Wednesday: Swim and Gilad

Now today, I had a great morning. I was up before seven, had breakfast and tea before Ivan ever stirred. It was quite nice. I even made Ivan's breakfast (grilled cheese) and filled all his milk bottles. We were at the gym for swim right on time, which honestly seems to happen less often that the appearance of Halley's Comet.

I was able to get poolside in time to ask Steven all my swim/ weightlifting questions. Steven feels that the free weights I am doing at home are not making any difference at all outside of some basic toning. He says that my swimming cannot help but bulk my upper frame to some extent. Also, he told me that my "bulk" was really not bulky and then proceeded to tell me countless horror stories of over bulked women swimmers who looked like male Russian weight lifters. This assuaged my concerns, so I will continue with my Gilad weightlifting, though I am still set on owning the Pure Barre DVD. Swim workout went as follows:

• 2 x 100 @ 1:45
• 3 x 200 @ 3:15
• 8 x 50 kick
• 3 x 150 @ 2:30
• 8 x 50 drill
• 3 x 100 IM @ 2:00 (without fins - I swear I thought my heart was going to explode)
• 8 x 50 swim
• 4 x 75 kick/ drill/ swim
• 4 x 100 kick
• 100 kick cool down

As usual, it was a great workout. Steven is coaching our Sunday swim as well, so I will be interested in seeing the workout!!

In other news, my Spinervals DVDs arrived today, though I felt like it was too much to swim and do a Spinerval DVD, before getting up at 5:30 AM to do a pretty hardcore speed workout. Hopefully, I will get to do a bike workout tomorrow night after Ivan goes to bed.

I was thrilled to get to go into work, where in a fun coincidence, Ben Caldwell (who is just a great local artisan who does wonderful work with copper and silver) was visiting. I had a chance to hear all about his education and accomplishments; such fun. At home, I am crawling into bed early. My alarm is going to ring while it is still dark.

Pics are Ivan and a piece of Ben Caldwell's copper serving collection.

Tuesday: Run, Gilad and Surely There Will Not Be Any More Snow

So just for today's tally, both Bible study and my track workout were cancelled. I ended up running here at home, again without my watch so as not to press for time in icy conditions. It seemed a little warmer than yesterday, and the snow was not blowing as hard. Maybe later in the week there will be a thaw. I am trying not to worry about my level of fitness and was very pleased when my track coach sent out an email detailing how long it takes to lose fitness. The information went as follows:

Jeff Galloway gives a rule of thumb about losing fitness:

Rest Time

Without Exercise % Fitness Lost

1-5 days 0-1%

7 days 10%

14 days 35%

First of all, I had never heard of Jeff Galloway, but he is a writer for runners world and has trained all sorts of runners and the above is his personal philosophy about running fitness. I guess this makes me feel better, but I am so worn out with being trapped at the house. I was so pleased when I got to go to work today. It was just thrilling to get out of the house.

On the upside:

• Swim should not be cancelled tomorrow, and I will get in a good workout, as well as talking to Steven about my weights routine.
• I had a great hair day today
• I think I will go to Yogurt World tomorrow

Monday: RUN and Snow and Gilad Issues

OK, the weather is killing me. KILLING ME. It snowed a blizzard all day today. I finally managed to get out to run during a lull, and there were quite a few ice patches. It was President's Day, however, and the gym was closed, so there was no treadmill or pool option. I could have gotten on the trainer, but that just didn't happen. (Also, my Spinervals DVDs have not arrived yet. Where are they? Hmmm, must check tracking.)

Getting on the trainer takes a tremendous amount of timing, as I have to get on right as the baby goes down to nap. Today, I centered all my timing around the run. My run was fine, but I did not wear my heart rate monitor or watch. I did this because there were ice patches, and I did not want to risk getting more concerned about my time than my safety.

Back at home, I worked on a few house errands, finished my Bible study for tomorrow, though it will undoubtedly be cancelled due to weather. Just checked, it is cancelled for tomorrow. OF COURSE. (I would have been a TERRIBLE pioneer, by the way.) Also, Speed Sessions for tomorrow are cancelled AND the gym is opening late due to the weather. This means that I will have to meet at the rec center on Thursday morning for another treadmill workout, just assuming the weather is better. Assuming. For the love of Mike.

So, tomorrow, I am looking at another day of nothing. Hopefully, I will at least get a closet cleaned out or a grocery trip accomplished. I may take Ivan to McDonald's play place, but WOW, I dislike going there.

OK, and now I will openly discuss some Gilad issues I am having. This weekend at Pure Barre as I was positioned in front of a full length mirror for an hour, I had ample time to observe my arm situation. Now, compared to the rest of the women in the class, I looked a bit like Hulk Hogan or Mr. T. All the swimming and weights have given me a little more definition and girth in my upper body than I anticipated. SO, I am going to drop arm weights from my Gilad routine and see what I think. Also, I am going to talk to Steven, my swim coach on Wednesday morning, assuming that this dreadful winter weather allows me out of the house. I am just going to gather a few expert opinions to find out how much arm weights are helping my swim/ bike/ run. If there is no need, then I might as well stop. I think I will always keep up with my Gilad lunges and abs and such. Also, I am going to add some Pure Barre stuff just for variety.

Pics of me running in the snow!! I wore my Elmer Fudd hat.

Confession: Sometime the dramatic facial expressions made during pairs figure skating make me nervous.

Pure Barre = +A

It has been a long time since I have taken a women's oriented workout class. It has definitely been since before the baby, AND I was taking rec center strength training classes back then. A rec center class is VERY different than a class at a private club or an independent studio like pilates or yoga or Pure Barre.

At a rec center class, people roam in wearing any old thing. For instance, I would usually show up for my class after a long run wearing exactly what I had worn to run. I would be completely sweaty and my running clothes usually consisted of my last remaining Wave Country t-shirt and a grungy pair of shorts. It just wasn't a big deal. It typically only cost me $3, and a senior citizen took my money while drinking rec center coffee out of a cat mug she brought from home and wearing a sweatshirt that had been decorated by her grandchildren for her birthday. I didn't have to make reservations, I just showed up in the dregs of my workout drawer.

Pure Barre, on the other hand, was a little different, which I assume is generally the case with all private facilities. I had a coordinated Lululemon outfit to wear, AND I washed my face and brushed my teeth before I went. Also, I applied a discreet amount of makeup, just enough to make my skin look great. At Pure Barre, you wear socks and no shoes. SO, I made sure I had great socks, though they were not the special Pure Barre socks with grippers. You also need to wear pants, no shorts.

The instructors are impossibly great looking and all wearing super-cute edgy Lululemon apparel and headsets. The inside of the facility is carpeted and otherwise looks a lot like a ballet studio. The walls are mirrored and have ballet bars down the walls. They sell Lululemon workout clothes and Pure Barre balls, mats, socks and such.

My sister, Caroline, and Jeanna and I got there early to secure a good spot. I was feeling pretty confidant as I am in relatively good shape, AND Caroline and I had done a Pure Barre DVD the day before to make sure that I knew what I was doing. The instructor even noted that I looked fit and gave me the heavier set of weights when handing out my materials for class. Materials for class are a mat, a pure bar ball (which is a red rubber ball that is about 5 inches in diameter), and weights.

At Pure Barre, there are four sections: the warm-up, seat work, thigh work, and ab work. I must say that each section was pretty hardcore. While doing most of the exercises you are trying your hardest to squeeze the rubber ball between your thighs while squatting, thrusting and tucking. Also, when you are doing your squats, you are standing on your tip toes (as if in your highest heels) and squeezing the ball with your thighs. During the thigh workout, I thought I was going to have to cry "uncle". My muscles were shaking and felt as if they were on fire. Pure Barre, without a doubt, gave Gilad a run for his money. I had to set down the heavier weights and go lighter, as the workout became more intense.

The class lasted one hour and I burned 136 calories and my heart rate did not get any higher than 67% of my max. It was not a cardio class at all, but I did work out muscles I did not know that I had. My thighs and rear were incredibly sore on Sunday, after a Saturday class, though in a good "I definitely hit some unused muscles" sort of way.

Overall, this workout was very difficult, but doable. I never had a Hot Yoga moment, where I thought I was going to have to quit or leave the room. I thought the workout was much harder and more targeted than my usual Gilad strength training workout, and I really enjoyed the challenge. Also, I felt like the instructors were great about giving feedback and making sure you were getting the most out of your work out.

I give this workout an A plus, and I fully plan to buy the DVD that goes along with the program so that I can work on it at home. I think the thigh portion might change swim suit season for me!!!

Sunday: Drive Home and Valentine's Dinner

So this morning, I slept in for the second morning in a row, before getting up and sitting on my sister's couch and drinking coffee for the duration of 17 Again. 17 Again is a movie starring Zach Ephron and Chandler Bing from Friends. It is a movie that is geared towards a tween crowd and is the PERFECT movie for watching in your yoga pants while you guzzle gallons of coffee. My sister and her husband and I had a long and serious discussion about the movie before deciding that it was a perfect combination of Freaky Friday, The Parent Trap, It's a Wonderful Life and maybe a dash of Back to the Future.

After this I loaded up the car for an uneventful drive back to Franklin, and I am rather ashamed to admit that I spent most of the trip listening to Twilight. I have listened to it before, and I found myself listening to it again on the way home. I have no excuse other than that it is just mindlessly compelling, and I can't even stop myself. Good grief.

At home, we had a great visit from my parents, and a delicious Valentine's day dinner: steak, sweet potatos, broccoli and polenta. Ivan was out of sorts as is his habit when separated from any of his parents for more than a couple of hours. He seems not to know how to react to the authority of the returning parent and spends a lot of time testing his limits, losing his temper and spitting like a camel. Seriously, bless his heart, he spits when he is mad.

The pool is closed tomorrow for President's Day!! Will run tomorrow, but three full days off of cardio. Feeling good about it!!

Saturday: Pure Barre and the Flip Burger Heisman

So today, it was a real novelty to wake up at my leisure on a Saturday morning. Normally, I am cursing as the alarm goes off and peeling myself from between the sheets to run in subzero temperatures. This morning, I woke up and there was no workout obligation or childcare obligation. It was like the first Saturday after I graduated from college, and there was absolutely nothing to do. It was both heavenly and eerie, with more emphasis on the heavenly.

Now after I had been up for a while vegetating in front of the television, I had a bowl of cereal and a copious amount of tea and coffee. Then I gussied myself up in my very best Lululemon, and put on a natural looking amount of make-up and headed out to Pure Barre with my sister. Now, I found Pure Barre to be a hard core workout, and it totally deserves it's own post. So, that will be my plan for later in the week. Today, suffice it to say that I will wake up tomorrow with the serious soreness of a person whose athletic arrogance has led them to think that because they are quite in shape a women's fitness class will not be hard for them.

After Pure Barre, we headed over to the The Broken Egg for brunch, before shopping around a bit. We headed to a boutique called Lulies where they sold FAKE CHANEL JACKETS. Now, my secret dream (so of course I am telling you) is to own a black tweed Chanel jacket. So, when I saw this one in a legitimate looking boutique, my heart skipped a beat. BUT, after looking at the seaming and closely questioning the employees at the boutique, I learned that they had purchased the "Chanel" jackets at market and were "told at the time" that they were real Chanels. Now, I didn't even know that anyone made fake clothing. I was familiar with the idea of fake handbags and fake watches, but jackets?? It was too bad, and I was forced to console myself with a Dreamcakes Oreo Cupcake.

At home, we sat around and watched reruns of Parks and Recreation. After a Parks and Recreation marathon, we discussed where we were going to eat dinner and decided unanimously to eat at Flip Burger. Flip Burger has a multitude of delicacies including a chickpea burger wrapped in lettuce and an ahi tuna burger. They also have a Krispy Kreme milkshake. So, my sister and I bundled up the baby and dressed in our Saturday night finest, only to find an hour and 45 minute wait when we got to the door. Yeah, so I would go home and eat cereal before I waited an hour an forty-five minutes for the Hope Diamond, let alone a gourmet burger. For this reason, we went to Anthropologie to find the perfect belt for my summer dresses and hit Surin for sushi. It was a great meal, but not the uber cool burger restaurant that had been dancing in my dreams.

Sushi was great, and I was thrilled to get back home and into my pajamas to watch the Olympics!!!

Friday: A Day Off of Sorts

So today, I skipped swim and slept in a bit, before waking up and making a smoothie and tea and showering in preparation for my big drive to Birmingham. I kissed Ivan goodbye and hopped into the car where it started snowing about halfway down. It snowed and snowed and snowed in ways that made me think there was a slight chance I was going to have to check into a motel in Ardmore and PRAY that they had HBO and a Wendy's in walking distance.

Fortunately, I arrived in Birmingham safe and sound with only one bathroom stop at a very clean and neat Hardee's. In Birmingham, the snow was pretty intense for that far south, and the natives were concerned to say the least. For this reason, all of the fun boutiques were closed early due to weather, and we were even denied cupcakes at Dreamcakes. As I have replaced all sweets splurges with Yogurt World, it is rare that I have a real bleached flour/refined sugar treat, and I felt the loss of my cupcake deeply. We had to console ourselves with a trip to Forever XXI, where I found a denim jacket that I have been desperately needing.

It is a rare treat, when you can run out to Forever XXI and pay $20 for something that you will wear consistently all summer. Granted, to achieve that item, you must haul yourself across town to a mall you would rather not frequent and fight 14-year-old girls for merchandise while Abercrombie rivaling music thumps at such a volume that you fear your heart might palpitate out of rhythm. My sister talked me out of a tailored tux jacket, called the Ringmaster Jacket that could have ABSOLUTELY MADE the right outfit. She forced me to admit that the jacket would languish away in my closet being pulled out only to prance around the house as I dreamed up imaginary venues where I might wear it, and then whipping it off my body before my husband saw me acting so ridiculous.

After this we headed home and practiced Pure Barre for our morning class so that I would not look like a novice in front of the seasoned veterans. Then, my sister, friend Jeanna and I headed to Maki Fresh for takeout sushi and watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics while having fun talks!! A great day!!!!

Pure Barre and brunch tomorrow!!!