INXS

Took a quick trip to Las Vegas Monday and Tuesday for work. It was the West Coast launch for the new Tundra. If you've read my previous posts, you'll know I'm not big on Vegas, but it was only overnight and we stayed at the The Four Seasons, so that was some compensation. The 4th picture is exactly the same as my room, with the same view of the strip. The meeting was over and I high tailed it to my room, took a long bath and got into bed with a book. Ahhhhhh.....heaven.

The next day we went the Las Vegas Speedway and test drove the truck. It is huge. The most impressive thing is the towing capacity and braking. Comes in handy when you're struggling to see over the dash. ;)

The hotel had subtle signs everywhere, which read "This town won't provide serenity, come here to find it". It got me thinking about serenity, the amount of excess and how much we live 'INXS'. THAT is the one constant in Vegas....excess. Driving home tonight I pass a large mall by my home...complete with an mini outdoor ice skating rink and rides. For crying out loud...this is a mall!?! We have gone overboard on everything. For so many, to live in excess means to live the good life. I'll take a good book and company of the ones I love, or an opportunity to celebrate my health with a good workout, thank you.


Monday:
Spin: Speed intervals (8 reps hard), total bike time 1:13
Core/Stretching

Tuesday: NA (hotel gym opened at 6am...1st meeting 7:30) decided to skip it.

Wednesday:
Spin 20 min. Just not feeling it so took a break.


I think of the excess in my life often. Yes.... I have much in my life. How much of it is too much? Do I REALLY need everything I have? I long to live simply...that is where I find the most joy!

Live Passionately!

I love my sleep!

This little guy reminded me of my Godson, and how absolutely precious this moment is. When you hear them rustling, go into the room and there they are in all their glory waiting for you.

I love to sleep, and getting to sleep is something I've never had to struggle with. I can lay my head on the pillow and I'm out! I'm down for the count about 9:30/10:00 and up at 4:40. I get a lot of razzing from my friends because of my early bedtime, and they prefer to call me 'grandma'. Regardless of how many times I remind them I'm getting in 6 1/2 - 7 hours, they can't get beyond the 9:30/10:00 bedtime. They don't choose to get up that early and exercise is not a priority. They don't understand why it's hard for me (even occassionally) to stay up until the wee hours and just sleep in the next day. Sure, I can stay up until that unheard of 'midnight hour', but you can not 'make up' sleep, and honestly it makes me feel out of wack and a little sick. Yes...it is a little nuts to get up that early, but it's important enough that I make it happen.

Tuesday:
Core/stability/stretching - 45 min
Upper body/light weights/3x20 reps each exercise

Wednesday:
Spin: 8 speed intervals/ 45 min total time

Thursday:
Core/stability/stretching - 45 min
Lower body/light weights/3x20 reps each

Friday:
Spin: no intense intervals after yesterday's weights. Total time 1:03.

With all the day can bring my way, I never want to count on the fact that I'll have the energy to exercise after a long work day. I like my sleep! There.... I've said it, so please....don't be a hater (maybe it's a slight touch of jealousy) and for cryin out loud...Shhhhhhh, I'm trying to sleep! ;)

Live Passionately!

Sit down and put your feet up...

Today was one of those days...you know the kind of day I'm talking about. It was one of those "How can it be Monday already?" days. The alarm was set at the usual 'crack of dawn' time (and yes, I did go work out), but I just couldn't bring myself to don a suit and face the day. Yes... a day off will work out nicely.
I spent 4 hours working from home. I'm out in the field most of the time, so the little time I am in the office is precious. It's amazing how much I got done this morning without a dozen people talking around (and to) me. Ahhhhhhhhh..........

Friday:
spin - 8 speed intervals, total bike time 30 min
Core/stretching workout - 45 min

Saturday:
spin - 8 speed intervals, total bike time 45 min
Core/stretching - 45 min

Sunday:
rest day

Monday:
Spin - 7 speed intervals, total bike time 1 hour

I've been pretty beat lately. Not from working out (that is what actually saves me), but just from life. Ever get to this place? My older son has turned a corner. Still very little communication, but he now has a roommate and plans to go to the Jr. College next year. That is a huge relief for this heart of mine. Chuck is doing great. Mike is awesome but much too far away. Sometimes it's harder than others. He'll be down to run the Pacific Shoreline Marathon the first weekend in Feb. He's going for a P.R. & I'm excited for him. He's been training with Steven. I know he likes the company and I'm sure that with Steven...no Nancy-boys allowed!! He'll have a great race, but flying back to Portland on Sunday after the race is to soon for me.

I'm in need of a vacation...a change of scenery. The kind of vacation where you just kick around...plan some things, wing it the rest of the time. The kind with lot's of wine, cheese and relaxation. I need to re-think my 2007 resolutions. There needs to be a vacation in there!

Here I go again...

If you don't know by now....I have training A.D.D. I actually think it's a very good thing. It shows I'm exercising the female side of me by changing my mind when I want (and often!), it keeps my body guessing and does not allow it to adapt to any one thing I do. I like to think it keeps me 'sharp'.

My current choice of pain is speed intervals on the bike and lots of core & stretching. Stuff I do quite a lot of, but with no real rhyme or reason. I've been following an interval program (for the bike) of 30 seconds at a full sprint, with 1 1/2 minutes recovery. I thought that might be a tad bit long for the recovery but I was wrong. Those 30 seconds at an all out effort are really tough. After 8 sets, I move on to core & stretching. This is what I enjoy the most. I follow the workouts in the book Core Performance. I think this is one of the best books out there on overall strength & conditioning. I find myself gravitating to it every few months to work the training back into my routine. Check out the Core Performance web site as well. Lots of helpful stuff!

Monday:
Spin- speed intervals (8 sets). Max HR 162, recovery HR 131.
continued with spin class for total 1 hour on bike
Week 1/ Core Performance Workout. Core/stretching- 45 min

Tuesday:
Spin- speed intervals (8 sets). 31 min total
Week 1/ Core Performance Workout. Core/stretching- 45 min

Wednesday:
Spin- speed intervals (8 sets). 20 min total
Week 1/ Core Performance Workout. Core/stretching- 45 min

Thursday:
Spin- speed intervals (8 sets). 32 min total
Week 1/ Core Performance Workout. Core/stretching- 45 min

So here I go again. Checking out just how much this body of mine can do. Amazed and grateful to be blessed with good health, and all the things in my life that allow me to continue doing this.

Here's to your good health! And to all the people who love and support you, allowing you to continue living your passions. Yes....we are lucky!

Live passionately!

Gettin' back on track.

One of my New Years Resolutions was not to stress about how much I do (or do not) get done. Well...I'm putting it into action. This last week was busy with the three day trip & being out of the office. Combine that with tomorrow off for MLK Day and I'm sure I've got a lovely collection of un-read e-mails waiting for me. No problem....get in and just start reading. You know the drill, after you delete all the garbage, start at the top and work your way down.

The trip had it's hic ups.Although our rooms were very nice, the casino was terrible. Lot's of folks getting their gambling 'fix', which in turn means lots of smokers. The spa was beautiful, but since they'd only been open about 6 months, they didn't have the 'business' end of it down quite yet. Remember folks....I'm really working here. The appointments were screwed up, the food didn't arrive on time. They served a warm bottle of champagne!?! This is at a winery to! Oh well, everyone enjoyed their massages and on we went.

After lunch we met up with the golfers at the casino to start the wine tasting. A luxury limo bus picked us up and drove us to 3 wineries, finishing with dinner at the last one. That was the highlight of the trip. We ate in the barrel room, which was filled with hundreds of candles between the wine barrels and it was stunning. The food was incredible...enough to make me forget the earlier mishaps. These things can be a pain in the rear, but I do realize how fortunate I am in this job. I work for a great company that appreciates my efforts. As for my training....

Wednesday:
spin/57 min/142 HR/ 44 min zone 2

Thurs & Friday:
zilch... evening vino & early am workouts do not mix.

Saturday:
spin/ 23 min/141 HR/ 18 min zone 2/ 8-30 second speed intervals with 1:30 recovery between. warm up & cool down.
1 hour lower body weight training & stretching.

Sunday:
Ahhhhhh...the day of rest!

I'm working on new training plans. I want to map a plan out that includes 2-3 days of concentrated stretching, 2-3 days of weights, 2-3 days of speed intervals on the spin bike, and 3-4 days of 1 hour spin. Hmmmmmmmm. I better get on it!

Live passionately!

It's a dirty job.....

I'm off to Temecula to host an incentive trip for our Dealers. It'll be filled with golf, spa, wine tasting and dinner @ the barrel room one of the wineries. I'll be hosting everyone going to the spathen we'll all go wine tasing and finish off with dinner. Friday will be a day to get up late and take my time getting home. We're staying at Pechanga, an Indian Casino & 'Resort' (all of this near San Diego).Gambling isn't my thing, so I could do without the casino part of it. The spa, wine tasting & dinner will be fun. The hotel has a fairly nice gym so I can ditch out and get my workouts in.


Monday:
spin/ 40 min (legs feeling a little tired)/ avg HR 142

Tuesday:
spin/1:05/ avg HR 141/ weights for 40 min/ 20 minutes stretching.

Chuck is off to Lake Tahoe snowboarding with the High School group from church & back on Monday. He'll have a blast. Enjoy the rest of your weeks!

Live passionately!

You were asking?

I've been tagged by Kek who'd like to know a little more about me so here goes:

A-Available or Single? Not a chance...engaged to a wonderful man. Aren't I lucky??
B-Best Friend? As cliche as it sounds, my fiance Mike. We've known each other for 15 years and he's seen me through the most challenging times of my life. I trust him completely, he's my protector.
C-Cake or Pie? O.K., neither....I'm a freak and have never like sweets of any kind.
D-Drink of choice? Wine, make it red!
E- Essential Item? Bible/journal
F-Favorite color? Blue
G-Gummi Bears or worms? Neither, see above.
H-Hometown? Garden Grove, California
I-Indulgence? bi-weekly massage
J-January or February? January...start fresh!
K-Kids & names? Rob & Chuck
L-Life is incomplete withour? Family & faith
M-Marriage Date? About 18 months. I'm staying so Chuck can finish high school here, then I'll be moving to Oregon to be with Mike.
N-Number of siblings? 5 (all brothers!) 3 older and 2 younger. No ballet for me...it was all self defense in my house!
O-Oranges or Apples? Apples
P-Phobias/Fears? My children will always be healthy/safe
Q-Favorite Quote? "Be kind to all who enter these doors, for some have entertained angels without knowing it".
R-Reason to smile? My blessings
S-Season? Fall
T-Tag three people Run with Neese, Lora Runs , Oregon Adventures
U-Unknown fact about me Years ago I did hair and worked at Warner Bros. on movies.
V-Veggie I hateBrussel Sprouts
W-Worst Habit? Bull headed
X-X-rays you've had?nothing exciting..regular stuff..
Y-Your favorite food?Sushi!
Z-Zodiac?Cancer

Scratching the surface.....

Considering the New Year and all the possibilities is thrilling. I love that 'fresh start' feeling...that 'what can I do this year' feeling...and the 'I've only scratched the surface' feeling. We are capable of so much, and yet even the smallest accomplishments should be celebrated. When we don't, it just isn't fun anymore.

In this new year I will slow down. I won't obsess over what or how much I didn't accomplish. I'll simplify. I'll be more content with my outcomes and make changes when things don't seem to be working. A life of gratitude...yeah, that's it in nutshell. I love the New Year.


January 1, 2007!
spin: 49 min/ avg HR 136

Tuesday
spin: 1:03/142 avg HR
abs/stretching 30 min

Wednesday
spin: 53 min/143 avg HR

Thursday
spin: 60 min/HR monitor didn't record... :(

Friday
spin: 1:11/135 avg HR
abs/stretching 30 min

Next week I'll get back to lifting weights 2 days a week. Just felt the need to burn some energy (and tension) on the bike this week, and it felt great!


No matter what your resolutions or goals may be, make them fun....celebrate them and keep going. I'm sure you've only scratched the surface!


Live Passionately!