Pain, pain, and more pain

Pilates ain't no Joke!

Tuesday night I went to a pilates class at the "Y" and I'm here to tell you that pilates is the real deal. I am sore in places that I never knew could be sore.

I got there about 5 minutes before the class started and found a large group waiting for the aerobics class to end. When it did they all rushed in the room to get a spot. I, however, trying to be a nice guy let the ladies go in 1st. The room was packed. I had hoped to get a spot in the back corner but because the place filled up so fast I ended up right next to the instructor. I wasn't so concerned with being next to the instructor, I was more concerned that I was now in front of the class and everyone would be watching what I was doing. It turned out to be excellent motivation. everytime I wanted to stop and rest I would remember that everyone was watching.
Truth be told, no one was watching, but I still used the motivation. I was also right in fornt of the mirror. After about ten minutes I was sweating like a beast. I glanced around the room and noticed that no one else was sweating, I tried to convince myself that it was because they were ladies and just don't sweat as much as guys. I'm gonna keep telling myself that.
My pilates partner(who was also my yoga partner)once again looked bored, but after class she admitted that she had to take a couple breaks, just as I had. That made me feel better. After class I talked to the instructor and told her it was my first time. She said I did awesome. She probably says that to everyone.
Overall it was a good experience and judging by the soreness I am feeling it seems to work. I think I'll try it a few more times to see how well ot fits into the new training plan.
I have learned a few lessons though.
1. No body cares what I'm doing(they are all trying to survive the workout themselves).
2.Arrive early and push the ladies out the way (other wise they'll do it to you).
3. Invest in a thick mat(thin yoga mats are worthless when you put them on hard wood floors).

I'll let you know how spin class turns out tonight.

Pilates=no joke

Me, Yoga Class?

Yep.
I went to my 1st ever yoga class tonight at the YMCA with a friend of mine. I think I liked it. I'll have to wait and see if I'm sore in the morning but as of right now I'm feeling good. I'm not nearly as flexible as I like to think I am, nor do I have the ab strength that I wish I had. But, I guess that all comes in time. I also did a 30 minute core workout class before yoga. That one was a toughy but I managed to get through them both only pausing to rest once in each class. So, now it seems I do yoga. How about that?

Tomorrow night is pilates night. I've never been to a pilates class but I hear its quite a workout. Hopefully I won't be too sore from today. I fully expect to be hurting Wednesday morning.

Wednesday night is a spin class(cycling) that I'm planning to attend. The reason I am hitting these classes 3 nights in a row is to see if I like them or not. I'm getting ready to move into a new phase of training and I want to add some new types of workouts to the mix. So, this is my test everything out week. Next week I'll make my final plan.

For those of you who do yoga, I will say that of the positions we did today my favorite was the 3 legged dog, and the only position I didn't do was the "cloud". But I think that's because I was trying to do it wrong.

I'll let you know how pilates turns out tomorrow.


Sadie's favorite position is "the licking dog"
Lily's favorite position is "laying on the bed"

Jazz Fest 2009

What a great weekend I'm having. Sunday I went to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The weather was perfect and the music was awesome. Better Than Ezra was good, as expected. But, I was really impressed by the Dave Matthews Band. They have some songs I like but after today I am a fan. I'm gonna have to go back and see what I've been missing. They were awesome, but Dave is still no Lenny McDaniel(That boy can sing!).

My 1st Triathlon

For those who may be interested, here is the story of the Triathlon.

Friday night the weather started get a little rough, windy and rainy. initially my concern was that the rain would make the water even colder. As it turns out, the water temp was the least of my worries. The wind was the killer. 10 minutes before the race I went down into the water to get acclimated to the temperature. Honestly it didn't feel as cold as when I was there Tuesday morning but it is possible that it didn't seem that cold because I was walking around in a cold mist while setting up my gear. I think I got used to being cold before entering the water.

As you can see from the pics, I was one of the few, very few competitors without a wetsuit (because I'm a beast, as the kids say). Looking back I wish I had a wetsuit not so much to keep me warm but because they make you more buoyant, and I coulda used that. The problem was that the heavy winds made the lake very rough and choopy. THus, I couldn't get into a rhythm. Everytime I tried to take a breath I got smacked in the face by another wave. I quickly realized that the swim was going to be less about speed and more about survival. In the pool it takes about 15 minutes to swim the distance. Saturday it took 22. But I was still smiling when I came out the water, happy to be alive..

The swim totally drained me, but it wasn't over there. I still had 19 miles on the bike, which wasn't that bad except, again, for the wind. From time to time the wind was at my back and I was cruising but it seems like more often than not the wind was in my face. That causes me to have to do more work. But I survived the distance. Again smiling because I was glad to finish that section of the race.

Then for my favorite and most comfortable part, the run. Well, under normal circumstances it would've been. However, I was totally drained after the bike. But, I gutted it out and started running. about a mile into the 3 mile run i got comfortable. That was good beacuse with a little less than a mile to go I realized that my friend Matt(who was also my training partner) was gaining on me. I am 34, he is 25. There was no way I was gonna let him catch me with less than a mile to go. So, I dug deep and turned it up a notch. I finished 38 seconds ahead of him. That's right, the old timer kicks @$$.

It was a good experience. My first thought was that I'm not doing triathlons anymore. It didn't take long before i started thinking about how I had survived some terrible conditions and that got me wondering how I would do in better conditions. Needless to say, there will be other triathlons. My long term goal is still to do the half Ironman in New Orleans next year, and probably a marathon somewhere between September and December.I will also do some sprint tri's along the way. Feel free to join me if you would like.

Thanks to the parents for coming up and to Emma and Elie as well. Y'all were a great support team.

Enjoy the pictures, and I'll see ya when i see ya, Scott.

The Triathlon is Complete

I survived it. I finished. The weather made it tough, but I will give you all the details when I get the pictures in. I'll write a full post with pictures. But, the important thing is that I can check it off my list. I'll email you when I update this thing.

Spring break, part 3

When last you read I was telling you about cutting the grass yesterday. Last night was a quiet night, I had sushi at whole foods for dinner, while a friend of mine ate chocolate mousse, Now that's a healthy dinner. Anyways, I am a fan of whole foods and I think that is going to be my new "fast food" place. Instead of McD's or the King I think I'll go to whole Foods and get one of their relatively healthy meals or salad bar. The food is good and there are always interesting people in there, so It'll be like free entertainment while I eat. But, as my friend pointed out, I need to make sure I don't sit in the same place every time otherwise I will look like some crazy stalker guy. Good point.

This morning I took the girls to the dog park. I'm super proud of Lily, she actually played with another dog today, as in antagonized a dog to play with her. I've had her for almost 10 months and that's the 1st time that has happened. She's still shy, but getting better all the time(just like me).

Tomorrow is the Triathlon. I'm not too nervous. I'm ready to do it. I'm starting to think about marathoning again. I like the tri training, but something in likes the idea of being a runner the most. I'll get through tomorrow first and then start worrying about whats next. Though I will definitely do the 1/2Ironman in New Orleans next year.

Anyone interested in heading to the triathlon in New Roads tomorrow can check out the website at: www.lawired.com/latri/Kenny/Home.html

Click on race details for directions.

Race starts at 8am.

or you can call me if you have any questions.

I know most of you wont be able to make it but just know that I will be thinking of you during the race. I'll be thinking of your smiling face as I cross the line, or possibly as the last thing I think of as I drown in the freezing cold lake. What a sweet thought to end a post with. :)

Spring Break, Part 2

Yesterday (Wednesday) turned out to be OK. I went to New Orleans to see some friends that I went to Northwestern State with. They are all married with kids so we met for a picnic so that the kids could play on the playground while we reminisced about the old days. We each brought our own food. So, I went to the Whole Foods on Magazine street and got a couple slices of pizza, because I try not to do fast food anymore, except chic-fil-a(LOVE IT).

Anyways, It was a beautiful day and it was nice to catch up with old friends. Most of us haven't seen each other in about 13-14 years. It was odd to see these people, we all remember each other the way we looked at 19/20 years old, none of us looked that different but it's easy to see that we are not kids anymore. In a way it made me feel a little old, but it also made me feel like there is a lot of life left in me.

As y'all know, I'm a big fan of Audubon Park. I have good memories there and was happy to add this one to the list. But my favorite memory is still the time that Sadie jumped into the fountain. And of course there were many days walking and jogging there. I always smile when I think of Audubon Park.

After a couple hours I headed back to Capital City. I had dinner with a friend from work and her husband, who is a professional chef. They made chicken parmesean. Very tasty. I even had a glass of red wine with it and finished the whole glass. Quite an accomplishment for me(there's more, read on).

Then we met some others at a place in town that has a beach volley ball league. We watched another coworker play while we drank, talked, and laughed about lots of different topics. I even had a beer. It took me a full hour to finish the bottle. I'm still a light weight but think of the money I save be being such a wuss-ass drinker.

Today I got up and headed to the Y for my last training swim before the race Saturday. it was much warmer than Tuesdays swim. Then I came home and cut the grass in the backyard. The dogs like to be outside when I cut the grass. The always lay in the spot of high grass. They seem to like that better than laying on the freshly cut grass, maybe it's softer.

So, now you know about my yesterday and today. Tonight I have big plans. Me and the girls are gonna be doing a whole lot of nothing. Actually, I'm gonna go to the outlet mall tonight or sometime tomorrow, I need new pants. Anybody wanna go?

So, this is Spring Break. Aaargh!

Here it is Tuesday afternoon, 3 o'clock, and I have already run out of things to do. This is going to be a long, boring week.

I decided not to go back and rewrite yesterdays post, that's history now. Onward ever onward!

This morning Matt (my coworker who is doing the tri) and I took a ride to New Roads to swim in False river. We have been swimming in the pool at the YMCA but thought it would be a good idea to try an open water swim, and we wanted to see how cold the water would be. It was freezing(not literally). But I walked right in and swam around a bit and eventually got used to it. However, it was a little hard to breathe when I first got in, so Saturday I will need to get in the water about 10 minutes before the race starts to get used to it, otherwise it may be a very short race.

New Roads looks like a cute little town. I might go back one weekend to take a closer look around, it would be a cute place to take a date if I could find a nice restaurant, and a suitable "lady friend"(If you know what I mean;) ).

Anyway, the water was cold and the town was cute. I am really excited but a bit nervous about the race. I just have to remind myself to survive the swim, survive the swim, survive the swim. I'm not worrying about speed this time. I just want to finish the race. I'll worry about speed in the future.

I came home and decided it was time to cut the grass. And, with it being such a pretty day it didn't seem like it would be too much of a chore. So, I cut the front yard, but not the back. I'm gonna let that wait till Thursday because I have nothing to do that day. The funniest and sort of sweet thing about cutting the grass in the front is that Sadie runs around the backyard and house whining because she can't be out there with me. i don't know if she thinks the mower is attacking me or if she just misses me but it's sweet that she wants to be where I am that bad. She is a sweet baby. Lily doesn't make as much noise but will bark some when I push the mower along the fence line.

Well, it's 3:22 now. I just passed 15-20 minutes blogging. What else can I do to occupy myself? Anybody want to go get some coffee, or a beer, bowling, putt-putt, outlet shopping, hiking, dog walking, bungee jumping, bike riding, sushi, or something? I'm bored.

What a fabulous start to spring break. least I get to spend quality time with the pups. That I do like!

Just another manic monday

Crap, I just wrote a long post and accidentally deleted it. I don't have the energy to rewrite it now. I'll work on it tomorrow. Now I must go move Sadie and Lily on to their side of the bed. I'm exhausted. Good night.

CCC 2009

The pic at the top (in blue)is from the marathon back in February.

I may come back and add a story to this post, maybe not. The pic of me in grey is a picture of me running the Crescent City Classic this morning, and no, I didn't win. Damned Kenyans!
the pic at the top (in blue)is from the marathon back in February.

A Lily Tail (tale)

Lily is a very sweet dog, most of the time. She can be a little mischevious, highstrung, and a little destructive but she can also be very sweet, personable, and cuddly. Today, I don't know what to call her. Let me rewind.

a couple months ago I installed a dog door so that Liliy and Sadie could go outside during the day if they wanted. I didn't want them to be cooped up in the house while I was at work and figured they would let themselves out and run around the backyard to burn off extra energy. Energy burn off was a big reason why I put the door in. You see, there had been several times when I came home to find various things torn up around the house like mail, pillows, magazines,etc. So, the door idea seemed to make sense.

And since putting in the door there have been very few occurences of things being torn up in the house(though Lily did unleash her wrath on one of the couches last week). However, I quickly learned to close my closet door and not leave things laying around. It seems that Lily developed a new habit of bringing things outside through the dog door. It started with a sock, then a dishrag, then (unevitably) my underwear. But those were small potatoes. Next thing you know it was blue jeans, shoes, and a couple of days ago she even managed to get the fitted sheet off the bed and out in to the yard. That one I was sort of impressed by. But now it seems that things are moving in reverse, I guess she has run out of things to bring outside.

Today when I came home from work I found that Lily brought in a little present for me. The bed was coverd with leaves and pieces of twigs. We had some rough weather a few days ago and so we have some small branches in the yard. The dogs like to chew on sticks sometimes, so I guess lily wanted to be comfortable while chewing so she brought it on the bed, which happens to be her favorite place in the whole world, she loves laying on the bed.

I dont mind some sticks and leaves but if she starts bring in small animals or other peoples underwear then we will have a problem.

Here are some pics of the event. She is a cutie









...and be sure to notice that I didn't add any pictures of Sadie. Because I don't have favorites.