Walking in Circles and In A Straight Line

Friday morning was an easy treadmill workout.  I liked it.  I really did.  It's quick and I don't feel like i'm going to fall off of the thing.

I haven't actually begun training for this you know.
I'm anticipating training to be a breeze.  But in the meantime a lot of things happened in two days.

That right there is inspiration for you.

Well for me.

My work can be stressful.  But sometimes funny things happen.  Like the 8th grader who decided she would join every group that passed by at lunch.  It was like a scene out of Jimmy Fallon or David Letterman.  She would just jump into a group right in the middle and start talking to them.  For a few steps and then come back and do it all over again.  I loved it.  It's what middle school kids should do.

Just a reminder of who is really the best super hero.

The day also included a dinner for administrators.  It's the annual dinner.  I went because my superintendent won an award.  He's retiring and he's a really great leader.  I'm sad to see him go.  The food was good.  We were really late.  And there was no card for us to have a table sitting.   

If we had left at 3:30 like this says we would have been on time.  But school was still in session so that couldn't happen.

Yesterday's podcast which I listened to while running had to do with going beyond tolerance.  Do what you will with that.  I felt like it was interesting anyway.  I practice tolerance all of the time.  I feel like anyway.

Team Batman.

Cakes and Cookies and Treadmills

4AM I'm awake at 4AM because rob's alarm went off and I was awake but I waited for the alarm to go off so I could go to the gym for my quick little treadmill workout.

But I did go to the gym for a 20 minute easy run and guess what?  I actually kept my heart rate at the correct pace and took 2 minutes off my pace.  That's awesome.  It's working!  I knew it would

I was flying!

It was a fun day at work.  Testing is coming together nicely and there was another roach in my office and now I can say I HAVE SEEN A ROACH.  Hurray for coworkers who save you.

Proof my heart rate used to be lower.  I'm wondering if my time in Ireland lost all my fitness.  I did take my heart rate after jumping around seeing the bug.  It was a little higher than this.

Anyway-there was cake involved because one co worker is retiring and one was teacher of the year.  And there were egg rolls and chow mein and enchiladas.  It was really really great.

No clams or zucchini though

Anyway then it was off to the teacher of the year ceremony where I had those great cookies.  You know the ones.
And then I laughed and laughed with some very dear friends .

Oh yeah and I parked in the parking garage.  My town has a parking garage.  Weird.  I had to go to the third cherry level to get a spot and yes it was creepy.  I was told that no big deal they have cameras if you get mugged.

Today while working out I listened to a podcast about people who can't forget anything.  They hate it because it's a real burden to remember every single detail.  Like what day the oscars were on 25 years ago.

Time For A Change

Running through my entire play list A-Z has been fun.  I went through the section about breathing

Remember the drought?

Anyway then came the can't section.  Neither of these are really good for running.  Songs about losing your breath and can't doing things don't help your mental state when you are trying to keep your heart rate low.

But now I'm going through the change section.  All the songs are about change.  Which is okay I guess.  I also got to hear some songs about chains and champions.  Those were good too.

I'm obsessed with my heart rate and this watch.  Obsessed with all of it.

Today some one called at work and I answered what have I done wrong.  The kind person on the other end said why do you think you've done something wrong and I said.  I'm doing 500 things statistically something is going to be wrong.

Imagine if these guys threw the fish wrong?  They could have and you would be full of fish heads .

Running was better today.  I ran faster and was able to control my heart rate a little better.  Patience is the name of the game.

Truth

Song of the day.  Chapel Song  We are The Augustines.

I've never heard of it before and I don't know how it is on my playlist.  But I'm liking this.

One Day Off and One Morning Workout

On this workout day off (I have a few schedule conflicts this week) I stopped in at a store and bought this 

I'm not taking this Superman thing lightly.

I also didn't know Kevin Johnson was mayor of Sacramento or married to education meanie Michelle Rhe

I had a great bike ride yesterday morning.  I'm feeling good and committed to these workouts for sure.  I found this video on twitter and it helped me to understand the heart rate workouts a little better.  But I can't load the video so sadness

But basically this kind of training teaches your body to burn fat not carbohydrates and that's a big deal .  And also you need to be patient.

8 Miles Around Town

This was a fun weekend which involved all my favorite things about San Francisco.  But first I owed a run to my schedule.  90 minutes all around Hollister.  

Those shoes should be done by now!  But I did it.  I saw the new houses and ran that 1/4 mile up the hill and it didn't seem like 1/4 mile going down.  But those new houses?  They are sooooooooo close together.

The views are gone.  What can I say.  But the 90 minutes they were okay and I sweat a lot and think I have figured out how to adjust the heart rate thing.  I think.

Then it was on to San Francisco and all my favorite things.  Because I hear san Francisco.

 Union Square Park on a beautiful Sunday Morning and scheduled running day off.

People from work who stayed until the 9th inning

This park and this team.  I may always love the Mets but there's just nothing like the Giants, the Park , and the love this city has for this team.

All the Phillips at the game 

These people

This Kelly

This Kelly

Wearing a Giants Cap

The View from my room

Last played on playlist A-Z  Cedarwood Road by U2  Which you also have on your playlist.  And which I forgot to visit in Dublin.

Working Out And Staying Awake

Some weeks you kick ass some weeks the ass kicks you.

I spent most of the week in an unexplainable bad mood.

I have no reason to be in a bad mood.  I'm not doing trash pick up with the convicts, I love my job, i'm healthy, Ihave everything.  But sometimes you just are.

Roses should be smelled when you stop.
I know that.
Even my running was difficult.  But the best part was taking a nap on the bike at the gym.  I'm sure I took a nap.  I at least closed my eyes and put them on my hands for a few minutes.  Just a few minutes.  I'm that out of shape.

The highlight was my podcast about the 1916 Rising which I didn't even really understand.

Stuff You Missed in History Class was all about the 1916 Rising.  I'm still not sure what it led to but it was timely.  I was lucky to be there then.

Tomorrow all the Phillips and all of Joe's friends are going to the Giant's Game.

Love them.  They better win.

Matters of the Heart

I thought I was getting the hang of this running by heart rate thing.  But on today's tempo run.  Maybe not.  You can't have a tempo run if you can never actually get your heart rate low enough ever.

Maybe it's because I drink coffee before my run. But more likely it's that I'm in really bad shape.  How am I in really bad shape?  I always exercise.  Good thing I started marathon training really early.

Let's go with this.  Let's go with it will all work out.
Bad run, 

On another note this happened.

Prince is gone.  Out of nowhere Prince is gone.  I can't say I'm a huge fan but I've always admired and appreciated him.  I'm not even sure as I work my way through my playlist A-Z that there is even a Prince song on that list.  But I admire him for these reasons.

-He was original
-He is forever tied to my rock and roll days of college and bike racing and New York
-He never strayed from himself
-And I have  a real appreciation of anyone who stays true to their roots.  I have not been able to do this but Prince has.  He is still in Minnesota,  not a cool place like New York or LA but Minneapolis.  That's awesome and admirable.

We've lost a lot of people this year.  Another piece of my connection to my youth.  

That's enough 2016 leave us all alone

While today's A-Z song was Bridge over Troubled Water (Seriously I'm only up to the Bs and perhaps all those songs about breathing did me in on this run)  I'm going to post one of my favorite Prince Songs instead.

San Francisco sends it's love

Adjusting to new challenges

There's a fashion trend going around with the students i work with and I'm sure it's giving all the girls headaches.  

Come on you know that has to hurt.  It's very popular.   Maybe I'm jealous with my super fine hair.  Who knows.  I should try but I would look like that girl in the grinch.

Here's a funny facebook quizie thing.  I'm doing it here.

 Put an X next to each thing you've done, then just copy and paste to your timeline and amend...
Fired a gun 
Gone on a blind date 
Skipped school X
Watched someone give birthX
Watched someone die
Visited Canada X
Visited Hawaii
Visited Las Vegas X
Visited Asia
Visited Africa
Visited Florida X
Visited Mexico X
Visited Australia
Seen the Grand Canyon in person
Flown in a helicopter
Served on a jury
Visited L.A. X
Been to New York City X
Cried yourself to sleep X
Recently colored with pencils
X

Lived on your own 
Sang karaoke X
Paid for a meal with coins only X
Made prank phone calls X
Laughed so much you cried X
Caught a snowflake on your tongue X
Had child/ren ? X
Had a pet X
Been skinny dipping 
Abseiled down a building/cliff 
Been downhill skiing X
Been water skiing 
Been camping in a tent 
Driven a motorcycle 
Slept in a Car X
Slept in a Bar 
Slept on a Plane X
Slept on a Train X
Slept on a Boat X
Been Chased by a Goat X HAHAHA 
Jumped out of a plane 
Gone Ballooning 
Gone Para-Sailing 
Gone Hang Gliding
Gone Spelunking
Climbed a Mountain X
Survived an Avalanche 
Gone to a drive-in movie X
Done something that could have killed you X
Done something that you will regret for the rest of your life X
Rode an elephant X
Rode a camelX
Rode an Ostrich 
Rode a Dolphin 
Rode a Horse X
Eaten just cookies or cake or ice cream for dinner X
Been on TV X
Been in newspapers X
Stolen any traffic signs 
Been in a car accident X
Stayed in Hospital X
Donated Blood 
Had to pay a fine in the past 12 months
Gotten a piercing X
Gotten a tattoo 
Driven a standard car X
Owned your dream car X
Been Married X
Been divorced 
Fell in love X
Paid for a strangers meal X
Driven over 100mph 
Worked in a pub (bar) 
Been scuba diving-snorkeling 
Been in a Submarine 
Sailed over the horizon 
Found a dead body 

Have I ever been to NY?  Really?  That's a question?

Anyway I am loving my training.  I love working out every day

 and I love working out based on heart rate.  I trust this 

process for many reasons.  I'm building my endurance.  I'm 

able to run without stopping, Nothing hurts.

I keep posting my trail picture.  It's also my screen saver.  I 

just love running here and the thought of running by time not 

mileage means I can stop and smell the roses.  or wild 

flowers.

Seriously   braids-ouch

Insomnia and the predawn workout

Waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom is always a gamble.  You never know if you will go back to sleep or not.  You have to try not to wake up too much and get back before your body realizes it was awake.

He's asleep sort of.

Anyway.  Up I was at 3:30AM and I spent 30 minutes trying to go back to sleep.  But no use so off to the gym I went.

This was my treat.  A yellow moon.  On the bottom picture it's next to a white street light-at least I think it's a white street light.

The good thing about going early to the gym is you can get your whole workout in.  I could tell I was in a crabby mood and I probably would be all day.  And I was pretty much at least for a few hours into the day.

But my bike ride was good (it wasn't a race)  and my friend Christy rode next to me (that's not christy) and I was able to sustain my heartrate target at 4 levels of intensity higher than on Saturday so that's awesome.

Some Irish candy later and some good laughs helped me to start feeling better.  I had some kids help me clean out my office because of the cock roaches (we found another-in the testing box HA)  and toward the end of the day I started to feel better.

I listened to music all day and made it to At the Zoo by Simon and Garfunkle  -The quest for the alphabetical song list continues.

Marathon Details Part 2!!

Checking in with my cousin was great.  He's going to pick us up from the airport and go the expo with us and then go to dinner with us Saturday and help Rob find his away around the course!  All set and so excited.

Hopefully I'll be smiling at the start and wearing my cool head band.  

Today I did my first distance run with heart rate and time.  75 minutes at 75% heart rate.  My heart rate was never that low.  I tried but I couldn't quite go that slow.  It was the first time I ever ran over 6 miles without stopping.  I was relaxed and felt good the entire time.  I think I like this training system.

The trail looked beautiful and green with creeks, rivers, and ponds all comfortably filled with water.  The trail looks beautiful and because I was running by heart rate instead of being stressed out I could enjoy it.

An interesting thing happened.  I had to use the car USB port to charge my phone and the itunes phone decided to go through all my songs alphabetically.  It was fun!  I only made it to Aint No Mountain High Enough Version 1.  Although I skipped some songs.  Like the Christmas Carols.  But I own thousands of songs it was good to listen to ones I have forgotten about.

Like this one!!