Elephant in the Room

Hello world.  Crazy how time flies.  I did not realize it has been close to 2 years since my last post.  I never even wrote an Ironman Lake Placid race report.

In a nutshell, if you did not already know.  I did not make it out of the swim that July of 2015.  I was beat up pretty badly while trying to sight using the yellow rope underneath the water.  Here I was thinking that I would save so much time on the swim not having to sight by staying on the yellow rope.  Well dumb me did not even consider that this would also be the brilliant race plan of every fast swimmer out there.  I was punched so hard the wind was knocked out of me but I was able to keep going.  The second time I was hit, my back went into spasms.  I climbed out of that water and went straight to medical.

My heart was a broken hot mess.  I felt like I let everyone who supported my campaign down.  It was rough.  All the money I spent on this event.  All the time invested and I did not even make it out of the swim.

I was pretty deep into my self pity party until the volunteer that assisted me inside the medical tent suddenly stopped with helping me peel off my wet suit. She saw my MMRF team jersey and with tears in her eyes, she told me that her husband was fighting multiple myeloma. She then gave me a hug to thank me as I struggled to hold myself together.

So even though I was a DNF in Ironman Lake Placid 2015, this volunteer inadvertently reminded me that this was not about me. This journey was really for the patients and their loved ones.  My effort still went to help with those that are still fighting the battle. It was not at all a waste.

And hey, I was still alive, right?  I was not knocked out cold at the bottom of a lake.

I have been doing some soul searching since that day.  Took some time off from triathlon to re-prioritize.  The sport will still be there when I am ready to come back.  The triathlon world had consumed me.  I had a longing to take my world back. I had a spiritual hole that needed healing.

Now that I had all this extra time not dedicated to Ironman training, I could finally go on the Zen cruise with one of my oldest and dearest friends.  In only four days out at sea, I discovered the spiritual healing I was seeking. Since I have been back it has opened so many doors for me like Kundalini yoga and gong meditations.   When I returned to the mainland, all I wanted to do was find a community that would surround me with this beautiful energy daily.

So I took the plunge and signed up for Lifetime's 200-hour Life Power Yoga Teacher (RYT) program. I decided to keep up my running on the side, and my Wednesday night indoor cycle class while attending school three times a week.  I had an amazing 3 months with a wonderful group of ladies that I will never forget.  I did not only learn about the health and mind body benefits of yoga but I also found the love and support of my new yogi sisters.  Johnny Kest has put together an incredible yoga program that I am so honored to have studied.

I graduated in May 2016 but have not started teaching yoga yet.

Mainly because all my spare time has been devoted to attending as much Pilates sessions as my time allows.  I attended my first Pilates class while I was in yoga teacher school and immediately felt a connection. I love feeling so alive and connected again.  So I keep going back for more.

And because I cannot seem to get enough of it.  I made the decision in 2017 to go after my Pilates Certification. I started my training with Balanced Body and now I am working with a private training program at a local studio.  I have even put running on the back burner to focus on my training (but still teach my indoor cycle class at Embody, in case you were wondering).  It connects the mind and body like yoga but it also has the physical challenge I seek to push my body to the next level.  I am so grateful for my yoga training because it has given me a deeper understanding to the mind-body foundation while I focus on learning the Pilates mechanics.  My goal is to be fully certified by the summer.

By the way, I have several hours of Pilates student teaching to complete (for Mat and Reformer).  If you are interested (and you are local), please message me and I will add you to my list of guinea pigs...(ahem)...I mean volunteers.

So finally addressing the elephant in the room will blow the cobwebs off this blog (yeah, I am referring to my Ironman DNF).  Obviously this blog will be shifting to different interests.  Maybe triathlon will be back but for now I am content with this new lifestyle. Time to usher in stories about my new adventures.  Buckle your seatbelts...and enjoy the ride.

65 Days and 65 Years

65 days left 'til Ironman Lake Placid.

My dad would be 65 years old if he was alive today.

It has been 17 years since he has been gone but I still get those "punched in the gut" moments when I miss him and it is always at the most awkward times.

Like at the office.

We have 5 years left until our mortgage is paid off and now when I look at it, it is no different than the amount of a car loan.  So I have questions.  Oh, so many questions.

Like what if I wanted to shop for a new loan with a way cheaper mortgage rate?  Where do I start? What kind of loan is it?  Home Equity?  Personal loan?  Does it have to be refinance type deal?

My head goes on and on until I realize that what I really need to do is call my bank.  But I don't want to call a stranger at an institution because really, the bottom line is, I want to call my dad.

17 years later, and I still want to ask him money questions.

The amazing man with all the answers. He knew all the finance tricks and tips.  He knew loans. He was so frugal.  Who knew how to save for retirement.  And this would be the year he would finally get to retire.

65 years.

Yeah. Punched in the gut.

But you can't dwell on the sadness very long.  I am at work so I have to keep it together.  You just swallow that lump and keep going.  You research.  You remember all those smart friends in your life that you admire and respect on how they handle money and you reach out.

Back in September 2001, 6 days after September 11th, I was driving home from being stranded from the airport.  I rear ended someone making a left turn on a two-way country road.  I totaled my cute little 1994 Honda Civic royal blue hatchback.

So now it is time to go car shopping but this time there is no Dad by my side.

Sucker punch in the gut.

Again.  Swallow the lump.

I need to drive to pay those bills.

So I bought a book on how to buy a car.  I looked up the Blue Book values and researched all the add-ons.  Armed with all my information,  I went to three dealerships.  Told them point blank that I was buying from the dealer that gave me the best price.

And I did.

Bought a 2002 Honda CRV Ex in deep forest green.  I will never forget that moment I picked it up.

I did it and I am still driving it today.  My CRV is 13 years old this year.

On a lighter note, I had a good run tonight.

Whew.  Finally.

It has been so raining so much lately that our livable forest is as humid as a tropical rainforest.  Breathing in this soup is tough.  I had my dear Ironman Texas friend run with me tonight.  He entertained me with a full race report so the miles flew by.  I sure needed that boost since my confidence in my run has been down lately.

Gearing up for a 3-day weekend and then I am off to Miami.  Time is ticking by.

65 days to train and 65 days to raise enough funds to reach my fundraising goal.  If you are able to help fund the research to beat the cancer that took my dad's life, please donate HERE.

I have my moments in training and in fundraising that I don't know how it is all going to work out.  I start to get scared and doubt myself.  

But then I remember that I just have to swallow that lump and push forward.

Tri-Dork Bag Drawing

Who has two thumbs and has her hands on this beautiful TRI bag??

This chick.  Yeah, the patriotic one above.

SO, you now can either choose the JJ Watt signed "SWAT TEAM" football that I am giving away (yup, I still have that too). For every $10 donation, I will add your name to a hat and will draw one name to give this ball a proper home.

OR for every $5.00 donation, I will put your name in a hat for a brand new, never been used, Rudy Tri Bag in a protective plastic cover (which means it still has that enticing new bag smell).

Want more?  Check out the detailed review in the video below. 

You will be impressed.  It will knock your socks off.  Maybe wipe away some drool.  Well, okay, maybe if you are into this triathlon sport thing.

 I like how it is a sturdy duffle bag but it still converts into a back pack. For those times you need to ride your bike AND carry your bag.

And if you donate, you will support my effort to raise money for Multiple Myeloma research.  You just can't go wrong here.

If  YOU want to win either then please donate here.

If you already donated, I will be contacting you personally to see if you are interested in the drawing.

Drawing for both will be on July 27th, 2015. Yes, the day AFTER the Lake Placid Ironman.  

Even if you don't win, then you are still helping to contribute to the research of an ugly type of cancer called Multiple Myeloma.  You help the patients and their families win.  Every little bit helps.

Thank you kindly for your support.

Less than 11 weeks

I know, I have been quiet.

I have 72 day to go and I am trying my best to stay on target.

I have hit the half way point of my fundraising.

Training every day. My workouts are not pretty but I am getting them done.

I saw my friend Jessica last week who recently became a Metabolic Specialist.  She taught me about Metabolic Efficiency and how to eat to burn more fat.  I am gradually trying to adopt this way of eating.

Rest day today.

Please help me reach my goal.

Slip Sliding Away

Some weeks, I feel invincible.  Workouts are going great.  I feel on top of the world.

And then I hit this week, and it is all headwind.

Taxes were due today and I have been so distracted.

I have already missed a trainer workout and a swim workout this week because I have been so focused on taxes.

I have kept up with my daily runs but they feel slow and sluggish.

I have gotten up to my app Alarmy but then in 5 minutes, I go right back upstairs and back to bed.

What the heck is wrong with me?

I can not let this slip turn into a slide.

Tomorrow, I put on the brakes.

Coffee Pot Hero

So what is so special about this photo of my coffee pot?

Well, this photo of my coffee pot got me out of bed this morning.

Yes, finally.  And it was not by drinking the coffee.

I had a losing streak of not going swimming in the morning.  Today that streak was broken.

You see, I found this awesome little alarm app called Alarmy.  (I have a Samsung Galaxy S5.)

First, you take a photo of an object in your house.

I chose my handsome looking coffee machine (Keurig) in my downstairs kitchen.

When my alarm goes off, the way you turn it off is to go downstairs, down the hallway and in to the kitchen and take a good photo with all the lights on.

It must be the exact same photo...and in focus.

It sounds easy...but at 4:30am I tried to take a photo of the bunch of bananas instead.

But the point is, it gets you out of bed and you have to use enough brain power to use your camera phone. Eventually you get it right and it semi-wakes you up.

Then the trick is....you must not go back to bed.  (Like I did the first 3 times.  Ha!)

Complicated, I know.

My masters swim coach gave me a huge hug when he saw me.  That was worth all the effort in getting up at 4:30am this morning.  I also have more time with my Charlie and Gizzy after work (another huge added bonus).

The Self Torture In My Head

Today was a rough day at the office.

I trudged home through traffic.  Let the dog out.  Fed the dog.  And then layed down on the couch to cuddle with Gizzy and started surfing Facebook.

My eyes started to get droopy.  I look at the time.  It is 5:44PM.

I sure could use nice little cat nap.

20 minutes would hit the spot.  Only 20 minutes though.  I could start my workout at 7pm.

You know, I don't HAVE to do my training tonight.  I could use the rest day.  After all, I will be working hard on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

And here I am starting to negotiate.  Stop.

I jump off the couch and force myself up the stairs to change.

Then I start sorting my laundry. Putting clean clothes away.  Next I am sitting down at my vanity to clip my toenails.  Hmmm....now filing fingers.  I start dayreaming about getting a good manicure.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Call the dog to play with me upstairs.  Lay on the floor and stare into his loving eyes and gush on him.  If I go train, I would leave him home ALL alone.  So sad to be so alone.

Started thinking, hmmm....I could take the night off and get all my laundry done instead.  I can watch Gizzy sleep.

Again with the negotiating.

Enough.

I pack my gym bag for swim and lace up my Hokas.

In my CRV finally...and driving at 7:07PM.

Perfect time for me to get 45 minute run in before dark and in the pool before closing.

I need to do track workout first so I head to the Kingwood High School Track.  It is paved nicer than the Kingwood Middle School.  I need to do a 1 mile warm up.  Run hard 800meters.  Recovery for 200 meters.  Repeat 4 times.  1 mile cool down.

I am kinda pumped to do this workout.  I need to run hard.

I turn left to face the high school parking lot and sit at red light.  Uh oh. I see people in the bleachers.

Crap. Looks like there is a game going on.  Maybe a track meet?  Too many cars in the parking lot.

Abort mission.

Now it feels like years that I sitting at this red light into the high school parking lot.  I start debating if I could break the law and get away with it.  I feel trapped. I. CAN'T MOVE.

That's it.  It is a sign.  I should go home and take that rest day.  All my time is being wasted at this red light. I should just call it right now and go home.

But damn.  I drove all the way over here already and I am dressed to kill (well, for a workout that is).

Greenlight.  I take the next u-turn and head to the YMCA.

Fine.

I will run from the Y.  At this point it is now 7:31PM.  Do I have enough time to run and swim?  Maybe I should skip the run and just swim.  Maybe I should skip the swim and just run?

Maybe I should pee first?  But I will lose too much daylight if I run inside the Y. Aye. Just suck it up and hold it.

Oh crap.  Forgot my Garmin.  Can't run without that.  Return to my car. Dig in trunk.

As I stood at the entrance of the running trail while waiting for my GPS watch to pick up satellites,  I bet I came up with 5 more reasons to abort and go home .

Finally, I am running.

This is not so bad.  Feels pretty good actually.  Nice breeze.

Ok, so I will do my favorite 5K over Lake Houston and I will stride the straightaways over the bridge.

Wow, that went faster than I thought.  Satisfied with my time.  Best of the week.

Pool time and I actually have the pool to myself.  That never happens at the Y.  I put in a good 45 minute swim and then start packing up my bag.

I start to eavesdrop on the two high school life guards ladies talking above my lane.  I pretend to stretch a lot. Bouncing back and forth like Spiderman on the wall of the pool. They both say  "like" every third word. I started to find them very entertaining and soon I was counting all the likes in their conversation.

I, Can't. Stop. Listening.

I want to ask my mom if I talked like that.  I must have made everyone around me like crazy.

Showered.  Picked up my favorite sushi roll and drove home.

I think I put in more effort on how NOT do my planned workout than doing the actual workout.

Why do I do this???  It is pure crazy.

But I must say even after all that...I am so happy it is done!  So glad I did not listen to the other me.

'Til tomorrow!

Forced to Meal Plan

Fact:  I do not enjoy cooking.  Never been my passion.

AND when I am lazy, it is the last thing in the world I want to do.  I would rather take out garbage.

In fact, if I EVER win the lottery, the first thing I would do is hire a personal chef.

But...two people eating out every day is crazy expensive.

So I took a giant Post-it note pad and made a weekly plan.  I stuck it on the back of our front door.  Oh, how my husband loved that (yes, that was in sarcasm font).

Monday: Salmon Burgers (bought pre-made at HEB) and Quinoa bowl
Tuesday: ATE OUT
Wednesday: Tortilla soup with fresh avocado (another soup kit from HEB)
Thursday: Sausage Meat Sauce and Spaghetti
Friday: Split Pea Soup
Saturday: Pizza night
Sunday: Family night at my Mom's

Only slipped up once.  Tuesday night Charlie and I went out for Greek food.  Pizza night was planned but the Greek night was not (that was supposed to be leftover night).

But 4 for 7 is a huge step considering we were eating out 7 out of 7 days.  I am quite proud.

And yes, cooking still sucks, but it is feeling pretty good to resist the temptation of instant gratification.

And when I do that math, my lunches average about $10 a meal.  Dinner about $15.  That is only $25 a day.  But then there are two of us.  And Charlie has a man appetite but let's just say that it cost $50 a day. Multiply by 30.  Aye caramba!

It is ugly.  Really ugly.

I packed a lunch every day this week (go me!).  What I paid for sliced Boar's Head deli ham, Muenster cheese and bread was the cost of what I pay for ONE sandwich at Lenny's or Subway.  So far, I have eaten 3 sandwiches, and I am only halfway done with the meat and cheese.

I had all these crazy ideas on what I could do to lose weight. Eat Clean for 3 weeks.  Paleo for 2 weeks.  Master Cleanse again for 10 days.  When suddenly, the obvious slapped me in the face.  Maybe if you did not eat out. Every. Single. Day. You would lose weight.

So just to get back in the habit again, I created a weekly meal plan of foods I know I like.  Am I analyzing them for their calorie count?  No.  Are they Paleo?  No. Clean?  Not entirely  Vegan?  No.
Are they super fast to cook?  Yes, since I have the attention span of a gnat that is a huge requirement.

I figured, once I get the habit down, I will start to fine tune and choose healthier options,

I don't have to get it right, I just have to get it started.

Training this week.  I am on week 23 of Ironman Lake Placid Training.  Nothing too crazy yet.  But I missed more than 3 days of taking my Synthroid medication.  I packed it in my suitcase last week for Chicago and it lived there a little too long.  Sheez Louise, did the fatigue come back with a vengeance!  I have no idea how I even found the time to cook.  It was like squeezing out the last bit of toothpaste.

I am back on track again and back to the plan.  It is great to feel normal again.

5 Big Rocks for 2015

Happy New Year!

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind with my job and the holidays and as a result my blog updates have taken a back burner.

But now, I have 3 glorious days freed up and I am ready to get back at it.

Let me start off with my training.  

I thought it was not going well but in the past 3 days, at the Snowdrop 55 Ultra, I covered almost 50 miles in 3 days.  And to my surprise, I am walking quite well today.  I am even tempted to go running today because my legs feel so good.  I was not expecting that.  Score!

On the other hand, my swimming for December was 4 for 7.  Which means, THREE times I skipped. Nope, not proud of this fact.  If I want to get better, then I NEED to get my ass in the pool.

Enough said.

My running this month I thought was so going poorly since I had hurt my hip in Louisiana.  I tried to do the 30K a week after Baton Rouge and ended up walking most of it.  I took it easy the rest of the month.  I still ran, but was a little leery of anything long mileage.  

I played the conservative card at the Ultra 55.  I did not set out to conquer 100 miles.  I had the goal to do as many laps as my body allowed in 55 hours.  I thought if I ran 50, I would be really proud of that since I had never run that distance in 2.5 days before. I ended up pretty darn close at 48 miles.

I ran when I felt good, walked when I didn't, and slept hard when my body was ready.  I drove home every night, put my feet up in front of the fire and returned to the park recharged and ready to go.  I loved every minute of this event.  The human spirit there will blow you away.  I am honored to have the chance to know every runner and volunteer at Snowdrop to bring awareness for pediatric cancer.

And I digress...back to the December training recap.

Finally the bike.  On the bike,  I have no pain.  So I could keep biking and I was able to do that as planned.

Okay, so now with the training update out of the way, it is time for my nerdy side.

For the new year, I bought a giant poster size sticky pad.  I am going to put it up on my bedroom wall with my weekly plan.  This is going to be my attempt to balance my family life, training and fundraising.  I will take a photo of it when completed.

Somehow I need to figure out the diet thing. This always seems to be my weakest link.

Working out, no problem.  What to eat?  Ugh.

As far as New Year resolutions go, well honestly, I like to do them all year long every month.  I always have areas I want to improve and the beginning of each month is like a clean slate. And a year, well, that is another ginormous clean slate.  So here are my 5 big rocks. Really, it should only be 3, but since 2 of them will drop off after July, I will still have a big three.

2015 Goals

• Food Planning.  I really need to nail down the diet thing.  And not diet, by means of only eating rabbit food,  but by finding a routine to eat something on a regular basis and stop eating out so much.  Having a meal plan and following it.  I am still trying to figure out how to unlock that code.
• Purge the Excess.  2015 will be the Year of the Purge.  I have too much stuff and not enough space.  Time for it to go.
• Prioritize Commitments.  Focus on not putting so much on my plate.  I try to take too much on. If it does not fit in to Family time, Training or Fundraising outside of my day job then I need to reduce these from my schedule.
• Training for another Ironman.  Stronger and better then Tahoe training. Be more consistent.  
• Raise Money for Multiple Myeloma.  I need to raise 5 grand and that is scary as shit.  I need to put my creative skills to work and not be afraid of this goal and to look it in the face.

Unexplainable Happiness

Today was a day of contentment.

Usually I notice days of sadness without really understanding why but today my heart was full.

It is rare to have an entire day like this.

My birthday is in 2 more days.  Could this be it?

I love birthdays.

Unexplainable happiness.

All day long.

I did not make it to swim at 5am this morning but I did go after dinner.  Nice long swim alone.

And I did make my run yesterday.  Yes, hip still sore but I ran on a dirt track with friends and that seemed to have helped with the pain.  It faded away after a mile.

33 weeks until Ironman Lake Placid.

21 days until the 55 Hour Ultra.

Week 1: 2 hours swim/2 hours bike/3 hours run (7 HOURS TOTAL)

2014 Baton Rouge "Chicken" Marathon Report

So my quest to complete a marathon in my 8th state was a fail.  

Lousiana. Baton Rouge Beach Marathon (BRBM)

On the bright side, I did get a half marathon medal.  

Somewhere between mile 5-6 I tripped on a sidewalk drop off.  To keep myself from falling, I did some cool matrix type moves but in the process of looking so bad ass, I tweaked my hip. 

The rest of the loop was a combination of walking and running because my right hip area was on fire.  At the rate I was going, I knew I would not finish the second loop under the 6 hour cut off.  I cut my losses and stopped after the first loop. It was somewhere around 2:47.  RESULTS FOUND HERE.

Forty five minutes later the skies opened up and the rain poured down.  But at this point I was cozy and dry in the shuttle headed back to the hotel.  Part of me felt sad that I did not finish what I set out to conquer but at the same time, I was happy that I was not suffering out in the rain in pain.

Regardless of not getting my marathon medal, I absolutely loved this race.  

The race started off with a little Expo, where I met and chatted with a few race directors and race buddies.  I learned there was a speaker who was the first lady to run the Boston Marathon that I had not heard of before.  

I was intrigued.  

When we came down to get a good seat, I was excited to discover we were going to be served dinner.  Homemade Cajun food and drinks (and pizza).  Then Katherine Switzer got up to speak.  I was mesmerized.  She spoke with such energy and intensity.  I did not want her to stop telling her story.  

She gave us some special takeaways.  Here are the top 3 I remember.

1.   Show up.
2.   Influence a young person.  Encourage them to do anything.
3.   Life is for participating, not for spectating. 

All time was suspended.  Listening to her speak made me feel so lucky to be there. I wanted to soak up every word.

Next her husband introduced Spirit of the Marathon II.  Another round of goose bumps. Gave me a new perspective on why we run.  I highly recommend it.  (Word of warning, it will make you want to run Rome.)  

So even though my run was not one of the best, the race organization was top notch.  The food was incredible, the event was so well organized, the course was beautiful, and I was able to enjoy it with two beautiful friends.  

Oh, and I did make it to swim last week.  I was so proud.  This week, I will do the same schedule, but this time, I need to keep up with my running.  After all, Ms. Switzer says running changes the world for the better. (I could just do without the clumsiness.)

Winning...3 day Streak

Whoop.  I have 3 day workout streak.  Spin. Swim. Spin.

Look at me now.

Well...let's just wait to see if I make it swim tomorrow morning before celebrating.

I still have not gotten my runs in this week and I am supposed to run a marathon on Saturday.

Yeah, so this one may hurt, but at least I will get another state medal. I am slowly working my way up to the 50 States Marathon Club.

1. California ('11) -Big Sur
2. Pennsylvania ('11) -Philly
3.Texas ('12) - Houston
4. Florida ('13)- Disney Goofy Challenge
5. New Jersey ('13) -Asbury Park
6. Virginia ('13) -Marine Corp
7. Arizona ('14)- Lost Dutchman

Louisiana will be number #8.  Baton Rouge Beach Marathon

I signed up because there is a cute little chicken that is on the shirt and medal.

Need I say more??

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

New beginnings.  This time I want to document the process from the first step.  Something I wish I did my first time around.

My training for Lake Placid 2015 started last night by attending an Indoor Cycle class.  Already I came home from work and felt lazy.  My morning running partner is out-of-town and so I already missed my Monday 5am run.  I had urges to skip the evening cycle workout as well and "start fresh tomorrow".

No.  Not this time.  I need to make changes if I want a different outcome.

Besides, what would I really end up doing if I skipped?  Sit on my ass and play on the computer.

Yeah, that is what I thought.

And it was such a great class.  I finally got an email from the coach last night and the plan for December and January is to start building a base. One hour of indoor cycle is equal to two hours outdoors if done correctly.  The instructor I go to at the YMCA gave us an intense 65 minute workout.  It was just what I needed.  I forgot how much I enjoyed his class.

My next workout was getting back in to the pool.  I made a deal with my friend Leslie that if I skipped for any reason, then I would pay her $20.  The only valid excuses was a doctors note, family emergency or pool was closed.

After 4 hours of sleep and feeling like hell.  I woke up and felt sniffly and throat scratchy.

Hmmm....I think I am getting sick.

Sick enough to go to the doctor and get a note?

No.

Damn.

Maybe someone pooped in the pool last night and the pool is closed?

Ew, why must you have that thought?  Just disturbing.

Maybe I will just pay up?

But then that would make it $65 for the month to swim in December.

Ugh.  No and no.

I dragged my butt to the pool and got her done. Day 2 goes down in the books.

Now must rinse, wash, and repeat on Thursday.

IMLP 2015 Support Page

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?

Day 1 of P90X3: It Begins

P90X3.  It begins.

Charlie and I started it earlier than January 6th since he is out of school.  We figured we might as well get the stiffness out of the way while he was still on vacation.

We get into our workout gear.  We take the obligatory photos.  You are not supposed to suck it in. I cheated and sucked in.  But it was all in vain.  The photos were still scary.

We move out one of our TVs to the garage and I spend 30 minutes on technical difficulties getting the DVD hooked up.

So much for starting at 8:15pm.

Finally, 2 TVs, 4 different connector cords and a mini- DVD player later....8:45PM start.

Bellies jiggling.  Pause button.  Gasping for air.  Falling over.  Pause button.  Groans.  Cries.  3 inch pull up (that was Jenny).  Drunks trying to keep our balance.  Light headedness (that is word, right?). Hot messes.

Longest 30 minutes EVER.

I am sure we were entertaining.  Thank the heavens it was only the two of us in the privacy of our garage. It definitely has to get better than this because it certainly can not get any worse.  Or so we hope.

Bottom line. It was not glamorous and it was tough but we did it.

30 minutes may have turned into 90 minutes with all our technical difficulties, pausing the DVD for air, and re-doing a couple of workouts.  We were supposed to keep a log of our weights but the printer malfunctioned.  We could have thrown up our hands at all the obstacles and just say it was not meant to be.

BUT...we preserved and got 'er done.

And for that I am proud. It may not have been pretty but we took a step forward.

Total Synergistics complete.  1 day down...89 more days to go.

P90X3: Boom Goes the Dynamite!

It finally arrived today.  And I bought it.  I plan to start on Monday, January 6th.  It will be discounted for the entire month of December. So if you are interested in joining me in my challenge, you have some time to get it here: CLICK ON ME FOR P90X3 DETAILS

Why do I want to try this?

1.) It is 30 minutes a day.  We own P90X, and I have watched my hubby do it and it looked so intense.  I am intimidated to start off with 45-60 minute workouts at that intensity.  30 minutes is more my speed.  I am not a big fan of strength training.  I just want to do enough to get results.  I need to max out my results in the least amount of time. And on the bright side, it is not a graduate program.  Which is good because even though we own P90X and P90X2, I can start with this one.

2.)  I must redeem myself.  I went to a live workshop with Tony Horton to try P90X3.  The workout sadly kicked my butt. This dude knows his stuff.  I was so impressed with his knowledge.  So even though he is silly with a crazy sense of humor, he means business.   I have some serious work to do.

3.) I need serious body sculpting.  Hell, I will be tickled pink to do a pull up.

Yes, one pull up.

I need upper body strength. Plus, I dont want to stop my running, swimming and biking.  I need something where I can do two disciplines in one day because I am not giving up my first loves.  Just not going to happen.

If you get these DVDs let me know.  You will get a calendar and a nutrition plan.  Some box sets come with bonus DVDs and fun extras.  Everyone that buys a DVD set in December will get a cap.

I am going to form a group so we can hold each other accountable. Plus, we will all be pioneers together.  I have never tried P90X before and I want to test it out and see if it lives up to all the hype.  We will have before and after photos.  We will be the proof to see if it really works. We will blazen the path and lead the others to glory.

Ok, so now I am getting carried away.

You get the idea.

Here is the link again:  BUY P90X3 HERE

Cold November Rain

Funny, how life can feel so crazy  that I think all I need is a full day to get caught up on life. When that day finally comes where there is nothing on the calendar, all I want to do is sit and watch the rain fall.  I have no motivation or desire to complete the tasks I need to move forward.  Why is this?

But when it gets busy again, which it will get over the holidays, I will long for another day like this.

Post Ironman reflection.  2013 was not my year for another 140.6 mile Ironman medal.

Will I try again?

Yes, but I need to take at least a year off.

2014 will only have a couple of 70.3 races in it.

So I have been doing some reflecting of where I am at and where I want to be. I have been attending quite a bit of seminars and submersing my mind in new knowledge.  I have been searching for a new direction and programming my brain with fresh thoughts and ideas.

So of course, being the visual person that I am, I found an illustration to sum up exactly where I am at on a figurative map. Here is the cycle of life, courtesy of what I have learned from Dani Johnson.

First, I had to let my previous crop die.  This precious harvest was my goal of completing an Ironman.  I accomplished what I set out for in 2012 but I did not want that glory to end in 2013.  I tried to make the crop live forever and by doing so I have felt empty and lost.  The drive that once was pushing me was gone and I was trying to force life into something that was already dead.  It took me almost the entire year to realize what I was doing.

I have finally accepted that my crop is dead.

I am now focused on selecting some new crops.  I am looking to plant 3 of them, as a matter of fact, and I am at the point of preparing the earth for planting.

I am going to focus my crops on three main areas.  Business. Wealth. Health.

Business.  I am ready to be my own boss.  Set my own hours and work from home.  I do not want to depend on a corporation to put a cap on my salary. To do this, I need to focus my time on education on some business skills.  I am giving this crop 7 years to be ready for harvest in other words, this is my longest term goal that will take the most time.

Wealth.  I no longer want to be slave to Mastercard and Visa.  I will learn how to manage what I have now So I may be entrusted with more. The crop will be ready for harvest in 2 years.

Health.  So yes, I have learned to swim and conquered 2.4 miles.  I did this 2 more times in each of the Ironmans I did not cross the finish line.  I am officially out of my comfort zone with swimming.  So what is the next thing I dislike doing?

Weight and/or Strength Training.  

I also dislike cooking.  One huge thing I learned in Ironman training is that you can workout out several hours a week....but weight does not fall off (as a woman at least) unless the diet changes too.  So the question is, can I be in the same shape I was while training for an Ironman but with less time I invested doing cardio?   Well, I will not know for sure unless I try and focus on my diet and building muscle.

I am going to be experimenting with several workout DVDs until I find something that calls to me and I want to get certified in.  It seems crazy right now to become a P90X instructor but not impossible.

My health goal will be set in shorter increments.  Every quarter I want a harvest and be prepared to plant again.  Each  quarter, I reevaluate where I am at and then up it another level.  The body must be at its optimum level in order for the other 2 harvests (goals) to come to fruition.

Lake Tahoe Ironman Race Report

September 22, 2013

Since I achieved the dreaded status of DNF (Did Not Finish) of Ironman Lake Tahoe, I have not exactly been in a rush to put my experience in to words.  It has been a roller coaster of emotions since I have been back, and my saving grace has been to act like a corn ball to make other people smile.  Hearing the laughter and seeing the smiles on others helps me to stop focusing on little things like not finishing Ironman races.

The reason I signed up for this race was to see as much of the beauty of Lake Tahoe up close and personal.  I wanted to swim in water that was crystal clear and actually see the bottom.  I wanted to ride my bike surrounded by the smell of the tall pines and run to the sound of a water rushing around the rocks.  When we arrived, I was so overtaken by the beauty that the actual challenge of the course seemed irrelevant.  Somehow I was going to find a way to make it to the end.

Boy, did I ever underestimate that challenge.

I thought I was as prepared as I could be.  I ran through my list over and over.  I bought booties for the swim for standing in the cold sand.  I bought arm warmers for my sleeveless wet suit so I could have full mobility of my arms.  I borrowed wheels so I could shave a few minutes off my bike to make the cut offs.  I borrowed a climbing cassette to tackle those hills.  I had my running clothing strategy planned out complete with my little headlight for when the sun went down.  We drove the course and I attended a race strategy lecture so I could mentally prepare for any surprises on the course.  I listened to my mental training MP3s over and over so I could focus on how to overcome my nerves.  I laid everything out 2 days prior so I would not forget a single thing.

In Ironman Village

I was set.

My race plan.  I had it in my head, that if I could only get through the swim (I put the least amount of training hours in the swim), I could definitely tackle that bike and make it to the run. 

I HAD to at least get to the run because....

A.) I enjoy running in the cold and…

B.) The run course was supposed to be breathtakingly beautiful. 

I wanted to make it to that run. 

Snowing. Yup it rained and snowed the day before.  We were soggy for bike and gear drop off.  

The unofficial Ironman underwear run was in 40 degree pouring rain.  Those poor brave souls.  The only line in the sand that I had drawn was I was not going to ride if the roads were iced.  We were reassured that the race organizers were never going to let it get to a level where it was unsafe.

 

Yet, I was still uneasy.

My cutie friend Jessica and I are ready to ROLL

Race morning was 27 degrees.  It helped my nerves to focus on my transition and set up.  Luckily, they had an expo center open so we could keep warm.   

For the first time in my three Ironman races, I was not alone at the start. 

This time, my Charlie was able to be with me.  It felt amazing to have him by my side and it was an added bonus to have him help me smoosh my butt into my wet suit.

This was also my first time to be in a rolling start.  This means instead of a mass exodus of us all starting the swim at the same time, we got to seed ourselves in a corral according to pace.  I met a couple of people from Houston in my wave as well as a lone first timer.  We danced in place in the sand to keep warm to the beat of the music by the DJ.

Finally the gun went off and I was looking forward to how the lake was going to “feel like a hot tub” compared to the outside air. 

They lied about the hot tub.  It was COLD.  It took me a long while to get my breathing normal.  I had to flip on my back several times.  My favorite moment (once I could get my rhythm) was to turn my head to the side to breathe and see the snow-capped mountains turned pink with the sunrise.  It more beautiful than my dreams.

Unfortunately, the moment was short lived.  I was cold and uncomfortable and wanted to join the others around me who were grabbing on to jet skis and getting pulled to shore.  But I wanted to get to that run.  I kept swimming and somehow I made the swim cut off again with 45 seconds to spare.

I was so light-headed and numb when I climbed out of the water and into transition.  All I could do was just focus on each step to the changing tent.

I had made it.  And now I was ready for the bike.  The transition volunteers were nothing short of amazing and I was on my way with enough time to pee.  I am on the bike course and I am on cloud nine.

Until, I hit the first famous hill.  Dollar Hill.  It is a 7 percent incline.  Not the worst hill on the course, but it certainly was not "easy" by any means.

No problem, right?  I love to climb hills.  That is, until I need air.  

Yeah, I SUCKED air.  I pulled over to catch my breath.  I recovered quickly and tried again.  I did not make it very far.

The locals that I passed earlier leisurely toting around town were now passing me up the hill like it was a cake walk. 

“Where ya from?” one shouts at me as they pass.  

“Houston” I reply.

“Ah…enough said” the man retorts back.

I am now stopped for a third time gasping for breath.  This time, when I tried to get back on.  I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to balance.  I sat there and waited awhile for the dizziness to go away, and it was at that point I started to doubt I had what it would take to finish just one loop of that bike course. 

My view of Dollar Hill if I would have looked behind me

I had to do that Dollar Hill 3 times to finish the bike.  And I had a hill in front of me called Brockway Summit, which was a 3 mile climb (equivalent to 30 minutes  if I was lucky) to the highest point of the course 7200 feet or something like that.  I was so screwed.  I began to walk my bike and started to feel so defeated.

Of course, there is a camera man at the top of Dollar Hill while I am walking my bike, of course.

With head down and my tail tucked between my legs, I pedaled to Squaw Valley.  It had an aid station and it was also where the final loop turns off to the finish line.  When I tried to talk to the Ironman official.  I could not put sentences together.  My brain was working…but why weren’t the words coming out of my mouth in the way I wanted?  I turned in my chip and climbed inside a van to thaw out.  It was only then when I realized how numb I was.

That is when the tears came. It just hit me that I had lost the battle with Mother Nature.

In the van, a man saw me crying and asked me to roll down my window. He shared with me that he was one of the ones pulled out in the swim.  He told me there was a lesson in this experience and soon I will see it.  I was surrounded by beautiful people with the kindest words to lift my spirits.  

I felt heartbroken but somehow I knew I made the right decision.  Since I am well aware of effects of the lack of oxygen (flight attendants are thoroughly trained on how to identify oxygen deprivation during a decompression), I knew that what I was feeling was only going to get worse.  I spent the rest of that afternoon and evening feeling like I had a horrible hangover.  In retrospect, I wish I asked for oxygen.  It probably would have helped me feel better later.

And there it is. My race in a nutshell.  Really a nutshell.  It reminds me of a quote that used to hang on my friend Danielle’s wall as a kid by T.S. Eliot.

“This is the way the world ends…Not with a bang but a whimper.” 

My Lake Tahoe Ironman was pretty anti-climactic.  It is not at all how I pictured.  Of course, I played Monday morning quarterback and questioned my decision to pull out when I did but the bottom line is...  

I did not train once in altitude over 6000 feet….not on one hill (and what we call hills in Houston does not even come close).  I was not prepared physically to whoop those hills.  I took a full swing at that hill and that hill swung back so hard that it knocked me off my feet like I was a rag doll.

Ouch. Game over. Do not pass "Go" and do not collect $200.

I underestimated the power of Lake Tahoe’s beauty and it definitely put my ego in check.

Squaw Valley, also known as the finish line

But again, in the words that T.S Eliot also wrote:

“If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?”

Houston, I think I found my lesson.  Over.

Charlie and I in Squaw Valley before the snow

MIA

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