Say Something

"Say something. I'm giving up on you." 

Ah, if blogs could talk, that is what mine would say.

My life has been so full of change that I do not even know where to begin.

I have taken the year off from Ironman.  By doing so, my perspective on life has been a kaleidoscope of colors.

What do I do next?  What do I focus on?  What is my weakness?  What do I work on?  

Don't you just love life?  The world is our playground.  I used to name my blog "My Sandbox"  because that has always been my philosophy of life.  We are here to create. To play nice with others.  To take full advantage of the toys (a.k.a. our blessings) that we are given. We get this one life in this exact body.  I do not want to look back when I am on my deathbed and wish that fear did not hold me back from my fullest potential.

Taking a break from the Ironman journey gives me some extra time to explore other avenues. 

Spinning class is what started my triathlon journey, so I was feeling the calling to give back.  Maybe my class will influence the journey of at least one person like it did mine. 

In my very first Spinning class ever, I wanted to jump off the seat, run out of the room and never go back.  But instead I stayed and then my crazy self came back for more.  Maybe it was the music that had a magnetic pull?  Or the amazing toning it did for my legs?  Or maybe it was because it was a challenge to push myself to another level and I wanted to get better at it.  I also noticed my running improved.  And I had less injury.

Never in my life did I think I would teach it.

In February, I signed up for an instructor class with Mad Dawg in Austin, TX (the closest location for me at the time).  Thanks to the help of some dear friends, I started subbing and now I have my own class.  I have been leading class now for almost 2 months and the butterflies are finally gone before every class.  So what did I do next? 

I signed up for another certification: PiYo.

Now why PiYo?

Well, first I have a confession to make.  I have another big hairy goal.  An audacious goal as in "crazy off the charts how in the world will I make this happen and is really she all kind of serious" goal. 

 Well, at least to me it is. 

I want to compete in a NPC competition in bikini.  Just Google the words of "NPC bikini" and you will see images of the direction I am headed.

Now keep in mind, Ironman was one of those goals to me because I could not swim a single stroke of freestyle. All I had was a $99 Walmart hybrid bike (you know the  type with the big fat tires).  I had not even run a marathon before. The thought of swimming scared the living bajeepers out of me.  So where did I start?  With Basic Swimming 101 lessons at the YMCA. 

I know it seems insane now, but there is something about these crazy goals that light my fire to learn the skills needed to pull them off.

So for the past month (starting on week 4 tomorrow, yes, a new record for me), I have been hitting the free weights. A shocker for me since I have always avoided weight training.  Just was not a fan. Endurance sports have always been my favorite fitness activity.

Bottom line: I am starting from ground zero in this sport.

So I started with a book recommended by my sweet friend Lillian.  It is called Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto.  I have also been working with a personal trainer at the Y to help me get my nutrition habits down. I have been reading and studying everything I can about the subject. 

Now dropping body fat has been a huge challenge. Apparently there is a learning curve to the body and it is not happening as fast I thought it would. So my original target date of November 8th competition may have to change due to my body not responding as quickly as I hoped.  I will know for sure by June 30th where I stand.  I am going to keep focusing on meal planning and lifting weights until I get the right habits down.  If it takes me a year, that is okay.  I want to be ready.

I want the experience of giving this my best.

So back to the PiYo certification.  I have been so sore with this new weight training routine that it feels so darn good to stretch.  I need to add a good stretching class that will strengthen my core to my regimen.What perfect timing that Chalene Johnson is going to release a home edition of PiYo on June 23rd.  I took this class a couple of years ago on the rooftop of a YMCA in Seattle.  I came home looking all over town for this class and eventually gave up looking.  Now it is coming to my home.  And if I can teach it, I will be motivated to work as hard on it as I do with Spinning class.  It will force me to have accountability too (my P90X3 journey fell flat after 4 days...(ahem)).  Now I just need to practice my choreography and set a target date to teach.

So in a nutshell, that is what I have been up to.  I plan to share the ups and downs of my journey, just in case, 2 years from now, someone is in my shoes wondering if they can do this, too.  I have my before photos ready to post on the day I succeed.  I am going to prove that with the proper discipline that this goal is definitely possible.

Most importantly I want to one day be able to answer the same questions I have had, most especially the one I when the idea was first born...

Where do I even start?