Living an Active Lifestyle

I wouldn't say that my husband and I are inactive, but we certainly aren't an exceptionally active couple. We take the dogs for walks, or go for the occasional bike ride... We try to walk to Trader Joe's or up to the bar for dinner instead of driving while they weather is nice... But we certainly weren't the couple that would trade couch time for a long walk... just because.

Well, triathlon training has changed that.

First, I try and get up every morning now to workout. Even if it's just to take the dogs on a walk before work, I try and do something. And when you have four dogs, you need help. So, when it came down to it, John had to get up with me.

Second, I wanted a balance between my "normal life" and my tri training life. I loved that I was eating well and getting in shape. That didn't mean I was willing to sacrifice time with my favorite beers or not get that Friday night fish dry. So, it seemed like a simple solution to pick places we can walk to. Especially with the women's world cup games on tv, I wanted to get out and watch them with friends. Choosing the bar just about a mile away from the house was a smart choice that got me out and walking and still let me have a fish fry and a beer. Or two...

And, you know that whole getting up early to workout every morning thing? Well, that changed what my nights looks like too. Not only am I ready for bed earlier, but my semi-grown up brain now starts to yell at me the closer I get to 10pm. It reminds me that my alarm is going off quite soon and if I don't get a decent nights sleep, well, that 6 am run is going to SUCK.

The other tricky part is that when your alarm goes off early and you start your day with a good workout, well, I typically don't even make it to 10pm. Yesterday was a lovely Sunday morning. I slept in and was excited when I woke up to do a brick workout. John and I rode our bikes for just under an hour and then I went for a quick 15 minute run. I felt great after. (well not great, but I didn't want to die...) We even joined friends and family to watch Hurling at a local park. By the time I got home, however, I was wiped. I barely made it to 9pm before crawling into the bedroom.

All in all, what it comes down to, is that I automatically think of the healthier option first. I don't want to cook dinner? Ok, what can we walk to instead. All of our tv shows are done for the summer? Let's walk to Trader Joe's for some more avocados. I just really love that being active sits at the front of my brain now instead of buried somewhere in the back behind eating kale and the dentist. (Just kidding Dr. Graham, love you tons!)

I would love any tips that people have on great, local activities for couples to do together. If you have any that can include dogs, extra bonus!

(and just because I like adding pics to my blog, here's one of Anakin and Wash enjoying some outside time :) )

Brick

"What the hell was I thinking?"

That was the main thought I had today as I started the run of my first brick workout.

A brick is when you do two of your activities back to back. Today, it was a 45 minute bike ride followed by a 10 minute run. The bike ride was a bit challenging, but that has a lot to do with the fact that I am still adjusting t my new bike and my muscles are adjusting.

I pulled into our driveway, hopped off the bike and swapped my bike shoes for my running shoes. I switched my watch from recording a bike ride to ready for a run. I walked down the driveway and hit start.

Here is my thoughts over the next ten minutes.

Minute Zero:
This is not how legs work. Hello? Legs? You are not made of jello, knock it off.

Minute One:
Ok, getting the hang of this now.

Minute Three:
*looks down at watch* Why the hell are you running so fast? Slow down! No wonder you're already out of breath!

Minute Five:
Ok, you can walk now. But just for a little bit. You're trying to push yourself here. Don't puss out now!

Minute Seven:
Just run home. That's all you have to do. That's not so hard, is it?

Minute Eight:
Just two more minutes. That's not that long. Think of all the things you can do in two minutes. You can make microwave popcorn. Commercial breaks are only two minutes, that's nothing!

Minute Nine:
Seriously?!?! It's only been a minute? What the hell. That was the longest minute ever. This triathlon business was the dumbest thing I have ever decided to do. What the hell was I thinking?

Minute Ten:
I did it. Time to walk this off and try not to collapse into the lawn.

I walked around our property and promptly collapsed into the hammock. My first thought?

I can totally do that again.

Finding a Way to Love Training

Getting into triathlon training hasn't been easy. I am NOT a morning person, but with my hectic schedule, training after work isn't always an option. So, there I am, every morning, with my alarm going off, having a silent argument with myself.

"Get out of bed"
"Just 5 more minutes"
"Really, cause how much good will 5 minutes do?"
"You don't know. I could feel amazing in 5 minutes"
"No you won't. You will still feel like sleeping. Just get up."
"But I don't want to. What if I just work out later?"
"There is no time later. You have to do it now."
"Fine. But just so you know, I am doing this under protest."

Then it's the scramble to get dressed quickly and get some food into my body so I don't crash during my workout all while giving myself enough time to complete the workout I planned for myself.

I thought this would get easier over time, but it hasn't. I still loathe mornings. The real kicker though, is that I feel fan-freaking-tastic after I complete my workout. I have a ton more energy when I walk into work and don't want to automatically punch people. Why is it that my brain can't remember that while my alarm is going off? (seriously, if any of you know a secret, please tell me. I'm real sick of this argument!)

The other thing I can't remember at 5am? How crappy I feel when I miss a workout. Whether on accident or on purpose, missing a workout now makes me feel, well, blah. I just feel like a part of me isn't there. Again, my brain chooses to "forget" that fact while my alarm is going off. Instead it tells me how nice and warm my bed is. Or how if I get up, I'll disturb one of the dogs and I wouldn't want to do that, would I? (seriously, how can you want to wake him up?)

By the time I get up, let out all of the dogs and drink my pre-workout Advocare Spark, I feel ok. Still not quite ready to take on the world, but getting there. By the time I'm actually walking out the door, I feel pretty good. Maybe writing all of this down will help me remember all of this at 5am tomorrow. Well, probably not. But I will get up anyway. It might not be right at 5, it may be closer to 5:30 (I do love my snooze button) but I will get up and I will train. Because the one thing I keep thinking about is the feeling of accomplishment I will have when I cross that finish line. Just imagining running through that shoot puts the biggest smile on my face. I can't wait to get there.