a very exciting weekend!
First of all, there's an opening to live in Katie's House of Awesome, if anyone just got kicked out by their pimp. I spent some of Saturday afternoon showing the room to a bunch of socially awkward people I found on craigslist. In the middle of that, I managed to get out for a ride with my good buddy Todd. It was my first ride since last summer, so I only stalled out 12 times and left my blinker on for 2 miles once.
It's hard to smile with a helmet on.
I also managed to make it to the gym, but after a super-intense workout week, just did a few preventative ITB things, some abs, and then hopped on the TM. 2 minutes walk, 5 minutes run x 4. I'm getting tired of this walk/run thing, but it seems to be doing the trick, so I'll take it. I was also pretty sore from a session with a new sports massage guy on Friday night, and didn't want to aggravate any crankypants muscles.
Total: 2.85/30:00/avg. pace 10:31.
When the poet got home from work, we went to Lowe's (on a Saturday! in the afternoon! oh hell!) and bought the fancy new grill and a lawnmower. The boys set to work putting it together (WE MEN. WE MAKE GRILL.) and I went to the grocery store for our first grilled meal! I made steaks with horseradish cream sauce, asparagus with chopped almonds, and cheesy garlic mashed potatoes. Yum!
I love asparagus!
Delicious smashed potatoes!
Ready for dinner!
It was a great way to break in our grill and spend some time with friends. Also, please notice the presence of VEGGIES!!
Sunday morning I got up early and went to the gym. Taking it easy on Saturday seemed to do the trick, as I had much more energy on Sunday. I did the leg/ab workout I skipped on Saturday, then hopped on the bike. I wanted to get in some cardio just in case swimming was a huge failure. 20 minutes, 5.35 miles, and off I went...
I stopped at the bike shop on the way to the pool - whew! are bikes expensive!!! I did talk to a very nice salesguy who explained everything I would likely need and how much it would all cost, just to get an idea in my head (wallet). He warned me about buying a $200 bike and then replacing it in a year - but I think, for my budget and skill level, that might be exactly what I do. Or maybe even just stick to spinning class for a while. $2000 all told is quite a bit out of my price range - especially when I'm used to $100 running shoes and out the door....or a $40 swimsuit and out the door. But it was nice to learn about all the fancy bike stuff (I'm a 54!) and will make whatever I choose to do easier, I am sure.
I headed to the pool from there, getting there just after they opened, which was nice - it wasn't Screaming Naked Child Hour until much later in the day. My body was actually really happy to be back in the water, which surprised me - I've generally hated swimming, as I prefer to sweat and snot and spit my way through a run. I did 300 slooooow yards to start off - my shoulder didn't hurt, but there were some twinges as I pulled through. I've been doing tons of PT on the shoulder, but there are a few muscle areas that are still weak little ducklings. I switched to 300 yards of kicking, and finished up my laps with another slow 400 yards. I also swam in my favorite place, the slow lane. That's right, I'm SLOW. Go around, pleases! All in all, a success. My shoulder felt pretty sore and used the rest of the day, but this morning feels fine. After laps, I aqua-jogged 100 yards, no floatation belt. I really like aqua-jogging, especially the part where all the ripped speedo-guys stare at me like I'm insane, but the small of my back hurt a bit after this - I think it was the lack of a belt. I'm going to try and add swimming in 2x a week, aiming for the same day as lifting legs - the cool water felt great on my tired muscles. And all of this cross-training has got to be good for something, right???
Last night's grill activity was brats - yum! But what to go with brats? Well, how about red and green peppers?
I love the colors!
I sauteed the peppers with some onions and made a salad to go with the brats - cooked on the grill, and then dropped in boiling beer for 5 minutes - my favorite way to make brats. The red peppers were particularly delicious & I'm so happy to have a grill again. Send me your favorite grill recipes - I think tonight is going to be pork chops and grilled pineapple.
I hope everyone had a great weekend! It's a lazy rainy morning here in puppyville.
