First training session in 3 or more years

Stats:

Time: 1 h 9 min
Pace: brisk walking
Route: Park + Cross training trail
Weather: 17° C, light drizzling rain

Thoughts:

I've decided yesterday to restart my triathlon training. I've been pondering my lack of training and my shape for a few days prior to this due to a weird episode of having a good look at myself in the mirror. 

Have you ever experienced this? You see yourself in the mirror and suddenly it hits you that the person looking back at you is in fact YOU. But you haven't seen yourself as this kind of person in your mind, ever? Well, I've had this run-in with myself and reality this week. I wasn't happy about it. At all. 

So, yesterday I've decided to finally use the perfect training conditions that the universe so graciously gave to me. I bought new running tights, since my old ones (size M) were to small. I needed to buy XL*sigh*.   

Today I rummaged around for my Polar running watch which still works after 10 years (yes, batteries have been replaced). I put on my trusted  trail running shoes, which have been with me to Ireland in 2009 and went out for my first training walk in years. 

The whole time I thought about this blog and what I would write. So, I'm back to my old behavior, since this is what I did back then. ;-) And it feels quite good. 

There aren't any races planned so far. For now I just want to get back into a training routine and get rid of some (read "a lot") body fat. In any case on vacation I saw that there is also a triathlon at Rügen every year. So maybe in a few years I'll compete there. We'll see. 

Keep moving forward.  

Eating right again

So, as I've said before I did get totally off track when it comes to food. Not only did I eat wheat again (bad thing since I'm allergic to it), but also I didn't eat proper meals. So through snacking and wheat I packed ca. 5 - 6 kg on my small frame (1.62 m). 

Since I  got back from Leipzig after christmas I have turned this eating thing slowly around. Right now I've been for 2 whole weeks off wheat. Wohoo. And since Sunday I'm back to eating proper meals again. 

I'm positive that I will fit into my running clothes again by the end of January. 

KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

Back

Well, long time no see. 

Thing is, I had other stuff on my mind and in the last few years much has changed. I moved to another part of Germany for  a new job and I haven't done much training since then. Even though I have perfect conditions, now that I live in Karlsruhe. 

Since I gained a few pounds and am missing the training and blogging, I've decided to get back into the thing and after all I haven't even achieved the goals along the way to the big goal. Read: no finished marathon so far. 

So, my goals for 2014:

1. Get rid of 4.5 kg to fit into my running clothes again. 
2. Start with running again.
3. Finish at least one 10 k race this year, if possible under 70 minutes. 
4. Get a road racing bike. 

Not much, but enough to get back into it.  

In any case having this big goal again helps me tremendously. Last year I had no big goal and it gave me nothing but boredom and even weirder I didn't eat right. Just to fit into my clothes isn't enough of a goal for me. Who would've thought?!

Anyway, what have you guys been up to since I left the circus?

Have a great new year everyone. 

KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

Moving onwards

I'm not sure how to write this post. Oh well, let's start at the beginning, shall we?

When I began with blogging two years ago, it was this blog and I thought that blogs have to be build around a certain topic. So since I have multiple interests, I've started out with other blogs for those other interests over time. First style, then photography, then style again, then a syndicated photography blog with a friend and lastly a blog for drawings/art. So this lead up to having a staggering number of 5 blogs.

Over the last two years I have changed a lot in all areas of life. I guess you could say I have grown up.

Now, as I'm starting with my own thing, I have decided to focus my time and efforts in the blog and real world. I finally have a goal that I work forward to, one that combines all parts of my life and that is actually palpable. Before that my life was a guessing game. Looking back, I'd say this was my problem: that I hadn't found my goal.
It certainly makes everything a lot easier to know what I want. I still stray from my path, but since I know my goal I always switch back into the goal direction using the detours to broaden my knowledge and gain inspiration.

Due to starting my own thing and the change in my believes I'm concentrating from now on my efforts in blogland and the real world on "San's Visual Art". Don't get me wrong, the Ironman Hawaii is still on my goal list (as are my new bike and a half-marathon for next year), but I will blog about it from now on at San's Visual Art, as about everything else.

So if you want to and haven't already I sincerely invite you to come on over to San's Visual Art. I'd love that. Not interested anymore? Then I sincerely thank you for reading this blog, supporting me and wish you and your loved ones a wonderful and amazing life, great training sessions and fantastic and most importantly injury free races.

Thank you all for your patience and reading and commenting,
Sandy

KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

Good news

Where to start?

Okay here it goes:

1. I finally cracked the magical number of 130 lbs or 59 kg on my scale today, 129.4 lbs or 58.7 kg. Wohoooo. Losing this stuff on the scale is getting on slowly for me. However I can really see the changes in my body composition, now almost all of my clothes fit beautifully. Which is fantastic since it means that I don't have to buy new clothes in the next few months.

2. I finally stick to the primal/paleo lifestyle 99% of the time and if I slide I get back on track with the next step. I slided at Monday, after a hard and long day at work I needed comfort food. Or so I thought and had New York style cheese cake at my local starbucks. Yuk. As much as I love Starbucks, the cheese cake was awful and I ate only half of it. Yeah, I should have stopped after the first bite, but I was starving...

3. I will go on a holiday with my parents to Austria (note: little country in the south of Germany.) Believe me I'm more than in need of a little holiday and air change now.

4. I'm free again. Yep, I'm back on the market for an awesome new job and I'm confident that I will find it soon. I've learned a lot during the last two months and I'm glad about it. This way I know what I have to watch out for in my next job.

5. I love my yoga class and will definitely keep it up. My body certainly enjoys it.

6. I just did 10 push-ups.

7. I discovered Macadamia nuts for me. I love them. When it comes to food I don't stock up(because then I have to throw away half of it, quite often), the macadamia nuts are the exception to the rule.

8. Did I mention that I look and feel fantastic right now?

9. My very own trademark was registered yesterday. Talk about a coincidence, since it was the day I was set free. Hahahah. XD

On the other end of the spectrum, I haven't started with swimtraining. :( Somehow there seems to be a roadblock before that. I don't know why.

That's it from me, I wish all of you a wonderful weekend and fantastic races and training sessions.

KEEP MOVING FORWARD!!

PS: I'll start with reading "Going Long" by Joe Friel today.

Finally back in training

and therefore back to this blog.

I've got tons of news for you. Yes, I've still got my new job and I plan on keeping it. At the moment it is a bit taxing, but in about 3 weeks everything will be steady.

Okay, back to the reason for this blog: triathlon training.

On Tuesday I started with Iyengar yoga in Leipzig's Yogaraum and surprisingly I liked it. I've attended a Hatha Yoga class years ago and I really disliked it. So, I was a bit nervous when I went to my first class this week. However, it couldn't have come at a better time, my muscles were all tight when I went to class.
Iyengar yoga is the sporty variaton of yoga and uses things like plankets and pillows to help the beginners to get into the correct positions without hurting oneself. It builds up the needed strength slowly. It's simply perfect for me. When I left after the class, my muscles were relaxed and I felt fine for the first time in months. Needless to say I will keep Iyengar yoga up. I also like my teacher, she's really nice.

Today I'll also send out my membership form for Leipzigs sport club, the swimmers division. I'll start with swim training in September, as I have already told you. And I'm horribly excited about it. ;-)

I will also try out wakeboarding in the next few weeks. Wohoo.

Even more fun, two of my new "colleagues"* are triathletes too, so I finally have some people around me to chat about triathlon in person, which is really exciting for me.

Foodwise I ran into a bit of trouble during the last weeks, due to my new job. But I'm getting back on track now and will use some new strategies.

My bike gives me a lot of trouble these days. Culprit is the gear shift, again. So at the moment I'm pondering the question to which bike shop I should bring it for repair, since the BDO didn't get it under control the last three times, in fact it got worse. As a matter of fact the chain got of the gearwheel several times, which it didn't until this year. To say I'm annoyed doesn't cut it. A new bike is planned for April 2012, but not earlier. So another bike shop for repair it is.

Well, that's it. I wish all of you a wonderful new week, full of fantastic training sessions and good luck for your races this week.

KEEP MOVING FORWARD!!

*technically they belong to another company.

Short update

1. I've got a new job! As an engineer! And it is fantastic. I've been working since July 4th.

2. I'll start with yoga next month.

3. I'll start with swimming in September.

Have a great summer everyone and

keep moving forward!