Get out! - Reboot

Hello internet! It's been a while (three years and a bit to be more accurate), and boy have I been busy! Since I last posted here I've done a lot of traveling and produced a tiny human. Mini Ryzzie is now of an age where I can actually sit down and record some of the goings on here now and again.

Cross Training

I've also been working on getting more fit in general by doing the Kayla Itsines BBG workout. This is a HIIT workout that is 30 minutes long and you do it 3 times per week. Kayla includes plenty of photos and descriptions of her workouts in her guides, and encourages users to track their progress with selfies.  I find that the selfies are really good motivation because you don't feel like you look different after only a few weeks, but you really do!

Running

For my run workout I'm doing the Jeff Galloway Run-Walk method.  I have to be really careful because of my Tibialis posterior tendinitis, and this really enables me to do that. I also went to my local Road Runner Sports and had the full assessment done on my stride so I could get shoes that suit my needs. The video capture enabled us to determine what was triggering my tendinitis, so now I'm able to compensate with my stride while running to prevent further aggravation. I ended up with some custom insoles (which I do like) and some Women's ASICS GEL-DS Trainer 20. I call them my safety shoes, as they are highlighter yellow. Mini Ryzzie really enjoys our Saturday morning runs along the sand, and I do too.

Upcoming Foot Races

The latest get out fad that's going on is training for a half marathon....or three actually:

1. Disneyland Half Marathon
2. Big Sur Half Marathon
3. Star Wars Half Marathon

Biking

I'll be honest, I'm not getting in the saddle as much as I was before Mini Ryzzie came along. She's big enough to ride in the trailer now at nearly 2 years old, but it's not the same. I like to ride on designated paths with her in the trailer, so I can't just hop on my bike with Kitty and ride wherever we like, but we're getting there. Mini Ryzzie is VERY excited about "Bie"(her word for bike) and can't wait to hop on her Novara Zipper. Her legs just aren't quite long enough to touch the floor! I have a work trip to Georgia later this year, and I'm looking to brush up on my mountain biking skills so I can make good use of their large bike park!

Upcoming Triathlons

I've had my eye on these races for a while:

1. Bonelli Olympic Distance Triathlon (Not registered yet)
2. Tinsel Triathlon (This is a great first timer race, I'm hoping to get my mom to do it!)

I think that's all the updates for now, Just wanted to bring the internet back up to speed, then I can really get going!

Absentee Ryzzie?? Nah just busy Ryzzie....

Yah sorry about that...no I haven't been on any epic adventures.  Sometimes life gets in the way!  I've been extra dilligent about riding to work lately, which was totally ruined this week because I've had a stomach ache all week!  Chris and I watched a couple documentaries last night Forks Over Knives (2011) and Killer at Large (2008).

Riding my bike more has been great.  I needed to do some maintenance the other day because it started making a funny noise...this turned into a massive If You Give a Mouse a Cookie situation (one of my favorite books from childhood because it is a cute example of a real life problem of getting distracted while trying to complete a task that I am constantly falling prey to).  I ended up re-truing the wheel because it was wobbly.  Then it was still making the noise so Chris replaced the axel, cones and bearings.  Yet the noise persisted.  Turned out one of the spokes (this one has gone loose before) had gotten loose...even though I just tightened them up.

Meanwhile I was riding Chris's bike to work, which is slightly too big for me.  Boy did that little bit of size make the world of difference, that was a tough ride!  Well after I fixed the noise the wheel got out of true again...so I get to go back to that (plus it's not round anymore either) so I'll make it work!  It's like a giant tangle of yarn, and I can sit for hours and untangle that mess.  Tonight will be a good night, maybe Chris will BBQ for us.

Unfortunately, even though the weather has been absolutely ideal for a good ride, I have been having a tummy ache for the last few days.  I feel a lot better today, must have gotten whatever was bothering me out of my system...so to speak ha ha ha!  Originally I was hoping that Chad would be able to join us for a ride with a bike club in his area (I think he'd enjoy having fellow cyclists to enthuse with and learn from), but I think he's going to be studying this weekend (per his FB post).  We'll ask anyway...it's just the morning right (and Scouting is just one night a week....right?)?

Ultimately I'm hoping to meet up with a cycling group in my area that I can ride with regularly on something a little more trying than my 10 mile round trip commute.  I need a challenge.  I love doing triathlons, I really do, but I think my tendonitis is really going to hold me back from progressing at any reasonable pace towards doing anything other than sprint triathlons with a 5k run portion.  After 5k it starts to act up big time, and that's with Vibrams as my shoes.  If I try regular running shoes I give it a quarter of a mile before I'm in tears with pain.

I'm looking forward to a post from my favorite Yogi in training, Wednesday, and I've also passed out an invite to my former program leader (she's just graduated from work!) who is a Marathoness (Marathoner seems too masculine!) with a passion for getting her feet on the pavement.  Hopefully she'll accept the invite.  She gave me my copy of Born to Run, which I absolutely loved reading, it was completely inspiring, and the reason I'm still running!

Back on the wagon...of P90X & Triathlons

So a friend of mine has coerced me into doing P90X again.  Actually a couple of them have.  Dane shared the secret to putting up with Tony's annoying nicknames and innane jokes.  What is this secret you say?  I shall tell you:

Memorize the workouts, then put the T.V. on mute.

Sheer simple genius....right?  Yeeeeesssss.  Kayla has asked that a few people join her in doing the exercises, like some kind of support group.  If you have never watched P90X (there are some out there who have been mere bystanders to this torture session, and know exactly what I mean by watched) then I bid you to do so, so you understand that the dedication is not to being able to do it physically, no. 

The dedication comes in when you have to willingly subject yourself to Tony's self centered innanity (is that even a word??? I guess it is now!) for an hour+ a day.  Every day.  It's harder than you might think.

So today, when I get home from work, I'm going to turn on my computer and do it.  I swear!

Speaking of work, I haven't ridden to work in like a week, and even then the week before last I drove a few days because I had to borrow things from coworkers, or it was rainy or windy.  (I know I know...I live in Los Angeles and I'm whining about the wind and rain, I just feel like a cat those days and just want to hide!)  Today has a slight chance of rain, and I'm just too freaking tired to put up with it, after my friend's wedding this weekend.  Tomorrow I shall ride, and either first thing in the AM or when I get home tomorrow I shall again subject myself to the P90Xification.

I also need to get back into my morning run.  I used to get up every day and stumble out of the house for a run in the morning.  Then I got tendonitis in my foot, and couldn't run for almost 2 years.  While that's always going to be there, the Vibrams seem to really help keep the pain at bay.  Riding the bike all over the place has really helped with my asthma too.  I noticed when I finally did the Tinsel Triathlon again this year, that my athsma was never a factor in my slow running like it always used to be, this time it was just that my legs felt like lead.

One thing at a time though.  I'll keep biking, and I'll get my overall fitness up with Tony & Kayla before I start adding the runs in more than once a week with Nick.

Lastly I've been motivated to keep up with my blog once more.  I feel like there are lots and lots of things that I wish I could do regularly, and there just simply aren't enough hours in the day.  I'd like to post a regular recipe up here once per week, and call it Sunday Dinner.  I'll have to invent some other things for me to post regularly about, like...an assignment!

Enough of that, I have a real job to keep up with.

Riding in the rain...here I come!

So it drizzled on me a little on my way to work yesterday morning.  This got me thinking that I really need to prep for rain.  Fortunately for me I got a $50 recognition reward from work (in the form of a giftcertificates.com certificate) which I am going to redeem at REI for rain gear.  Rain gear must include some kind of backpack cover to protect my work clothes & shoes in my bag, and preferably something to cover my head so I don't get completely wet hair.  I don't really care if I get my workout clothes drenched, that's what plastic bags are for.  I'll just have to remember to keep an ultra absorbant towel to roll my clothes in to get out the moisture.  laundry rack in the office...not to professional, but hey, it's a CUBICLE...it's not exactly a meeting facility for executives!

We totally skipped pool night last night, in lieu of convincing Chris to just get a membership at 24 hour fitness.  $3/week x 4 weeks in a month is $24/mo (for the two of us) and we only get to use the pool 1 day per week.  Time to upgrade!  One of our local gyms has a lap pool, and membership is WAAAY less per month.  I paid about $600 up front for 3 years (That's roughly $17/mo for 3 years) with an annual renewal of $49/year thereafter (that's $4/mo).  Ultra cheap!  (This means I'm not paying anything right now....except extra fees to go to that other pool, which I'll admit is really nice)

I think we'll check that out sometime this week.  Meanwhile I got new upgrades for my bike!  Ok, so they weren't NEW but they're new to ME!!  I got a 6503 Ultegra groupset.  Woot!  Triple in the front, 9 in the back, new brakes/pads, grip tape the whole kit & caboodle!!  My bike is a nice bike now (before he had Sora parts)!  We're going for another ride this weekend on Sunday, and more mountain biking to come on Saturday.  I wish I could get Kiefer to blog about his adventures.  Yesterday he rode to a bike shop near his work to check out mountain bike rentals for our friend.

Many adventures ahead!

Biking to work

I am fortunate enough to live within 10 miles of my office, so occasionally I choose to bike to work.  What made me do it today?  Several things:  it's a beautiful day (not too hot morning and evening), I always have my best focus when I've worked out in the morning, and finally I'm almost out of gas, and payday is Thursday.  I don't want to fill that guzzler up on credit!

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE having my Frontier, but 14 mpg city leaves something to be desired for sure.  Yah I don't have to drive that far, but it seems a shame to waste a perfectly good opportunity to Get Out on driving in a car!  Now if it rains, or it's really windy, then yah, I'm going to drive.  That offshore wind can be very chilly, and pushes me all over the road on that road bike.


Here are some tips on biking to work, so you can Get Out too:

1.  Get a decent bike - Road bike you say?  Isn't that kindof expensive?  It can be, some pro-grade bikes can cost as much as $10,000!!  Mine is no pro bike, but what's important is that it fits me pretty well, and the components are decent.  You can always upgrade later.  Oh and my bike was under $500.  The hell you say?!?!  It's true!  Just check out Bikes Direct.  (No, I'm not getting paid ANYTHING to mention them either).  you can choose from a selection of small time or big time frame makers, outfitted with name brand components.  It comes in a nice box, and you can take it to your local bike shop for a small fee (usually like $50) and they will assemble and tune it for you so it's all set to ride.

I was fortunate enough to have some experienced cyclists to help me put mine together, and I'm rather mechanically inclined so I tinker with it on my own with the help of my cyclist friends/family as well as the Google.  Plus since I saved so much on the bike, I was able to go out and get a great deal on some speedplay pedals/cleats, and some triathlon shoes that were last year's model (but still REALLY nice...made my cyclist friend drool) for $200.  All in all I geared up for $700.

If you've got a cyclist friend, ask if they will help you get creative.  You can find a decent frame from an older bike, and put some REALLY nice components on it.  There's all sorts of mix and match out there.  You can even get fun colored tires, and bar tape.  Get creative, and make it your own.

2.  Plan your route - Planning your route is another important step to getting to work safely.  Use google maps, and then DRIVE by your route.  Make sure the way it tells you to go is ACTUALLY safe.  Ride your route on a weekend day when it's not busy to check how long it takes you, and be sure to leave extra time in the morning.

What's that you say?  You've got kids?  I usually take my daughter to school a little early (their library is open for early drop-off one hour before school starts), then go back home and hop on my bike.  You can even get your kids on a bike and bike them to school, then bike on from there.  What a great way to teach your kids the importance of getting out and being active!

Also, be sure to scope out your office.  Where will you keep your bike?  I store mine in my cube, spices up the decor a little.  Maybe you have a private office, or there is a bike rack/lockup outside where you can keep it?  Get yourself a nice lock for your nice bike.  Be sure it is long enough to get the frame and the front tire bare minimum.  U-locks are the SAFEST, but I use a cable lock with a combo when I tie my ride up outside.

3.  BE SEEN - I cannot stress this enough.  Okay so violent yellow isn't really my color, but black, blue and red aren't really either.  When you ride consider yourself invisible.  Autos won't see you, or they'll get mad at you for being there.  Have a headlight and a tail light on your bike.  I run mine no matter what (day or night) so I get that extra visibility. 

Wear light colored clothing.  Stuff with reflective strips is EVEN BETTER.  I wear a light colored sweatshirt over whatever I'm wearing, and shorts with reflective strips.  My shoes also have reflective strips on them.  It may not be dark when you leave in the morning, but it might be when you leave to go home!

4.  BE SAFE - please, please, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE wear a helmet.  They come in many different styles, colors, shapes and sizes so PLEASE wear one.  Don't give me any it messes up my hair, or puts marks on my forehead.  SO WHAT!  I know several people who have had their noggins saved by wearing a helmet.  If you are not sure how to adjust it, take it to ANY bike shop, and the employees will generally be happy to show you how, and help you get it on right.  Lance Armstrong wears a helmet, and you should too!

5.  Get Out!!!

Don't forget your water, and don't wear your work clothes if you're going to get all sweaty, bring them in a backpack.  You'll figure it out!