 2010 is still in our sights, but some more prep work is necessary first.

Okay, this is going to be shorter even than I thought - or that took longer than I thought. Off to a hair appointment now, but I'll be back to talk about why else I went to Sacramento which was awesome and wonderful! But beauty calls . . .

Genetic Freak

Maybe you know and maybe you don't but Lance Armstrong, one of my heroes, is often considered a genetic freak. He's got an abnormally large heart and lungs, and incredibly low lactate levels that have helped him achieve his amazing feat of winning 7 consecutive Tours.

And how you could possibly miss this summer all the talk about Michael Phelps and the genetics that help make him an amazing swimmer? He is very tall, but with short legs and a long lean torso, a huge "ape-index" (arm span of 6'7" to a height of 6'4"), his ankles are double-jointed, and giant size 14 feet/flippers.

It's hearing stories like these that make me wonder about all the other people in the world that may also have genetic attributes that make them perfect for a particular sport, but have no idea, never try "their" sport, or just never get off the coach and therefore will never achieve this sort of greatness.

I completely get that just because you may be predisposed to a sport doesn't give you the love and passion you also need to be great, for instance my 8th grade science teacher, Mr. Bernhard, was 6'8" and hated basketball. But that's not the point here, so just forget about those people for now.

I'm very interested in sports and admire the physical, as well as the mental qualities, that it takes to make someone a great athlete. But what about all those coach potatoes who think that being double-jointed is a great party trick to pick up chicks? Or that girl who has the lung capacity to be a marathon great, but can't get over her 2 pack a day habit? I don't know why I think about them - but I do.

So fast forward to November 1st of this year. I have an appointment with my husband and a couple of friends from spin class to meet with a personal trainer at my gym to have our maximum heart rates tested. If you've ever been to a group exercise class you've heard the instructor most likely at some point tell you to find your pulse and therefore find your heart rate and see what "zone" you're in using a chart on the wall using your age. The general school of thought is if you take 220 and subtract your age that will be your maximum heart rate. That means that mine would be 183.

Well the problem with that, for me, has been that no matter what I do it seems I've shot out of my "fat-burning zone", flown past "aerobic" and I'm "anaerobic" (essentially burning muscle and not fat). I can't possibly run any slower but I'm anaerobic the entire time. Now tell me how you can be anaerobic for 45 minutes straight? You really can't or shouldn't be. So I've always felt that something is wrong.

I've had my husband wear my heart rate monitor instead of his to see if it's broken, but for him it works just fine. So then I must be broken. So I decided to find out for sure.

We start off with some baseline and basic stress tests so that she can be sure that none of us are going to keel over during the actual test. All is good and we're all pretty much at the same place.

Then we start the actual test which involves slowly increasing your heartbeats per minute while noting your perceived exertion level until you can't go any higher then do a bunch of math and Ta-Da! there you have it.

All is good and I go to to town and I finish at just above 190 beats per minute and since I didn't die that means that the max that my heart can handle is above that. I do my math. The trainer does the math. She gives it to my husband, the engineer, do the math again. I don't understand what's going on, but she calls me a genetic freak and tells me that my max heart rate is 210. Now keep in mind that Lance Armstrong's max heart rate is 201. She says that in 20 some years of training she's only seen one other as high as mine.

Suddenly things start to make sense. Before I was trying to train at 65-85% of my max heart rate I wasn't coming close. I'd even been known to get above 100% before in a really tough spin class. But now it was clear: If I could get to 190 in the test then a max of 183 obviously isn't right. Before my 65-85% was 119-156 beats per minute when in actuality it's really 137-200.

I was so excited going forward to try it out and see if I could actually workout without my heart rate going nuts. I actually even thought that running would be better since mentality it was tough to look at my heart rate monitor and see that I was working 95% of my max. So now I thought if I ran and saw it was really only 85% that would make me think it was easier, and it would feel easier.

But alas, it wasn't easier. It was harder. I found myself struggling workout after workout to try and get my heart rate up to the new levels. I got tired, wore out and just overall felt overtrained. So I talked to the trainer again and we made some adjustments as it's still not an exact science since, in part, it relys on your perceived exertion levels.

Accordingly we dropped me back down to a max heart rate 200 and things have been great! I feel like I'm right where I should be and my workouts are getting better and I'm feeling stronger. So turns out that finally, besides that we both ride a bike - Lance Armstrong and I have something in common.

Does this mean that I'm suddenly an elite athlete? Let's just say I'm not quitting my day job. I still have crappy knees and I love sugar way too much to have the diet that I should. But what it does mean is that I have the heart of an average 20 year old, and I can live with that.

Turkey

Turkey and Wild Mushroom Hash Cakes

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Turkey Curry

--- okay this leftover turkey thing is starting to get out of hand . . .

I got it!