If you read my blog from our Alaska trip, you may recall that our home was struck by lightning while we were away. We knew about it, but did not know the damage. There was nothing we could do except continue to enjoy our trip and deal with it when we got home. The damage was somewhere in the range of $22,000 including having to replace the kitchen tile and the faux finish on our deck.
We arrived home in mid August and we are still dealing with it. We knew we had to buy at least one new TV (maybe 2) so we waited until Black Friday and saved about $150 on each TV. We then went to the Florida Keys for a month and arrived home the week before Christmas. It has taken nearly 3 weeks to get Mclellends and Comcast to take care of the final repairs, hookups, etc. Mclellends kept one of our old TVs for over 5 weeks and still had not repaired it. I was finally able to get the insurance to sign off for me to buy a new one ( which I had already bought)
Next, for over a week we have been playing games with Comcast. In anticipation of their appointment, we unpacked both TVs. Surprise, Surprise! One of them looked like it had been hit with a ball or a bat or something. The screen was a mess. So, back we go to Target to return that one. Guess what? They did not have it in stock, so we drove to another Target to get one. You don't want to know how far we drove.
Back to the Comcast story. They have not shown up for 3 appointments which means we got a total of $60 credit toward our bill, but we still do not have our TVs connected. We have an appointment tomorrow. Hopefully, they will show up and we will finally be done with this ordeal.
As far as my 100 Day Challenge goes, I am still in and doing fine. I just did not post because of all the stress. On Friday, I worked our for 125 minutes. Although yesterday was low in minutes, it was good because it was a run. I ran 3 miles and walked 1.5. Today was 120 minutes of elliptical trainer, walking weights and stretching.
Cross you fingers that Comcast shows, that our TVs work and that we are done with our ordeal of a lightning strike.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Thursday, January 3, 2013
A Variety of Activities
Day three of the challenge and I certainly did a variety of activities. I always like the yoga or Pilates days because the time really adds up and if I am also doing a cardio activity, I can continue to pad the minutes as I know from experience there will be some days when it will take extreme effort to get the 30 minute minimum.
I started the workout with a Pilates class. The class is supposed to be 45-60 minutes, depending on who is teaching. Today, it was close to 60 minutes, but since there were a couple of new people, the instructor did a lot of talking so I figure it was worth about 45 minutes.
I then changed into my running clothes and headed upstairs to do my cardio which would be walking and running. The past two running days I have done 3 continuous miles. On Tuesday my pace was 11:52 and today it was 11:40. I will get faster. I also walked 1 mile. The total time was 57 minutes. After running, I always do some rehab weight lifting and stretches. These usually take about 20 minutes and that's what it was today.
For day three I totaled 122 minutes which gives me an average of 109. Last year I averaged 106 for the 100 days and although my goal is 100 minutes, I am such a competitor that I want to beat last year's number.
I started the workout with a Pilates class. The class is supposed to be 45-60 minutes, depending on who is teaching. Today, it was close to 60 minutes, but since there were a couple of new people, the instructor did a lot of talking so I figure it was worth about 45 minutes.
I then changed into my running clothes and headed upstairs to do my cardio which would be walking and running. The past two running days I have done 3 continuous miles. On Tuesday my pace was 11:52 and today it was 11:40. I will get faster. I also walked 1 mile. The total time was 57 minutes. After running, I always do some rehab weight lifting and stretches. These usually take about 20 minutes and that's what it was today.
For day three I totaled 122 minutes which gives me an average of 109. Last year I averaged 106 for the 100 days and although my goal is 100 minutes, I am such a competitor that I want to beat last year's number.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Biking, Walking & Weights
Today's weather was miserable and I needed to bike so I used an upright stationary bike at the Y. Knowing how crowded the Y is for the first couple of weeks of the year, I needed to get there before the working people came in. The problem was that I had some minor dental surgery done around noon and I needed to wait to be sure the bleeding had stopped and the numbness to go away. By the time I was ready to workout, I was also very hungry, so I ate a soft energy bar and had a cafe au lait. Then I had to wait for that to settle.
It was close to 3:30 pm when I got to the Y, but there was a bike available. I rode for about 65 minutes and figure that equates to about 15 miles outside. I kept my heart rate in my training zone and got a very good workout. By the time I finished the bike my legs were trashed. I have found that if I walk a mile or so, they recover well. I did a slow 1.5 miles and then I did weights and rehab exercises and stretches.
The total workout for the day was 136 minute. After 2 days, My average is 102 and a half minutes per day. I like to do more than 100 minutes on the days when I am feeling good so I can pad the average for those days when I don't feel so good or life gets in the way.
I'm feeling good about the Challenge and I am motivated to finish. I think it will be easier to pile on the minutes once I start yoga and Pilates classes a couple of days a week. I may try to go to Pilates tomorrow, followed by a run. I'd like to go outside to run, but if it's like today, I will be inside.
It was close to 3:30 pm when I got to the Y, but there was a bike available. I rode for about 65 minutes and figure that equates to about 15 miles outside. I kept my heart rate in my training zone and got a very good workout. By the time I finished the bike my legs were trashed. I have found that if I walk a mile or so, they recover well. I did a slow 1.5 miles and then I did weights and rehab exercises and stretches.
The total workout for the day was 136 minute. After 2 days, My average is 102 and a half minutes per day. I like to do more than 100 minutes on the days when I am feeling good so I can pad the average for those days when I don't feel so good or life gets in the way.
I'm feeling good about the Challenge and I am motivated to finish. I think it will be easier to pile on the minutes once I start yoga and Pilates classes a couple of days a week. I may try to go to Pilates tomorrow, followed by a run. I'd like to go outside to run, but if it's like today, I will be inside.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
100 DAY CHALLENGE
I am a member of Dead Runners Society, an internet running group. Each year one of our members sets up a spreadsheet which we call the 100 Day Challenge. The participants set an exercise goal that they will strive for over the course of the first 100 days of the year. It is totally individual, with some people strictly running and others joining a "workout" sheet which involves running as well as other activities.
I have participated in this for the last 4-5 years and I think I have met my goal once or twice. Last year I was successful in my quest to average 100 minutes, with a minimum of 30 minutes, for 100 straight days. I walked, ran, biked, ellipticated, lifted weights, stretched, did sit-ups and planks and did yoga and Pilates. I actually averaged 106 minutes of exercise for 100 straight days.
One thing that I have I learned is that I should not attempt to run every day. That is what I tried to do the first couple of years of the challenge and I either did not complete it or I was totally wiped most of the time. My body needs a variety of activities and it also needs rest days from running.
With my personal challenge of 100 minutes for a 100 days, I have had some positive results. I have discovered the very positive aspects of yoga. I try to do one class a week. I also enjoy the core work of my 1-2 day a week Pilates class. The challenge has also made me aware of the benefits of weightlifting and stretching.
Today was a planned run day. Since I have been injured (piriformis/hamstring) for the past couple of months, I have lately been trying a plan of alternating run/walk days with either biking or ellipticating.
My plan today was to walk about a mile for a warmup Then I was going to run 1 mile with a .25 mile walk and do that a total of 3 times, followed by a 1 mile cool down. I was really worried about how I was going to fit this into my day. I left the house about 6:30 am and was on my feet (directing the SteamWhistle 12K race) for 5-6 hours. By the time I got home, my feet hurt, I was tired and it was raining. I waited a couple of hours and kept nodding off as I was fooling around on the internet. Finally, the rain let up and I headed to Thames Elementary track where I figured if it really started to pour, I would not be far from my car. Sure enough, after about a half mile walking, it started to rain. I knew that if I did not start running I was going to get cold. It kept raining, so I kept running. Instead of the planned 3 x 1 mile, I ran 3 continuous miles @ 11:52 pace. I'm posting my very slow time, so that you will be able to keep up with progress as I get over this injury and return to faster/longer runs.
After my run, I walked a half mile and then drove home for a hot bath. Then I stretched and did sit-ups and planks. The total workout time was 69 minutes.
I have participated in this for the last 4-5 years and I think I have met my goal once or twice. Last year I was successful in my quest to average 100 minutes, with a minimum of 30 minutes, for 100 straight days. I walked, ran, biked, ellipticated, lifted weights, stretched, did sit-ups and planks and did yoga and Pilates. I actually averaged 106 minutes of exercise for 100 straight days.
One thing that I have I learned is that I should not attempt to run every day. That is what I tried to do the first couple of years of the challenge and I either did not complete it or I was totally wiped most of the time. My body needs a variety of activities and it also needs rest days from running.
With my personal challenge of 100 minutes for a 100 days, I have had some positive results. I have discovered the very positive aspects of yoga. I try to do one class a week. I also enjoy the core work of my 1-2 day a week Pilates class. The challenge has also made me aware of the benefits of weightlifting and stretching.
Today was a planned run day. Since I have been injured (piriformis/hamstring) for the past couple of months, I have lately been trying a plan of alternating run/walk days with either biking or ellipticating.
My plan today was to walk about a mile for a warmup Then I was going to run 1 mile with a .25 mile walk and do that a total of 3 times, followed by a 1 mile cool down. I was really worried about how I was going to fit this into my day. I left the house about 6:30 am and was on my feet (directing the SteamWhistle 12K race) for 5-6 hours. By the time I got home, my feet hurt, I was tired and it was raining. I waited a couple of hours and kept nodding off as I was fooling around on the internet. Finally, the rain let up and I headed to Thames Elementary track where I figured if it really started to pour, I would not be far from my car. Sure enough, after about a half mile walking, it started to rain. I knew that if I did not start running I was going to get cold. It kept raining, so I kept running. Instead of the planned 3 x 1 mile, I ran 3 continuous miles @ 11:52 pace. I'm posting my very slow time, so that you will be able to keep up with progress as I get over this injury and return to faster/longer runs.
After my run, I walked a half mile and then drove home for a hot bath. Then I stretched and did sit-ups and planks. The total workout time was 69 minutes.
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