14 Days of Nothing: Day 14: Mother Nature Can "Suck It"

I hate my life.

(I don't really hate my life. That was just for effect. I am pretty pissed-off, though. [OK, not really - it's still just for effect.])

Throughout these past "14 Days of Nothing," the weather has been great. Remember when I played with my cousins on Thanksgiving? That was 2 weeks ago. It was WARM and GREAT. As we played "FumbleROOski," we actually had to avoid muddy spots in the lawn:

Less than 48 hours ago, Mother Nature knew I was ready to quit my bout of nothingness, and she decided to piss me off. It started lightly snowing 2 days ago. When I opened my side door yesterday morning, I had a 14 inch drift telling me to stay in the house:

I'm not happy. I LOVE to run in cold weather, but running on uneven packed snow does a number on my feet. And we know my feet can't take much more abuse.

What horrible timing for our first big snowfall. I was about to start up again, and clean, clear sidewalks in December are a treat. But no such luck now.

After shoveling and snow-blowing for an hour yesterday, I let my feelings for Mother Nature show:

F@ck you, Mother Nature.

F@ck.
You.

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14 Days of Nothing: Day 13: Three Things

First thing: Yesterday, I had my biggest workout of these past 13 days. I went to the Y and did a quick lower body workout: leg presses, goblet squats, leg extensions, lunges, etc. My ass is paying for it this morning - I woke up with the outside of my glutes quite sore. Ahhhh, I’ve missed that feeling!

Second thing: I recently started posting little triathlon-related articles on Examiner.com. I’m the “St. Paul Triathlon Examiner.” I’ve written a few articles so far. They are not “blog style;” they are much more like an informative article. I just put up 2 more articles yesterday that I think some of you will like. When I posted about MY “7 Deadly Sins” last week, the wheels started turning in my head. So I posted 2 articles on Examiner.com that are about “A Triathlete's Seven Deadly Sins.” Click here for part 1 (wrath, greed, pride, and sloth) and click here for part 2 (lust, envy, and gluttony). You might get a kick out of it.

(While you’re there, you could sign up on my Examiner.com page to receive an e-mail each time I publish a new article. I get paid a few cents for every article of mine that is viewed. Actually, I get paid 1 cent for every few views. It’s not gonna make me rich, but if you stop by my Examiner.com page now and then, it will help. Thanks!)

Third thing: There's big, new, “giveaway" news coming on Monday. It’ll be my biggest giveaway ever. I’m talking about $500 of SWEET tri gear!! So mark your calendars and stop back on Monday!

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14 Days of Nothing: Day 12: Finally, that MASSAGE!

Yesterday was day 12 of my “14 Days of Nothing” (my self-prescribed rest). And I finally got the massage I’ve been looking forward to for the last 11 days.

Mpls / St. Paul locals, listen up: if you need a place to go for a massage, I have a woman for you. Pharmie and I discovered her about a year ago. She’s not a “fru-fru, scented candles, tickle you until you fall asleep” sort of masseuse. She’s a “digger.” And she’s our favorite! She’s trained (or licensed, or certified, or something) in Shiatsu, but she mixes that with a form of Chinese Medical Massage called Tui Na. She digs with her forearms, elbows, and feet. Yes, feet. She worked out my hammys really well by standing on them and digging in with her feet. (I should note that most of the massage is “traditional” and done with her hands, but when she needs to, her other body parts are called into action.)

I asked her if I could post her info to the internet, and she thought that was great. She’s located near Central and Hennepin in the St. Anthony Main neighborhood of Mpls. Here’s her card. Give her a call or shoot her an e-mail if you’d like to schedule a massage:

Tell her Steve Stenzel sent you. She doesn't know me as "Steve in a Speedo," so you might get a strange look if you tell her someone in a Speedo sent you.... ;)

In other news, I’ve been doing pretty good at not doing anything over the last 2 weeks. I’ve been starting to get the itch to run and swim. And I NEARLY did some lunges and squats yesterday at the Y, but I held out. Here’s a recap of the last 12 days:

• Thurs, 11/26: Thanksgiving. Ran around with my cousins.
• Fri, 11/27: 20 minutes of core.
• Sat, 11/28: nothing
• Sun, 11/29: nothing
• Mon, 11/30: nothing
• Tues, 12/1: 16 minutes of core. Stretched and foam rolled legs.
• Wed, 12/2: Stretched and foam rolled whole body.
• Thurs, 12/3: 11 minutes of core.
• Fri, 12/4: 20 minutes of core. Taught a “CVA Tri Club” student a bunch of exercises at the Y.
• Sat, 12/5: nothing
• Sun, 12/6: nothing
• Mon, 12/7: 20 minutes of core. Then, that great massage!

p.s. Adrienne's massages are fully clothed. So I wore a t-shirt, pajama pants, and socks. Can you imagine if poor Adrienne had to see (not to mention TOUCH) my nasty, calloused, purple-toe-nailed feet? She'd probably throw me out! ;)

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3 Winners of Signed Copies of "Trizophrenia"

There were 130 comments on my interview with Jef Mallett, who is the author of the new book “Trizophrenia: Inside the Minds of a Triathlete.” With the multiple entries that people could make, there were a total of 252 numbers in the drawing for 1 of 3 books.

Last night (while watching the Vikes lose [dang]), I got to work determining the 3 winners who would each get a signed copy of the book. I printed out all 130 comments, and gave them all a numeric value (with multiple numbers going to those who earned multiple entries):

(For example, the first commenter earned 1 entry, so he was #1. The second commenter earned 2 entries [because he followed Jef’s twitter feed], so he was #2 and #3. Etc, etc. It ended up going up to #252.)

I wrote out the numbers 0-9 on little pieces of paper:

I put the numbers 0, 1, and 2 in the hat (literally) to draw the FIRST number of the first winner. (#1 was really 001, #32 was really 032, etc.) I first pulled out a 0:

My nipple and I were excited.

Then I put all the numbers in, pulled out a 4, put that number back in, and pulled out a 7. So the first winner was #047. Looking on my list, that corresponded to “Anonymous (Jen from Ohio).”

I repeated that process, and I came up with #149 and #110. Those numbers corresponded to Jumper 2.0 and Colleen.

Jumper 2.0, Colleen, and “Anonymous (Jen from Ohio),” please contact me so we can get you your book!! Everyone else, you can purchase Jef's book here or ANYWHERE books are sold.

Thanks for the interview, Jef! Good luck with your book! I know I enjoyed it!

(p.s. Yesterday was my 11th Day of "14 Days of Nothing." We had Arby's for supper! Sweet! Today I hope to get in some good core work at the Y and GET A MASSAGE! And if you missed it, check out Saturday's post which shows an interview with a German urban sports magazine.)

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14 Days of Nothing: Day 10: A Perfect “10”

Yesterday was Day 10 in my “14 Days of Nothing.” And Pharmie and I enjoyed it! I ate a whole frozen pizza for lunch. And then we had Chipotle for supper! AND THEN Pharmie brought home Café Latte cheesecake!! (Café Latte is our BEST local dessert place.) What a day! ;)

The title of “A Perfect 10” refers to the great level of success I feel regarding what I just did to my foot. I’ve been treating a plantar wart on my left foot for about 2 weeks. This morning, all the skin around it was so dead that it was ready to “peel.” So I peeled it off sooo carefully. I got to the far side of the wart, and then it started peeling off again from that side! This is what just got peeled off my body:

Here’s what my foot looks like now:

Sweet! What a great start to my Sunday! ;)

The time to enter the giveaway to win a signed copy of "Trizophrenia" is over! There are 130 entrants. I’ll draw the 3 winners today, and I’ll post them tomorrow! Check back to see if you’ve won!

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14 Days of Nothing: Day 9: Nine Questions

Want to hear something random? Well, you're HERE, so of course you do. Here it is: I was recently interviewed by a German internet urban sports magazine called "eRYTHROPOETIZINUM." Random, I know. I was their "Sports Blog of the Month" for December.

They asked me 9 questions, so I figured it would go well on my 9th "day of nothing." Below is the interview. Click on either of the images to see a bigger (more readable) version:

(click image for larger view)


(click image for larger view)

I don't know about you, but I like the slightly broken-English intro...

If you'd like to check out the whole December issue of eRYTHROPOETIZINUM, click here and download the Dec 2009 PDF. Oh, but if you're a little squeamish, don't look at the spread that's just after my interview. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Remember: tonight (Sat) at midnight (central time) is the deadline for entering to win your signed copy of "Trizophrenia!" Click here for the details.

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Friday Funny 65: 8 Random Funnies

This is also Day 8 in my “14 Days of Nothing” (my self-prescribed rest). So in the name of day 8, here are 8 random funny things. Some are a bit inappropriate. I’d apologize, but I’m not sorry...

You’ve got just under 2 days to go to this post and throw your name in the hat for 1 of 3 signed copies of "Trizophrenia!" The contest closes at midnight on Saturday. I’ll post the winners on Monday morning, so check back to see if you’ve won.

Happy weekend!!

p.s. I was just interviewed by a German internet "urban sports" magazine, and I'll post that broken-English interview tomorrow. Good stuff!

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14 Days of Nothing: Day 7: Seven Deadly Sins

Wrath:
These “14 days of nothing” have landed right in the middle of a VERY mild stretch of late fall / early winter weather. I’m angry that I can’t be taking advantage of this great weather for some outdoor runs!

Greed:
At this moment, we own 6 bikes. Why do I still feel that I need more?

Pride:
Have I mentioned my “Steve in a Speedo” Fan Page on Facebook? Click the picture below to be taken to it. And become a member.

Sloth:
I’m in the middle of “14 days of nothing.” Need I say more?

Lust:
You all know my hot wife, Pharmie. Need I say more?

Envy:
You have a better bike than me. I want it. And I want your goggles, your racing flats, your aero water bottle, your tri suit, your bike shoes, your fancy laces, your Zipp wheels (BOTH pairs - I KNOW you have 2 sets), your wetsuit, your PowerTap, your hairless body, etc, etc.

Gluttony:
Why do I do all of this? (“All of this” meaning triathlons, duathlons, and road races.) So I can eat. Whatever I want. Whenever I want. Yum-a-dum-dum.

(Frazz comic from Jef Mallett, triathlete and author of "Trizophrenia")

p.s. Don’t forget to scroll 2 posts down to throw your name in the hat for 1 of 3 signed copies of "Trizophrenia!"

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14 Days of Nothing: Day 6: Six Core Exercises

So I've been doing good about doing nothing during my self-prescribed 14 days of nothing. Since Thanksgiving, I've really only done something "physical" once: yesterday I stretched, foam rolled, and did some core exercises. And I just scheduled a massage for next week!

I want to show you 6 new core exercises that Andrea (from the Y) recently showed me:

1. "Dead bug" on the bosu
2. One-legged bicycles on the bosu (those SUCK)
3. Sideways oblique sit-ups on the bosu
4. Weighted bar curl-ups
5. Weighted bar curl-ups with a left/right twist
6. And the one that I always forget

So, like I said above, I WANT to show you these exercises, but there have been issues. Andrea was OK with me bringing my camera to the Y so we could take pictures of each other doing the exercises, but at the last minute, "important" people at the Y put the ka-bosh on that. Now, I'm trying to convince Andrea to grab a mat, a bosu, and a weighted bar, and meet me in the little park across the Y's parking lot. We could take photos there, and the Y can't be mad! But I haven't heard back from Andrea yet...

So leave a comment for Andrea and say that you NEED to see these new core exercises! Without them, we'll all get fat (and ugly, and hairy) this winter! Together, we can "guilt" her into giving in! (I grew up in Catholic School - I know A LOT about guilt! Ha!) And it's not that Andrea has a job, clients, or other commitments during the day. She's got all the time in the world to do this! ;)

And don't forget to check out yesterday's post which is an interview with the author of "Trizophrenia" and a giveaway of 3 signed copies!

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14 Days of Nothing: Day 5: 5 Questions and a GIVEAWAY!

What better way to spend my “14 Days of Nothing” than reading about doing athletic things! I recently was asked to interview Jef Mallett, who just wrote “Trizophrenia: Inside the Minds of a Triathlete.” I was honored, so I asked Jef 5 questions about his book.¹ And be sure not to miss the end of this post where there’s a giveaway: Jef’s giving away signed copies of his book!


1. How long have you wanted to do a book like this? How long were you specifically working on this book?

The clichéd answer is, of course, that I’ve wanted to do this all my life. Like a lot of clichés, it’s true. I’ve always loved books. I’ve always loved sports, particularly outdoor endurance sports. I’ve always loved making people smile. I only recently realized I could make people a little smarter, so maybe that’s how long I’ve wanted to create a book like this: about two weeks. Haw, haw. The idea of a funny book about triathlon started to gel while I was illustrating “Roadie,” a similar but very different take on bicycle racing by Jamie Smith. That was a couple of years ago. As it happened, Jamie’s publisher, Velo Press, was having the same idea. I’ll save everybody the math: I wrote this book pretty fast. Not quite Sarah Palin fast, but pretty fast. I didn’t get a lot of sleep in 2008 and 2009.

2. What's the target audience for this book? Who do you hope it appeals to?

Now it’s really going to sound like I’m picking on Sarah Palin. Which readers do I think this can appeal to? All of ‘em! I know the perils of trying to please everyone, but I think this book will offer a little insight for outside observers, a little instruction for those new to or pondering the sport, a little something veterans can identify with, a little perspective for those of us who have wandered off the deep end and a few laughs for everyone. Honestly, you shouldn’t have to care about triathlon at all to get something out of this book. It’s really a book about life and lessons, which is a dreadfully boring topic unless you distort it with some kind of lens to make it relatable and exotic at the same time. And triathlon turns out to be a hell of a lens.

3. I love the "Q&A" section of the book (part 1, chapter 3, section 3). That's not a question, but I'd like a response.

Q: Is there a better way to write a chapter titled “How to Explain It”?

My answer: No, there really isn’t. FYI: That chapter is all in “Q&A” format, and it’s that conversation that we’ve ALL had with someone. You know the conversation. The one that starts with them asking “Why?...” and never ends with either side feeling satisfied. Jef finishes this chapter in a great way that takes it right back around to the beginning.

4. I like how you make fun of yourself a lot, and who doesn't like that?! What else ya got? Give us another embarrassing triathlon story. (Or sports related at least.)

You really have to work at it to embarrass yourself during a triathlon. Everybody else in the race can relate, and everybody watching has to squelch their laughter because you’re out there racing and they’re not. But I manage. I like the one where I’m being interviewed for an article in the New England Masters swimming magazine. Elaine Kornbau is asking about my swimming accomplishments, which are, to put it mildly, slim. In fact, I only have one pure swimming experience that has a chance at impressing anyone, and that’s crossing the Straits of Mackinac. That’s a 4-mile swim, shore to shore, a little more with the current, and I did it with 49 other swimmers on a nice day. So I haul that one out, because sometimes even the best pool swimmers are intimidated by that kind of open water. I didn’t do my research. Elaine had just swam across the Catalina Channel, was a veteran of the around-Manhattan swim, and would soon cross the English Channel, becoming only the 33rd person to complete the open-water triple crown. (Let me make it clear here that any embarrassment was prompted by me alone; Elaine interviews and writes as well as she swims, and she never made me feel like anything short of a star.)

5. Jeez, you sure are a fan of footnotes.² What's the story behind that?

I tend to digress. Every good story has a whole new batch of sideshows, like the way Vonnegut is always flitting about from one Kilgore Trout story to another. I actually met Vonnegut once, and let me tell you … Oops. Yeah. And the whole three-track-mind theme of the book just begged for that kind of disjointed bouncing back and forth. Doing it in footnotes is a great way to keep the asides as asides and guide the reader right back to the main theme. Much to the surprise of no one, I got carried away. The book, by word count, is roughly a third footnotes. The publisher actually had to change the shape of the book to accommodate them without forcing the reader to turn pages too much.

6. The appendix written by your wife is very heartwarming - I had a small smile on my face for the entirety of those few pages. Was that your idea or her idea?

Isn’t that wonderful? My wife, Patty, is a very good writer and even better editor, so her handiwork shows up in a lot more than just that appendix. It was actually friends of hers who suggested that her perspective on the sport would serve readers well, and Velo Press and I were all over that one. So now there’s yet another category where my life wouldn’t have been nearly as good without her contribution.

7. OK, we're all "numbers" people - what's your olympic, half IM, and IM PRs? Inquiring minds need to know! And any idea how many of each you've raced?

I’m almost as bad at keeping records as I am at setting them, but I’ll try. Ironman-distance PR is 11:02, at IM Florida. Half-iron, 5:09 at the Musselman in New York. Olympic, oh boy. I could be missing one, but best I can find is 2:14 at the Lansing Legislator, right here at home. I know I’ve done two IMs and five half-IMs. Probably a couple dozen Olympic-distances and a few more sprints than that.

8. And if you're taking applications, I'd love to join "Team Fast Pig." Like you, I need to get up super early on race morning, I can't swim a straight line, and I believe in "gravity clusters" even if science has yet to back us up on that. So I think those first 2 could be requirements for the team....

The concept of the Fast Pig (blatantly stolen from Steinbeck in “East of Eden,” but with he didn’t have the greatest sport in the world to apply it to) is possibly my favorite metaphor ever. What a team that would be! In retrospect, I should have named the book “Fast Pig.” People could pronounce that. Which, it’s Trits-o-FREE-nee-uh, like schizophrenia plus one.³ I seem to have a lifelong problem with pronouncability. Just so people know, my last name doesn’t rhyme with “shallot,” it rhymes with “a jet.” Which, going back to my personal best times, is probably not the best mnemonic device. Sure wish there was a breed of pig that rhymed …

And here’s a closing statement from Jef:

I wish I’d already committed to a 2010 race schedule so I could urge your readers to come out and say hi. I do know I’ll be at the Hawk Island Triathlon in Lansing, Mich., since I help organize that one. And I’m planning on doing Musselman again, and I’m about to sign up for the Rev3 full-distance race in Cedar Point, Ohio. It looks terrific. Then again, this could work out well – if the right race turns up at the right time, I’m a friendly guy with a book to push, and I’m open to invitation. Thanks, Steve – great questions. This was a blast.

__________________________

1. I know, I know. This was more than 5 questions. Leave me alone. I’m still on some sort of high from being stuffed with turkey, bacon, duck, ribs, pickle and ham and cream cheese rollups, and 3 different pumpkin-related desserts over the weekend. Cut me some slack.
2. These are footnotes. If you didn’t know, now you do.
3. THANK YOU! I really didn’t know how to pronounce “Trizophrenia” until you explained that.


Honestly, I REALLY enjoyed this book. I got through about 75% of the book on a 3 hour flight, so it’s a pretty quick, enjoyable read. You know how I know that I REALLY enjoyed it? I kept elbowing Pharmie to say “Hey, listen to what Jef says here!...” I was thoroughly amused! (And Pharmie was thoroughly annoyed with me.) It’d make a great gift for someone who’s CHEERED at a lot of triathlons, someone THINKING about getting into triathlons, someone TRAINING for their first triathlon, or someone who’s been COMPETING in triathlons for years. (Need a stocking stuffer?) It’s simply a fun book! Thanks for letting me interview you Jef, and thanks for giving away a few books to my readers!!


WIN A SIGNED COPY OF “TRIZOPHRENIA” FROM JEF:

It’s easy. Ready? Here it is. All you need to do is to comment on this post to be entered in this contest. But, if you want to “earn” more entries, you can follow Jef’s Twitter feed and/or become a member of the “Steve in a Speedo” fan page on Facebook. If you do 1 of those, you earn a second entry! If you do both of those, you earn a third entry!

So follow Jef’s Twitter feed and/or become a member of the “Steve in a Speedo” fan page on Facebook BEFORE commenting on this post, and then let me know what you did in your comment so I know to add your name 2 or 3 times. So, your comment might say “Hey Steve, this John Smith from Topeka. I joined your Facebook group (but I didn’t follow Jef’s twitter), so put my name in the hat twice! Thanks!”

Pseudo-legal stuff:
- Contest only open to US residents. Sucks to live in Quebec right now... UPDATE: The publisher just told me he can ship to Canada, Australia, and the UK (as well as the US). So if you live in any of those areas, you're eligible! I guess it DOESN'T suck to live in Quebec right now...
- You may comment now (on THIS post) through midnight Central time on Saturday, Dec 5th. The winner will be contacted on Monday of next week.
- The winner will be chosen at random by a random number generator. If you’ve earned multiple entries, you will get multiple numbers, thus bettering your chances at winning!
- Check back this Monday (Dec 7th) to see if you won! (Especially if you don’t have a blogger account because I have no way of contacting you.)

(p.s. You can learn more about Jef on his blog.)

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14 Days of Nothing: Day 4: $4 for FumbleROOski

On Saturday, it was time to celebrate the Stenzel Thanksgiving. That means duck wrapped in bacon for dinner. And turkey. And pickles with cream cheese wrapped in ham. And date cookies.

And “FumbleROOski!”

FumbleROOski is a made-up game that I play with my cousins at Grandpa and Grandma’s house. We drive their golf-cart in the empty lot next to their yard. We hop on and off the golf-cart while it’s moving. We throw balls at the person (or people) driving the golf cart trying to inflict bodily harm. And at random points during the fun, we shout “Fumble-ROO-ski!!” Damn it’s fun.

We were running low on balls, so I taught my cousins an important life-lesson: There’s NO such thing as "too many balls.” So we ran up to the Dollar Store, spent a few bucks, and bought a small football, a few small balls, a Spiderman ball, and noisemakers (to make things more interesting).

Michael, Kelsey (hiding), Brittany, and me.


Kelsey laying the smack down on Michael and Brittany.






Normal looking photo (until you see how high my leg is!...).




Brittany taking a head-shot.


Brittany’s no longer so sure about my no-such-thing-as-too-many-balls theory...


We had to quit after Kelsey broke most of Michael’s ribs....

Oh, and last night, in the name of my “14 Days of Nothing” and eating whatever I want, I brought 3 kinds of cheese to the couch with crackers, and just went nuts while watching Sunday evening cartoons on Fox...

p.s. Check back tomorrow - I think I'll be starting a giveaway! (Or Wednesday at the latest...)

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14 Days of Nothing: Day 3: Three More Meals

1. Saturday AM: “Tom and Jerry’s” at Grandpa and Grandma’s house. It’s like Eggnog, but SO MUCH better. It’s like sex in your mouth. But without the unpleasant KY aftertaste.

2. Saturday Noon: Thanksgiving meal at Grandpa and Grandma’s.

3. Saturday PM: Thanksgiving meal at Pharmie’s family’s house. (Steak and shrimp!!)

So I think all that eating counts as “rest.” Rest for everything but my fork arm...

Oh, and one last food-related thing: Chris at 10:10Wellness is revamping his site and his store. If you need some of his Monkey Shake (my “go to” recovery drink over the last 6 months), you can use the coupon code monkeysteve to get 20% off of any Monkey Shake order. Click here to learn more about the Monkey, and click here to order.

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14 Days of Nothing: Day 2: “New Flavor” Gu

Another great package came in the mail from my new BFF (a PR person that works with SUGOi and Gu).

In the package was a GoLite DriMove BL-3 Longsleeve Zip, which should be a good for some cold weather MN winter running! (Once my “14 Days of Nothing” is over...)

There were also a few Gu gels at the bottom: some Roctane, some Gingerbread Gu, and 2 that looked like this:

Now I’ve been known to take risks, but when the Gu is labeled “New Favor,” I THINK I need more information before trying that. ;) I e-mailed my BFF from the PR company, and she wrote back:

The "new flavor" is called Jet Blackberry. You might be, outside of the GU and the PR crew, the first to get your hands on it. Welcome to the family bud.

Sweet!! I’m honored!! Even though I’m taking 2 weeks off from any real physical activity, I HAD to try it right away. It was a little thicker than regular Gu, but it tasted like candy!! Really!! So I decided that it was the boost I needed to go do some core work.

Thanks for the goodies, BFF!! As Fergie says, they’re “T-t-t-tasty, tasty!”

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14 Days of Nothing: Day 1: One (Attempted) Good Deed

Yesterday (Thanksgiving), Pharmie had to work. So was planning on spending some time at my Grandma’s house in southern Minnesota.

Before heading south for the day, I got up early and headed to a nearby school. I thought I would help make Thanksgiving meals for “Meals-On-Wheels” for a couple hours. It turns out the meals were already boxed (and in MASSIVE rows at the edge of the parking lot) and they just needed people to deliver the meals. There were HUNDREDS of people waiting there to help:

The “line” didn’t start moving until about an hour before I had to leave, and I was pretty far back. There was nothing else that they needed help with, so I just had to leave without doing anything so I could get to my Grandma’s. I felt pretty bad that I couldn’t help. But I felt pretty good knowing that SO MANY people showed up to help on Thanksgiving morning. (Especially the St. Kate’s college girls next to me in line that kept talking about how they were still drunk. "...and look at how puffy my eyes are!..." They can been seen in the lower right corner of the photo.)

I sincerely hope EVERYONE had a great Thanksgiving! (Even if your Thanksgiving meal started off by being delivered by drunk college students!)

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14 Days of Nothing

Thursday (Thanksgiving) will be the official start of my “14 Days of Nothing.” It’s my 2 week off-season where I’ll rest sore muscles, nurse minor injuries, and basically do as little physical activity as possible.

My self-imposed rules:

• No strength training. I’ve had a sore spot behind my right shoulder blade that flares up a bit when I lift weights, so hopefully some rest will help.

• No swimming. Again, for the sore shoulder blade.

• No biking or spinning. Cuz it sucks. ;) And my lower back is still sore from spinning so hard at the indoor tri.

• No foam rolling. That could be just a little too much during “complete rest” for my legs. Editors note: I've changed this one. I'll foam roll a few times a week to help "work out the kinks." I don't think that's overkill, right?


OK, I can’t just do ABSOLUTELY nothing for 14 days, so here’s what I’m allowing myself:

• Some core work. Doing core exercises has never really “hurt” anything else, so I figure I’m pretty safe doing some balance ball sit-ups, planks, Andrea’s exercises on the Bosu, etc.

• Some gentle stretching. This will be 3 days a week at the maximum. And it won’t be that intense.

• Maybe some lunges, leg presses, body-weight squats, etc. Again, this won’t be too much, but I might feel the need to do something more around days 10-14. And definitely NO calf raises because of my sore heels.

• Get a massage. Oh, that'll be a tough one... ;)

• 1 easy 2-4 mile run. No watch. Just nice and easy.


How does that look? Is that “off” enough? Do I need to rest more? Or should I throw in another easy run (or swim)? I’m new to “time off.”

So this will all start tomorrow (on Thanksgiving). Technically, since the indoor tri on Sunday, I’ve only stretched and foam-rolled once, so it’ll practically be 17 days of nothing once it’s all said and done. Today, I’d like to stretch and do a good core workout before starting “nothing” tomorrow.

Then, once the 14 days are over, I’ll ease back into it over 10 days or so. Then it will be time to be ramping up my miles in training for the Winter Carnival Half Marathon in January!

I’ll report back everyday with what I’ve been up to while I HAVEN’T been training.

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