February Totals

Swim: 0 (baaad)

Run: 26.1 (almost a marathon, and more than January, which is awesome for a shorter month)

Bike: 164 (best part- some of this was ridden outside! woo hoo!)

Other: 13.2 (ie elliptical, stair climber, walking hills etc. I wish that I had some way to track snowboarding or hiking with my bike distance, because the other number would definitely be higher).

I was pretty good about lifting at least twice a week. Less good about yoga twice a week, but I think I did at least once a week. I worked on speeding up my runs, and I'm pretty confident that I did at least half my miles at a 10 minute mile pace.

I was definitely better about tracking my spending this month, and, what do you know, I came much closer to my budget targets. I also reached my goal of not buying any new clothes in February, I'm going to try to extend that through March, making an exception for technical gear (but staying within budget!) and maybe a dress for KJW's wedding.

I think I was definitely more social this month, while sticking to my budget for socialization, but I could be better about accepting invitations. I got outside to enjoy the outdoors a bunch this month, with snowboarding, running outside, and doing some mountain biking in Santa Barbara. The weather is just getting better and better (though not today, nasty mix of rain and snow) and it's staying light out for longer and longer. I love it! I can't wait until I can bike to work.

January Totals & February Goals

January was the first month I've really worked out consistently since moving from Seattle in October. I did a fair amount of biking and other active things all summer, but the move and especially the couch surfing/temporary homelessness involved really affected my being active. I started working out again in mid-December when I was no longer working two jobs, but implementing my triathlon training plan really made me buckle down and get committed to working out. How did I do?

First the bad:

I swam 0 yards in January. Big fat zero.

That's not gonna work. I have tons "reasons" (oh, there's no pool at my gym...it's so cold...blah, blah, blah) but, really, they're just excuses. I totally should have made it to the pool.

Now the good:

I ran 25 miles in January.

While many runners have weekly mileage higher than that, this is awesome for me. I haven't run regularly since moving away from Bellingham and the ultimate running trail, Lake Padden. I was also still adjusting to the altitude change, though now that I've been here for 10 weeks, I probably can't use that excuse anymore! While my miles may be slow, I got them done.

I biked 196 miles in January (estimation).

I did all of these miles indoor on a spin bike, so this is just an estimation. I found a spin class that I love, and an instructor that always pushes me. I tend to bike more than what my training plan calls for (making up for those missed swim minutes!) because being in shape for mountain biking season is my main motivation for working out. Training for the triathlon is mainly to help keep me on track.

I started going to yoga once a week.

I have bone spurs in my lower back, (Everyone! If you have back pain, get checked it checked out stat. Don't ignore it and develop bone spurs!) and they barely bother me at all when my core is strong and my muscles are stretched out, i.e., I go to yoga. So good for me, and my preventative care.

I started strength training again.

Strength training is great. I can feel the difference in almost every aspect of my life!

February Goals:

1. Go swimming. At least twice a week. Starting Wednesday (aka tomorrow). If I don't, everyone has permission to yell at me.

2. Keep up the good work with running. Run at least half my miles at 10 min mile pace.

3. Keep up biking. Bike outside at least twice this month. Even if that only happens when I go to Santa Barbara.

4. Try out pilates. There is a pilates class at my gym that I haven't gone to yet, mostly because I am nervous. Get over it, and go to pilates.

5. Up my yoga to twice a week. Or do some combination of yoga/pilates twice a week.

6. Do something fun outdoors in the snow at least three times this month. Whether it's cross country skiing, snowboarding, snow shoeing, etc.

So there they are. My goals for February. I decided to write them down so I can hold myself accountable more easily.

101 Life Goals.

So one of my 101* life goals is to visit all of the national parks in the US. There are 58 in the US. I've so far been to 6 (North Cascades, Yosemite, Channel Islands, Redwoods, Grand Teton and Yellowstone). I'm 10.34% of the way there! My goal this year is to double that number and also go back to Yosemite.

1. Head to Yosemite in the winter. I want to go to the west side of the park when it's not super crowded and do some cross country skiing.

2. Do my best Bono impersonation in Joshua Tree. Also, Joshua Trees sometimes look likevelociraptors, which is awesome.

3. Use the skills I gained from George "Pinky" Nelson in Astronomy at Death Valley, one of the places with the darkest night skies in the US.

4. Visit another park in California. Which one? Maybe King's Canyon or Sequoia. They're close. Or Lassen Volcanic NP. It has volcanoes and one of my favorite dogs is named Lassen.

5. Either Rainier or Olympic. Though I have drank my fair share of Rainier Beer and a decent amount of Olympia, I have been to neither of these hometown national parks.

6. Finally, visit one in a state I've never been to. Great Smoky Mountians? Acadia? Grand Canyon? Who knows.

Anyway, I wouldn't call these goals a New Year's Resolution, per se. I'm still working on that. I'm convinced that it's totally reasonable to come up with a New Year's resolution pretty much any time up until about mid-March.

*I actually haven't fully made my list of 101 life goals. I think I have like 42, but 101 is a catchier title.

I need a goal

There is a lot of snow here. Snow snow snow. The weather makes me want to sit around in yoga pants and eat night cheese.

So I joined a gym. The gym was started by a famous body builder, and is full of pictures of overly tanned, scarily muscled Mr. and Ms. Olympias (including the Governator). Inspiring.

But I also need a goal. Or two. An one that is more specific than "be a more bad ass downhill mountain biker."

Like this lady.

So my SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, umm....let me look up the rest....oh, yeah...realistic, and timely) goal is to do a triathlon.

In the past, I have done 1.66667 triathlons (the 0.66667 triathlon happened when I got a flat, and was forced to abandon the bike leg). Both were the spectacularly awesome Tri It Out Triathlon put on by two of my favorite people, Michelle and E-Thomps.

Tri it out! Tri it out!

However, this year, I want to tri (get it?) something different. So I think that I'm going to do the

TBF Racing XTERRA Real Mountain Bike Triathlon in Folsom California in March.

So I was looking at a handy free triathlon training plan, and noticed that March is soon! So I jumped into week 3 of the sixteen week plan. Well see how this goes.

Training Goal: 29 minutes bike, 14 minute swim

Actual: 45 minutes bike, 0 minutes swim, lifted: legs and back

My weekend

This weekend, I saw Gunther:

He signed my chest:


















My life is complete.