One More Reason I am just like Jennifer Lopez

Guess what J-Lo did? She competed in a triathlon for the first time. JUST LIKE ME. This might be old news for some of you celebrity gossip mongers, but finding this out pretty much made my day. You might remember that J-Lo is on my ipod shuffle and her music (Let's Get Loud in particular) really gets me going. I can only imagine that J-Lo also listens to her own music when she works out, so again, the similarities between us are astounding.

For the past couple days I have been taking it easy and trying to get physically better before I resume training. My horse-pill-like antibiotics seem to be working, and I'm feeling a lot better than earlier in the week. I have been using my bicycle commutes on the Greenway as my workouts, and as long as I'm feeling good tomorrow, I'll be back into the swing of things. In the meantime, I'm going to spend the rest of my work day researching J-Lo's training routine and cute hairstyles for the triathlon. 17 days til race day!

News Flash: I still hate running

Oh hey, what's up lazies? Guess who woke up at 7 am this morning to RUN? No, not you. Yep, this lunatic. I was out there with all my friends, the gnats and the moms. First of all, let me stress how much I hate working out in the morning. A lot. Add in 45 minutes of running before I've had my morning cup of tea and voila! One pissed Irish girl ready to kick babies, yell obscenities at old people and stop at nothing until she gets a shower.

So that was me this morning, running to, around, and back from Lake Harriet. Lucky for me, Minne the Lake Creature is back to lurking around the waters, and I get a cruel kind of satisfaction at watching innocent bystanders round the corner and jump when they see the lake monster smiling sweetly through the tree limbs.

Today was the last week of week 5 and the workouts are increasing in intensity again. I did a 70 minute bike ride to Hopkins, MN and back last night. It was a beautiful outside, around 85 degrees, and my ipod was doing this awesome thing where it kept playing Johnny Cash followed by hip hop, then back to Cash again. I'm not sure how the technology fairy knew how to do that and that it would actually sound appealing to my ears, but I didn't question it.

I elected not to work out on Saturday, choosing instead of get over my Friday night hangover by making these cupcakes and shopping at the outlets. Yum, raspberry coconut cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are manna for a triathlete's soul.

Ipod Shuffle Takes Her First Bike Trip

My new neighborhood poses a difficult problem of not having a direct bus route from my apartment to school on the weekends. Rather than drive and pay for parking, which is #1 on things I hate to pay for (#2 is shipping and handling and #3 is sales tax on clothing, just in case you were wondering), I decided to bike. My ride is a mile longer now, which makes it a 12 mile round trip ride. Luckily the weather was beautiful yesterday, so I packed up my panniers and headed towards the Greenway!

Normally I don't listen to music while bicycling, because I want to be aware of cars, other cyclists, potential homeland security threats, etc. But I always take an ipod when riding on the Greenway, because the paths are wide and free from obstructions. Cyclists and walkers alike also tend to be a lot more considerate on the Greenway as opposed to the Grand Rounds.

The new ipod was perfect! My workout music selection is pretty awesome and I pushed myself faster with every beat. My goal is to bike to class one day a week, and it looks like Thursday might be my lucky day this week. Now if the rain can just hold off so I can go jogging tonight...

Question of the Day

Hello, readers! Here is my question: do your hands ever swell when you are running? If so, what do you do to prevent or alleviate this?

I had this problem today when I was running around Lake Calhoun. It doesn't happen to me every time I run, but frequently enough that it is annoying. This has also happened to me when I have been hiking, but I cured the problem by using hiking poles, and I think the constant motion of my arms makes the blood flow better. What should I do when running? Move my arms more? Higher? Lower?

My run was pretty uneventful other than that it was the first time I have run with my new ipod. It worked marvelously, and I'm really happy with my purchase! I was feeling pretty good (and listening to Lets Get Loud!) at the beginning of my run, so I increased my speed. Suddenly, augh! stomach cramp, and I had to slow down to a jog. Maybe I'll be able to run a little faster tomorrow.

One more thought: can training for a triathlon give me a body like J-Lo?

Woah

So small...

Benefits to Running at the Lake: No Shortcuts

I plotted a three mile course around my neighborhood this morning, and set off with full intentions on completing the course. Flash forward 25 minutes later, and I really just want to take a shower and eat some Easter breakfast. If I were running around the lake, I would HAVE to finish the loop, or else start swimming (hmm have I just found a new brick exercise strategy?)

Ok ok, fine, I admit, once - just once! - in February, I was running and just felt like going home, so I walked across the frozen Lake of the Isles and went home early....

So today, I cut four blocks off what I was originally supposed to run. Yeah, ok, whatever, keep your disappointment to yourself. I'm still proud of myself for getting out there and running as soon as I woke up this morning. Exercising before breakfast, or even before noon, is something the old me would never have done. Things are on the up and up.

Plus, I get my new ipod shuffle in the mail tomorrow! I ordered the pink one (obvi), and I'm loading it up with tons of Gaga, Britney, and Cher. I have been running with my old ipod, and it just hasn't been working out for either of us. When I say old, I mean ancient in Applespeak. It's six years old *gasp!dinosaur technology* and it's so fat that it won't even fit in those new-age arm bands they make for the kids. So for the sanctity of our six year relationship, old ipod will be reserved for buses and planes, while new ipod will become my electronic running partner.

Now that the weather has officially turned the corner for spring, I will be riding my bike more often and prepping for the 12k ride. Can't wait to wear my superdork Microsoft bike jersey I bought in Seattle!