OhSewCrafty

Q1 Wrapup.... Stitchy Progress and Otherwise

The year is flying by! I've managed to stick to the plan, so far.  

88 / 90 days in the first quarter saw some stitchy progress.  Not necessarily a lot every day, but at least a thread or two.  Lord's Prayer is coming along... I got some extra time on it at the end of March, in my "bonus" rotation.  I'd say it's about half done now.

I started 6 projects and finished 4.4.  The finish number includes "mini" finishes (or parts) calculated proportionally.  Here is the March edition of the Mini Mandala SAL.

My "estimated time to complete" has worked out pretty well so far.  In most cases, I finished in less days than the "time target".  So I have more (estimated) free days now than I did at the beginning of the  year.  That means I have time to start a few things, like for Maynia.  And I'll need to start more than a few I want to rotate 15 projects in the 15 days.  Bright & Beautiful Spring Bird is on track for a finish very soon, which will be a few days less effort than the 14 I had estimated for 2018.

Perhaps most importantly I've continued on the journey towards physical wellness.  I've lost about 15 lbs, and gained lots of strength and endurance.  The body boss method is pretty amazing, in my opinion.  (I'm in week 7, of the 12 week program, after doing 4 weeks of the pre-training program)  I never realized you could get such a crazy workout at home, without a gym or class or any expensive equipment. Diet is another piece of it though (equally important if not more so).  I eat pretty clean, but I could do better.  Easter candy is a challenge!  For me health isn't about deprivation, but rather balance (or moderation).  That's a rather blurry line, sometimes.  Tuesday are for recovery/light cardio.  I love all variations of the warrior pose, they make me feel so strong.  When you're pushing hard with HIIT (high intensity interval training), recovery is key and yoga is part of that.  

 

Ravelympics 2008 + I Tri'd & I Succeeded!

Though I did not originally intend to participate in the knitting ravelympics this year, there was enough chatter on the boards that I eventually succumbed to peer pressure, joined Team 51 (go DC and environs!) and embraced my competitive nature (even if I'm only competing with myself, I do enjoy a challenge!)  Maybe I'm too ambitious, but I entered Indigo Ripples in the Synchronized Flirty Skirts event, as well as the Central Park Hoodie in WIPS Wrangling.  As of today, CPH is 1 front + hood + buttonbands away from finishing.  Indigo Ripples is 10 balls of Elann den-m-it.  I do have some time off work, and a road trip that will allow for plenty of mindless stockinette, so I plan to work on it then.

In other news I did my first triathlon.  My primary goal was finishing, and there I am at left crossing the line.  I had a secondary time goal, which I did not quite meet, but it was close.  More importantly, I got a feel for the sport.  The day got off to a rather inauspicious start, when the bike rack where I was setting up my transition area collapsed, twice.  During the first collapse, I sustained 2 bee stings on the back of my right calf muscle.  I haven't been stung by a bee since I was a kid, and this hurt, like hell.

 The swim was slow, as there were so many people in the pool (see the pic below!), lots of body-to-body contact, and I got kicked in the face at one point.  The bike ride was better, except when failed to properly replace my water bottle in its cage after my first drink and it went flying.  I decided to dismount and run back to get it.  I was psyched for the run, and felt like I was good for it, as I hadn't pushed myself hard at any point, nor had I gotten out of breath at all.  But my legs felt like concrete, and it was all I could do to maintain a slow jog; I did pick up the pace by the end.  The only possible issues I can identify are dehydration (I had planned to drink my entire water bottle on the bike, but I left it alone after the initial accident), or maybe lack of caloric resources.  I did not get a chance to carbo load the night before, and before the race I had only 22 oz water, a yogurt, and a luna bar.  Perhaps I should have risen earlier and I had a bowl of cereal or something.  Oh well, something to think about for next time.  

And yes there will a next time!  Many next times, God willing.  I would like to complete a full (international) distance race at some point, maybe next year.  My race today was a short sprint: 1/4 mi swim, 8 mi bike, 2 mi run.  I already signed up for a 5k running race in September, I can't wait!   

Special thanks to my parents, sister, and DH for cheering me on, it was so great to have that motivation.  Awesome photos credited to my dad.

More pics from the Race, left to right: swimming, crowded lap lane (I'm the pale one near the center!), Biking, Running

   

A project for fitness: Triathlon training

I'm not sure why, but it was a New Years' resolution. Sitting around the dinner table on New Year's Eve at my in-laws', one by one we voiced our resolutions.  I said, train for and complete a triathlon in 2008.  But then I stopped working out due to illness, laziness, etc.

In early May I noticed a local "super sprint" triathlon, in August.  The distances are short: 400 yd swim, 8 mi bike, 1.8 mi run.  Nevertheless this seemed daunting considering my several months absence from the gym.  So I started working out with a workout template I found online.  The training is not boring, since I rotate through the three sports.  Although I've only been at it a few weeks, I've already noticed some good improvements.  My goal is mainly finishing, but I would like to do it in under an hour.  

I bought myself a new swimsuit, just for variety.  I now have a better idea of what I need to work on, so I'm restructuring my training.  I'm doing a couch to 5k program on Mon/Wed/Fri, while I swim AND bike on sunday, and swim OR bike on thursday.  Tuesday and Saturday are rest days.

Recently, I taught myself how to do a flip turn.  Note to self, do not do flip turns in less than 4 feet of water, you will scrape a knuckle on the pool.  Ouch.  After getting plenty of water up my nose, I finally got comfortable with the flip turn and even started refining my form.  Then, I learned that flip turns are prohibited in the august race!  oh well, it was fun.