Fully Functional

I was good. I was very, very good. And just like Sophie said would happen, Santa brought me the Garmin 910XT. <cue angels singing>

I have always had a problem with people who wear Garmins. They say stupid stuff like, "They say the 5k course was certified, but my Garmin says it was only 3.07 miles." Ummm, yeah....

Or how about this one? "Hey, we're running at 10:15 pace." (5 seconds later) "Hey, now we're running at 8:30 pace." (5 seconds later) "Hey, now we're running at 11:45 pace." (5 seconds later) "Hey, now we're running at 7:30 pace." You get the picture.

I have resisted joining the Garmin Army for almost 5 years. But with the vast array of triathlon-training functions on the 910, and the deterioration and ultimate death of my Polar heartrate monitor, it was time to give in.

But I VOW to never become one of those people.

I've worn my new toy for swims, rides and runs over the past week. It's quite easy to use, even without reading any directions. (Of course, today I accidentally locked the keys before starting my run. A quick google search later, I was back in business.) It can tell me virtually anything I'd like to know, short of where the nearest bathroom is. Hell, there's probably a function for that too.

This new tool will serve me well during training. I'm a firm believer in the phrase, "That which gets measured, gets done." It will ALL get done. And logged. And graphed. And analyzed. MUWAHAHAHAHA

As we've gotten to know each other, my Garmin's personality has emerged. He's quite polite, loves to serve me, and translates my workout data into usable metrics.

He's C-3P0.

"Excuse me, Jen, but might I inquire as to what's going on?"

Three Weeks In

Today's 4 mile run marked the end of the third week of training. So far, all is going well. It seems so easy to only do one workout each day! I know the days of doubles are coming very soon.

Today was also the last day of Christmas Gig Hell. I'm glad to have that behind me! Now I can start addressing our Christmas cards. Yes, thank you, I do know it's December 23rd. Last year, we didn't mail any, so sending cards late is still an improvement.

I have asked Santa to bring me a Garmin 910XT for Christmas. Sophie said that if I'm really, really good, he'll bring me what I want.  I've been pretty good, I think: I've been doing my workouts before work most days, and I've kept my room clean for a couple of months now (including making the bed most days!). And there was that time I did the dishes. That's gotta count for something.

Speaking of mornings, getting up early to exercise hasn't been so bad. I wake up much more easily now (although it's still hard most days to actually get out of the bed, especially if JC is still in it. Too damn cuddly.). I've noticed that if I don't exercise first thing in the morning, I feel sluggish all day. And now that I'm in the habit, I go to bed early on the weekends too. WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING TO ME?!?!?!

My left knee continues to improve. There was only one instance of knee pain during a workout this week - about 6 miles into my long run - and it went away pretty quickly when I stretched. The adductors are much looser now; I can tell a big difference from 6 weeks ago when I first began seeing Dr Awesome.

This week's royal screw up learning experience: I didn't refuel properly after Wednesday night's long run. I ate chicken and some veggies, but not enough carbs. Then, Thursday morning, I didn't eat much breakfast before hopping on the trainer. The end result was an empty tank. That trainer ride was awful; slow, heavy legs and no energy. That's what I get for being lazy with nutrition.

Goals for this week:

• Complete all workouts. (This can be difficult during the holidays.)
• Stay in the right heartrate training zones.
• Limit Christmas goodies. Three is okay; three dozen is not.

PS to Santa: I also need the cadence/speed sensor for my bike. If I'm going to use the 910, I might as well do it up right.