Hiroro Accelerates FTW

[Hiroro]

My last couple challenges have been so-so. With race-type events approaching, good weather, the interminable cold/cough conquered, and 18 days of a Whole 30 behind me it's time to kick it into high gear. No theme except domination.

Goal #1: Train hard, win easy - Stick to the damn plan

Flubbed this one last challenge (but not beating myself because I had the lingering cough from hell). I have a tri training plan that has 5-6 workouts per week, race is beginning of June. Also have to step up the running for my marathon relay at the beginning of May.

 

Goal #2: Finish strong - Complete the Whole 30, with controlled Reintroduction and a post-W30 eating plan

Between W30's my eating deteriorated until I was eating too much dairy, bread, processed food. Need to find a healthy balance.

 

Goal #3: Burn fat not fuel - Start bike commuting to work

I live 5.5 miles from work, so my gas costs are quite low...I already walk a lot of my errands (post office, library, pharmacy, some groceries) but as the weather gets nicer my excuses for not biking to work are losing steam. Will shoot for biking to work 5 times this challenge, I don't have great confidence riding on the road right now (IT'S SO SCARY GUYS). To get starting I'm shopping for a hybrid/commuter bike, since my speedy road bike does not handle uneven or slick pavement as well. Free exercise, enjoyment of nature, overcoming fear, and saving the environment are my motivators. 

Bonus Goal A: Be a social creature

Having settled back into my house, it's way too easy to just hang out by myself, with bf, with family.

• See friend(s) at least 1x/week.
• Post here daily (mine + 1 other thread minimum).
• Participate in Ranger mini-challenge

 

Bonus Goal B: Don't be a slug

Making the most of my free time.

• Finish 2+ books
• Work on baby blanket 2x/week
• Finish purging/organizing boxes
• Take excess things to Goodwill/Salvation Army/electronics recycling/thrift store

 

Bonus Goal C: Be the Step Queen

Continue weekend step challenges with Fonzico. WIN THEM ALL.

Can my theme be both domination and animals with vegetables?

[Raxie]

Ooh biking to work is awesome! Following along

 

Animals with vegetables I think fit in well with the rest of the theme hahah

[Hiroro]

Overarching Goal

Still working towards <25% body fat.

 

Motivations

Because I'm losing weight on the W30 and don't want to lose momentum after, I'm going to post photos at the end of this challenge (eek!) They won't be pre vs post challenge, probably a while ago vs post challenge...hoping to show significant progress over time. I'm thrilled at the idea of not getting winded going up stairs, and not being by far the heaviest female in my family (we're all the same height, so it's noticeable). Thinking about looking good in this year's Christmas card photo gets me to push a little harder in my workouts, no joke. I also just want to be more resilient, which comes with better vitality. (Almost put 'virility' or 'virulency' there, ha).

 

Rewards

One per goal...apparently I'm motivated by food, WHO KNEW. They're all fairly healthy options, really just splurges. If I earn them all then I'll probably spread them out over the following weeks.

1. Dinner at a local seafood place (they have my favorite salad ever, which I need to figure out how to replicate).
2. Steaks! I usually won't buy them because $$$, bf will grill them up at home.
3. BBQ from my favorite place. There was catering from here at work the other day and I couldn't partake because of the W30.

• For every goal (including bonus goals) I hit, I'll add $10 to my 'buy something' fund. I may adjust this once I figure out what I actually want, since I've reached a point where I'm pretty happy not acquiring new stuff. It will probably be kitchen gear (cookbook?), or just more fancy food (SEA BASS). 

[Hiroro]

GUYS. I just biked to work and back as a practice run and survived! 

Longest recap of a <15mi bike ride ever:

Had to psych myself up for it because I was pretty close to psyching myself out. Reasons why I ALMOST didn't go:

1. Biking on the road terrifies me. 
2. I have not biked on the road in months (because of #1)
3. I hadn't driven the route ahead of time.
4. I thought my road bike (super thin tires) wouldn't do so great on uneven pavement and I needed a commuter/hybrid bike (FALSE)
5. I was sitting in bed drinking coffee and meandering the internet.

Reasons why I actually DID go:

1. I told bf last night that I was going to do it. His concern that it would not be safe or I wouldn't make it (hills) caused me to insist it would be fine. (stubborn/independent streak? Nuh-uh!)
2. Fonzico's done it!
3. Raxie posted on my thread
4. I told myself I could always walk the hills
5. Biking 60min was on my training schedule for the day
6. I put on workout clothes after getting up, and slowly accumulated the things I needed. Letting myself sort of not think about it until it was happening.

My road biking fear may be based on having been hit by a car while on a bike as a child. But I know that the best way to conquer the fear is practice. I usually only bike on the trail (which is lovely, but not hilly so mediocre for training), but it's 30min away so I'll end up going a couple times a year plus some indoor biking...and I'm never well prepared for the bike part of the triathlon (small hills). I need to finally start riding enough to justify the $1200 bike I bought a few years ago.

 

The ride wasn't all peaches and cream, but mostly okay. Only a few moments where navigating the road got tricky or cars were kinda inconsiderate, and one moment of serious anxiety. I saw only one other biker on the road and was thrilled...because I'm always impressed by road cyclists and today I was one!

 

Things to work on:

• Conditioning. Holy cow the indoor bike (mostly leisurely, did at least one tough session in the last couple weeks plus one spin class) did not prepare me for outdoor riding
• There were a couple points in the ride that I need to handle better (getting in the right lane earlier)
• Gear up: wear gloves, install the mirror on my helmet, add reflectors to the bike, new batteries for lights
• General road biking comfort level. Will look for local group rides to help with this.

Things that went AMAZING:

• NOBODY honked at me! I'm pretty happy about that, also to some degree it means I did well following the rules of the road.
• For the most part the cars didn't scare me! Most of them gave me lots of room (single wide lane each way with shoulder roads are the best), though a few were too close for comfort.
• No knee pain! So my indoor bike sessions did help out here, since when I started a couple months ago I had some pain. 
• The road bike was totally fine, so I don't need to spend $300-400 for a more comfortable ride. If anything I want to stick with the lighter bike for those hills.
• It only took about 30min to get there, which is close to the Google Maps 25min estimate.

 

My hill mantras were "this hill is my b*tch" and "I have fresh legs" (trying to trick myself? also, my mind kept changing it to "I have big fresh legs" which sounds like I'm a Renaissance fair turkey leg vendor). Later on, I ended up with "it's going to be okay". Staying calm is key.

 

My biking to work might end up being all on weekends...I will need to actually bike commute on a weekday ONCE this challenge to meet the 5x. I may supersede a few to-work rides with group rides, with the idea that group rides will improve my road cycling comfort level, which will help me eventually bike commute consistently.

 

tl;dr: I biked to work and back home for the first time today as a test ride, did not get hit by a car! Yay!

[fengor]

congrats on the bike commute Love your goals and i have a weakness for every challenge which includes reading books

 

 

[Hiroro]

Week 1 Training Plan

Mon - off

Tues - 30min bike

Wed - 30min run / 30min strength

Thurs - 60min bike

Fri - 45min strength

Sat - 60min bike

Sun - 30min run / 45min canoe

 

There hasn't been a week in the past month where I hit 6/6 training days (best so far 4/5). This will be the first! My main struggle lately is the strength, just don't feel like making up my own routines per usual. Last Friday I went to a class at the gym and that was great - it was challenging but not crazy, and included a lot of variety. Wednesday I can try out a TRX class (first of any class is free), but beyond that I'll have to start paying for classes.

 

Options: $0/Darebee or make up my own workouts. $60/8 classes per month. $50/2 mini personal training sessions per month (+$50 initial consultation). 

[Raxie]

I've got a 6 day training plan going on this week too! It's gonna be tough but we can do it! :D.  It sounds like the $60/8 classes would be the best bang for your buck, if you're going to be spending money and not going with the free option.  What are you looking to get out of the classes exactly that you're thinking about personal sessions instead?

[Maigs]

Nice job on the bike commute. I bought a bike last fall after ~15 years of not riding and I know how much work it can take to talk yourself into riding. I have an insanely easy commute (2.8 miles, one long but not overly steep hill, not in traffic) but it still takes a lot mental prep to do it.

[Fonzico]

Yay for bike commuting! So proud

I'm gearing up to get going on that again soon too, and I can't wait - it's such a great way to get started in the morning, I was always so chipper.

I rode a mountain bike with commuter tires last year, which was fine. This year I have a comfort commuter, I'll let you know how that goes. Maybe once in my life have a ridden an actual road bike. But it sounds like yours is going to be just fine for your purposes.

[Hiroro]

On 4/2/2016 at 2:18 PM, fengor said:

congrats on the bike commute Love your goals and i have a weakness for every challenge which includes reading books

Yay reading! I just finished City of Ashes, though can't count it for this challenge. I know it's YA and i'm 27...don't care.

 

5 hours ago, Raxie said:

I've got a 6 day training plan going on this week too! It's gonna be tough but we can do it! :D.  It sounds like the $60/8 classes would be the best bang for your buck, if you're going to be spending money and not going with the free option.  What are you looking to get out of the classes exactly that you're thinking about personal sessions instead?

Mostly someone to tell me what to do, ha. I can get lazy/bored by myself. And I imagine a personal trainer would give me a custom routine which I could do on strength days, gives flexibility because I don't have to be at the gym at class time. Orrrrrr I could get back on the Stronglifts train because I see you're doing that  

 

5 hours ago, Maigahane said:

Nice job on the bike commute. I bought a bike last fall after ~15 years of not riding and I know how much work it can take to talk yourself into riding. I have an insanely easy commute (2.8 miles, one long but not overly steep hill, not in traffic) but it still takes a lot mental prep to do it.

Thanks! Yeah it's not an endurance challenge, it's all about the mental fortitude...the cars are intimidating. That's awesome you already bike-commute!

 

5 hours ago, Fonzico said:

Yay for bike commuting! So proud

I'm gearing up to get going on that again soon too, and I can't wait - it's such a great way to get started in the morning, I was always so chipper.

I rode a mountain bike with commuter tires last year, which was fine. This year I have a comfort commuter, I'll let you know how that goes. Maybe once in my life have a ridden an actual road bike. But it sounds like yours is going to be just fine for your purposes.

Awww thanks Fonzico. Too bad biking doesn't count towards my steps...Wow a mountain bike would be tougher, I definitely would struggle more with the hills on a heavier bike.

[Raxie]

I personally LOVE stronglifts, and if you do get back on that horse and haven't gotten the app yet, or have the free one, I'd HIGHLY recommend the paid app version.  It's only a few bucks and it has so much more functionality.  The warm up sets are so worth it. I'm usually not huge on buying apps but this seriously was worth every penny.

[Maigs]

10 minutes ago, Hiroro said:

Thanks! Yeah it's not an endurance challenge, it's all about the mental fortitude...the cars are intimidating. That's awesome you already bike-commute!

If my "already bike-commute" you mean "have bike-commuted a handful of times last fall and still haven't aired up the tires from winter" then yes, I bike commute Once I get back from vacation in two weeks I'll get it road ready again and next challenge will probably include a goal to bike-commute 2-3 times a week

[fearless 2.0]

great reading over here!

loving your goals and happy for you that you get so much hard sh!t done. the thought of a whole 30 makes me shiver with fear...hehe

 

also i like that you use your commute as a workout. i sometimes hike to places where i need to go to save the bus money. and it always means a very happy pup!

keep on rocking!!!!

[Fonzico]

There is some really solid YA fiction out there, I refuse to feel ashamed! (Except I totally am... When my mom asks what I'm reading, "oh, isn't that young adult?!" Sigh, yes mom, but it's gooood!) I'm enjoying the heck out of the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer ... It's like sci Fi fairy tales.

[Hiroro]

14 hours ago, fearless 2.0 said:

also i like that you use your commute as a workout. i sometimes hike to places where i need to go to save the bus money. and it always means a very happy pup!

Heh I'm not bike commuting YET, easing into it  But I do like to walk my errands (post office / library / market), it's more relaxing than driving!

 

14 hours ago, Fonzico said:

There is some really solid YA fiction out there, I refuse to feel ashamed! (Except I totally am... When my mom asks what I'm reading, "oh, isn't that young adult?!" Sigh, yes mom, but it's gooood!) I'm enjoying the heck out of the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer ... It's like sci Fi fairy tales.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeek! I just finished the Lunar Chronicles a month ago!...having to wait in between reading them took some of the fun out (keep forgetting what happened), and I got super annoyed at the way the characters pair off, but the creativity is bomb. MY mom also reads YA so it makes me feel better, ha.

[Hiroro]

Day 1-1

Last night I made smashed potatoes, the Kitchen Magpie wings, and a bag of steamed broccoli. Since I had mayo and pesto in the fridge, I mixed them into a sauce for my potatoes and broccoli, YUM. I loved the flavor of those wings, thanks for the recommendation Fonzico!. Missed the crispy-ness of the last batch, so next time I would try a hybrid with the Magpie seasoning and the baking on the rack cooking method.

 

Weigh-in was same as last week (even though I gave blood in between), hoping it's just hormonal bloat. BF did go down 1/2%.

 

Edit: Bonus B - worked on baby blanket, so 1/2 for the week.

 

 

Burning Question:

How do you guys split chores with a cohabitating SO?

 

Having lived together for two months now, I'm already frustrated. I love to cook, but end up doing most of the chores. Bf and I had a conversation a month ago (he said he would vacuum, I said I would do basically all the other cleaning) and since then he has vacuumed...once. While I have cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms repeatedly. His argument is that it's fair for him to clean as often as he feels is needed. Conclusion: since he's okay with the house getting dirty and eating out frequently, I should have to do most of the work because I want home-cooked meals and a clean house...while he reaps the benefits? I own this house, but he treats it like a shared college rental. In the moment I'll often think, 'oh I'll clean/do laundry/cook something I know he likes' because I want to make him happy, but end up feeling unappreciated and less respected than a roommate. It's also surprising because while bf was growing up his dad was retired and stayed home while his mother worked, so it's not that he's used to traditional setup. (but he wants to pay someone else to mow the lawn...so basically all he *has* to do is his own laundry? Who am I, his mother?) Eventually I'd like to be a stay at home mom, at which point I would accept more chore responsibility...but I make as much as he does so GAH. Do I just have to accept that I'll do most of the cleaning and cooking to get the desired result?

[WorldSparrow]

Love your goals! I am a huge nerd when it comes to reading as well, so the book one is great. I miss the days when I could commute to work, not I live over twenty minutes away

 

I once had similar troubles when it came to cleaning. What we did was to sit down and haggle over frequency and responsibility of cleaning, then wrote it up and posted it. Sometimes every couple needs a relationship contract.  Accountability and all that. Probably doesn't help at all, but I thought I would put it out there.

[Raxie]

2 hours ago, Hiroro said:

Burning Question:

How do you guys split chores with a cohabitating SO?

 

UGH I feeeeel this.  I feel like people are always warned about so many things before moving in together (money, personal space, etc) but this is never something anyone talks about but it's such a huge deal!!

 

What my boyfriend and I end up doing is making sure that for each item one person does there's a counter-item that the other person is responsible for.  I cook, he does the dishes.  I do the laundry, he cleans the bathroom.  I take care of the cat litter, he takes out the recycling.  Etc etc.  This way we can each take responsibility for our item as we feel comfortable.  Dishes are his responsibility so if he's OK with them sitting in the sink for a few days that's his problem not mine.  Yes it bothers me sometimes, but it's part of the process.  I know they'll get done because they're his job.  Also, having counter-chores makes it a lot easier to do each other chore favours.  Like sometimes I'll ask for his help doing the laundry and trade him dishes duty for the next night or something.  You can make it so that the items that *really* bother you you make sure you get, but some of it you've got to just sit back and let him take ownership of, and if that means a not spotless house it is what it is.  It saved me a lot of sanity to start viewing it this way.

[Hiroro]

20 hours ago, Raxie said:

I personally LOVE stronglifts, and if you do get back on that horse and haven't gotten the app yet, or have the free one, I'd HIGHLY recommend the paid app version.  It's only a few bucks and it has so much more functionality.  The warm up sets are so worth it. I'm usually not huge on buying apps but this seriously was worth every penny.

Ah I see that the upgrade is only $10. I'll definitely try it (that's the cost of 1-2 classes, so might as well). I enjoyed it before but the gym I was at tended to have packed barbell areas. The current rec center, I will have to see -- I've been slacking on lifting for sure (I worry about not having anyone check my form in a while).

 

Gyro bowls for dinner tonight! (was gonna do it yesterday but forgot...frozen meat needs time to defrost, duh).

This meat

Plus this tahini sauce

On lettuce, maybe with roasted vegetables also.

 

And now I'm hungry, off to eat lunch (leftover steamed broccoli and carnitas).

[Raxie]

2 minutes ago, Hiroro said:

(I worry about not having anyone check my form in a while).

 

Don't be afraid to utilize the form check part of the forums! Just get a video of yourself and post it over there and people will help you out

[Hiroro]

4 minutes ago, Raxie said:

 

Don't be afraid to utilize the form check part of the forums! Just get a video of yourself and post it over there and people will help you out

WHAT I had no idea that existed, thanks for the tip! Will do that. Soon. 

 

Just made plans to workout with a friend on Thursday, DOUBLE goal progress because it's on my training plan and it counts for socializing, yay!

[fearless 2.0]

2 hours ago, Raxie said:

 

UGH I feeeeel this.  I feel like people are always warned about so many things before moving in together (money, personal space, etc) but this is never something anyone talks about but it's such a huge deal!!

 

What my boyfriend and I end up doing is making sure that for each item one person does there's a counter-item that the other person is responsible for.  I cook, he does the dishes.  I do the laundry, he cleans the bathroom.  I take care of the cat litter, he takes out the recycling.  Etc etc.  This way we can each take responsibility for our item as we feel comfortable.  Dishes are his responsibility so if he's OK with them sitting in the sink for a few days that's his problem not mine.  Yes it bothers me sometimes, but it's part of the process.  I know they'll get done because they're his job.  Also, having counter-chores makes it a lot easier to do each other chore favours.  Like sometimes I'll ask for his help doing the laundry and trade him dishes duty for the next night or something.  You can make it so that the items that *really* bother you you make sure you get, but some of it you've got to just sit back and let him take ownership of, and if that means a not spotless house it is what it is.  It saved me a lot of sanity to start viewing it this way.

&1

[Hiroro]

23 hours ago, WorldSparrow said:

I once had similar troubles when it came to cleaning. What we did was to sit down and haggle over frequency and responsibility of cleaning, then wrote it up and posted it. Sometimes every couple needs a relationship contract.  Accountability and all that. Probably doesn't help at all, but I thought I would put it out there.

 

20 hours ago, Raxie said:

What my boyfriend and I end up doing is making sure that for each item one person does there's a counter-item that the other person is responsible for.  I cook, he does the dishes.  I do the laundry, he cleans the bathroom.  I take care of the cat litter, he takes out the recycling.  Etc etc.  This way we can each take responsibility for our item as we feel comfortable.  Dishes are his responsibility so if he's OK with them sitting in the sink for a few days that's his problem not mine.  Yes it bothers me sometimes, but it's part of the process.  I know they'll get done because they're his job.  Also, having counter-chores makes it a lot easier to do each other chore favours.  Like sometimes I'll ask for his help doing the laundry and trade him dishes duty for the next night or something.  You can make it so that the items that *really* bother you you make sure you get, but some of it you've got to just sit back and let him take ownership of, and if that means a not spotless house it is what it is.  It saved me a lot of sanity to start viewing it this way.

 

Thanks for the ideas guys! Last night (I had told him I felt our chores were uneven and was unhappy with it) bf pitched in a little more, and he is open to us cooking and doing dishes/cleaning up together, which might even be enjoyable vs me slaving away by myself. Especially when I can have a glass of wine in the evening again.

[Hiroro]

Day 1-2

Goal #1 - Training 1/1 - Fit in a ruck to the gym and around on my errands, about 3mi total with 9.8#. Did 30min on the bike at the gym while reading Deep Work. I didn't just zone out reading, did some intervals and got a good sweat on.

 

Goal #2 - Eating 2/2 - Day 23 of the W30 complete. For dinner I made the gyro meat in the oven, tahini sauce, whole roasted cauliflower, roasted broccoli, and roasted potatoes. A lot of work, but bf LOVED it (even the tahini sauce! yay!) and there are plenty of leftovers.

 

Goal #3 - Bike commuting - No progress. But the bike workouts are certainly good for commute conditioning.

 

Bonus A - Social - Posting regularly is never a problem at the beginning of a challenge. Gym date set for Thursday. Hill workouts for mini challenge are Wed/Sun.

 

Bonus B - Free time - Hit my blanket work quota for the week...I'm about 1/3 of the way done. Reading Deep Work, slowly. Going to pick up fiction again soon.

 

Bonus C - Step Queen - This is a weekend activity

[Hiroro]

Oh and I had a lot of not-allowed food dreams early in the W30, but they had let up until the last couple nights. Last night it was CHOCOLATE (which I do love, but I actually don't have a sugar dragon issue) I actually woke up enough to realize it was a dream, and I remember thinking 'no go back to sleep so I can eat more dream-chocolate!' 

 

I miss chocolate (usually eat it a couple times a week, truffles or bars, dark only) but I reeeeally miss wine. Especially while socializing (I realize it's a crutch, but my awkwardness is off the charts and the relaxing effect is beneficial for keeping me out of a spiral of over-self-awareness) and doing chores (I like to clean while drinking wine -- it helps me tackle things like bugs which I would otherwise willfully ignore). I thought the first thing I add back next Wednesday would be rice, but it might be wine. It's possible that wine is a main culprit of my breakouts, which would keep me from indulging too often (but how often is too often?).