3,2,1 Contacts

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Long time no blog! No excuses for me, but the new year is going pretty great so far! I know it’s only been a few weeks, but a little update on my goals for this year.

PR in a Half Marathon – I went ahead and signed up for the Zooma Annapolis on June 6. I’ve heard the course is hilly, but I plan on going all out with the training that will include speedwork and a longer training schedule. However, I will only be doing 3 runs per week. I’ve put together a nice plan with the help of Runner’s World Smart Coach and will be putting it up in the Races & Training section soon.

Getting Back to my “Happy Weight” – I’m happy to announce that since December I have lost 10lbs and 10 inches, so things are going smoothly. I’m making better food choices every day and have been getting back into my normal exercise routine.

Completely revamp FitBlogr – Just need to work on some minor tweaks for the new layout. :)

365 Project – I haven’t taken a picture of myself every day. So it’ll be more like a once a week thing. I will be taking pictures of myself during my weight loss and maybe put it up on the blog one day if I’m brave enough. At the end of the year, I’ll put together a huge mosaic of the pictures that I took.


From Glasses to Contacts and Back to Glasses

When I was kid, I noticed how my dad and brother wore glasses. I was in the fourth grade and thought glasses were the coolest thing and I secretly hoped that I would need to wear them one day.

That day came two years later. My eye sight had gotten worse and I needed to wear glasses. Of course, they didn’t have nice, sleek glasses that they do now. Oh no, they had the giant frames that took up half your face. But I wore them proudly until I got contacts in high school.

I always had a back up pair of glasses just in case, but never wore them continuously until my Senior year of college. Besides astigmatism, I found myself putting in rewetting drops every hour because my eyes became just too dry. Since my middle school days, I was glad to see that frames have grown into more of a fashion statement, and I think I can pull them off pretty well.

Unfortunately, there is one place where I can’t wear them.

In the pool. I have been swimming to keep my legs going strong before my half marathon training starts next month. So I pulled out a pair of contacts I had stashed away (they don’t expire until 2013!) and wore them last night for my trip to the gym. I do not miss them at all. But they were necessary to wear so I could see better in the pool.

Yes, I have thought about the lasik eye surgery, but my eyes are too precious to me to have any blades or lasers come near them. As long as frames stay fashionable, I can see myself wearing them for years to come.

Although my weight loss has been going well, one of my big flaws is strength training. I’m not lost when it comes to doing it, but I usually just skip it after I’m done with my cardio workout at the gym because I just want to get home. Solution – do strength training before cardio! Which is what I did tonight:

Seated Leg Press

Hip Abduction

Chin Assist

Dip Assist

Hip Adduction

Lat Pull Down

Glute Machine

Row Machine

Torso Rotator

3×15 @ 165lbs

3×15 @ 130lbs

3×10 @ 165lbs

3×10 @ 165lbs

3×15 @ 145lbs

3×10 @ 60lbs

2×10 each leg @ 40lbs

2×10 @ 30lbs

2×10 each side @ 60lbs

Afterward I changed and got into the pool. I completed 30 laps (750 meters) in about 30 minutes. My form is improving (I’m not that great of a swimmer!) and I’ll be trying to start doing back to back laps without taking breaks in between.

Spring has been teasing us, we’ve had a few days where it’s been in the mid 50s! That’s warm for January, but I am loving it!

And no, you didn’t miss my post about the Disney half marathon. I’m still *patiently* waiting for some pictures. :)

2 Comments

  1. Posted January 20, 2010 at 4:22 pm | Permalink

    wouldn’t a pair of prescription goggles be better than contacts in the pool?

  2. Posted January 20, 2010 at 7:47 pm | Permalink

    @Lissy: You know what? I didn’t even think of that! I sometimes swim without goggles though so I would still need to be able to watch the clock and such. I may invest in a pair though if this swimming becomes a more common thing. :)