Sorry for not getting back to people on inspires today... I will be catching up with everyone (and with my neglected T.I.T.S.) over the weekend!

Today is a planned rest day for me - whew.
I am a little slow out of bed this morning - muscles and body are just a wee bit fatigued after yesterday's great workouts at the gym.
I still need to do PT for my ankle, but that will come later in the day.

Tonight I will be meeting with the USAT coach. I have already sent her info. about the last four months of workouts that I have completed, as well as my totals for 2007. I also sent her my long-term and short-term goals. I look forward to having her critique everything (cringe), and give me suggestions on how and where I can improve... and prioritization.

Happiness is...

• My friend, C, is in town on a surprise visit - haven't seen her in 1 1/2 years - we are having breakfast tomorrow, and LOTS of talking!!! So exciting to see a good friend!!!
• Coaching session #1 with Lauren!! She is going to be a great coach. Woo Hoo! This is going to be fun - but also a commitment to myself and my dreams
• The sweatshirt arrived for Chelsea's dog sitter - with a beautiful photo of Chels on the front. I cannot wait to give it to B in the morning!

12:00 PM
(need to enter wts/reps)
PT - Shoulders
Push-ups = 20
Crunches = 200

6:00 PM TEAM Weight Training
Awesome class tonight! I kicked butt with my burpees, and with my squats,
I lifted a total of 7120 pounds!:
16x220 and 15x240
Hoorah!

Today is the first day back at work since noon on 12/21. It actually feels great to be back in the office, and people are starting to filter in. It will probably be a relaxed couple of days as everyone gets reacquainted with what we do here on a daily basis!

Happiness is...

• Seeing all of my co-workers
• N will be back in town tomorrow - really tired, but back in town
• Tonight's low will be above zero 

3:30 PM
Z2 work

12:30 PM
WU: 200m Breast
4 x 200m Free
CD: 200m Breast

6:20 AM
Leg Work
Used 15# weight with calf raises for more of a challenge

Happy 2008!!!

I had absolutely no desire to go out in the cold to head to the gym for a swim today, but I did haul my butt over their and crank out some laps. Then, I learned that one can safely sip delicious "seattle market" cinnamon spice tea while riding the bike trainer in low zone 2. I really wanted to sit on the couch and watch football, but I needed to start the month/year with a good dose of T.I.T.S. !

This juggling the macronutrients thing is going to take some adjustment. I am on a good track, but we'll see how things go tomorrow when I get back to work. I have already made my lunch and breakfast, and packed suitable snacks. Now I need to make sure that I pack my workout clothing.

Happiness is...

• A shiny new year, with shiny new goals, opportunities, and experiences
• Having had a wonderful vacation from work
• A week-plus of uninterrupted time with my dog... good to get some good bonding in with her before my biz trip in two weeks

6:00 PM TEAM
Interval training

2:10 PM
Shoulder PT
Used medium resistance bands for everything except the reverse flys - those were performed with the light resistance band

7:30 PM
Push-ups = 20
Crunches/situps = 100

7:00 AM

Today is my first scheduled "lower" carb day on my carb cycling schedule. I do have TEAM tonight, which means that I WILL refuel properly after the workout (4:1, C:P) regardless of where I am ratio-wise for the day's eating.

I don't know if it is coincidence, or not (I believe not) that I just dropped below 192, the day after I adjusted my macronutrient ratios.

On tap for today:
Try out the upper body physical therapy routine from the chiro-pt
Abs work
Push-ups
TEAM tonight - I am thrilled that they did not cancel the evening class just because it is NYE.

Happiness is...

• 1.9 pounds to the 180s - come on, baby!
• Seeing mouse tracks in the snow - they are so cute - little paws with a tail track, as well
• All of my wonderful BT friends who are sharing this journey we call Triathlon!
  

1:15 PM Bike Trainer
Really, really gentle ride... what the heck... might as well stay in mega fat burning zone rather than dig too far into glycogen stores.

7:45 AM

I have started to read "The Body Sculpting Bible for Women" for fresh ideas both for weight lifting, as well as for nutrition.
Today is my first day of making a shift in my macronutrient mix, as well as carb cycling. I am going to use this method to rev up my fat loss, as I know that I can do better than I already am. I expect that it will take some time to tweak my daily food choices, but it is the overall trend that I will watch most closely. I will use the month of January to transition to my ideal macronutrient mix.
I will be doing three-day carb cycling: low, med, high, while keeping protein and fat intake constant. The grams for each are based on an LBM of 140 pounds, which is approximately where I am right now.
Looking back in my logs... I REALLY need to bump up my protein consumption, with lean sources of protein. This will also be a good way to force myself to eat cleaner... especially on "low" carb days, when I will need to eat quite a few non-starchy vegetables.

Happiness is...

• A WONDERFUL (though extremely busy) 2007!
• Looking forward to an even better 2008!
• Emptying three more large bins - long-awaited post-move purging
  

3:00 PM
Bike Trainer
Z2:Z1

10:20 AM
WU: 200m breast stroke
7 x 200m freestyle

8:20 AM
Finishing up my December Abs/Push-ups challenge work - whew!
70 = Push-ups (assorted styles)
500 = Crunches (assorted)

7:45 AM

It has been a great December from the perspective of meeting my challenge goals... All three of the December goals were definitely "stretch" goals for me.
As for the NY-NY challenge - I had hoped to drop 20 pounds in three months, but I am pleased for having dropped 10 pounds, and I am now just one "dress" size above my high school size (when I weighed 30+ pounds less than I do now). In fact, my lean body mass is <20 pounds less than my HS weight - Sweet!

Happiness is...

• Meeting all of my challenge goals for December
• Watching speed skating on TV - these skaters ROCK! What GREAT physiques... visualization going on, of me looking like them.
• Trader Joe's Chili-Lime Chicken patties - OMG, these are great!

New You in the New Year Challenge
Starting: 202.6 lbs / 114 cm Hips
Current: 192.6 lbs / 105.5 cm Hips
Delta-Week: 1.0 lbs / 1.5 cm Hips
Delta-Total: 10.0 lbs / 08.5 cm Hips

My December Goals:
Swim = 8000 Meters
[9936 = 124.2% ]
Push-ups = 600
[600 = 100%]

7:45 AM

Today has officially become a rest day for me. I don't want to push my tendon at this time, so I will not be going to TEAM tonight - no biking, no elliptical, no treadmill, no stair mill. Nada, nichts, nothing. Tomorrow I can get back into the swing of things with a swim and a bike ride.

My body is feeling yesterday's session with the chiro-PT. My shoulders are a bit tender, but I can really feel the workouts in my back - which means that I was definitely using the muscles that Scott wants me to develop.

My pbt has been really, really cranky. I backed out of doing my elliptical session last night, and I will be taking it easy today, as well. During tonight's TEAM session, I will need to do something other than treadmill work.

It is all good, however, because Scott was really digging in to the area just behind my fibula using the "dental tool". It didn't hurt much while he was doing it... but there is definitely tenderness today.

Happiness is...

• Being so excited for D as she travels to China today. I remember my trip over there two years ago, and I cannot wait to hear how she likes the experience!
• Getting a call from N, as she took care of her 9 mo. old son in the wee Hawaiian hours, while letting her DW sleep in a bit. It sounds as if both of them are getting some well-deserved vacation time.
• Formulating a plan for 2008: Training, Nutrition, Races (still more work to be done)