Things are looking good.

I am getting better at motivating myself to swim. I have discovered that swimming 1000 yds is best done by counting 10 100 yard sets. I feel like it is easier to complete 10 rather than saying 40 lengths! So, yet another way to trick myself into feeling like this isn't a long time spent in the pool.

My weight loss project is going pretty well right now. I am back down to 140, and preparing to face the inevitable temptation to eat my way right back to 145. I feel like I am more motivated to lose the pounds, and I have more control over myself. It feels good to be on track. I will be at my goal by the end of August!

If I am lighter and the temperatures start dropping off, I am hoping my speed on both the bike and the run will increase rapidly. My long runs have slowed to a relative crawl (10:30 min/mi at times). My bike speeds are not too bad, but I tend to go in the early morning, and the movement of air seems to keep me cooler. I am hoping to bike Usery Pass tomorrow before going to San Diego at 15 mi/hr (that's a 3 hour total ride time).

Today I feel accomplished

I have spent most of my day running around trying to get things done and ready for the first checkpoint of the deinstallation of a piece of equipment at work. I spent the morning working to make sure all the big requirements were met, and had some others take care of double and triple checking some smaller things. I lucked out with getting my scheduled walk-through to give the ok for the beginning of phase 2 because another person dumped that slot since they weren't ready :-). I was supposed to give 48 hrs notice, but wasn't at work, so it slipped my mind! We passed with only a few minor concerns with me not signing off a couple of items on our checklist (because I did them this morning, and I was a bit nervous). This was my first major project, and I have impressed everyone with my ability to get things done on time and with good attention to detail. I worked through lunch, though, and now it is time to take a break at the gym, and do some stationary biking and weight lifting. Before I go home, I am going to hit the gym again for a swim! Should be fun.

I spent a good part of today enjoying my job. There is a project we are working on, and I was given charge of it. So far everyone is impressed that I am getting things done. I don't know if I should be insulted or feel proud when my collegues are surprised that things are already scheduled and moving along.

On my lunch break today, I ran on a treadmill for 6 miles. I felt really good except for the humidity and lack of air circulation. I suppose it is still better than running outside, but I long for the winter days when I could run at noon outside :-). I have been becoming more brave about my speed restrictions on the treadmill. I put it up to an 8 min mi for a while. I think I could do the whole run at an 8:30, but I didn't. Next week, I will try to do this.

My calorie restriction is right on track for today. Maybe a few more good days like this and I can get those 15 lbs gone!

eating right isn't always fun :-(

I am trying to lose 15 lbs before race day. I am starting off trying to lose 2 lbs per week, hoping that this will get me some initial momentum and inspiration. So far, I just lose the weight and gain it back. I have a 5 pound range I go through every couple of weeks. I have so many issues with foods. I have learned unhealthy habits! I eat when I am stressed, eat when I am angry, eat when I'm depressed, eat when I want to celebrate, eat when I am frustrated, eat when I'm sleepy, and eat when I'm bored. It makes it really hard to lose any weight. The only time I can stick to my plan is when I am emotionless! I am going to begin a new diet called the Vulcan diet. I reduce my caloric intake by meditating and focusing on eliminating emotion. If I am successful, I will write a book and make millions.

I love to eat healthy. Some of my favorite foods are fruits and vegetables. I prefer wheat over white bread, and don't drink non-diet soda. The problem is, I stick to my plan for a week or two, and then I lose control, and eat all the calories I'd been avoiding. It can be so heartbreaking sometimes. I feel like my brain is trying to trick me into eating. I find myself making excuses for my indulgence. "You ran a lot today" "you need the fuel for tomorrow's bike ride" "What's the big deal? It's not like you're fat" "you had a stressful day, enjoy something tasty" "you've got plenty of time before the race, why lose so much now?" I wish I knew how to fight it . . . ::sobbing::

Pepe ran 6 miles!!

Wow, I am proud of my little puppy! I had a fantastic 10 mile run today. I ran from my house to my dad's, then ran with my brother for 3 miles at the park by my dad's house, then ran home. Pepe did the run to and from my dad's house, and made a new distance record of over 6 miles!

My running partner is now at my feet, absorbing all my pride in him :-). When I run with him, he can be so well behaved, staying to my left, not running to far ahead or behind, but today, we saw many birds and lizards. Lizards must have done some harm to Pepe in another life because there is nothing he wants more than to chase one of these devils down and tear them to bits.

My favorite part of my run was when we went off the sidewalk, and ran parallel to a fence, on the other side of which where many lizards who had made nice homes for themselves amidst the trees and shrubberies. I have never seen a dog's eyes light up and ears perk up the way Pepe's did when he realized what was just on the other side of that fence. His head would dart back and forth as lizards would spring out of their hiding places, all the while Pepe's feet would keep trotting along as though only on part of him had forgotten the primary mission. Oh, but then, one made the error of leaving the safety of the fence, and my arm paid the penalty. Pepe strained at the end of the leash, confused, I am sure, as to why I was not as anxious to get the demon spawn. Alas, the lizard got away, and Pepe, disappointed in me for my lack of ambition, returned to his standard trot.

my long run

The sun is rising as I start my run. I am proud of myself for making it out this early. I start moving my legs, and they feel stiff. I tell myself, "mile one is the hardest, just get through this, and then you'll feel good." Everything starts to fall into place, my heart rate climbs and levels out at 160. The sun is rising in front of me, and I am so happy to be on my run.

At first, time passes slowly, and I feel the impact of every stride. Then, at mile 4, I feel as though things get quiet. My aches stop bothering me, and my mind is free to think of other things.

I begin to feel the heat of the sun, and find it higher than I'd expected. I begin to rethink my route, wondering where I might find more shade. Drops of sweat begin to form, and I wipe them away from my ears, hoping to avoid their interferance with my earphones. I realize that the song I am running to is pretty far into my playlist, and I count up my miles. I have gone 10 miles. Then, the light changes, and I am forced to wait. I become more aware of the heat, and my sweat, and the difference a self-generated 6mph wind can make. Finally, the signal turns green, and my feet are back in sync with the drummer from Coheed and Cambria.

"Only a 5k" to go! "Less than a mile to go!" "Just around the corner now!" I encourage myself to the end.

Beautiful Day

Went flying this morning! I was on South Mountain, and the winds were coming in South with some cycles out of the East. It was my third day in a row launching here, and I felt strangely nervous having just spoken to some hikers about reserve parachutes. My lines were a mess, maybe? My dad and I worked on them until we were sure things were sorted out, and at the end, I wasn't sure if there had been a problem from the start :-).

I brought the wing up in a nice lull in the wind, feeling the warmth of what I hoped would turn out to be a thermal. I put my weight into my harness, and started moving backward (reverse launch); bringing the wing up with only a slight correction needed on the left side before I turned around and ran toward the edge. The wing was flying, then, so was I :-)! I was flying into thermals and turning 360s to keep going up (even though I needed some convincing from my dad to complete the first full turn). I do not like facing the mountain before I am over launch, but the lift was strong, and I went up. There was a hawk coring the thermal I was in, and it felt amazing to be looking down on him for once. I looked back at launch, and my dad was taking off. I saw him go thermal searching, but for once he had to follow me to find the really strong lift :-).

After about 20 minutes, I decided to head for the LZ. The thermals had some edges to them, and I worried about things that might happen on landing. My goal was to land without taking an approach over the wash-the bastard got me twice already this week! I set up by the ridge, getting a little flight extending lift before I made my final approach. I landed into the wind with a great flare (thanks to some actual winds in the LZ), kited the wing to a clear spot where I could pack up and enjoy the feeling of a great, safe flight. My dad landed soon after, and we packed up and headed home.

In celebration of our flying, I tried to burn down the kitchen with a new recipe for stir fry! It was delicious, but this oil I was using was not good for cooking.

I also went for a 60 mile bike ride, which was not nearly as exciting to talk about, but I can say that my butt hurts from it, and I was at mile 58 and feeling sad that it was almost over :-(. The sun was setting at this point, and I was listening to "Goodbye Beautiful Day". I could not have planned a better ending to that ride.