Doin' a Duathlon Race

I am excited about my new challenge!
I will be participating in a Duathlon race this spring!!

I have begun training for my first ever Duathlon race, to take place in May of 2011. This Duathlon consists of a 2.5 km run, a 20 km bike and a 5 km run.

With only 16 weeks training time til the race, every day counts!

Biking has always been my strong suit, so I am less concerned about that. My main concern is the run portion of the race which, you will notice above, happens at both the beginning and again at the end. My main concern with this portion of the race is that I have asthma and running has always been a trigger for my condition.

To train myself to run, I have begun a walk/run interval program on the treadmill.
I am starting out as follows:

Warm up at an easy walk for 5 minutes.
Run 1 minute                  
Walk 2 minutes to recover
The walk/run above constitutes 1 interval and is repeated 8 times.
Cool down at an easy walk for 5 minutes

Total Work out is 34 minutes.

Next week, Monday Jan. 31, I will be moving up to a 1.5 minute run and 2 minute recover time. It will take about 6 weeks before I am doing anything that really resembles running!!!

So welcome to the beginning of my race training!
I look forward to getting my road bike into the house and set up on the trainer so I can begin bike training!

Watch for up coming pictures and updates to my training regiment!!!

Thank you for reading, and, until next time, KEEP IT "NATURAL"

Starting 2011 a Little Late!!

Well, better late then never they say!

Sorry it has been so long since last I updated you on things in my world. I am afraid the last 6 weeks have been very hectic, what with craft shows, Christmas, travel, New Years, Flu season, my "day" job.... You get the idea.

So now I am making the effort to get back on track with things. Today is just a quick update of where I am and where I am headed in 2011!

So here is a recap of 2010 projects:

Kitchen Renovations - stalled out after the very successful, and good looking, custom built pantry. It was painted and put in to use immediately and I have been enjoying all that space for several weeks! I will be updating pictures again soon!

90 Day Challenge - I am afraid I fell off the wagon on this one BIG TIME! I did manage to lose 10 LBs and so start the New Year somewhat lighter, but still a long ways from my goal! Christmas didn't help matters either! 

My Shop on Etsy - Christmas was a very successful time for the  Ritzy's All Naturals Etsy shop. I was kept very busy and was able to send items all over the world! It is always a thrill to know that my handmade items are being used by people in the UK, Australia, The USA, Canada and elsewhere around the globe! A special thanks to all of you who sent me such great emails/convos about how my items are helping you in your everyday life! They are so wonderful and encouraging to read!

So where am I headed in 2011?

I am still defining goals and setting things in motion, but there are so many things in the works to share.

First, I will be introducing new products to my Etsy shop over the next 6 weeks. I am still in the testing faze on some items, so watch for new items and new ideas to emerge through out January and February.

Fairs and Shows - I will be setting up my summer shows and fairs over the next 10 weeks and will update you with my schedule soon!

Projects - the on going renovations.... watch for the installation of a new counter, backsplash tile and flooring in my kitchen! My husband will also be building me benches for the eating area, and I will be learning how to upholster them!! I look forward to adding that to my knowledge base and to the blog!

90 Day Challenge - I have not given up yet!! I will start this anew very soon. I look forward to sharing new recipes and strategies for healthy living with you!

Du-Athlon - I am starting to train for a Du-Athlon! The race will take place in May and consists of a run, bike, run progression. I am planning to complete a 2.5 km run, followed by a 20 km bike ride, followed by a 5 km run. My goal is to complete the race in 1 hour. I will be letting you know how I am training to meet the challenges of this race and how I feel along the way!!

I hope your 2011 is off to a great start and I look forward to traveling with you through the coming months.

Take care and...keep it "Natural"!