Bye Lululemon, Hello Costco

Wait, what?  Before you all think that I've taken a high dive into complete momdom...let me explain.  I love to workout.  I have always loved to workout. This means I have owned LOTS of workout clothes, and by proxy, makes me an expert.  :)

 

For the longest time, Target was my go-to for workout gear.  It was cheap, relatively stylish, and did I mention cheap?  In my early 20's I just could NOT fathom spending more than $14.99 on some running capris.  However, I had to buy capri's every few months because the quality was so poor.  But, $14.99!!!  Can't beat that!  After a few years of CrossFitting and wanting to be accepted into the cult, I succumed to my first pair of $85 running tights with the reflecty circle thing on the calf.  There was no denying the quality.  I finally got the hype.  My lululemon collection grew, and my nasty threadbare Target collection got trashed. 

 

My expensive workout gear has far surpassed the test of time.  I've had my first pair of Lulu tights for over 2 years now, worn no less than 2x/week, washed at least 2x/week, and they are still good as new.  The might be a little see-through when I bend over, but that's just because my butt is bigger than what was designed for (ha). 

 

The other day I was at Costco, and they had a big display of Lulu looking capri's and tanks.  They were so cheap, I figured even if I didn't like them for working out, I could just wear them around the house.  When I got home, I decided to go for a long walk, and thought I would test out my newly purchased gear.  I slid on the pants and tank, and fell in love.  They were so comfortable!  I thought to myself, surely I can't look as good as I feel?  I went over the the mirror and was blown away!  The clothes fit amazing, and looked amazing too.  I don't wear tank tops in public.  My arms are just too big, and no one wants to see that.  But for some reason, I didn't mind how this tank looked on me.  So, out the door I went, in a tank top.  I even tested out running for a bit, and was happy that the pants didn't fall down, or roll, or do anything else annoying. 

 

I'll be going back next week to purchase more colors.  I still have my lulu's, but these are a great addition.  Yes, they still need to stand up to the test of time, but for now, I'm pretty happy!  Way to go Costco! 

Mom, Swim, Bike, Run

That pretty much sums up my week.  My mom came into town for Mother's Day weekend (to visit her grandson) so I've been busy getting ready for her visit, touring her around when she was visiting, and now decompressing after her visit.  My mom is an avid swimmer and participates in many open water swims.  She swims in San Francisco Bay (60ish?) degrees with no wetsuit.  She did the Escape from Alcatraz swim (it is possible to swim from Alcatraz to shore!), and most recently just swam 2 or 3 miles along the San Francisco city front.  Needless to say, she was pretty excited about the fact that I signed up for a sprint triathlon since that meant I would be getting in some pool workouts. 

 

The best possible Mother's Day gift I could give her was to take her to the public pool and swim.  On Sunday we did just that.  We had to take turns swimming so someone could watch the little guy.  Proud grandma was just happy to walk him around the pool and talk to anyone that would listen about her swimming.  After swimming, we took a little road trip east to a Bavarian themed town in WA, and spent the night out there.  It was beautiful weather and very relaxing. 

 

Monday we spent the day walking around the Bavarian town, ducking into shops, and then drove back to Seattle.  The weather was unreal as far as how perfect it was, and my mom was blown away by the beautiful drive back through the mountains to sea level.  I always try to show her something new since she visits pretty frequently.  Baby boy was a champ the whole trip.  He didn't mind the 2 hour car ride, he slept fine in the hotel, and he only fussed a little at dinner one night until I gave him a roasted baby carrot to chew on. 

 

My mom's flight was in the afternoon on Tuesday, it was another incredible day (we really take notice of the sunny days in the PNW), and the hubby and I decided to take advantage of the free baby-sitting to go for a bike ride before he had to go to work.  I pulled my bike and helmet out of storage, and holy dead spiders in my helmet.  Gross.  Once I got that all cleaned out, hubby pumped up my tires and off we went.  My first bike ride in over a year!  I figured I better start building up my butt callouses- I don't know why they make bike seats so damn uncomfortable.  We rode around the neighborhood, there are tons of hills, so it was a pretty decent workout.  I was just happy to get the cobwebs out and get back on my bike.  I think most of my training rides will be on the flat bike path pulling a bike trailer. 

 

Yesterday it was back to work, back to reality.  Wednesday is gym day, and they had a killer met-con (metabolic conditioning workout) in store for us.  But first, we had a warm up of running 1 mile.  But the route is actually 1.2 miles.  I really pushed myself and felt completely spent BEFORE we even started our 20 minute workout.  I just kept telling myself that the triathlon would be just like this.  Our 20 minute workout included KB snatches, sprints, and jump rope.  DYING.  Wednesday is also pool day.  I got home, played with the kiddo for a bit, and then got ready to swim.  Now that I have been in the pool a few times, I decided to work on some technique.  First I swam the 1/3 mile (20 laps) uninterrupted (13 minutes), and then practiced breathing every 4 strokes instead of 2.  I really think that will improve my speed, however, it is harder (duh). 

 

Scale is still holding firm, 9lbs to go till I meet my first goal.  There is room for improvement in my eating.  And I have NOT been drinking enough water.  Water intake will be my focus for a bit. 

I've been super busy at work lately, so apologies for the choppy facts only post. To make up for it, here is a pic from our stay in Leavenworth, WA.  

Training Updates

It has been roughly two weeks since I decided to train for a sprint triathlon, and I've been sticking to my self-created training schedule very closely.  Last Wednesday, my mission was to check out the public pool down the road from our house, get a feel for how crowded it is, how everything works, etc.  The hubs was a super sport and came along with me to check things out, and perhaps next time we will take turns swimming/watching the kid.  More on that later. 

 

At first glance, the pool was exactly what I was expecting.  Large Olympic size pool, smaller shallow pool filled with toddlers adjacent, lanes, flags, swim clocks, and bleachers for parents/on lookers.  I put my things into a locker and rinsed off before heading out to the pool.  When I got closer to the large pool, I noticed it had a crazy deep end and high dive.  This meant that I could jump in like a little kid, unlike the Y where the whole pool is 4ft deep or whatever.  It's the little things.  Not sure if it was a fluke day due to really nice weather outside, but the pool only had a few occupants and I was able to grab a whole lane to myself!

 

With a real size pool (25m), I could actually count my distance, and create benchmarks to train with.  My first goal was to swim 10 laps (250m) unbroken, and see how long that took me.  250m is about half of the distance in the sprint triathlon.  I put my goggles on, took note of the time, and off I went.  I swam and counted.  Swam and counted.  When I got to 10, I stopped at the end of the pool, could feel a little red faced, and looked at the clock.  Five minutes had passed.  I was pretty happy about that.  I was tired for sure, but I know I'll be able to build up to 600m no problem, and have a goal to swim that in 12 minutes or less.  I swam 10 or so more laps at a leisurely pace, and then was satisfied with my first real training swim.  The hubs and baby were enjoying watching the toddlers in the pool, and in a few weeks, infant swim lessons start up at the same time as lap swim, so, I can get my training in, and the hubs can be teaching baby to swim.  Everyone wins! 

 

Last Friday I had a 20 minute run scheduled, as I'm trying to slowly build up to a longer sustained run.  Our CrossFit workouts that week (Wednesday/Thursday) happened to be running heavy, so I was getting plenty of run time in.  I packed up the jogging stroller and drove down to the bike path by my house.  The kid and I hit the trail, and I was able to run for 20 minutes straight, pushing a stroller.  I was happy with that.  I wasn't paying attention to distance this time, but I will start.  After the 20 minute jog, I walked for a bit, and noticed the kid fell asleep, not wanting to wake a sleeping baby, I kept walking around the shopping mall next to the bike path (and maybe bought a few things).

 

Yesterday (Sunday) one of my friends that is doing the triathlon with me suggested we go for a swim.  She offered to watch baby while I swam, and then she could swim once I was done.  It worked out great.  I jumped in for a quick 20 minutes of swimming (got in 26+ laps), got out, hung out in the bleachers with baby while my friend swam.  As hard as it is to coordinate, I've always enjoyed working out with other people.  It is motivating, social, and holds me accountable.  I'm hoping we can get in as many of these Sunday swims as possible. 

 

Next on the agenda- bike ride.  I haven't been on a (non stationary) bike in probably a year or so.  Being super pregnant last summer, a bike was the last place I wanted to be.  Not sure when I can fit a ride in just yet, but hopefully soon.