Tag Archive for u of mn

The Triathlon Rx | April 11, 2010
7 comments

Epic workout winner!

No.. the mystery box does not contain an epic workout. Nor does it contain a personal assistant to complete your workout for you. NOR a highly attractive Italian Stallion to go workout with you. But you do get to read about my epic workout/hands-down-best-day-ever-#2 before finding out who the giveaway winner is. Because if you didn’t win.. you have to have something to comment on, right?! So hang tight, and an apology in advance for the photo-booth-trigger-happy-finger I seem to have developed.

Ohhhh goodness. Do I even have time to backtrack to yesterday? Of course I do… I’m currently sitting in a big ol’ adirondack chair love seat at the lake, watching the sun set. I have time for anything. :D

Saturday 04.10.10

Yesterday = run with the Team MED guys // ride with the UMN tri team. It was 7 miles of [why the hell do] my-legs-feel-good glory.. and 27 miles of myself and one of my new-favorite-riding-partners getting dropped by the fast riders on the team! Hahah!! It was only slightly disheartening watching them get farther and farther away. And when said new-favorite-teammate said to me, “You don’t have to wait, you can go ride up with them if you want” … my response [in short choppy sentences] was “No. I can’t. I really can’t.” Hahah it’s what we should have expected given the people who turned out for the ride, and we had a blast. AND I wore my padded shorts. Success!!

Shortly after I got back from the team ride, I finally connected with el chico guapo, who was just about 15 minutes from finishing his EIGHTY mile ride. How’s that for making me feel like a slacker?! Five hours on the bike? Yeah.. you know he got his padded shorts. We proceeded to a pic-Chipotle-nic, from which obviously only good things can come.

Replacing a few of the 3,600 calories burned while riding.

Can I call this an “official” product review? Yes. Yes I can:

CHIPOTLE DIET COKE CON LIMA Y LIMÓN

Subtle yet delightful carbonation.. leading to an extremely refreshing mouth-feel and the desire to say “ahhhh” when imbibed. A masterpiece on it’s own, yet the addition of lemon AND lime is highly recommended to obtain the full Minneapolis-is-almost-as-good-as-Mexico experience. Additionally, appears to emanate a heightened aura of buy-me-now when explicitly declared “not-allowed” in one’s diet.

Thank the lord for 90/10 adherence!

To continue with the remarkably wonderful nature of the day, I was able to go to my place of employment and sit outside in the sun.. sippin some Peace Coffee.. and loving every minute. Granted, I was on the McMac doing school work, but it was lovely none the less!

For the sake of time, and the prevention of eye strain, I suppose I should move on to day #2…

Sunday 04.11.10

My favorite day of the week. A fact you all know well if you’ve been hanging around Dr.TriRunner for any amount of time. And you could have guessssed that the giveaway winner would be drawn on this wondrous of wonderful days. The day started with a solid nine hours of sleep – very welcomed after a busy day yesterday! Per the necessary progression of any day, much less a spectacular Sunday, a very large 2-cups of Tanzanian Peaberry Peace Coffee was in order. Everyone has their preferences on eating pre-workout, and I’m not one to preach what you should or shouldn’t do about that… but given today’s physical endeavors, breakfast was indeed required. Enter: the…

Do It Yourself Duathlon!!

It has been a while since the fast-twitch fibers have been activated. Since the Get Lucky 7K actually. And given my upcoming races on the calendar, I thought it was due time that I [attempt to] lay on a little speed today. For the friends of Facebook and my tweeps on Twitter… you got the preview that my do-it-yourself-Du came in the form of 5K around Calhoun // 20 mile bike // 5K around Calhoun. Because of the route chosen for the 20 mile bike, the lack of closed roads, and the fact that it was GORGEOUS out today so everyone and their mom were out too, the bike was not “race pace.” But because of my chosen company, it was pretty damn near close to it:

[photo]

The duathlon itself is pretty self-explanatory, so I will leave you with photos galore.


D – U. Spells DU.

Pre-leg-one. The necessary hydration.

Hot already.. time to move into T1. El Novio joined the party at this point…

Rilo – ready to ride, and all Nuun‘ed up!

El Novio – making his way through T1

Me.. making my way through T2! Bahaha hello baby-bicep!

Gomer says we worked hard.

Terminado. Success!


The question is… who learned from who? I’m just sayin – Dakota is a smart dog.

Showered. Tired. Protein shake ready to go, and cheers to YOU winner of this mystery box giveaway taht you are all just waiting for me to get to.

Please do indeed get amped for this “Do it Yourself Duathlon” deal… because it will be coming to a city near you very very soon!

But not yet!! There was more splendor to come in this Sunday. There are several items on my need want-to-purchase list: among them, a Timbuk2 bag for my bike >> school commute, a bike trainer, a quality pair of sunglasses for riding, a Vita Mix, and an ice cream maker. The concluding item entered my life today via Craigslist: brand new, an unused / in box wedding present, needing to be cleared out to make room for baby. Thankkk you!! So excited to try this out.

Red… not matching one single item in my kitchen.. and super sassy looking. Perfect! Trust me that an OFFICIAL official product review will come!

Aright… raised your hand if you hit ⌘f and typed “winner” just to get down to this point. Or that would be “control+f” for you who are yet to see the light PC lovers. Yes. There was a giveaway. The first day. And then there was Easter, exams, Friday Confessions, Team MED runs / Tri Team Rides, and then the givewaway closed. Bringing us to the sixth day. And on the seventh day, God rested. So I guess I’ll just have to follow suit and wait till tomorrow to post.

KIDDING!!!

¡EL GANADOR!

Aright… the only thing you’re really reading for – the winner. You guys seriously blew me away with some of these entries. One had me spitting cereal all over my mac… in public. Another one drew the “awwwww!” reaction. It was better than I ever hoped for – thank you ALL so much for entering! And hopefully if you were a new visitor to D.TR, you’ll stick around even if you didn’t win! ;) So, I want to give a biggg ol’ congratulations to:

JAIME! My possibly [ETA: not any more!] only male reader, my swim/bike/run, my why-didn’t-we-meet-when-I-was-living-in-Boston, spandex-wearing, speedyspeedster BUDDY!!! Winning for following on twitter, but his entry was pretty epic too if I do say so myself. Jaime.. I’m sharing!

No Shakespeare, but hopefully you’ll enjoy it either way.

* Years ago, I would have never even dare
With all of this tight clothing that I choose to wear
* Demanding confidence in my sexuality,
Nothing to hide behind, a daily dose of reality.
* Bike shorts, speedos and tri tops, I own more than any man should.
Shorts over my running tights? You know I never would.
* Funny looks from strangers, smoking out on the street
Running by in tights, they try to catch a peek
* Always the perfect fit on the swim, bike or the run.
Love those thick tan lines, after long rides out in the sun
* Holding close in all the right places, even up my butt crack.
You keep my goodies in just the right place.
* Since no one deserves my junk all up in their face.

I’m not sure what you meant to rhyme butt crack with.. or if that was just thrown in there for kicks. But you definitely deserve to win with a poem like that. I hope you enjoy everything included in this mystery box!! I can’t post a photo YET of what it all includes, because there are some last minute additions I wanted to make depending on the personality of the winner. And so I will. And so I will mail. And so you shall receive. Amen.

I hope ALL of you are having a crazy amazing summery-Sunday wherever you may be. I have about 30,000 posts that I am intending on getting up, including a reader question that I have received many many times, but this lady asked it so nicely and considerately that I have to make a post out of it. :) I’m very much appreciating this God-given streak of how-could-it-be-better?? days.. and knocking on wood that they continue this streak! My battery is about to quit on me. Yet again, I’m at the lake, on the adirondacks, watching the sun set. 10,0oo extra cool points for my restaurant having wi-fi. Catch you soon!

-E

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The Triathlon Rx | March 28, 2010
10 comments

Comfortability on the saddle.

I may have completely disintegrated my ischiopubic ramus on today’s ride, but at least I’m properly fueled and hydrated….

First let’s talk anatomy. Conundrum is as follows: As many of you know, I very much love my Rilo (enough so to name my baby bicicleta). However, the original saddle that came on said Rilo does not love me. It is hard, unforgiving, and according to my boyfriend, possibly anatomically dangerous for my female parts. Although I’m not sure biomedical physicis works that way, it is pretty damn uncomfortable.

But it’s BEAUTIFUL though! At least in my eyes. The embroidered “Q Roo” across the seat in matching blue and gold puts a smile on my face every time I sit down (as long as I’m not sitting for too long…) – I just can’t change it out!! Though according to various Q.Roo Kilo reviews, I’m not the only one who finds the original saddle a little, um….

firm. solid. rigid. stiff. resistant. unbreakable. inflexible. impenetrable. unyelding. solidified. hardened. compact. compacted. dense. close-packed. compressed. steely. tough. strong. stony. rocklike. flinty. hard as stone. frozen. adamantine. (?)

¡Gracias iDiccionario!

There are two options to making your ride more comfortable:

  1. Get a new saddle. (Get real.. I’m not going to change it. I am too stubborn in love.)
  2. PADDING!

Today I rode 43 miles, and I wore absolutely zero padding. It’s not like I’ve never done a multi-hour ride without padded pants/shorts before, so I knew what I was getting in to before I left. Here is another dumb theory of mine: I feel like if I’m going to race in a next-to-nothing two-piece tri suit, without padding, I better get used to that feel. I have the words of my best Boston buddies shouting in my head….

H. T. F. U.

I believe there is room for compromise here. In my rides over 20 miles, I think it’s rational, logical, sensible, intelligible, commonsensical, sound, prudent, pragmatic (OK! Ok… jeeez.) that I protect my “female parts” with some proper saddle padding.

Bikesport Michigan Online is a website I initially found when looking up tri bikes, before I adopted Rilo. Not only did they have a very detailed write up of the Quintana Roo Kilo (and many other brands/models of bikes), they also have a HUGE inventory of road/tri bike equipment, gear, whatever you could want, AND tons of good articles! One of them I find rather timely to share with you today.

Three Steps to Saddle Comfort

As written by Tom Demerly in the appropriately named article, ”Three Steps to Saddle Comfort.” Article photos from BikeSport Michigan.

Although I might say it’s inability to clip out when approaching busy intersection at Lake and Hennipen, Tom Demerly would say that “Saddle discomfort is the most common complaints among cyclists.” And he’s probably right. Not everyone is as challenged as I am when it comes to NOT-clipping-out-with-the-left/stepping-down-with-the-right. From numb genitalia and saddle sores to erectile disfunction, none of the [real or hyped] after effects of an uncomfortable saddle are very pleasant. Demerly states that developing tolerable saddle comfort can be broken down into three categories:

  1. Allowing enough time to adapt to your saddle (especially key for new cyclists!)
  2. Wearing quality bike shorts, and wearing them correctly
  3. Making sure your bike is fitted to you, and keeping good posture

Although I’m supposed to be working on a VO2 max lab right now (I have “priorities on a schedule”…) lets take a second to go into a little more detail:

1. Allow enough time to adapt to your saddle.

As I mentioned (because Mr. Demerly mentioned….) this is especially important for new cyclists. If you’re not used to sitting on a road bike for three hours, then no sh!t Sherlock, it’s going to be uncomfortable your first time out. My words, not his. Demerly states that it’s important to let your crotch and buttocks acclimate to supporting the majority of your body weight – a process known as “getting your seat.” He details that this typically happens over the course of 400 to 600 miles, and would be better done with short but more frequent rides rather than cramming all of your buttock-acclimation into a few weekend warrior rides. It takes time, it will be uncomfortable, but you know what they I say, “Toughen up, buttercup!”

2. Wear quality bike shorts, and wear them correctly.

According to Demerly, cyclists will shell out anywhere from $90 to $239 on quality bike shorts. While I find $239 to be a pretty specific price quote, I do agree that good shorts are gonna cost a pretty penny. What makes it “quality” you ask?

  • precise cut patterns for better fit
  • sophisticated, seamless, anti-bacterial moisture wicking pads
  • highly breathable
  • reduce friction
  • transport moisture effectively away from tender, inflamed tissues

Once you’ve tasted TESTED (!!) the good stuff, there’s no turning back. Demerly recommends bibs (shorts with suspenders, keeping the shorts and padding in place) for longer rides, but notes that they are less convenient if you need to make a quick pit stop.

The next bit of information is written in bold, so I to, will emphasize in Demerly fashion:

Never wear any underwear with bike shorts.

(Says the article. Don’t come crying to me if you get a yeast infection…) Alright – this is something I have heard many times. Something that I’ve brushed off as, “ok… you go ahead and go commando. I like my undies right where they are.” The reason people say not to wear underwear with bike shorts is that quality shorts are supposedly designed to be worn against the skin, and underwear only traps in moisture and increases friction and chafing. I am still wary, and I promise you if I do attempt a commando ride I wont be sharing my plans on Twitter ahead of time.

Demerly also says to make sure your shorts are snug. Use a chamois lubricant. Good. To. Go.

3. Make sure your bike is fitted for YOU, and maintain good posture.

You might think you need a new saddle, but in reality, your discomfort could really be due to improper fitting of your bike, or improper posture. You could spend bucco bucks on a “comfort” oriented saddle, and still come off with a traumatized tush if your posture is no good or your bike doesn’t fit you correctly. Look to the pros, Demerly says. They don’t use saddles with ventilated “relief” slots or big gel cushions. Their seats are solid, and you know they’re out there riding for hours at a time. The angle of your saddle, the angle of your handelbars (this influences the way your weight is distributed over the saddle) and the position of your seat all contribute to a “proper fit”. A triathlete who is down on their aero bars will sit farther rotated on the nose of their saddle than road cyclist does. Moral of the story: Fit. Is. Important. A bike fitting can be done at most quality bike stores, and prices vary widely, but are well worth it.

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/azoto.shtml

And to end the article, Demerly summarizes with a checklist of “Good Saddle Habits”

  • Get used to sitting on a bike seat with consistent, short rides over a period of weeks.
  • Always wear form fitting bike shorts, the best you can afford.
  • Be sure your shorts are tight enough with no wrinkles.
  • Never wear any kind of underwear with bike shorts.
  • Try bib style bike shorts for better fit, especially for long rides.
  • Always wash cycling shorts between wearing.
  • Put your shorts on right before you ride and take them off right after. Don’t stand around or drive to events in bike shorts.
  • Always use a chamois lubricant cream to increase comfort.
  • Use powder inside your underwear in the saddle area when wearing street clothes to keep your crotch dry and speed acclimation.
  • Be certain your bicycle fit, position and posture are correct.
  • Focus on the fundamentals of saddle comfort instead of giving in to to marketing claims of gimmicky saddles.

Annnnd that, my friends, is what there is to say about Saddle Comfort. I’d definitely encourage you to check out more of the training articles at BikeSport Michigan! As always, you  can find this and other training advice under the Train on Top tab at the top of the page!

Didn’t I say something about hydration? Yess. I found this situation rather comical when I realized how many hydration options were surrounding me when I sat down to my McMac this afternoon.

Left to right:

Banana Nuun (drank full bottle on ride), Lemon Lime Nuun (drank half on ride), Strawberry Apricot Sobe Life plain Water (oops! Drank that one last night. It was GOOD! drank half bottle of water before ride, half once home), Black Cherry Dragonfruit Sobe Life Water (drank full bottle once back home), Best ever amazing citrus orange heaven protein shake from God (slammed. Can you savor something and slam it at the same time?)

There will indeed be a FUELING-ON-THE-RIDE post to come in the near future! For now though, this post has been written in three installments and I am beyond ready to hit Publish. My tummy is full of PHO, my pubic bones have started to reform over the last couple of hours, and I am ready for a solid night’s sleep. That’s “recovery” time!! Rest up, find your seat, and ride on my friends.

-E

Giveaways: Erica’s got the goods. I mean.. the Gu!

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The Triathlon Rx | March 22, 2010
13 comments

“pre-cap” … ?

That would be this lame-o pre-race recap. But I promise the full report is coming!! I had a job interview and an kinesiology exam this morning, and I have a speech to give tomorrow afternoon (goooodbye spring break). >=/ But after that I’m golden (for a brief moment). In short.. the first day of spring started off right: it was a great race, had an awesome time repping Peace Coffee Racing, and a nice way to start to the 2010 season! Preeeview:

Rest of todays agenda:

  • practice speech
  • 7 mile run with the guys
  • practice speech
  • practice speech
  • eat
  • practice speech
  • eat
  • practice speech
  • pass out

Though it would seem it should be my tongue that should break off with all this speech’n, my left arm quite possibly may fall out of it’s socket. And that’s from this MORNING’s strength workout. Putting dishes on the 2nd shelf was a definiteFAIL, and I’m just hoping this wears off by the time I’m sposed’ to be in the pool tomorrow. Time to get changed for the run! And YAYYY Joe!

-E

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The Triathlon Rx | February 21, 2010
8 comments

Good things ahead!

Greetings comrades!  (In my head, that was said in my best old-Russian-man voice, reminiscing about my favorite Anatomy & Physiology prof back in Boston…)

This is going to be SUPER short and sweet, as it is Sunday night, and tomorrow I have a test in my Measurement & Eval. In Kinesiology class. (How’s that for a mouthful? I like MEinKIN better!) I’m pretty much set to go, but I need to make sure I have all the terms down, and remember how to calculate Phi scores from a double classification tables and whatnot. Fun fun.

Anyways, I’m writing to you today for several reasons. I had my second “long run” today (first was last Sunday), and I am very aware at the moment of the times I’m running – currently and in the past. I’m definitely not the pace I “used to be”, but now it seems like “used to” is such a long time ago! And my “long run” gets quotes because what is considered “long” at the moment used to be my midweek mid-distance run! My girl Karyn asked me a while ago about Boston Marathon, remembering that I’m registered, but wondering if I’m running or not? In short, the answer is nope, and I’m actually OK with that. I have big tri plans this summer, and with racing at Nationals in April, my mind is focused on other things. But it’s been a while since I’ve done checked in medically with all the hip related business, so I just wanted to give a fair warning of what’s to come.

That’s not the only thing coming though… here’s what is on tap:

  • Hip & running update, updated race calendar
  • TRAIN On Top: Volume 4 – CYCLING
  • My new team – Peace Coffee Racing!
  • Awesome new strength & nutrition coach – Model Per4mance!
  • A new superfood/hydration/delicious recipe… PROMISE!

And the last thing I want to leave you with is a passage from the bible. I’ve said before that I really am not trying to push my faith off on anyone, so hopefully if the Bible or just religion in general isn’t your thing, you can read this next passage as just a tiny part of a story with an awesome meaning. My cousin has 27-29 on the back of his hockey helmet. ;) When I read it, I definitely thought of Erica, because I feel (especially with her upcoming running ventures) that it really fits her and the way she lives her life. Not only because she shares my name, but because she is awesome all around, you should definitely check out her blog if you’ve haven’t yet!

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore, I run in such a way, not as without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.”
(I Corinthians 9:24-27).

Hope you have a lovely night. If you have Caribou Coffee in your neck of the woods, don’t forget about their $1 Coffee Mondays!! I always brew my “first cup” at home, but it is a nice treat to make Monday’s not so rough. ;)
-E

p.s. Jocelyn knows how to spread the cheer, and Megan’s got the goods!!

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The Triathlon Rx | February 6, 2010
4 comments

Weekend Update

I am just taking a quick break from medical terminology (I just aced the self test though, so if that is representative of how I will do on test one this coming week, I’m set!) and I wanted to get an update in here. And what a better time (or so I thought) than to do a…

2:10GU

(2010 Goal Update for those not up to date with Dr.TR terminology)

It’s been a while since I’ve checked in on the three goals I made for 2010. Here’s a quick rundown on how things have been going:

  1. SLEEP – Well, I can honestly say I’m most often getting my eight hours. I can also honestly say that I am taking sleeping meds almost every night, and when I don’t take them, I’m not falling asleep until like 2-4 in the morning. It’s not that I’m “not tired”.. I get eyes-closing-on-me-while-sitting-up tired… I just can’t fall asleep. I need to schedule to get in and talk to my doctor about it for sure. Hahah but I will say that with the sleep aids (which I am totally not endorsing) I’m getting a sound solid night and feeling rested in the am. So… yep. Still workin’ on it.
  2. SWIMMING+CYCLING - Again, I’m still doing better on the cycling than the swimming, but I can say that I’m at least swimming once a week, usually twice. Having the underwater mp3 player is still a huge help, but that doesn’t make the pool not cold. Can I swim in my wetsuit in the University pool? ;) All I gotta say is I better be a better dang cyclist after this winter!
  3. LESS BLACK-&-WHITE ATTITUDE - Haha, I feel like my opinion on that will be biased, and definitely leaning in my favor, so you’d have to ask someone else. It is a really hard thing to “measure”, but that’s the point right – I’m not supposed to need to have all these objective measures in my life. I’m actively making an effort though, and that’s what counts!

I feel like all I ever say is “I have some fun stuff coming up on the blog. Stay tuned for _____!” but I really mean it! Here are my two lame excuses:

  • Some things though have a “missing component” that I’m waiting on…
  • School!

I also just took over as the “webmaster” for all our tri team bidness, and the site that our TEAM PAGE is hosted on is definitely not as user friendly as what I currently use for Dr. Tri Runner. Nor is it very compatible with McMac! I am working hard to get it all squared away, but I might be moving our site over to BlueHost, which is what I use here. ANYWAYS, long story short – with Nationals only seventy days away its important that I get on that so everyone has access to the important info going around!

And lastly to wrap up my quick hello, there’s something loooong overdue that I need to take care of. My Progresso contest winner!! Given the overwhelming response to the contest, I must say this winner is quite the lucky duck, because each you only had a 16.7% chance of winning. (No sarcasm allowed here at Dr.TR.) Without further ado, the is…

Melissa @ A Fit & Spicy Life

Not only is this chicky one of my favorite bloggers of all time, she is also a fellow MiniAppleite, and all around awesome! She is my inside source on all the cool restaurants that I’ve never been to in the Twin Cities! Shoot me your contact info to drtrirunner@gmail.com so I can pass it off to the fantastic folks at BlogSpark/Progresso and you can get to slurpin’ and soup’n asap!

Questions: How are your 2010 goals going? Do you have any races/events on the calendar that you’re counting down to?

Time to get back to work! Hope you all have a lovely weekend! Train hard, train smart, and cheer for the Colts in tomorrow’s game!
-E

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The Triathlon Rx | January 24, 2010
12 comments

A Long “Run” and a Live Post…

As promised – I’m back on Sunday, my favorite day of the week! And I have a lot to give you, so I’ll get right to it!

Sunday Long “Run”

Poppin (Remix) – Christ Brown ft. Lil Wayne & Juelz Santana

Today, being a Sunday, would mean it’s a long run day. We haven’t discussed my running status much as of late, because well, there really isn’t a status. It’s been constantly changing! For the month of December, running was super minimal. (read: like 30 miles for the entire MONTH maybe?) No – its most def. not because I can’t handle the Minnesota winters – we all know I’ve got that covered. ;) Unfortunately.. it would be the hip. Again. My next “big” Dr. appointment is February 8th. Maybe I’ll know more after that, but at this point, this is what I do know: (words of my lovely sports med doc:) “It’s not going to just break through while you’re out there – if you want to be running, and it isn’t excruciatingly painful, you might as well.”

High Definition – Lupe Fiasco ft. Snoop Dog & Pooh Bear

So since January, I’ve taken that and run with it, literally. My milage is still NOTHING like “normal”, but at least I’m running a few days a week. However, no weekend long run for me. So today’s “long run” is brought to you by my Octane Q47 (or what I refer to typically as my “xRunner”) machine… lookin a little like this:

Dirt Off Your Shoulder – Jay Z

And since I have two hours scheduled with this bad boy, I figured what a better time to give you my ellipti/run/music rundown. What you see in BOLD and PURPLE are the songs that are playing currently while I am typing. Yes. Blogging while working out is pretty much the only way I have time for this right now. And since right now I have, oh… an hour and 44 minutes left, you get lots of songs. ;)  My iTunes is on Shuffle btw, but I’m skipping around a bit if I hit a song I don’t like.

Beggin – Madcon

As you can also see, I’m not writing a ton in between what are anywhere between 4-5 minute songs. That’s because blogging, as I’m sure all of you who have your own site know, takes mucho tiempo.

Track 7 – Grey’s Anatomy Soundtrack

(Don’t know the actual name… really not a fan of this song… but it gives you an idea of the eclectness of my iTunes.) Which brings me to the next item on my agenda…

Future Updating Schedule:

Guarantees – Atmosphere

It’s no joke that I am super busy this semester. But this blog is really important to me, and I actually really LIKE doing it! My iCal last week looked a little like this, and this is even just a four day week, with school just having started, so not a ton of homework yet. This also doesn’t show the 6 credits of online classes I have currently going on! Ayyy. Contemplating dropping Physics this semester, but that doesn’t seem like a good plan because I still need to take it at some point. All the classes I’m taking right now are ones I need to eventually take! Thank you God for inventing iCal…

This Is What It’s Made For – Usher

Because of this insanity, my posting schedule will most likely be once or twice a week. It will also probably be a bit more to the point and content driven than all this extra curricular stuff. Actually.. no, it probably wont. That’s just how I roll. :D If you’ve seen some of my tweets lately though, you know I got a lot going on:

  • 20 credits
  • 2 labs
  • 2 jobs
  • boyfriend
  • family/friends
  • the Tri team
  • Dr. TriRunner
  • the Tri team’s website – I just took this one on, but I’m excited about it!

There’s no blame or fingers to be pointed (other than at myself ;) )… this is what I get myself into. Welcome to the life of a Type A (+) overscheduler. Moving on…

Real As It Gets – Jay Z ft. Young Jeezy

On Friday I promised you a gear review, and that’s what I have for you now!

Cycling & Winter Running Socks: Review

You – Atmosphere

First up, my loves of all time: SMARTWOOL. More specifically, their Ultra Light Cushion Women’s Cycling socks:

These were a gift from the boy, and damn, does he know how to pick em’! I love the way these hug my arches in just the right spot, and I don’t have to fold them over because they’re so effing big or have the “heel” be sitting at my ankle! I wear these in spin right now and they are PERFECT! They come up just high enough so my shimano shoes don’t cut into my leg, but they’re still “ankle socks.” Final Grade: A

Dirt Off Your Shoulders Vs. Bittersweet Symphony Remix – Jay Z & The Verve

Next: CRAFT Pro Warm Quarter Running Sock

Alright.. when I told you everything  you’d ever want to know about WINTER RUNNING… I told you how much my feet/hands circulation sucks. Well that post needs a revision: my feet/hand circulation SUCKS when I’m not properly prepared!!

Jesus Walks – Kanye West

This was also included in a x-mas gift from the boy (he’s winning in all corners here!) and DAYYYNG. I. Love. Keep in mind that these were not sent to me by the company – this review is solely based on my usage of said socks and happy warm toes. These. Are. FANTASTIC. On a run where my fingers were frozen solid through… think permafrost frozen… my feet were SO toasty, but not sweaty! Just happy, happy toes. Thankkk you to novio and thank you to Craft! Final Grade: A+

Real World – Match Box Twenty

(Haha! I told you it was on shuffle!)  While were on the subject of SOCKS, I will say that I am yet to wear my supafly Kayano Left and Right specific running socks that my mom gave me for Christmas. I feel like these need to be reserved for races or special occasion / monumental runs only. Q: Do you have any clothes like that? I definitely have a racing only sports bra!

Push It Remix – Camron ft. Jim Jones, Juelz, and Lil Wayne

Annnd that’s one hour down! Love it! What I don’t love is this weekend is “Open House” weekend at my gym. Read: Way super overcrowded!! Un momentitio chicos… bathroom break. :)

OK! Hour two.. start it off with an all time favorite:

I’ll Be Missing You – P. Diddy ft. Faith Evans

This is also where I switch to going backwards and up the resistance a bit! Annnd make sure I’m continuing to hydrate:

Baby It’s Cold Outside – James Taylor ft. Natalie Cole

(Hahaha!! Don’t judge!) Ok so I’m starting to really enjoy this live blogging thing. Pictured above (excuse the blurriness.. I took it one handed and moving) is the new LEMON LIME Powerade Zero! But not only Powerade kids.. that would be Lemon Lime PowerDew. If you haven’t done the PowerDew yet.. hop on it. And make sure to tell me what you think!!! And because we’re talking about beverages and hydrating….

Nilla’ Mint Coffee Recovery Shake:

Hotel California – The Eagles

I also told you last Friday that I had a recipe coming! I fell in love the second this cool, creamy shake of shining glory touched my lips. Not exaggerating.

Always Coming Back Home to You – Atmosphere

Thankfully that was not a 4:26 am photo! Here’s what we got goin’ on:

  • Chocolate Mint Coffee, (.5 – 1 cup, depending on preference of taste and texture) cooled (a la Ghiradelli – sent to my by my absolute fave SwimBuddy Lizzy)
  • 2 scoops Vanilla protein powder
  • Xanthan gum
  • Ice ( I use about 6 regular sized cubes)

If you tragically are not able to find this miraculous mint coffee, as I no longer am because I ran out and apparently this is a seasonal delicacy, I have moved on to using regular coffee (or espresso to be more accurate), dark coco powder, and mint extract. Place all ingredients in blender of choice, and get to town.

Say Shhh – Atmosphere

(If you’re from MN.. GET that song. Has been a favorite of mine for a lonnnng time!) Depending on the type of protein powder you choose to use, you can get upwards of 20g of protein here! Other variations: you could use chocolate flavored protein powder and nix the cocoa powder. You could do half coffee/half milk (or milk alternative). If you’re lucky enough to have any leftover Girlscout Thinmint cookies stashed in your  freezer… send them all to me one or two blended up in the drink would lead to nilla/choco/mint ecstacy. Caution.

When’s the Last Time – Clipse ft. Pharell

As you can see, I did this in my Magic Bullet and it barely fit. I’m still praying that the folks from VitaMix HQ over in Cleveland, Ohio will find this lil runner/triathlete/future doctor and realize:

Dang – this girl really needs a Vita Mix in her life. Her future depends on it. How can we help?

I have an extra kidney if any of your employees need it. We could work out a deal. KIDDING!!! Kinda… ;)

Bout It – Yung Joc ft. 3LW (Step Up Soundtrack)

Alright – decision time: I have half an hour of this “run” left… and there are still about a billion things I have on my “to post” list. I wanna give you a GU2:10 (or Goal Update for those who haven’t mastered the Dr.TriRunner terminology…) but I think I will wait till January is over and  give you a complete one month perspective.

Maria Maria – Carlos Santana ft. Wyclef Jean

(Yes, I really did only type that much in the time it took to play all of Bout It. Not a short song.. but I’m sweating more liquid than my shower gives on a good water pressure day. Haha what an attractive mental picture..) What I think needs to happen right now, since I neglected it on Friday, is a little guilt relief. That’s right kids – sounds like a…

Sunday Friday Confessional:

What We Talkin’ Bout – Jay Z ft. Luke Steele

You know the rules of the game: there are none. Nothing is off limits. You fess up, I fess up. We all feel better. This is a practice I have very much loved ever since my very first ever Friday Confessional back in November of 2008. One year ago I was fessing up to this:

  1. I’ve become rather spiteful without running. I’ve seen other people running outside or hearing them talk about running and wished they couldn’t run too. It’s like if I can’t run, no one else should. :(
  2. I stole my roommates pack of Cinnamon Spice gum off her desk. Sorry Laur – I owe you.
  3. I ODed on Cinnamon Toast Crunch one night in the beginning of the week. I literally had FIVE bowls. Just dry. Back to back.  And I felt sick as hell afterwards/the next morning. It was completely emotional and very delicious. But I don’t need to do that again.
  4. I paid $55 for unlimited group fitness at the Marino. And I’m yet to take ONE class. I signed up for abs tonight and spinning tomorrow morning.
  5. I accidentally brought home a pool belt from the Y. And it is sitting under my bed. And it’s mine.

Ever The Same – Rob Thomas

Have I changed? Let’s see…
#1 – I am currently running, but nothing like “I used to.” But my thoughts on that one are much more stemming from frustration.. not “spite.” Or at least I’d like to think so.
#2 – No stealing gum. I have a plentiful stock of my Stride favorites.
#3 – No more CTC sadly – I no longer have “the caf,” and therefore no longer have open access to crack this goodness. Probably a good thing.

Nothing Ever Hurt Like You – James Morrison

#4 – $55 seems like a steal when you’re paying $68/month for a gym membership. Nuff said.
#5 – That pool belt fits me perfectly :)

This week I’m going to confess only one thing to you in the blog word, because a) I only have 7 minutes left and I want time to make a song wrap-up, and b) I’ve been pretty darn good this week if I do say so myself. Here we go:

Move If You Wanna – Mims

  1. I have become increasingly reliant on sleep aids. Tylenol PM, Simply Sleep.. the melatonin ain’t doin jack isht. It’s at the point where if I don’t take anything, I just don’t get tired. No matter what. Friday night – took nothing. Fell “asleep” around 4 am. Was already awake when my alarm went off at 8am. I’m fessing up to this one because it’s actually a problem. I plan on talking to my doc about it at my next appointment. Which I am yet to schedule. :/

That’s all I have time for kids! This was a GOOD POST if you ask me! Sorry if I overwhelmed you with all of  this at once though. Here is the…

Long “Run” Song Wrap-up:

Encore – Jay Z (good song to end on!)
Poppin (Remix) – Christ Brown ft. Lil Wayne & Juelz Santana
High Definition – Lupe Fiasco ft. Snoop Dog & Pooh Bear
Dirt Off Your Shoulder – Jay Z
Beggin – Madcon
Track 7 – Grey’s Anatomy Soundtrack
Guarantees – Atmosphere
This Is What It’s Made For – Usher
Real As It Gets – Jay Z ft. Young Jeezy
You – Atmosphere
Dirt Off Your Shoulders Vs. Bittersweet Symphony Remix – Jay Z & The Verve
Jesus Walks – Kanye West
Real World – Match Box Twenty
Push It Remix – Camron ft. Jim Jones, Juelz, and Lil Wayne
I’ll Be Missing You – P. Diddy ft. Faith Evans
Baby It’s Cold Outside – James Taylor ft. Natalie Cole
Hotel California – The Eagles
Always Coming Back Home to You – Atmosphere
Say Shhh – Atmosphere
When’s the Last Time – Clipse ft. Pharell
Bout It – Yung Joc ft. 3LW (Step Up Soundtrack)
Maria Maria – Carlos Santana ft. Wyclef Jean
What We Talkin’ Bout – Jay Z ft. Luke Steele
Ever The Same – Rob Thomas
Nothing Ever Hurt Like You – James Morrison
Move If You Wanna – Mims

[Change of location - the workout went wonderfully! No pain, sweated my a$$ off, and feel good. At home now.] Hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did! I have two pages that should be up and running soon: music, and the return of my blogroll (finally)! There are more layout/style changes to come too. For now, if you’re looking for music (like the Reader’s Choice Ultimate Mix) just click on the “music” tag in the right column! Gotta go for now peeps – my VIKES are playing tonight!

-E

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The Triathlon Rx | January 14, 2010
11 comments

Swim slacker!

The week is going by SO FAST! There is no way that I only have FOUR days of break left?! ¡Ay Dios mío! Truth hurts.

WELL. Seeing as how life goes back to “normal” in four days, I figured I better get my rear in gear and get ready for practice to go back to normal too. Collegiate Nationals are on April 17th, and without time to count the actual number of days between now and then, I’ll just say it’s gonna come up sooner than we think!

Over break, there has been a much more slacker relaxed attitude with the practice schedule. Yeah, I still get my time in, but I’ve also gotten to change up the cardio a bit and do things like the stair mountain. (Which I really grew to like actually! Might have to sneak that in on the weekends… ;) )

My view from the top!

Here’s an early “Friday Confessional” for ya – I’m pretty sure I have been in the pool all of ONCE over this entire break. Part of practice going back to “normal” would involve me in a pool and 4000+ yards three times a week. I’m not saying I’ve entirely forgotten how to swim, but this is a pretty clutch time for me to be honing in on stroke technique and intervals. To pour on a lil’ more lame-sauce, I even got the ONE thing I really wanted for Christmas to make my swimming “more enjoyable” :

That would be the NU Dolphin UNDERWATER mp3 player. Haha one kid on the team called it “spoiled”. Since that was my one big gift and it was just over $100, I wouldn’t go that far.. NTM the word “spoiled” leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I would like to call it “dedicated” since the intention was that it would help get me in the pool more often and help keep me focused. Haha, well I guess I ALSO can’t go that far because I clearly haven’t gotten in the pool more. YET! For fairness sake, the first time I was headed to the pool with this lil guy, I had music all loaded and everything, decided to check it at home just to figure out the controls and everything, and nothing played! Turns out it plays only mp3 files (just like basically every single non-i-ANYTHING….), and so I had to convert a whole bunch of songs to transfer.

Here is ME, holding ME accountable. I am leaving to the pool the second I hit publish. I have my mp3 player loaded with a bunch of songs that better motivate my a$$ to swim hard. I will be crazy sore because muscle memory can only last so long, and baby, it’s been a lonnnng time. (TWSS. Bahaha. Sorry.) ”Base building” stops today tomorrow (I can promise today won’t be “fast”). Lubbock, Texas.. watch your back!

I will report back, complete with workout, playlist, and plenty of DOMS. If you find yourself in the same situation as this lil red head, I encourage you to wander over to the Train On Top tab at the top of the page, and explore your various training modalities that you may or may not be neglecting. As I just did with SWIMMING: VOLUME 1.

Going. NOW.
-E

Hahah lied. Had to do this first – Shelly’s having her first giveaway, and Katie’s having a giveaway too!

[EDIT-EDIT-EDIT-EDIT-EDIT]

Success!! I was really surprised at how easily I jumped right back in. I was expecting a not-feelin-it kind of workout, but the whole swim I felt like I was pulling strongly and efficiently. I LOVE IT! Annnnd, the mp3 player was a BIG HIT. Aside from kinda hurting my ears, because I pull the swim cap over the ear buds to stay in tight, I was really impressed with the sound quality and volume in the water! Expect a complete product review to come!

WORKOUT:

(I like to split my workouts into 1000′s – for some reason it just feels like it goes faster!)

SET ONE: warm-up
1000 yards free, straight. minus two stops to dump out goggua (goggle agua. oh so clever.)

SET TWO: kick intervals
200 kick flutter
200 free
200 kick dolphin
200 free
200 kick flutter

SET THREE: IM distance mixup
100 free
100 back
100 breast
100 free
200 free
200 back
200 breast

SET FOUR: SKIPS COOLDOWN
200 swim (free)
200 kick (alternating btwn flutter on back and sides)
200 IM
200 pull/hypoxic drills
200 swim (free/breast/free/breast)

I gotta get out the door NOW for spin with the boy, and make it home by 8:00 for Grey’s! Talk about a perfect Thursday! If you really do want the playlist from today, lemme know and I’ll throw it up there!

NEXT UP:

  1. Reader’s choice playlist! Don’t miss your chance to get your song on there!
  2. a GIVEAWAY!! make sure you keep checkin’ back!
  3. NU Dolphin Underwater mp3 player

Ciao!
-E

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The Triathlon Rx | January 12, 2010
5 comments

The Pay It Forward remix ft. IceBreakerz

We’ll get to the title in a minute.. trust. :)

Back when I asked you guys for your #1 pump-up song for my “reader’s choice spin mix”, (keep those entries coming btw – CLICK HERE to go to that post!) my east coast homie and fellow BAMF Karyn told me I should check out this other chica’s blog, Mindful Living. So I clicked my way on over to Christina’s blog, and am SO glad I did – this girl is awesome! Not to mention we have a crazy amount in common: we’re both the same age and the youngest of sister-only families, both marathoners (and both decently fast one’s at that ;) ), both entering the health/medical field, both teach (or taught/may be teaching again soon!) spin, both are super close with our families, and we’re both lifelong athletes. And oh yeah, there’s the healthy lifestyle blogger thing underlying somewhere in there too.

Christina recently tagged me on the Beautiful Blogger award – thanks lady! I LOVE fun facts! Cmon.. think back to your college orientation weekend.. job training.. summer camp. It gives you a chance to learn something you probably wouldn’t know otherwise. Or… if you’ve been around the blog long enough, stuff you DO already know, but a nice catch-up for new readers! Following the rules of the game, you get seven of my favorite “fun facts” and in turn, I get to pick seven of YOU guys to do the same! Kind of like a Pay It Forward (gotta love H.J.O. at age twelve), and an Ice Breakers remix. :D Here we go!

  1. I have a personal mini-hardware store residing in my left hip.
    After a few months of “groin pain weird-feelings” back in the fall of 2008, and a final push from my spots med doc out east, I finally went in to have my hip x-rayed. After touring all that Boston’s medical scene had to offer, I finally wound up with a bone/hip specialist at Children’s Boston, and two diagnoses: fibrous dysplasia, and a fractured left femoral neck (a la tension side). I had surgery in December over Christmas break back in Minneapolis, and many a pool running sesh ensued. Unfortunately, surgery was not an “end-all” solution, as fibrous dysplasia isn’t something you really “cure”. I will post more on this on a later day, but I may be lookin’ at surgery #2 here soon. Biiiig bummer! :(
  2. My dad and I have matching identical tattoos.
    Haha – I cringed at the word “matching” for whatever reason. It’s not a pinky promise, but that pinky squeeze is something special my dad and I have done for as long as I can remember. It means something along the lines of  ”I’m glad I’m with you.”  We had thought long and hard about what to get, and when I thought of our special pinky squeeze, I knew it was right. We got it done before I moved to Boston and before my dad moved to Philly at Steady Tatoo. Tatted by Rodger – they took the picture of our hands together when we went in for our consult.. I think he did an awesome job! I have loved my tattoo every second since of every day since he was inkin’ it in me!
  3. I would not be a runner without my mother.
    My mom is my best friend – this we know. I’ve mentioned our occasional mother daughter runs that I love. (Especially ones sprinkled with a little Christmas!) You might not know that she is also a very accomplished runner!  My mom didn’t start running until she was out of college, but she definitely had the natural talent! She has run 22 marathons over the course of her running career, broken 3 hours twice, WON a marathon outright for the ladies, and definitely put in wayyy more miles than I have! Some of my very first runs were just a few miles long with my madre. She gave me the genes :D
  4. I am on the Triathlon Team at the U of MN.
    Check out our team page! Next up are the Collegiate National Championships down in Lubbock, Texas in April. The plan as of now is that my fractured/fibrousdysplasiaed/lisfranc’ed self will be injury free at that time, and I’ll be ready to compete!
  5. I have endometriosis.
    I have mentioned it before briefly… I have a whole long post written on it that for whatever reason I just don’t want to publish, but it’s a fact! Hahah I wouldn’t call it “fun”… but it’s part of life. Be very thankful that I didn’t pull my “endometriosis” image off of google images. Search at your own risk. Photo credit goes to a fellow blogger dealin’ with the same thing. Maybe my fun fact #5 should have been “My hot water bottle is one of my best friends.”
  6. I treat my training gear with about as much excitement and love as I would my own kids. Meet Rilo, and Gomer.



    (Sorry for the camera angle….) The day when GOMER was delivered into my hands, I knew I had a gift from God. True story – I have a permanent tan line around my bicep from this lil guy. It’s my second birth mark. :D Then, several years later when RILO came into my life, it was like a stolen child was finally returned. Hahhaha.. issues. I know.
  7. I grew up as a “minority” student. And I am sooo thankful!I went to a K-8 elementary school where over 50% of the students were native spanish speakers, 20% were african american, caucasians made up about 15%, and the remaining 15% were from different ethnicities. The school is still extremely diverse – check the stats!  Then I moved onto a high school that was also super diverse! White kids made up about 20% of the student body. I say I’m so thankful because being around so many students coming from different backgrounds, having different beliefs, different lifestyles, and different opinions taught me right off the bat that everyone in the world is DIFFERENT and that is an amazing good thing. NTM I was understanding my 2nd grade buddies from Mexico City before I ever took my first “spanish class.” :)

Alright, time to share the love chicos y chicas! TAG – you’re it!

But you can’t really put a limit on Paying it Forward.. can you? I think not. So I definitely encourage ANYONE who wants to go and give your seven fun facts to let er’ rip! Sadly, this is all I have time for, and it took me 1.5 hours on the ellip plus over an hour at home. Someone asked me how I blog while I’m working out, and I gave you a picture last time, but keep your eyes out for a live post from my steady spot on my Life Fitness elliptical, complete with play list and intervals, to come! As for now, I have a double date with my BFF and my madre. And hopefully I can see the boyfriend somewhere in there too. ;) Adios!

-E

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The Triathlon Rx | December 18, 2009
4 comments

Hanging by a moment…

Or more like a thread at this point.. but I like that song. Lol… from quoting thesexiestmanalive this guy to Lifehouse, I’d say my taste in music is pretty eclectic. ;)

I just had to pop in and say that my absence will continue until SUNDAY, at which time I hope to make a full recovery and rejoin the blogging world. For at least a month, until I sell my soul to 20 credits next semester. Please note that my absence is fully excused and I even have a note from Dr. FinalsAreALifeSuck. Proof:

Haha ok.. so totally not mine. But can you read that? Toooo funny!

Haha ok.. so totally not mine. But can you read that? Toooo funny!

p.s. apparently there are a shitton of sites willing to sell you fake doctor’s notes if you cannot get the classy one above. #1 result when I searched “doctor’s note” was www (dot) bestfakedoctorsnote (dot) com. I bet the creator of that site has a very fulfilling life… :/

ANYWAYS, where was I? Oh yea, making lame excuses for falling off the face of the planet. Finals. Well, good news is that I’m two down, and that means only two to go. Also good news is that I actually aced, as in a full 100%, my lab final for anatomy. Yeaaah that’s right – it says DR.TriRunner. :D Not so good news is that I’m pretty sure I got shredded by my calc final. But I had an A going into that, and judging by how many people took the full 3 hours to finish, everyone else thought the test was pretty damn hard too. I did what I can do, and so glad to have that one outta the way. Lecture portion of Anatomy tomorrow morning, and Lifetime  Health & Wellness (kines bidness’ ;) ) tomorrow night. That means today I will be doin’ another one of theeese:

P1000058 mime-attachment_2

I am fully anticipating carpal tunnel syndrome, metacarpal osteoarthritis, and frequent carpopedal spasms (my foot only because I’m a chronic tapper…). Hahha ok.. now I’m just being a showoff.

One last excuse I can throw out there (and am doing mostly only because I have a photo) is my effing EYES. Remember the orbital cellulitis? Well I’m on amoxicillin for it, but I feel like it’s pretty much a medicationFAIL because I’m preeetty sure it’s getting worse. Swelling in my left eye went down, but then it strolled on over to my right eye. Now there is NO swelling but it feels like my eyeballs are bruised.. and if I open my eyes to wide and look down, they might just fall out of my face. Not to mention it makes it look like I was either cheifin all by myself of crying for hours.. neither of which are the case. Sweet.

Photo 26

Hot.. I know. And this picture doesn’t even do the crazy overabundance of bursting blood vessels justice. But since eyes kind of gross me out… and for the sake of my cute reputation once pretty eyes umm… damn myself, I’ll refrain from going any further.

SO, to leave you in true Sperly photo fashion, here is what you can expect to come. And photo #1 is first up because I’ve gotten lots of good questions! Feel free to keep shootin’ em my way if you have more!

  1. DSCN5367
  2. P1000077
  3. Despite the fact that I am Martha Stewart’s long lost daughter.. I promise that the giveaway is non floss related. Or string. Or yarn. Stay tuned!

Maybe this was the little study break I needed.. cause I definitely took my sweet time writing it. Back to work. Seee you later home skillets.
-E

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The Triathlon Rx | October 24, 2009
9 comments

Final days of the giveaway. Gym'n it. Boss..?

This is just gonna be a quickie (TWSS) but I needed to stop in and say

LAST DAY TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY

so if you haven’t yet done it, step ya game up and send me a photo already! Yes folks, it is really that easy.

I also needed to say that I just bought 48 bags of popcorn for $1.89 because I love Costco and I also happen to love coupons and I’m a boss (warning – mucho profanity ahead with that one). Really though… I am.

mime-attachment

(excuse the blurries.. la madre doesn’t have practice taking photos on a cell phone)

mime-attachment_3

Whhoooo does that? I felt like I was holding a child. A child stuffed with three types of meat, cheddar, swiss, and tomato slices. Beast. Or I guess I should say “Big. Overloaded. Sub. Sandwich.”

So basically, you really should go enter the giveaway. And then my friends, life will be complete. ;)

Innn other news – so I told you about the bone growth stimulator. Well, turns out with insurance and the whole the 80/20 deal, my “20%” is $700. Somehow I don’t think that fits in my college budget. BUT!!! Silver lining here.. maybe. Hopefully! As an independent and a student, I qualify for financial assistance. So if everything works out (go find some wood – knock on it!!) then I wouldn’t have to pay anything out of pocket. I’m prayin!!

I may not be eating any BOSS sammies, but I definitely am still getting good solid training in, and the appetite is high, in true Sperly fashion. My mom and I made our mother-daughter-tradition venture over to Costco today to get some goodies. As mentioned above, BOSS Orville Redenbacher popcorn – my favorite!! – had a coupon in the biweekly Costco Coupon book. $4 off an already low price of $5.97, making my 48 bags of salty goodness only $1.97. Also included in the purchases were many a produce: broccoli slaw, tomatoes, asparagus, mushroooms, and sugar snap peas, as well as my staple of all staples: egggg beaters a la Kirkland. I really do love Costco.

Wait wasn’t I talking about training? Right. So Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday is SPIN on my schedule, and this morning SPIN I did. It is not running, but at least it makes me sweat and I feel like I’m working. NTM, my Thursday/Saturday instructor is also a BOSS (how convenient) and he makes it that much more appealing to go to class. He had a sub today (as in substitute teacher, not SUB sandwich. I’ve moved on), and she is ALSO really great. My list of I-Like-You-Spin-Instructors is short and selective, but these two are both on the top. If you’re ever venturing into the world of Lifetime Spinning.. lemme know and I’ll hook you up. ;)

mime-attachment_5

I took this photo a long time ago, and have been meaning to post it, because really, I do love my gym. BOSS? Hahha yeah I think so. This is over the railing, going down into the world of cardio/weights. I especially love my gym when I’m injured, as in now. They have so many options, and so many classes! In place of our run workouts on my practice schedule, I have “RSC” – otherwise known as Running Simulating Cardio. My favorite machine isn’t included in that picture, and it’s definitely NOT running (I don’t count it as “x miles” or any of that b.s. business…) but it is good. Good indeed.

Alright kids, that’s about as much random goodness I have time for today. If I didn’t mention it before, I got a research position at school through my kinesiology department and am a co-investigator on an awesome study we are about to start! I have to finish my IRB training, which if you’ve had to do it before, is loooooong, tedious, and did I say long?  I think I need to go pop some popcorn…

Love,
-E

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