can I get a “Y…M…C...A…”

I’m going to make this quick because in fact I am leaving in a half hour to go to the Y, and I am still in my PJ’s… but…  I LOVE THE YMCA!  Seriously.  I’ve only been a member for a week and a day, but I am in love with this facility.  I joined the Haselwood YMCA in Silverdale (http://www.ymcapkc.org/page.php?id=948)  and it is freakin amazing.  For one it is brand spankin new, so all the machines are top of the line, new and amazing.  They all have screens that you can either see your progress or watch cable of course!  Not to mention, every machine has an Ipod hookup so if you had videos on there you could watch those too!  But beyond the fact that it is a beautiful facility, what makes my membership worth it is the pool and the classes!! 

I get off work at around 10 every morning, and head straight over to the Y.  (It’s basically across the street from Michaels, so very convenient).  Go in, get changed and head upstairs to check the class schedule.  The classes that work for me best because of when I get off work start at 10:45 or 11, so I check to see what time and decide which class (because usually there are a couple to choose from) and then I head either to the elliptical for a warm up, or back downstairs to pump some iron.  Then at 11 I go take a class.  So far I have taken “have a cardio ball”(twice), zumba, and kickboxing.  And today, even though I don’t work I am going to take zumba again.  And all of the instructors I have had so far are AWESOME!!  I’ve taken workout classes before, but none like these ladies teach!

Sidenote…. If you like good music, high energy, and even remotely like dance I highly recommend zumba if you ever get the chance!  The hour long class flies by because it is so much fun!  And don’t get me wrong it is way fun, but you will definitely be sweating like a pig and sore the next day, or at least I was! 

On Fridays I tend to get off work later so it is perfect for the adult lap swim hours.  Last Friday I went and spent about 45 minutes in the pool doing various strokes just to start logging some swim time!  I’m very excited for this to become a weekly habit!

Anyway, so far my membership has been completely worth it, and I am so excited to keep it up!  Off I go…

Sam

'Samantha Plans'

Not sure if I have talked about ‘Samantha Plans’ before, but my Mom deemed my plan making by that name years ago.  The thing about a ‘Samantha Plan’ is that they never quite end up the way they were planned in the beginning, or they just fail miserably and I end up creating a new one.  They are good because I am always looking to the future and trying to better myself.  They are bad because they never seem to be quite attainable, hence them failing over and over again.

In that respect, this Triathlon goal turned out to be a ‘Samantha Plan.’  Don’t get me wrong, I still want to do a triathlon, I really really do.  But realistically it just isn’t going to happen in the 5 weeks I have until the Danskin Tri I was aiming at.  Even though I was never going to race for time, I still wanted to be prepared and race to the best of my abilities.  The best of my abilities at the moment might be able to finish the race, but it would take hours and I fear injury from not cross training enough to this point.  So instead of spending the money on the race, I joined the new YMCA in Silverdale.  It not only has an awesome workout facility, but has a pool too!  That way it will be much easier to cross train.

I haven’t picked a date for my next triathlon goal, but the furthest it will be is next year’s Danskin in Seattle.  I think the main issue in this ‘Samantha Plan’ was not breaking the goals down far enough.  I got so caught up in running that I completely ignored swimming and biking, and I think it hurt my running as well.  I was getting burned out, and my cardio was not improving the way I wanted it too. 

I work 3-4 days in Silverdale every week, and with the RARE exception, I will be going to work out at the Y every day right after I get off work.  Because of when the lap swim hours are as well, at least one if not two of those days I will have a longer workout consisting of weight training and then swimming.  There are also some great looking classes that are included in the membership that I really want to take advantage of.

Some miniature goals for now are:

-          Just get healthy.  Workout in multiple areas to increase fun and fitness.

-          Take some time to break down smaller goals for triathlon and figure out a good timeline to be fully prepared next time around.

-          Going to Hawaii at the end of October to visit BIL/SIL and niece!  …Hawaii=bathing suit.  Deal with hubby is if I get fit and nice tummy like I want by then I get to buy a new swimsuit!!  YAY! 

I’ll let you know more about the Y after I workout there for the first time TOMORROW!!

Sam