Be F.I.T.

What a week!

2012-01-16T20:09:00.002-06:00

What a whirlwind January is turning out to be! In one sense I love it and in another I would like to hit pause to catch my breath. I'm really having to sit down and prioritize things now. I'm always very flattered when people ask me to help them. I've often told myself that when I stop feeling that way, I need to find another line of work. I hope I don't ever need to do that. I doubt I ever will.

I've also had some sort of breakthrough in my own training. I think I've finally made it over the well known 'holiday hump'. I'm feeling good and like I have more energy. Things are coming together and fitting properly. I know the bad workouts really are more of a lesson, but the good ones sure do feel great! This weekend was particularly good. I intended to do a seven to eight mile trail run on Saturday morning and it turned into an almost 11 miler. Sunday morning had another great eight miler around Two Rivers Park. I feel great today and not like I ran 19 miles in the last two days. I feel like I'm coming out of a fog. Those of you who have ever spent a year with just dealing with injury and no energy know exactly what I'm talking about.

Needless to say, 2012 is going to be the year of coming out of the darkness. I'm working on speed and just having fun this year. Who knows what events I might do! Maybe even some strictly swimming events... Nah! That's just crazy talk!

And we're off...

2012-01-09T20:43:00.003-06:00

Okay, so the year has gotten off to a pretty good start and I'm getting into a more manageable groove. Things are starting to fall into place, which feels good after the holidays. Not that they were bad, just...just...well, you know...THE HOLIDAYS!

We're wiping the slate clean though and we all get another chance to be better (or what we think would be better) people. I'm here to tell you that I, for one, am definitely out for self improvement. I've been reading about all kinds of things that will help me create a better me. The Bionic woman comes to mind. The amount of information out there is quite overwhelming. When all that information gets crammed into my 'inbox' I'm likely to just either go take a nap to not think about having to read it all (you know there could be some life changing information in there) or just do a mass delete. It definitely has a cycle. It goes something like this: 30 days of napping. One day of a good cry from letting it get so bad, some foul language then followed by mass delete. Repeat.

Actually the number of consecutive days of napping can be anywhere from 30 to 90 days. Who has time for all of this...and spend time with family and friends...and play with pets...and train...and etc... I certainly don't. I kind of like it, though. It makes me feel important and productive. Maybe one day life will slow down enough for me to quit chasing my tail....... Hopefully not anytime soon though. I have a pretty cute tail!

The party's almost over...

2011-12-30T21:06:00.004-06:00

It's that time again. 2011 is coming to a close and I don't mind that at all! We've accomplished a lot, but it was not without struggle. No, no. I'll try to stay positive here. Learning opportunities. Lots of learning opportunities and knowledge was gained from those opportunities. Some of that knowledge still hangs in the air with it's purpose yet to be revealed. That will come in time. Patience has been in short supply and every once in awhile a cry of despair from losing patience. Sometimes it was more like a primal scream!

My business opened in July of this year and it is thriving! There are so many positives to owning a business, but you have to be very careful not to let IT own YOU. Sometimes it's so hard to say no. I have learned my limitations the hard way. In fact, I'm still learning. It's usually not until I wake up on a Monday morning and see that I have 8 or 9 clients every day that week with a couple of days that I'm working until 7:00 pm. I usually smack myself in the forehead and promise to not do that again. At least for a month. Then I have to run my cycle. Know thyself and be okay with who and where you are. All we can do is our best and move on.

I try to plan out the next year, but I can't see past the present moment anymore. Someone asked me, "So what do you see for Forever In Training in 2012?". I didn't really know how to answer. I haven't really thought about it. Oh, I have some things that I would like to accomplish. Just trying to figure out the path to take to get there is the hard part and I can't separate the two. I feel paralyzed by those kinds of questions. Almost like a fear comes over me and I ask myself, "What if I never get this figured out? Will I look like a fake? Am I a fake?". I sure hope not. You just have to never be afraid to say the phrase, "I don't know". We are human and there is no possible way of knowing all there is to know about what you do in your life. I guess if I got it figured out I would get bored and go learn something else.

So here I am, unprepared for 2012 and it's okay. I'm just going to try and enjoy my life a little more in the upcoming year and be a kinder more giving person. I hear that heals a wounded heart. I think we could all use a little healing...

Forty and Fabulous!

2011-11-03T20:10:00.002-05:00

I turned 40 recently and I am having the absolute best time. No really, I mean it. All these women that I know who are either going through or have gone through the forth decade of their lives have told me it is or was the best time in their lives. You are at the point where you know who you are, what you want and where you're going and you don't give a shit if anyone likes it or not. I've just begun this incredible journey and it has been pretty amazing so far. I've gotten over trying to be something that feels unnatural to me. If it doesn't feel right or good, I'm not doing it. So I've decided not to pay my taxes anymore! Just kidding. Seriously, I feel a strength and a self assuredness I've never known before. I also don't feel it necessary to be a sounding board for people with negative energy anymore. In the past I felt like they needed me. I was doing my part for the greater good. All they were doing was sucking my energy and leaving me depleted. No more!!! This doesn't mean that I'm not going to be a good listener and give people a safe place to vent. We all need that. I'm just not going to give up my precious energy anymore. They can't have it, dammit!!! I'm trying to be more aware and open to what the universe sends my way. I'm paying more attention when someone comes to mind. I call, text or email them. I figure that they popped in there for some reason; even if it's just to say, "Yo...'sup?". It's nice when someone just calls you out of the blue or sends you a note to say they were thinking of you. I called my sister on the way home from dinner last night just to tell her I miss her. Very out of character for me. I'm trying to also rekindle my sense of humor and laugh more. I sort of lost my sense of humor somewhere along the way this year. Too much working and training, not enough life. I was trying to hard to be an interesting person. Now I just want to be grounded and real. Just me, only better. When it's my time to 'renew' (a reference from Logan's Run) I want only to leave my echo of laughter behind and for people to say, "I'm really going to miss her" and smile when they think of me. No, I don't plan on dying anytime soon, but I'm going to get a headstart on enjoying life a lot more and leaving my positive footprint on this Earth.

Everybody needs a little time away...

2011-11-01T17:02:00.003-05:00

I heard her say...from somebuuuuuhdaaaaay. That sappy Chicago song is so very true. Everyone needs a break...from...well...whatever. It's easy to get burned out, even on the things you love. My clients need an occasional break from me and my workouts. Even if they don't know it. Even though I encourage them to just take a little time away, most of the time they get forced into a break. They have to go out of town for work or they must clean out a relative's house. No matter how it happens or what they are faced with doing on that "sabbatical" they come back to me in a different state. It's good to see them with a smile on their faces and ready to get back to it.

I need my breaks too. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do for a living! Absolutely adore all of it! I mean how much better can life get when people pay you for what you are so very passionate about? I genuinely care about the welfare of my clients. Dare I say that most of us are what you might call friends? It's a beautiful thing and a lot of good things happen with the work we do together. I put a lot of thought into each and every person's program or massage. That's exactly why I feel like I need to just step away and breathe in my own needs. We must take care of ourselves. Our culture is really screwed up in the fact that we view 'self care' as 'self-ish'. WTH? How is taking care of ourselves being selfish? In most cases my clients understand. Although, sometimes I get the evil eye and that's okay. I've gotten much better about not starting such an announcement with, "I'm sorry, but...". Feeling the need to apologize for everything is fading off in the distance. In fact, a client/friend of mine sent an email to me of a saying. It was:

Apologizing

Does not always

mean that you're

wrong and the other

person is right.

It just means that you

value your relationship more

than your ego

I now use it most of the time to soften a "NO" answer. It seems so harsh to look at someone and just say "NO". I am a work in progress, though. Most everyone is; there is always the opportunity to learn something. Most of us glaze through our days. We are so consumed with going to the grocery store, putting gas in our vehicles, oh...shoot I can't forget to (fill in the blank) that we don't pick up on things that we should. We are too busy texting while driving to look up in time to see the big sign we just missed. Don't worry the universe will take control of your car, run that red light and get you a ticket (or worse...) to get your attention. Something's gotta give and I keep seeing glimmers of hope that may restore my faith in mankind. Maybe one day they will be full blown star bursts and we can really change the world. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, anyway...

Something in the way she moves...

2011-03-16T19:34:00.003-05:00

Kinesiology - the study of motion of the human body.

Human movement...it is a mysterious and fascinating thing. To think about how the body is laid out and how everything in it works together can get overwhelming, to say the least. However, it's just plain magical when everything is working correctly and can be sheer Hell if it ain't.

I took a two day seminar weekend before last that could have easily been three days. It was about making muscular corrections, loosening fascia, joint stabilization, muscle facilitation and inhibition, reducing swelling and moving stagnated lymph from an area. That was all mentioned in the first 5 minutes. So I made sure at that point I put my seat belt and helmet on because it was going to be a bumpy ride. Especially when we started talking about anatomy. Whoa! It's been like 12 years since I've gone to that place. It was pretty dusty in there, too. I mean, I'm familiar with major muscles because of common injuries and such, but this was all about insertion and origin. I have some work to do when my head stops spinning.

Chances are you've heard of this subject I'm about to mention. Kinesio Tex Tape. Not KT Tape, not Rock Tape. Kinesio Tex Tape - the original! Even though they all have pretty much the same properties and have the same purposes, they made sure to let us know right off the bat that this is the real deal and the rest are similar.

So I've been taping up some people and just asking for feedback. I've taped a couple of shoulders, a pregnant belly and my own leg. I'm pretty convinced that this is helping facilitate my recovery from my injury. I'm not saying it is the be all and end all, but it goes really well with other forms of therapy to regain balance in the body. With another therapy, like with massage for instance, the practitioner works on the tissue and when she/he is done applies the tape with the same intent they were using while working. It's sort of like an extension of the therapy after the session is over. Pretty cool stuff!

In conclusion I'm totally sold on Kinesio Tex Tape. I think it's pretty great stuff. Will it cure every imbalance overnight? No, but it will definitely speed up your recovery. Besides, most of the time injury is chronic, not acute, because we are a nation full of "full tilt boogie, I haven't got time for the pain" diehards and that means it didn't get that way overnight. We don't want to feel like a bunch of wussies, after all. So grin and bear it, dammit!

NOT! In the end we are all built pretty much the same with a few differences. You must honor your body and it's delicate balance. Be kind to yourselves, believe it or not, you deserve it. Take care of your body, it's the only one ya get!

Until next time, thanks for reading!

Let's try again

2011-03-06T17:11:00.002-06:00

Wow! Sorry for the extended sabatical, but it was necessary. Last year was a rough one. It was rough for a lot of people I know, as well. However, this year started out pretty tough with the loss of my oldest friend, Tigger. She got me through a lot of heartache and hard times, especially when I was on my own. She never questioned anything and all she ever really wanted was to just fall asleep on my shoulder or the crook of my arm. She just slept all the time for the last week of her life. In fact, the only time she was awake was when I had to force a pill down her poor little throat. That felt particularly awful to me. Her kidneys were shot and she had developed a heart murmur. So goes the cruelness of aging. She would've been 18 this month.

I've also been nursing an injury that got insanely out of hand because I, like so many athletes I know, just ignored signs that I needed rest. I suddenly heard what I tell everyone when they get sick or injured resonating, rather loudly, in my head, "If you do not take time to recover, rest and heal, your body will eventually force you to stop". Well, I finally took my own advice only after hurting myself so badly that I couldn't walk without pain. I've been seeing a sports therapist who has been doing myofascial release on my lower body. We've gotten great results and I have no pain except for this inflammation in my heal. Ah, I just love progress. Again I'm hearing myself say to massage clients, "It didn't get this way overnight, so you need to be patient and gentle with yourself because it's going to take awhile to disappear, too". I'm signed up to do Ironman Louisville and it's very spooky to see a lot of similarities with 2009, which was a good year. It too started with an injury that I was very diligent in the healing process.

Okay, so let's start some good news! Yaaaaay Good Neeeeews! I now have a website. It's a work in progress and I'm learning a lot about the technology side of things. Well, it's a lot to me. Nonetheless, Chris White, 3 Wire Designs, designed it and it's fabulous! I feel so professional and organized now. I feel like a...like...ahhhh...what's that word? ADULT!!!! Yes, I feel like an adult. At least a little more than I did. Seriously, you should check it out: foreverintraining.com
I'm so excited about it. There are all the services we offer listed, some recipes and a link to this blog. Did I mention it's pretty snazzy?

My good friend Erin Taylor (she and her husband are co-owners of a fantastic local running store called Go! Running) has started a group of supportive and inspiring women called the Go! Go! Girls. I've met a lot of great women in the last three weeks and the bonds of friendship between women is so necessary for our longevity. We went out and supported at the Little Rock half and full marathons today. I've never been on the spectator side of this event and it was an incredible sight to see all those people working hard to reach their goals. We cheered and yelled and clapped and stomped our feet for everyone and had so much fun! It was such a different perspective to look into the eyes of those runners, every shape and size, from every walk of life. I wanted to give them what I know I need when I'm a participant. You need to feel like you're being lifted up and carried when you start to think you can't take one more step. No one realizes really how vitally important it is until you've been on the the other side. There is no half-assing the support of someone giving all they've got right in front of you. They need you to be a lifeline or you don't need to be out there at all!

I will end this blog entry here and try to be back this week sometime. I will be taking a seminar next weekend. So hopefully I'll have my brain in gear and learn a lot.

Time forge ahead and soak in the essence of what will be an epic year...2011!!!!!

Thanks for reading.

No/Good News

2010-02-25T04:39:00.004-06:00

Woo! That's about all I can say. I've been busier than a one legged man in a butt kickin' contest, but it's definitely better than the alternative. It's that little word, you know the one with just two letters? Why does the tiniest word 'no' trip us up so much? If you just say it, it sounds so abrupt. It seems better if you soften it a bit, but that takes some thought. So I think (no pun intended) that we just avoid it all together. It's just easier to say the word yes most of the time and overload ourselves. So many times we find ourselves later on saying, "Why did I say yes to that?".

The good news? I'm almost finished with my fitness nutrition certification! Probably another couple of weeks and VICTORY will be mine.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading :)!

Still here!

2009-11-01T19:39:00.003-06:00

Well, it's been awhile and this is going to be quick, but I just wanted you to know that I"m still here and very much alive! Work has picked up big time (definitely good) and training is gaining steam. It's all good; I just wish I could balance it all. Who doesn't? We all have to work at keeping our stress levels in check with work, family and social life. Maybe one day I will have the answer to the burning question, "How do you have it all?". Cloning? Impossible? I think the answer to both of those is no. When/if I find out how to have it all (and remain sane) I will share it with the world. Nobel Peace Prize, here I come!

Working my way back

2009-09-23T10:43:00.005-05:00

It's time. Time to get back to it. Two weeks with nothing then one week of a little something. This week it's a little something more. Of course I'm talking about training and working out. Last week was 3 weeks after the Ironman and I was supposed to start swimming and cycling again. Cycling had to be done on the trainer because of the blasted rain and swimming had to be put on hold because of the blasted tattoo. I'm not allowed to get into a chlorinated pool for four weeks after getting one, but I figured that two weeks would be enough time. I won't forget how to swim and I don't want to screw up my wittle tattoo that's going to the grave with me!

This week I got to add some strength/core training and running - the two things which I missed most. I felt like I was turning to jello and inputting waaaaay more than the output of calories. I was getting to the point of wanting to crawl out of my skin. This is actually where you want to be before you get back to it in all reality. You need to feel like someone has a pillow over your face and they are holding you down before you can safely get your body back into the game. The recovery and repair time are crucial. Believe me, I preach it all the time, but practiced it not in the past. The difference is having a coach. I now have an outside voice of reason that reels me back in, slaps me on the back of the head and tells me, "it's not time yet, dumbass". So far I don't have too many goose eggs on the old noggin, but I still have to be told that I need to practice more patience, Wee Grasshoppa. Wait for it...

Ah yes, patience. Not something that comes natural to me, although my friends might say otherwise. I just seem patient and calm most of the time and realistically I am. But, whoa Nelly, when I want something, I, by God, want it NOW! I try not to whine and I think I do pretty well with it. I don't like hearing people whine, so I'm pretty sure others don't appreciate it either. No good ever comes from whining, but some people manage to get what they want by doing it. I don't cave most of the time when clients whine. Just this morning I told a client, in no certain terms, that she was whining. I don't know if she was conscious of it or not, but it stopped when I brought it to her attention. I seldom use the direct approach because it makes me feel mean. It's always a surprise when people respond to someone being direct, but 9 times out of 10 it works.

Speaking of work, it couldn't be better right now. And I love my work because it's also play. I'm very lucky that I have had a fair amount of playtime this week. I love my clients and I think the feelings are mutual. They make it possible for me to be able to do what I want and get I to wear two hats. I can't say I enjoy one over the other, they both bring me great satisfaction and are very rewarding. Both fitness and massage changes people's lives and I get the privilege of being a facilitator of that change. How awesome is that?

You know what else is awesome? Reconnecting with friends and family after a long season of training. The big event has come and gone and now is the time to find my way home. I felt like life was passing me by. I'm reclaiming my friendships and now, through facebook, I am rediscovering bonds that I thought were long gone. I have missed everyone. I intend to make more of an effort to secure those relationships.

The Ironman is just what I needed to remind me how important the everyday is. How the ordinary is actually extraordinary. Sure it was a life altering experience and after you do one you know you can do anything, but without the support and extreme understanding of family and friends, none of it would be possible. So now I'm working my way back and getting back to a routine. I'm still training, but the upcoming year is all about my greatest weakness - SPEED. I'm anxious to see what my training future holds for me, but I'm working hard on keeping it reeled in...

When you start feeling like you are losing control and your grasp on things, sit still and listen. Just remember:

The moment you notice that you are just an instrument of the Divine, the moment you become like a hollow flute, the wind will blow through you and there will be music.

The New Addition

2009-09-18T13:07:00.006-05:00

A week later and I'm finally ready to blog about my new addition. I'm talking about my new tattoo, of course. I had a tattoo of Winnie the Pooh that needed to be swallowed by none other than the MDot. Winnie represented a part of my past that I was reminded of daily and that needed to be laid to rest. I needed some sort of closure and I needed the open wound to finally heal. In fact, the middle of last week I had a dream about, let's just call the person "The Wound". Normally when I have dreams that include "The Wound", I wake feeling a little rattled. This dream was different. I was walking through a dimly lit room and literally bumped into "The Wound". About to just walk away, I grabbed "The Wound's" arm and asked how they were doing. We talked for a bit, then I looked at "The Wound" and said, "I have to let you go now". I just walked away. I woke feeling calm and peaceful and I feel it was finally the closure I had needed. I had that dream two days before I got that piece of my past buried.
Now the story that follows is not for the faint of heart nor for anyone considering getting body art. If you are even thinking about getting a tattoo, STOP READING NOW.
Chris and I had decided that we would go on Friday night of last week to 7th St. Tattoo. I was pretty excited about getting my latest accomplishment permanently marked on my body. He wasn't quite as excited as I was. So being the organized person I dream of being someday, had pictures in hand for reference. We got our names on the list and waited for probably about an hour, if not more. Caleb would be working with me and let's just say he definitely earned his money that evening. For about 30 minutes he sketched, re-sketched, traced, drew, arranged until he got exactly what I was looking for. However, this tattoo was going to have to be a bit larger than I had anticipated to cover the other one.
Chris' guy took him back and got to work. Caleb said he needed to get his station ready and he'd come get me in a few minutes. About 5 minutes later he came and got me with surgical gloves on. Now let me put in a plug for 7th St. Tattoos - I have 3 tattoos total with one being covered up (so 4 technically) and got them all at this place because it smells like a hospital. An inky hospital, but very sterile. They thoroughly clean EVERYTHING and are very professional. Okay, anyway, we get to his station and the first step in the process is a temporary outline of your tattoo is applied to your skin. He nailed it on the first try! He informed me that it was not skill, it was luck. He had Chris check it and make sure he had it positioned right. Chris was not even flinching for his tattoo. So I sit down sideways in a chair and hear the needle start up. I was expecting pain and I received it in abundance. He got the characters at the bottom done first and was filling in the Dot when Chris came over. During the first 20 minutes I was thinking about 2 things: 1)Suck it up, you just did an Ironman and 2)breathe.
I began to feel slightly light headed and I was starting to sweat a little. Caleb stopped and asked if I was doing okay. I told him that I was feeling a little light headed and asked Chris if he would get me some water. As he continues and I'm sipping water I get a very bad feeling that I'm going to pass out. I fought it as long as I could, but between the blood starting to rush out of my fingers, the strong urge to just go to sleep and everything getting all distorted I knew it was inevitable. I asked him to stop for a minute. He said sometimes a little sugar helps so Chris went to get a Coke for me. By the time he got back he said that my head was resting in Caleb's hand. He said, "She's out". I think Chris got a little panicked and asked if this happened a lot because Caleb didn't seem alarmed. He assured Chris it happens all the time. I don't know how long I was out, but I finally came to and just remember feeling REALLY sleepy and slightly nauseated. I started drinking the Coke and it just wasn't getting any better. I asked to lay back and once in a reclined position I felt like I could relax. About 5 minutes later, I was sweating profusely and got VERY nauseated. I asked Chris to take me to the bathroom and told him that he didn't have to go in with me, I just needed help getting there. He wouldn't have it. Folks, that is real love, right there! I know it was killing him, but he was a trooper. Finally, I was ready to try and continue the process. It was getting late and I know this was way more than Caleb and Chris had bargained for. I felt guilty and looked really, really gnarly at this point. Like a junky on a street corner looking for a fix.
I asked if he had a massage table I could lay on or something I could lean forward on and he brought out a massage chair. Perfect! Chris positioned a trash can beside me of which I made very good use - Chris reassured me that no one was watching and not to worry about it. He still had to stop every few minutes, but at least if I passed out again (which may have been better for everyone) then I was completely supported and no one would even know, probably. He finally got it all filled in and asked if I still wanted the red outline. OH-MY-GOD no! I weakly told him that he had earned whatever we paid extra for the outline as a tip. Chris put me in the car and Caleb sent us off with a garbage bag, just in case. Good call!
We got home about 1:15 (yes that's a.m.) and Chris put me on the couch and tucked me in. I told him to sleep upstairs in the bed and he said he was perfectly comfortable on the couch. I was so weak and had nothing left in my stomach. Not the most desirable way to lose that 5 lbs. I gained after Ironman, but definitely effective. He told me that I was to sleep, eat and not do much of anything on Saturday. Sounded good to me.
I am in total awe of Chris. I have really put him through the ringer with hospital visits and passing out. I'm surprised he hasn't just thrown in the towel. A lot of people would just walk away, fed-up with the situation. He has definitely proved time and time again that he will be there every time I fall. He is my rock, the love of my life and my saving grace. To say I'm a lucky woman is an understatement. I love you, Luvbug!

It's Ironman...

2009-09-04T12:24:00.013-05:00

it's the one day you can do everything you like and you chose to be there - Liz

Those are the words that vibrated through my brain for 140.6 miles on Sunday, August 30, 2009. Those words, loving support and volunteers helped me get through the day and come out on the other side. I'm not sure how it changed me, that is yet to be determined. All I know is that I feel different.

Here we goooooo.....
I slept scantily on Saturday night; going in and out of consciousness. At 2:00 a.m., Chris’ alarm went off, my signal to take my Synthroid and go back to sleep until 3:00 a.m. After eating breakfast I obsessively checked my Special Needs bags for the 487th time. We met Michael and Becky in the lobby about 4:45 and started our journey to the transition area. My usual pattern is that I feel okay until about 10 minutes before start time so I was still feeling clear and focused. I got my nutrition put on my bike and checked my tires one last time - all good. A stop at the port-a-potties, drop off the Special Needs bags and we were ready to start the trek down to the swim start. It was quite a hike in flip flops and it was a bit on the nippy side. We got our body marking done than continued on to get our place in line. I got in line at the port-a-potties again while Chris, Michael and Becky found a place in line. There were athletes asleep on the sidewalk and I don't think we could've gotten any better spot unless we had camped out there. We ended up being about halfway down. I really needed to go one more time, but there was a VERY long line for the only port-a-pottie in close range. It was a really bad sign to see that many guys in line so I headed to the fence with a ziplock bag and did my business with the guys. It's always the most amazing thing to me how fast the smallest amount of fluid goes through me on race mornings. I got back in line and pulled my speed suit on the rest of the way and Chris zipped me up. I had my gel and took a salt tab. I was following my plan nicely. The line started moving and my stomach clenched up. I couldn't believe it was time. I got my swim cap on, goggles in place, my flip-flops off and soaked up how alive my growing nervousness made me feel. This was a time trial swim start and it was really nice to have Chris beside me. Matt came by and collected our Morning Clothes bags to take them back to the hotel. All of the sudden we were running down the ramp and jumping in the water. I started my stopwatch and tried to get in as gingerly as possible, but ended up feeling like I was being forced to walk the plank. So I held my goggles on tight and went for it. It took a couple of seconds to resurface and once I did I saw someone jump on Chris' head. That sort of freaked me out a little, but he was fine. I took a deep breath and started as calmly as I could. I swung out as far right as possible so I could stay out of heavy traffic. The swim out went really well. There was even a bizarre scene where the water had gotten very warm and there people standing and walking – IN THE OHIO RIVER!!!!! Some sort of “sandbar”. I decided it would be faster to keep swimming. I could feel my swim cap coming off so I pulled it back down as quickly as I could. I just kept thinking, “I’m doing a freakin’ Ironman and I’m swimming in the Ohio River”! I finally saw the red buoy signaling the turn and I just knew that I could really relax after that since we would be going with the current. I was very careful to stay out on the edge and things were still going well. I noticed that I started to drift closer to the buoys and was starting to get knocked around. I looked back before I started to go right and had to "go with the flow" for a bit before traffic cleared. I finally got back out in the clear and was going pretty good then I noticed that there were some pretty big rolling waves. I got a little nauseated, but I slowed down a little just kept right on rolling. For some reason I decided to check my swim cap again and this time it was almost all the way off. In fact, my goggles were the only thing holding it on my head. Let me tell you, trying to get my swim cap back on while treading water with my legs in the middle of 1,000 people swimming around me was like trying to put my shoes on standing in the middle of rush hour traffic. After I got it as situated as I could under the circumstances I took off swimming again and noticed that my hair was now caught in the zipper of my speed suit. I just sucked it up and kept going, I thought, “this is probably the least painful thing I will have to deal with today so I can handle it”. I kept sighting on the RR bridge, but it wasn’t seeming to get any closer. I finally reached the bridge and could hear the crowds and announcer and that was very motivating. I knew I was going to make it out of the water! Things got really rough at the turn and people were really aggressively trying to get to the swim exit. I finally emerged from the water and heard the announcer say, “Rebecca Irons. What a great name, I love it”. Boy did I need that!

I grabbed my bike gear bag and headed to the changing tent. I was greeted by a very enthusiastic volunteer. I almost felt like I was being rushed and I just needed to get my bearings after that woozy swim. I still felt pretty dizzy, but I wasn’t going to refuse the help though. I probably looked like I desperately needed it. Before I knew it she had my socks and shoes on me. I had my “to do” list taped to my bag, but it felt like it was happening so fast. I realize that my transition time was very slow in reality. I used the port-a-pottie and opted for the sunscreen that the volunteers were applying. It felt like she was rubbing me down with paste. She apologized and assured me that it would soak in. I unsuccessfully tried to “scrape” it off with my hand. I finally gave up when I noticed that everyone else was sporting the same pastey look.

Stay out of your own way...
I grabbed my bike and left the transition area. I hopped on my bike at the mount line and had no trouble clipping in. I started out slow and immediately took in a gel, a salt tab and got some sports drink down. I was feeling very good and let people just wiz by me, careful not to get caught up in their excitement. I knew I would see some of them somewhere out on course again later. I spun up the first climb while watching people just hammer it in a big gear. I made a left turn I thanked the volunteers and one of them said, “You rock! Can you believe you’re doing this?”. I told her not even in my wildest dreams. I finally made it to the branch off and knew I was in for some climbing. More people passed me and I let it happen. I was really concentrating on staying on top of my nutrition no matter what. That descent into the valley was SUUUHWEEEET! I knew what was coming, though. I started seeing some of those hammerheads already from that first climb. I made the turn around and saw Chris as he was descending. This confused me because I never see him until the run, but he was behind me this time. I climbed out of the valley and finally made it to the beginning of the loop. A guy who was passing me early in the loop said, “We just got lapped by a female pro”. It was pretty cool, but she seemed to think nothing of drafting off the age grouper in front of her. I later heard from Jo that she saw the same thing. I was still feeling great, but I needed to potty. So, I took the time to stop at the aid station and refilled any fluids I needed. Comfort is EVERYTHING in endurance sports. I thanked the volunteers and was back on my way. It was very hard to ride past the Special Needs Station on the first time through. It was unreal going through LaGrange, though. The crowd was huge and made you feel like a superstar! The next section past LaGrange was pretty uneventful and lonely and I noticed my knees were absolutely screaming. I got a little worried about the run at that point, but shook it off. I had also noticed a lot of riders changing flats. The word is that there were some locals who don’t appreciate that they close some streets off for an entire day so they throw “things” in the road. Most of the streets are open to vehicular traffic still, so I’m not sure why they felt the need to do that. I understand it was Sunday and they wanted to go to church and all, but that just doesn’t seem to be a very Christian-like thing to me. I came around to start my second loop and was still right on with my nutrition. So I stopped for another pee break and refill. I knew that the Special Needs Station was right around the corner so I looked forward to that. When I made it there, the volunteer that was helping me was great, but I finally just told her that I was not in a hurry. She just smiled and said, “So you’re just out here enjoying the day?”. I replied that I wanted to savor every minute of this and take it all in. She smiled at me again, I thanked her and I was on my way. I was feeling pretty good and just as I was thinking how unreal it was that I still felt so good a guy passed me and proceeded to “give back” all the fluids he had just taken in – IN THE WIND IN FRONT OF ME no less! What a jerk. I know things happen out there out of your control, but surely you can feel that coming on. Don’t pass someone and toss your cookies (or juice) in the wind when you get around them. It’s just not right. He did his business and took off – good riddance. I played cat and mouse with a guy in a Team Aquaphor kit for about 5 miles and the hills eventually got to him and he fell back, but then passed me one last time. I KNEW that I would see him on the run. I was approaching the last aid station and there was a black car that pulled over and the passenger stuck his hand out of the window and someone actually handed him a Gatorade! Then they stopped all of the sudden a little further up and I and the guy next to me almost ran right into the back of him. We just started yelling, “Go! Go! Go!”. Some people don’t deserve a license. I was so ready to be off my bike and actually looking forward to being on the ground running when I finally saw the transition area.

I dismounted my bike and happily handed it off to a volunteer. I took my shoes off, grabbed my run gear bag and ran into the changing tent. I visited the port-a-pottie (a very good sign that I was hydrated). This transition took even longer than the first one. This time I got a volunteer that emptied my bag for me and left me to my own devices, which is probably why it took longer. I just wanted to have the most comfortable run possible. I slathered Biofreeze on my knees and low back and used my own sunscreen this time! I felt more organized and together when I left the changing tent that final time.

Give NOTHING up, DNFing is totally NOT an option!
I walked down the isle out of the transition area and started running when I saw the timing mat. I made an honest effort to keep my pace easy and comfortable. I was happy to have my feet on the ground and made my way up the river bridge. I was surprised how quickly the 1 mile sign came up and how many people were walking at that point. And as predicted, I even the Aquaphor guy. I felt great and tried to maintain my pace. I was still trying to stay on my nutrition, but it was getting to that difficult point where NOTHING tasted good. I continued to eat the gels, drink the Gatorade and down the salt tabs. I knew I wouldn’t get very far if I didn’t follow what I had done through all that training. I saw Jo first going in the opposite direction and looking strong. Then I saw David going the opposite direction and he told me that Chris was right in front of me. I felt another wave of motivation at hearing those words. I kept my eyes open and looked for the orange cap. Still feeling great I finally spotted him at mile 9 or 10. I was careful to contain my excitement and held my pace. He was walking and I wanted him to run with me, but I knew he had to make that decision on his own and I had to run my own (first) marathon. I asked him how he was doing and he said he was feeling good and not to worry about him, that it was going to be a very long night. I decided to go on and I heard a woman ask him if we were doing the Ironman together and said she thought it was sweet. I noticed a woman on the side of the street with a sign that read, "Death before DNF!" - Amen, Sista! I stopped at the next aid station to pee and get some fluids. My trend for the first half was aid station, pee, water and Gatorade. I took a salt tab every hour and was feeling great and passed on my Special Needs bag, I had decided to rely on the aid stations. It was both amazing and disheartening to see the finish line and not be able to go there. So close and yet so far! I looked at the time and I knew I was not going to make my goal time of 13.5 hours, but I was okay because I knew I was going to finish no matter what. I went out for my second lap and saw Chris again and he said he still felt okay, but he would be walking the rest of the way and didn’t know if he would make the cut off. I was pretty emotional at that point because fatigue was setting in and I just wanted to cry when he told me that. I assured him that he had enough time and he needed to keep going. I gave him a kiss and told him that I love him and off I went. I had a serious talk with the universe at that point and pleaded to have a divine intervention with Chris. How could I finish and him not finish? I worried that he was going to just throw in the towel. My pace was slowing, but I continued to run. My feet were on fire and my knees felt like they were going to buckle, but mentally I was very strong. A couple of times I felt the familiar feeling of passing out wash over me and I just downed more fluids and ate. I kept hope of seeing Chris again and even started to cry a couple of times. Then out of the darkness I saw that familiar swagger and my heart leapt and as he passed me he said, “I can’t stop walking because it hurts too much”. I told him I understood, I was able to relax and just get it done. At about mile 20 it became really unfun and I felt the happiness I had been able to maintain sliding off of my face. I couldn’t stop at the last 2 aid stations because it hurt too much to walk and start running again. I started to be able to hear the crowd and the announcer. I knew I was within blocks of that finish line! I started to have an out-of-body experience and pain left my body as I floated closer to the chute. More and more people and all the sudden a flood of lights and I couldn’t contain myself anymore. I raised my arms and felt the energy from the people permeate me! I looked at a man in the crowd and asked, “How does my hair look?”. He said, “Fabulous!”. This was what it was all about this whole time. I though I was going to pee on myself I was so excited. I waited to hear those words, but, alas it was not to be. I thought with the last name of Irons, he would be sure to say it. However, I don’t need to hear those words to know that I did it. Will I do another one? You bet! Yes, I may have missed my goal time by a little more than an hour, but you know what? I got to savor and enjoy the entire experience and that’s what it was about for my first Ironman. I couldn’t have asked for more.

Rebecca Irons, YOU are an Ironmaaaaaan!

Why?

2009-08-16T21:04:00.000-05:00

I believe my only reason for doing this IM is because I can. I'm doing this for all those who can't because I can. I'm healthy and have use of all my limbs so I've decided that I'm going to use them until they don't work anymore or until I'm dead. I've done a little soul searching today and I really tried to come up with a deep philsophical reason and it's just not there. All of this training though and I got nothin' better than 'Because I can'. No magical or uber respectable selfless reason. Maybe I have some painful things that I've repressed that are driving me. I don't know, but what I do know is that I will have all the time in the world to think about it on August 30th.
On a funnier note, I've noticed that I now time myself on everything. I was getting out of the shower and started to reach for my watch and turn off the stopwatch. I just chuckled to myself and was really thankful I hadn't actually started it.

18 Days to go

2009-08-12T21:20:00.002-05:00

Well, I kicked that swims ass yesterday! Thanks to Jo and David who were so kind to meet me out at the lake. I had to prove to myself that I could do it. Not just think that I could, but KNOW that I can. I do, however, understand that things are different everyday. A good swim 2 days ago doesn't mean a good swim tomorrow.

Today was pretty low key. Nothing significant to write about. I did get started on my race plan for the Ironman. The 2 biggest things I have learned in this whole process is 1)nutrition is EVERYTHING and 2) you must have a race plan. Key elements, my friends. If you don't have your nutrition figured out you're not going to get very far. Likewise with the race plan. It's also really helpful if you know why you're doing something. Over the last few days I've been thinking about this a lot. Hmmmm....because everyone else is doing it? Because I can? Because it's the natural progression of my life as an athlete (I use this term very loosely)? Nothing really sounds like a a very good reason so far, but when I come up with it, I will let you know.

20 Days to go

2009-08-10T20:25:00.002-05:00

We are 20 days out and today was a rest day. I needed it to regroup and let yesterday sink in a little more. I felt much better when I woke up. I got my gear and nutritional needs lists done. That is a big hurdle, my friends! If I can just keep from over thinking my strategy and the what-if's then I'll be golden. I tend to do that to myself causing a mouthful of ulcers and an overactive digestive system (if ya know what I mean).
When I'm not thinking about the Ironman, I'm thinking about the off-season. I'm looking forward to cleaning my house (with a toothbrush), spending time with people I love, baking for the holidays and strength training. Oh my gawd, how I miss just the simplicity of a biceps curl or an overhead press. I mean I'm in the best shape of my life right now, but I'm missing the balance of the cardio and strength training. That's what the off-season is about and thinking about next year's goals. Wow! The goals of 2010! Can you freakin' believe THAT? This year is flying by and I hope I haven't lost any friends because of all this training. If I have, I'm sorry I made them feel second best. This may be a once in a lifetime opportunity and you have to take those opportunities while you can or you may just miss the next best thing.
So in the very near future I will get back to a lot of things I miss and I'm pretty happy about that.

Maybe I'll even have time to knit a sweater from all the cat fur tumbleweeds rolling around under the furniture....hmmmm.....

21 days to go

2009-08-09T20:50:00.003-05:00

It's 3 weeks until race day. I just finished my last week of big training and now I'm in taper mode. I, however, did not finish strong today.
We made our way to DeGray Lake so I could do a 4250 yard swim in open water. I really wanted to do this swim. I mean really badly and I was ready. We pulled up to the marina to rent a kayak and were told that we could not remove the kayak from the park. This makes sense in retrospect, but totally deflated my excitement about doing such a long swim in open water. The anxiety started creeping in and doubt filled my head. Chris has a big pull behind buoy, but him being on shore with that wasn't going to help me at 600 yards out if I got a bad cramp. We were both tired from yesterday's workout. I tried to calm myself down inside my head. I may not be the fastest swimmer, but I'm a good swimmer. I've done all this training and I totally let my fear consume me.
A couple of other people showed up and we got in the water. We were to swim to an 'island' about 600 yards out and swim back. We were going to do this 3 1/2 times. I made it to the island and everything was fine. I checked in with Emily (Ed had turned around early) and we headed back to the shore. I sighted over to the right where the shore was the closest and felt like I was swimming crooked and toward it. I shifted to the left and sighted front to make sure I was headed in the right direction. Still fine. Now, I'm not sure how I did this, but this is what freaked me out. The next time I sighted front I saw the island again. I had swum in a circle and was headed in the wrong direction. I felt disoriented and it really scared me. All I had to do was turn around and simply swim to the shore. I started back - again - and I couldn't stop thinking about it. It totally threw me off and I couldn't pull myself back together. I finished that length and beat myself up sufficiently. I've had bad workouts, but there has NEVER been one that I haven't been able to talk myself down, sucked it up and got through it. I was due one of these workouts and I felt for the first time what true fear of possible failure is. I don't want to DNF and I refuse to DNF at the Ironman unless it is a physical problem (i.e. bleeding out of my eyeballs). I know I will get through the swim because I know that there are kayaks and buoys to sight. It makes all the difference in the world. I also know that 2.4 miles in the water is a very long way, so I will make peace with it now. I know I can do this and the swim is about 90% mental and 10% technique. If you can convince yourself that all you need to do is relax and stay on course, that's the ticket. It's the what-if's and the borrowing of trouble that will smack you down and (no pun intended) hold your head under water. This is burned in my brain now. You can say this stuff to yourself over and over again, but until you experience it you don't come close to understanding. I understand and I'm making peace with the fact that now my first 2.4 mile open water swim and full marathon with be at the Ironman. I will finish, it may not be pretty, but I will do it and most likely, I will do another.

Just stuff

2009-06-17T20:20:00.002-05:00

Well, I have raw spots from my friggin shorts I wore yesterday for that long run. They look like rope burns and I've been walking like a cowboy today. It was just plain hot yesterday and hotter today. Thank goodness today was a little 3600 yd swim. Nothing on the agenda for tomorrow training wise. However, the epic weekend of training is coming up! Gotta get some rest for that.

Is it hot out there or is it me?

2009-06-15T20:33:00.002-05:00

Let the games begin! Whew! Ironman training is in full suhwing and temps and humidity are soaring. I think it's safe to say that summer is here and training in this soggy air is going to more than prepare me for Louisville. I've got a 2 hour and 20 minute run on my plan tomorrow and I've got to figure out how I will carry all I need with me without adding 20 pounds to my person. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know!

CATS Iron Mountain (Wo)Man

2009-06-08T15:52:00.002-05:00

I was unusually calm about this event. I normally can’t hold a conversation, but I think I wore Chris out on the way to Conway. I was a regular Chatty Cathie. I tried to save some of that energy for the race, but words just kept flowing out of my mouth. I don’t know what came over me! We pulled into the park and got a really good spot. I was standing next to the truck and a woman walked up to me and asked, “Are you the Irons’?”. Well, it turns out that they are Eric and Kayla’s (Chris’ brother and SIL) neighbors. Unbelievably, their names are Rebecca and Chris as well. Too weird. She does tri’s but he doesn’t and this was her first 1/2. They recognized Chris because he looks like Eric with no hair.
We got our body marking and found spots for our bikes. Next was chip pick-up. Time to set-up the transition area. This is getting better and better each time. I had a good feeling about my transitions today. I was very relaxed – also very weird. It was nice to just chat with the ladies in the area. I met Angie who I’ve seen at several tri’s, she has a Guru as well, but she really liked mine a lot. Me too!
The swim was wetsuit legal and a two loop swim – swim a little over 1000 yards, get out and run, get back in and do it over again. It was mentally tough to see the finish and know that you had to re-acclimate yourself to being vertical for a split second. I was a bit dizzy, so running was a little difficult. I got brushed and kicked a few times, but nothing major and I just kept moving forward. I felt like the second loop of the swim went a little faster. I feel pretty good about the swim, but it still needs work and will probably always need work.
I entered the transition area and took a bit of time off of T1. I crossed the mount line and attempted to get on my bike. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with the chain. Will and Denise were standing on the sidelines shouting, “Go Rebecca”! Then they would have to say it again a few seconds later. I was starting to doubt that I remembered how to ride. Then I remembered that Chris has to push the gears all the way down in order for the bikes to fit into his vehicle. I finally mounted my steed and took off. I held a steady and easy warm up for about 20 minutes. The bike course was an out and back with about 3500 feet of climbing. I paid no attention to my speed and spun up the hills. I felt good, but my hamstrings were starting to seize up a bit so I backed off a little and tried to stretch them on the downhills. I felt good about the bike over-all.
Time for T2. I got all the bike gear off and started to get my run stuff together. I ended up falling over trying to put on my socks for the run J. I never would have sat down on purpose, thank you, Patrick. The run was also two loops. I took off and used the first three miles as a warm up. But once I passed the three mile mark I just decided that I needed to stay with that pace and call it somewhere around what I would like my Ironman pace to be. I passed Marianne the first time and she looked fresh as a daisy, smiling and talking. She was telling me that Chris was just a little ahead of me and that I could probably catch him. The next time I saw her she told me Chris was walking now and I could definitely catch him and beat him. The third time I saw her she was telling me I could now catch Jo and maybe even Heather! How does she do that talking while running thing? She is truly an amazing person. I told her I wanted to be her when I grow up! I did catch Chris eventually. His low back was killing him. I still saw Jo ahead and she was walking. She started running again and got out of my sight. I got to the turn around for the second time and I was really confused because I didn’t see her going the other way in front of me still. I grabbed some water and continued on. I ended up walking a lot of the second loop after the turn around. My hips were getting sore (muscularly) and my knees has started getting a little cranky. Unfortunately all I had left was just over a 10 min. per mile average. I knew I was well hydrated because I had to stop at the port-a-potty. I saw Chris off in the distance walking with someone that looked like Jo. By golly, it was Jo! Now I was thoroughly confused. They were laughing and she explained that she had to receive oxygen and be iced down. Again, very weird.
I crossed the line with a big smile on my face – I thought “Crissie Wellington”!
I compared my time last year when it was an easier course in Arkadelphia with this year’s harder course in Conway. My time in Arkadelphia was 6:23 and my time in Conway was 6:12. I was going for a sub 6 hour time and if I could’ve avoided walking so much on the run, I think I could’ve done it. Biggest accomplishment I can think of is finishing strong with a smile and not having to see the inside of a med tent! Thank you Gary, Patrick, Michael, Denise, Will, Andy, Carrie for the awesome cheering! Especially at the homestretch.
Tri’s are not easy for ANYONE! I just can’t think of anything else I would like to do for the rest of my life (besides when I’m doing it). It’s a feeling like no other to look back after crossing the finish line and saying, “I just did all of that!” and sincerely want more. Is it self punishment? Do we really like pain that much? It’s about breaking through barriers and limits that we often mentally put on ourselves. Sometimes you really have to question yourself about why you continue to do this to yourself. And you try to recruit others to do it as well. I will do tri’s as long as I am able because, yes, I do like the pain and the suffering. I like trying to constantly improve my time. I like seeing if I can really keep from talking myself out of it for I have yet to quit anything like this! And, no, it will never ever be enough!

MIM recap

2009-05-20T21:00:00.002-05:00

Race recap time! We awoke at 5:00, well 4:50 because someone's car alarm started going off about then }:(. It was a brisk 58 degrees with winds gusting between 20 and 25 mph. I almost threw the covers back over my head. When I started getting everything together to take to transition, the nerves really started in. We got our transition areas set-up later than usual which unnerved me even more. Time to put on my wetsuit and TRY to relax a little. We headed down to the start line and I began to feel a bit nauseated, which is pretty normal. Chris had told me that I looked REALLY nervous and flashbacks of Austin rushed in. I sort of felt the same way at the beginning of that race. So I started deep breathing exercises in order not to panic at the thought of a repeat. It was time to make my way down to the swim start. I found my place in line and all I could think about was how fast it was moving. My turn! I ran into the water and tried to stay calm, but as we all know it’s really tough when everyone around you is flying past you. I started the swim and couldn’t catch my breath. I felt like I had forgotten everything. Once I started talking myself down from the ledge and got into somewhat of a rhythm (relative to what it was) a man swam over me and kicked me in the head as he was swimming off like a speed boat. I think he poked me in the eye with his friggin’ toe! Like I wasn’t having a hard enough time with the choppy water! I rolled over onto my back and thought for a split second, “I can’t do this” and almost started flagging down a kayak. Then I thought, “Shut-up and swim you idiot! You’re not going to die”. So I collected myself and just focused on that first turn. After I rounded the first turn I mentally put a big bubble around myself to keep from getting accosted again. It worked and I all the swimming technique I had worked so hard on started coming back to me. Long reach, glide, pull, bilateral breathing, swim downhill, sight. I relaxed and found that rhythm! I rounded the last turn and looked for the big arch for a guide, but it wasn’t there. Just then someone brushed my ankle and I turned and he said, “Oh, I’m sorry”. I was shocked! No one has EVER apologized to me in the swim for touching me. I just said, “That’s okay”, swam off and had a new hope for common courtesy in the water. My goal was to finish the swim in 40 minutes. I finished in less than that!

On to the bike! As I exited the water I had my wetsuit unzipped and had started peeling it off when I got to my transition area. Even a sleeveless wetsuit is tricky to get out of. You tug and pull and pull and tug – it takes just about as long getting one off as it does to get it on yourself, especially trying to acclimate to being back on land! I finally got the damn thing off and gathered my stuff and took off. I had a great start to the bike, I looked down and saw 26.6 on my speedometer! Well, crap! You know what that means? Headwind is coming next. The only thing you can do is put your head down and pedal. So 26.6 mph was now 15 mph. May I just add that the crosswind almost blew my bike from under me because of the trispoke on the back? That will grab your attention! The bike was fairly uneventful besides the ever-changing wind factor.

Time to make a run for it! This is my favorite part because this is the real moment of truth. You also get to find out if you went too hard on the swim or the bike here. I stuck to my plan with the run. Go out super easy to get my legs back under me for the first mile. However, I quickly started cramping because I needed to pee. Just as I was thinking about ducking behind one of the semis on the side of the road, a woman passed me and had the same idea. Rats! I hoped that there would be a port-a-potty at the aid station. I was in luck! Well, sort of. There was a person in it and one waiting. I was just going to have to wait it out or I wouldn’t have finished. I was there for about two minutes! Two minutes! Oh well, it was worth the wait. I got back on the course and hit it. I saw several of our teammates and that’s always a great motivator. I got to the turn around and picked it up a little more. I was amazed at how good I felt. I was really going to finish strong. The last 400 meters of the run was on grass and I dug down deep! I felt like my heart was going to leap out of my throat and my lungs were going to explode – it was AWESOME! Waiting on the sidelines up ahead was Luvbug, Gary, Andy and John. They were jumping up and down and yelling and let me tell you there is nothing quite like that feeling of having people pulling for you. There is also nothing quite like hearing your name announced as you are coming across that finish line. I can’t wait to hear the words “Rebecca Irons, you are an Ironman”! That’s going to be so suhweeeeeeet! Anyway, this was a great race and really it is all about the journey. This part of the journey is on the list for next year.

I gotta be me!

2009-05-07T12:27:00.003-05:00

Wow! I think I've been in the twilight zone or on autopilot or perhaps both. I seemed to have been sucked into some sort of time warp because last time I checked I had a little over a month before our first official tri of the season. In the blink of an eye it's a week from this coming Sunday. Whoa! How the heck does that happen? I think when you hit your 30's someone comes in the middle of the night and steals your time and memory space in your brain. I've had to write EVERY-friggin-THING down since my 20's, but it seems worse now. Too much alcohol and extra curricular substances? Probably! I was 'talking' to my best friend from high school on facebook a couple of weeks ago and she brought up wondering how smart she would be if she hadn't done all of that stuff. I've often thought about that, too. Now, when I think about that, I just push it out of my mind because it makes me sort of sad. All of those were choices and I take full responsibility for making those choices. I've run the gamut of who and what I could blame, but it all comes back to me. I just didn't like who I was back then - an extremely introverted, uninteresting and boring girl. All that stuff let me be who I really wanted to be - the outgoing, fun and social little butterfly. Everything I used to put into my body makes me shutter now. In the same respect, though, I am very proud of who and where I am today! All of that was necessary to shape me into the person I've become. I don't want to be ANYBODY else. Who cares if I have a million post-its around my workspace?! Who cares if I read slow?! I'm definitely not the smartest person I know, but I'm not the village idiot either. What really matters is that I love and care intensely about my friends and family, about what I do for a living and that I'm fiercely loyal. I have standards and beliefs and I follow my own path. I follow the Golden Rule and I would never compromise my integrity or ask that of anyone else.
Don't you just love going on a tangent? Me too! I think I just needed to purge. I feel better now.
Now Memphis in May Tri Festival is coming up and I don't believe I've EVER felt so ready. What a difference a structured training plan makes and it's been worth every penny! We will pack our tri bags next week during the taper. I will probably be a little pre-occupied until after the race. I'm serious this year. Up until now I've been winging it and just flying blind with my training. This year the goals are to finish strong, finish feeling good and just enjoy the fruits of my labor. Oh, and stay out of the med tent!

Good Luck

to all our friends doing Joe Martin this weekend!!!

Rest needed...inquire within!

2009-04-13T04:59:00.004-05:00

Just checking in to let you know that I haven't forgotten how to blog. It's been non-stop...wel...stuff. I will be back, perhaps tonight, and report on at least a couple of things. So I'll see you soon

Two Faced-booked

2009-03-31T08:14:00.004-05:00

I have a confession to make. Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been...well God knows how long it's been since my last confession (seriously, He's the only one that knows). I have been cheating, or it feels like cheating, on my blog. I've gone and joined Facebook! Serious time sucker, that Facebook is! Do you know how many people are on that site? Well, neither do I, but it seems like it may be in the gazillions. Like I have time for just one more thing. I may have to quit my job to have time to train, blog and 'talk' to people on Facebook. I resisted for so long! I caved when finally on Saturday night Chris created an account and resistance became futile. He just wanted to see what it was all about. Well, it was all about 3 hours of couch time staring at the laptop like a gape-mouthed, drooling invalid. Makes you kind of wonder what happened to talking on the phone or having get-togethers. Oh well, it's easier this way, right? It's about getting more done in less time now days. Multi-tasking and all that jazz. Just as long as the movement is forward, I guess I'll just go with the flow.

Now I'm going to go say my three Hail Marys and five Our Fathers.

Mixed bag

2009-03-25T21:02:00.003-05:00

This has been a mixed week so far; an emotional roller coaster. I'm probably just being overly sensitive to some things and I'm pretty sure people aren't doing things on purpose to irritate me, but it sure does seem that way at times. I'm also sure that all these little things that are irritating me are always there and just seem magnified. Skewed alignment of the planets? Perhaps, but whatever it is I'm ready to be done with it or have it be done with me.

I think I'm fully recovered and my training is starting to escalate. I'm not sure how that's possible, but I'm braced and ready (I think) for impact. I can handle it and if I find I can't at least I will have tried.

I went to the gym to swim last Saturday and I had another cigarette sighting. This time it was a guy who was walking INTO the gym and stomping out his cancer stick. Now I know that people have their bad habits that are just near impossible to break, but there is nothing worse than a reformed whore. Yup, I used to smoke! I smoked for 10 years and quit about 10 years ago. Therefore I know my lungs are nice and pink again (takes an average of 7 years for all that crud to work it's way out of the lung tissue). I was too young and too stupid to realize how unhealthy it was and I never would have stepped foot into a gym anyway. These people are way old enough to know better. It's not like working out is going to counteract all that crap. You may look good on the outside, but your insides are just screaming. Okay, I'm done with that for now.

Today I had an awesome swim. I was questioning how it was going to go because I was totally wasted when I got into the water. I just relaxed and focused on my stroke. It's amazing how much more efficient you are when you aren't fighting with the water. The water will ALWAYS win. Your efforts will be wasted if you try to outsmart the water. I think it's because I have been swimming in my sleep. Chris said he came to bed a few nights ago and cracked up because I was clearly doing swim strokes. Usually I'm just washing my hands, but I was working on my pull. Is this a sign that I'm over training? I'm just going to say it's becoming more natural to me. Definitely a good thing.

Tonight was Pro night at Chainwheel for Carve members. I walked in and found Chris. He looked at me and said, "I've been here 10 minutes and I've already spent $200." He ordered a pair of custom Oakley's. Very cool, very orange. He loves the orange like I love the green! In fact I liked them so much that I ordered a pair too - green of course. I may suck at the Ironman, but I'll look good! Sarah also showed me a jersey that she said she brought in with me in mind. It has little skulls on it and it's this really soft feeling material. Had to have it!

Even though I've had 2 naps today (about 20 minutes each) I'm feeling sort of draggy. I bess be headin' off to bed. Night, John Boy!

Rough Spots

2009-03-23T09:34:00.003-05:00

Good morning! I promise I will be back soon. I've been recovering from the 1/2 marathon and trying to continue to stick to my training plan. Oh then there's that work thing! Just trying to get my bearings about me in a chaotic schedule where if I get ANY downtime I just want to sleep, but can't because I've got monkey mind about what I need to do and.....ohhhhhh....it's all just a vicious cycle. Be back later! Hopefully with more upbeatness!

So I married a kid magnet.

2009-03-11T19:54:00.003-05:00

Today was a good day. Chris came to the gym and shadowed (in the shadows) while I trained a client. He claims that I'm really cute when I train someone - blamed it on the ponytail! I can't wait until he starts training people: he's a natural and has expressed interest in training kids. Perfect! The guy's a regular kid magnet, man! We'll be in the grocery store and there's a kid in the front of the cart and almost strains his/her neck to see around the parent so he/she can give Chris a big cheesy grin. I think it's cute.

So I finish my morning at the gym about 9:30 and skippity hop across the street to have my teeth cleaned. Oh Boy!!!! I walk in and my dentist tells me that she will be cleaning my teeth. I love my dentist. She has very small hands that fit into my very small mouth comfortably. We always talk about what the next crazy thing I'm going to do. She got really excited that we are going to do an Ironman in KY. She and her husband both went to dental school in Louisville. So she gave me a list of several great restaurants.

Time to swim:

Warm Up:
400 as 75 drill, 25 free continuously
8 x 50 as drill 25, build pace 25 (R:15)
Mainset:
4 x 100 (R:15)
Odds are easy swim w/good form
Evens are 25 swim, 25 kick on right side, 25 swim, 25 kick on left side
400 steady swim w/pull buoy, breathing bilaterally every 3 - 5 strokes
4 x 100 (R:15)
Odds are swimming in a straight line; close your eyes every few yards to be sure you are swimming straight - be careful! If you find you veer left then pull out farther w/right hand. Veer right, then pull out farther w/left hand
Evens are swimming & practicing sighting 2x down the lane (lift head slightly & increase kick slightly)
Cool Down:
2 x 200 (R:20)
#1 - alternate 25 free, 25 nonfree
#2 - with toys, your choice - pull buoy, paddles, fins (easy swimming!)

This was a good swim. I felt really relaxed. I just got some hand paddles and let me tell you that it's a great little arm work out with using half the energy. As I was backing out of the parking lot, I noticed a person who was backing out to go the opposite direction. I started to pull back in to let them go then I saw them waving me on. So I continued to back out then as I passed them I noticed something I find really confusing. This person had a cigarette hanging out of their mouth. LEAVING THE GYM! Aaaaahhhh yes! There is nothing quite like that post workout cigarette. WTF???!!!

The rest of the day was pretty smooth and uneventful - this is ALWAYS a gooooood thing! Time to get my stuff together for tomorrow and hit the hay. Say goodnight, Gracie!

I'm ready!

2009-03-10T20:22:00.002-05:00

This Sunday is the 1/2 marathon and I'm ready. For the first time since I've been doing all this crazy stuff, like Captain Kirk - I have a plan. Right down to the paces during the run at certain mileages. Nutrition is starting to line up and I'm hydrating well. I'm getting more sleep this week. I'm going to know how it feels to be totally prepared for this and have my best race yet! No more med tents for me...well...unless I'm affected by some external factor. I'm confident and I'm not comparing myself to anyone else (like I ever have). This will be MY race and I will run it to the best of my ability. Now if the weather will just cooperate and not rain!

Today's training:

Run 40 minutes in Zones 1 -2.
At 20 minutes into it, add 6 x 1 minutes hard pace followed by 1 minute easy.

Not too bad and the weather was warm! I have Spring Fever, Baby! Too bad the next few days don't get out of the 40's for highs. Not for loooooong!!! Here it comes boys and girls!!!!

My BFF, the bike trainer!

2009-03-09T19:58:00.004-05:00

I often wonder these days, is it just me getting older or does time really fly a little faster everyday? I remember when I was younger hearing "older" people talk about how time just flew by. I thought it was total BS. I guess that's what I get for thinking!

Saturday was a hard run:

The first 30 minutes of this run are a warm up in zones 1 - 2. Then, turn around and come back strong BUILDING from zones 3 - 4 on the way back. Cool down very easy the last 5 minutes.

Can I just say OMG!!!!! I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest and my legs were turning to lead. I did it though. All except for the last 4 minutes. I just couldn't, so I didn't. The rest of the day we just kicked around. It was good.

Sunday was a ride:

Warm Up:
20 minutes easy
5 x 1 minute @ 80 rpms, 3 minutes @ 100 rpms
Mainset:
10 minutes @ 80 rpms, zone 25 minutes easy6 minutes @ 70 rpms, high zone 25 minutes easy3 minutes @ 60 - 65 rpms, zone 36 minutes easyREPEAT (total is 70 minutes)
Cool Down:
Finish up easy spinning

Can I just say that the trainer and I are bonding nicely? 2:15 on the trainer. Yes, that's two hours and 15 minutes! Fortunately I had a movie to watch (The Secret Lives of Bees - check it out). It was still hard and I think I sweat about 3 lbs. out of my body. I did hydrate and eat while doing this, so I felt good after. I didn't feel depleted at all when I finished. I don't know, maybe I was just so damn glad to be off of the trainer. I slept very well last night, though. In fact I forgot to turn my alarm on and when Chris asks me what time I'm supposed to get up I go into panic mode. I had a 45 minute extension on my sleeping pattern. I needed it, but I'm the kind of gal that needs to wake up slowly to full awareness. My day was kind of jacked up from that point on!

Monday was another, much shorter, trainer ride:

Warm Up:
5 minutes easy @ 90 rpms5 minutes as every 30 seconds alternate b/w 80 rpms or 100 rpms5 minutes easy @ 95+ rpms
Mainset:
6 x 30 seconds spinning up to a maximum rpm & maintaining it for 30 seconds. Easy spin for 4:30 after each spin up. Heart rate is not observed. Maximum rpm is indicated when you start to bounce in the saddle
Cool Down:
5 minutes easy

Short, but hard nonetheless! I've got another full week, so I'll blog when I can!

Positive thoughts

2009-03-06T21:02:00.002-06:00

Marco!!!! Polo!!!!! Here I am! Did you miss me? Prolly not 'cause all I ever seem to blog about is my boring training. Which I shall continue to do because it's my blog and I can blog about whatever I want to blog about! If you don't like it you can get your own blog... I'm just kidding. I love that people find it interesting enough to read about.

Wednesday I had lunch with my sister. I don't get to see her enough now. Isn't it funny, when you're kids you can't wait to get away from each other. She used to beat the holy crap out of me, but I did manage to get a few good swings in on her kneecaps. She's about 8 in. taller than me and would put her hand on my head and hold me away from her while I wasted all my energy swinging at the air. Ahhhh, those were the good old days!

Thursday was just kind of came and went. I do remember the workouts though:

Bike:
Warm Up:
15 minutes easy
10 x (20 seconds @ 110+ rpms, 40 seconds @ 90 rpms)
Mainset:
4 x 3 minutes interval (described below), followed by 2 minutes easy spin
Use an easy to moderate gear; increase your cadence every 20 seconds.After 1 minute, drop a gear/add resistance & go back to where you started with cadence & increase back up again
Cool Down:
15 minutes easy

Run:
NOT off the bike; later or earlier in the day. 30 minutes in zone 1 to low 2.

I did both of these inside. I hear the collective gasp of all you who live in central AR. Yes it was in the upper 60's, but windy as all get out. I just kept thinking about that wind gusting up to 25 mph and I just didn't have it in me to battle it. So I hopped on the trainer which is not so bad if you're doing drills. It's really better to do that stuff on the trainer so you can pay attention. I did the run on the treadmill because of time constraints and I needed to stay in Zone 1 and low 2. If you're familiar with where we live than you understand that if I had run outside, I would have ended up in Zone 3 and possibly 4. It is H-I-L-L-Y over here.

Today has been a good day! I was groggy when I woke up, but it was because Chris had gotten home from being out of town and...well....you know... Anyway, I started on my way to work and started what my friend Marianne calls "coffee prayers". A "coffee prayer" is talking to the universe or God or whatever it is that you honor whenever you have a short moment. I do it on my way to work in the car. It's pretty safe seeing that I leave before 6:00 and there is minimal traffic. This morning I prayed for my friend who is battling cancer, was thankful for all the universe has blessed me with and made the decision that I would make an honest conscious effort to stayed positive all day long. If a negative thought entered my head, I would do my best to dismiss it. You know what? I was calm and happy all day. I think when you start your day out looking in the mirror and criticising yourself you are setting the tone for the day. Unfortunately, most of us do this. We honestly think that we are too this or not enough that. In reality we just beat ourselves down with doubt about our abilities and who we are. It is us and us alone that can change that. We don't have control of a lot that goes on in this world, but we do have the control of our view of it and communicating effectively. As John Mayer says, Say What You Need To Say!

Today's training:

Warm Up:
3 x 100 drill 75, swim 25 (R:15)
2 x (3 x 50 done as easy, moderate, fast) (R:15 after each 50)
Mainset:
3 x 600 (rest 1 minute after each 600)
#1 - swim w/good form; maximize time on side, stretch out stroke, drop forearm at elbow to begin pull, keep head low, elbows high, do not overkick
#2 - swim as 6 x 100 (R:05 after each 100) at a fast pace
#3 - 600 negative split, finish strong
Cool Down:
300 pull
TOTAL = 2700

There is this guy who has been swimming at the pool since about the time I started training for the Ironman. When he started swimming, he made a comment that I made it look so easy. I just told him to keep swimming and he would get the hang of it. Well, I've watched him progress and not that I'm the best swimmer, I gave him some advice. He's now at the stage where a little tweeking will not overwhelm him and freak him out. So I just told him how much he's improved, but there was a small adjustment he could make and gave him the name of a website for swimming drill to make him really fast! He just exudes this energy that you know he's taking it all in a positive way. Then another guy in the next lane asked me what I was training for and I just beam when I get to tell people that I'm training for an Ironman. He is getting ready for his first sprint triathlon. It reminded me of how far I've come. Sometimes that's just what you need to help you know that you're good enough, smart enough and, darn it, people like you!!!!

Stuff and training

2009-03-03T20:25:00.003-06:00

Just a quick post because I need to catch-up. I feel like I'm just chasing my tail with all these unfinished projects and paper work. I absolutely cannot stand paper work. It goes against my nature. I become cranky when I just sit. Maybe I should just start doing this shit on the treadmill or the trainer. Hey! I think I'm onto something. Here are the last few days workouts:

Sunday:
Warm Up:
30 minutes including 5 x 1 minute at a harder pace, 3 minutes easy pace
Mainset:
Find a rolling course; would like you to spend 10 minutes in zone 2, 5 minutes in zone 3 then 15 minutes in zone 1. REPEAT this 3x (90 minutes total)
Cool Down:
Last 30 minutes ride easy

I actually met the group at Two Rivers and got to see lots of friends (Jo, JBar, Patrick, JMar, Holly, Ian) that I haven't seen in a while and met some new faces as well! I knew that wouldn't last long. I did my 30 minute warm-up before everyone got there so I would just be ready to start my mainset. The first two were a little messy, but the third one I rocked. I felt good and steady. Chris stayed with me for the most part :-)! It felt good to be outside!

Monday:

Swim
400 easy free
400 done as 75 drill, 25 free
400 done as pull w/paddles
400 done as 25 high elbows, 25 easy swim
400 as 25 right arm only, 25 left arm only, 50 easy swim
400 alternate 75 easy, 25 pick it up
Rest 30s after each 400

Strength training

Ahhhh! An easy swim day! How lovely.

Tuesday:

Run
Warm up 15 minutes @ easy pace.
Insert 4 x 4 minutes of 10 seconds faster/50 seconds slower. "Faster" is not overdoing it - just get moving a little faster!
Run 2 minutes @ easy pace after each set.
Remainder of run is cool down at easy pace.

Ride
Ride the duration in zone 1 at a higher cadence. The key is maintaining a low intensity. This ride will get your circulation going and promote recovery. Do not push the pace.

Great run!!!! I know I'm going to kick arse at the 1/2 marathon.

Well I've got a little work to do and shut-eye to catch!

Productivity

2009-02-28T20:56:00.002-06:00

It was a pretty productive day - YAY! Got up at 5:30 to eat and get swimming by 7:00:

30 - 40 minutes today worth of drills - YAY!
Do them as 4 x 75 (50 drill, 25 swim ) resting as needed after each.
Choose FOUR drills to focus on the entire time.
You can also add in a few steady 300s after working on a particular drill.

It actually was about 7:20 when I got in the water. Got my swim done and I had brought my cold weather running gear with me so I could just run from the gym:

Run 45 - 50 minutes today. Along the way throw in a few of these drills:
1 - skipping where you push off your forefoot & drive knee forward
2 - sideways 'gallop' to work on strengthening the lateral plane
3 - butt kicks working on contracting the hamstrings towards the glutes.
Do 20 seconds of each drill, throw them in throughout the run & don't overdo it.

So I was going to suck it up and run in the 30 something feeling temp. I just sort of rinsed the chlorine off and put some lotion on. I was already psyched up and when I walked outside it was misting. I promptly talked myself out of running from the gym. What if it really started raining? I decided that if it had stopped any sort of precipitation when I got home, I would run outside for 30 minutes. Heck, I was already dressed for it. I get home and I'm just about to go do my run and it starts raining for real. Treadmill intervals it is, then! 30 minutes worth on a treadmill is about all I can stand, maybe 45 if I really have to, but at 1 hour I just want to slit my wrists! It's hard doing treadmill training. It kind of gives me shin splints because the belt is forcing you to keep up with it. If you don't you will suffer the consequence of belt burn on your face accompanied by a goose egg on the ol' noggin. Believe me, people will ask what it is on your face; you can't just wear a ninja mask all the time to cover that up. Anyway... WOW! Was I ever schwetty when I dismounted. I felt pretty good. Unfortunately my "runner's high" only lasts for about 30 minutes.

Time enough to shower and get to Saturn for the oil change appointment. Chris met me there so I wouldn't have to sit and listen to this really obnoxious women discuss her plethora of health issues with a poor lad that I'm sure she didn't even know. It was a constant flow - I don't know if she even took a breath. She shot me a look of "how dare you interrupt me" when I got notice of a text message on my cell phone. So when her phone rang I looked at her like "how dare you stop your riveting one-sided conversation". I don't think she even saw it!

Got back to Little Rock and went to the grocery store to get stuff for my dad's birthday. We had everyone over and I think we all had a good time! Although we had to lock the cats away from my younger nephew. We call him Reidzilla. He's like a little linebacker and will physically move you out of his way! My little niece Avery, on the other hand, was glad that the cats were locked up. Graham my older nephew doesn't really care one way or the other, just DO NOT touch his chicken nuggets or you will never hear the end of it. We did get a pretty snow this afternoon and evening. Just sort of dusted the yards. Hopefully this will be it for that silly winter weather. I'm supposed to do a 2 hr. and 30 min. ride tomorrow and I ain't doin' it on the trainer! I may look like a circus bear with my 15 layers, but it will be done outside. I only hope I will have some other fools out there to keep me company!

See you tomorrow!

Bottle it up!

2009-02-27T18:14:00.003-06:00

Today was a much better day! Thank ya, Jesus! Yesterday just felt icky and today felt clean and new.

When Chris got home last night and walked through the door he took one look at my puppy dog face and asked if everything was alright. I just told him that I had a very draining day - that it was nothing that happened to me directly. I just let it affect me. I know it sounds sappy, but all I wanted yesterday was my Luvbug! Sometimes you just want your woobie and you know that everything will be alright. Unfortunately some days you can't have your woobie and you just have to suck it up! Yesterday was one of those days.

I woke up this morning and felt rested; very unusual for me. I trained my 6:00 am client and headed off to the pool for my swim:

Warm Up:
300 swim
6 x 50 drill (R:15)
Mainset:
500 hard (R:1:00)
200 pull (paddles optional) (R:30) this is an easy pull effort
REPEAT 3x
Cool Down:
100 backstroke
TOTAL = ~2800

I have not been enjoying my swims as of late and felt like I was just struggling to get through them. I didn't feel like I was making ANY progress...until today. I got in the pool and immediately knew it was going to be a good swim. I started my warm-up and felt really relaxed and calm. I just enjoyed the water running over my body - I would say it might have felt
womb-like. I was comfortable the entire time and never felt like I was out of breath. I also finished about 5 minutes faster than I did previously on this distance. For once I got out of the pool and had energy. I also think I'm swallowing less water because I usually have to piss like a Russian race horse. Not today! I just want to capture that feeling and put it in a jar so I can eat it on race morning. But alas, I cannot bottle up good feelings. Isn't it funny how you can bottle up anger and sadness, but not happiness?

My second workout of the day was some strength training. I almost always enjoy that, though. I know that most women don't really have an appreciation for this type of training. Women usually want to be on the move. I like both. Does that make me weird? I'd like to think not. They work so well together - cardio and strength training. You just can't go wrong. I do need to work on flexibility, although I am better about stretching than I used to be. An injury can make you do things like that. My hip? 99.9 % betta! So I feel I'm ready for the 1/2 marathon and I'm not dreading it and that feels great!

Yes, Geo! Life is good - especially when things are going your way!

The pleasure of pain

2009-02-26T20:22:00.003-06:00

Today started out great! I had my class and it went smoothly. Chris even came back! I felt good and had good energy. My 6:30 appt. showed up and it just went downhill. She has a friend who is battling cancer that I blogged about just recently...well, she is really having a tough time trying to hold it together. She is also having a rough go of it at work. She came in this morning all glassy and red-eyed. Definitely not her norm! She doesn't usually take medication, but last night she needed it. She was not her usual perky, smiling self and it made me very sad.

Then while I was training her I heard my 7:30 leaving a message, but I was unable to understand what she had said. I finished up with my first client and listened to the message. She had gotten a call from a relative on her way to the gym that her cousin had died in a car accident the night before. She would not be working out. Again, this made me sad.

Then it seems like everyone has the intestinal yuckies or the snotty head. I just couldn't get out of the funk today.

Until I went for my run. This was my last "big" run before the 1/2 marathon on March 15th. It started out a little sluggish, but I soon hit my groove and I forgot my day and previous mood. Having that physical outlet...well, there's nothing quite like it. Just to feel the rush of endorphins and your heart just beating all to hell. The pain reminds you that your alive and you start to crave that pain. Just to be out there and doing something and feeling every bit of it. I wouldn't have it any other way. How did I ever survive without it?

Today's run:

Warm up 30 minutes building to mid zone 2.
Then do 20 minutes in high zone 2.
Then do 20 minutes building to zone 3.
Last 5 minutes cool down.

Word for the day...Insanity

2009-02-25T19:25:00.003-06:00

Today was a recovery day and my body was ready for it. I used to resent recovery days, but now I look forward to them. I'll be ready to get going again tomorrow!

I had a former client send me an email telling me that she is really feeling frustrated about not experiencing any change in her body no matter what she does. After 3 months and not reaching her goal, she backs off of the intensity. In the email she mentioned the word repeat and cycle in the same sentence. So this is what I had to "say" to her:

You are not alone in your frustration. A lot of people are lost on what to do when what they are doing isn't working. So they repeat the same pattern over and over. It's completely normal and we've ALL been there. It can make you completely insane. Do you know what the definition of insanity is? It's doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result or outcome. We continue on the same path when we know in our heart of hearts we are going to end up in the same situation. In my opinion a lot of people are subconsciously afraid to truly succeed because the risk of failure is greater. So to avoid failure we never quite reach success. We often think, "What's the point? I'm going to fall flat on my face anyway!". Yup, you might, but you probably won't! If you do, it isn't a failure - it's experience and a lesson learned. No one likes being in a rut, but we are constantly doing it to ourselves because it is just easier that way.

A lot of people will choose the easy way. I think that's what sets athletes apart from the rest of society. We are constantly looking for the next challenging situation to prove ourselves to, well...ourselves - for the most part. Sometimes we are elbowed and nudged into doing things by a buddy for some friendly competition. But usually we are in it to push ourselves and see if we can get to the next level past our current limits. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose! No matter what the outcome, you know you had to do it. You had to try. You know you can NEVER stop trying and pushing because you may as well stop breathing if that happens!

So the next time you doubt yourself, just get over it and try harder!

Just training

2009-02-24T21:00:00.002-06:00

Fat Tuesday, hmmmmmm.....I went to get acupuncture and the receptionist asked me if I was going out to celebrate Fat Tuesday. Heck, I didn't even know - so I guess not! Well, just a quick blog about my training:

Monday:

Swim:
600 warm up done as 50 high elbows (or fingertip drag), 25 swim
500 pull as 25 right arm only, 25 left arm only, 50 swim (this will overload the single arm but is great for building arm strength)
400 done as 25 head out of water swim (increase arm turnover, increase kick, this is an aggressive drill), 75 easy swim
300 no touching the wall, turn around the "T" lilke you would a buoy
200 easy your choice of nonfree stroke, kick, etc.
TOTAL = ~2000

Strength Training:
Choose 30 minutes of exercises & do them 10 - 15 reps each.

Tuesday:

Bike:
10 minutes easy warm up
5 minutes @ 80 rpms5 minutes @ 90 rpms5 minutes @ 100 rpmsEffort builds with each change in cadence (low zone 2, mid zone 2, high zone 2). REPEAT this set 2x through (total 30 minutes)
10 minutes easy spin

Run:
25 - 30 minutes off the bike OR 30 - 35 minutes later in the day. In either case; easy for 10 minutes then do 20 minutes steady in zone 2. Cool down with any remaining time.

Just a rundown! Be back tomorrow!

Taken, hill repeats and Sharkies.

2009-02-22T19:50:00.004-06:00

Another Sunday has come and gone, but it was a good one. I got my weekly Target visit in, most of the laundry done, my workout in and we went to see the movie Taken. OMG! Talk about I.N.T.E.N.S.E.!!!! That movie rawked! If you like a good action flick GO SEE THIS MOVIE! Can you tell I'm excited?! The exclamation points should give it away! Seriously, we completely lost ourselves in this movie. We forgot which direction the bathrooms were in when we came out. Totally worth it.

About the only thing I didn't get done today was making some stuff for dinner this week, but I have some stuff in the freezer. So, itsallgood! The workout was tough today - interval hill repeat cycling, but I got to wave at lots of friends that I haven't seen in awhile. Here's the workout:

Warm up:
20 minutes easy spin5 x 1 minute moderate, 3 minutes easy
Mainset:
Find a hill that takes about 2 - 5 minutes to climb.
Climb it seated with HR in zone 2.
Once at the top, ride 5 minutes steady in zone 3.
Then ride 10 minutes very easy.
Do this 4x.

Well, let me just say that I haven't done hill repeats in a few months and my buttocks are letting me know it (already!). I'm sure my adductors and ITB will be letting me know by the morning as well. I did happen to try some new thing for nutrition today. They are called Sharkies and really geared toward kids sports nutrition. But I mean, hey, aren't we all just kids when we get on our bikes? Sharkies don't have any high fructose corn syrup. Yup just plain old sugar. They were really easy to eat and pretty tasty. Easy on the tummy too! So if you are looking for something a little more "natural" and simple than you should try these.

I've still got a little work to do, tomorrow is Monday and I have to be up before the chickens.

Get out your mats!

2009-02-21T20:40:00.006-06:00

Some days you just don't have the motivation to do, well...a damn thing. Today was one of those days. It was raining and gray I just wanted to sleep! However, the 1/2 marathon is upon me and I had to get out and get one last big run in and there was noooooo way I was doing it on the treadmill. I got my grocery store visit done and started working on my clients' programs for the upcoming week and the 'Sleepy Monster' started nipping at my ankles and eventually just sunk his teeth into my skull. I had to take a nap. Of course, Chris was excited about this because he is the nap king! He's spent years perfecting his napping skills and I believe he even has a sponsor and agent. So a 45 min. nap was had and I felt much better after. I think that if everyone in the whole world took a nap everyday, we would be more happy and productive. I think in America we have it backwards. We force children with enough energy to send 10 space shuttles up to take a daily nap and think that overworked adults who take 5 min. to themselves to cram a sandwich down their throats are lazy. What's up with that? Okay, I'm done with that, but I'm just sayin'...

Ran today for 1 hr. 45 min.

30 minutes easy build from zone 1 to zone 2. (zone 1 is 0-135, zone 2 is 136-145)

Then do 40 minutes steady in zone 2.

Then, 4 x 3 minutes in zone 3 followed by 2 minutes very easy. (zone 3 is 146-152)

Cool down 15 minutes very easy.

I got a total of 11.51 miles at an average pace of 9:07. I did see some zone 4 in there and believe it or not, I felt very comfortable there. I think I had sort of a euphoria going on with all the endorphins. I was also supposed to spin easy for 20 min. after the run, but instead I opted for 15 min. of stretching and a 7 min. ice bath. I'm still having trouble with my supplementation during activity. The gels are too gooey and the all the other things are too sweet and gummy. What's a girl to do? Suggestions are welcome!

Who's in charge here?

2009-02-20T20:18:00.004-06:00

I have come to the conclusion that I no longer control my schedule and it must come to a stop. I feel like I've been suffocating all February and somethin's gotta give. I don't like that feeling. It makes me sort of cranky. I just see a blank space on my calender and have a client standing right in front of me looking at me expectantly to write them into that spot. Well, they probably aren't really thinking that. I just feel obligated to fill all the blank spaces; I don't know why. However, on the flip side, I'm not hurting for income! When you work for yourself you sort of have to suck it up sometimes and just make sure you have your helmet and seatbelt on. I'm also struggling with my training for the Ironman. Not the training itself, but the selfishness I feel because I signed up for the Ironman. It's just something on my list of things I want to do before I die. Hopefully I won't die trying to work and train. Hopefully I won't lose total touch with the people I care most about and I see it happening already. Am I sorry I signed up for the Ironman? NOPE! Not one bit! It's just going to take better planning and I know I will find my groove soon.

Swim training today.
2 x (100 easy drill, 200 easy build) (R:30)
3 x 400 fartlek with :40 rest after each one & done as:
25 fast, 75 cruise, 50 fast, 50 cruise, 75 fast, 125 cruise“Cruise” is feel good speed – not hard.
100 ez nonfree
5 x 100 pull (R:15) strong effort
100 ez
TOTAL= ~2500

Just to let you know, after today's swim, I've done 6300 yds. total this week. I never thought I'd be doing that, but I also never thought 5 years ago I'd be preparing myself for an Ironman. In fact I didn't even know what the hell a triathlon was. Now if you don't know what a fartlek is (stop with the 8th grade boy sense of humor), it is damn hard! That's what it is! Now go Google it!

It's a wonderful life!

2009-02-19T21:01:00.002-06:00

Just a quick hit (as Geo calls them). I found out today that a client of mine, that has been battling cancer since last Sept., had her cancer spread to her spine, lungs and hips. Back in Oct. she had a 2 1/2 lb. encapsulated tumor removed along with one of her kidneys. She had a tumor wrapped around her first rib that is about 1/2 the size it was because of radiation. She is on a pain pump and will start radiation next week.

I HAVE AN AWESOME LIFE!!!!!!

On the training front I did drills on the trainer today due to time constraints. An hour ride:
10 min. easy warm-up
5 x 1 min. @ 60 rpms (moderate), 1 min. easy

Mainset:
5x (2 min. @ 70 rpms, 1 min. @ 60 rpms, 1 min. standing @ 60 rpms, 2 min. easy @ 100 rpms)

I was to keep my HR in Zone 2 throughout the mainset and cool down 10 min.

Jump off trainer and onto treadmill for 20 min. steady HR in Zone 2.

I felt great and the best part is no hip pain!!!!! Yes, after about 6 weeks of massage, acupuncture and chiropractic I'm getting back to good.

Did I mention that:

I HAVE AN AWESOME LIFE?!

Daily report

2009-02-18T20:18:00.004-06:00

This morning, I did not get up alone. Chris said last night he was going to get up with me and he actually did it. AND he left the house before I did! So I got to work about 6 and got my day started. You know, I have such a fun job! We have such a great time at work. I love bringing it up a notch and challenging people to go above and beyond what they think their limits are. Most of the time, they are wrong! I love handing them a weight that they would never pick up on their own and watch their expressions say things like, "You want me to do what with this?". I just tell them, "You can do this! You just don't know it yet". And you know what? They do it. And they smile and look so proud. I love my job! Both of them...
On the massage front, I have a very loyal client who I've been working with on a weekly basis for about 4 years. He is a very unique doctor who believes in educating his patients and refuses to wear a white coat. He emails his patients a copy of their consult and encourages them to ask questions. He told me that if a doctor acts annoyed when asked questions you need to find a new one. Well, he has a very good friend he has known since he was 12 who called and emailed me this evening. I don't know this friend, but he lives in Montreal - yup that would be Quebec. I called him back and spoke to him for the first time. Really nice guy who tells me in his very French accent that my client tells him that his massage is the best part of his week! Wow, it just floors me to find out that such a brilliant man looks so forward to coming to see me for one little hour! He informs me that he would like to purchase some massages for my client and he wants it to be a surprise. I'm thinking maybe 2 or 3. He proceeds to tell me he would like to pay for 10! Now that's a good friend! Of course I thank him profusely and give him my address. He did find it quite amusing that I refer to him (my client) as Dr. ________. In fact I could say with confidence that he chuckled.
I swam a little today. I told Liz that my arms felt like lead-filled rubber and my shoulders were screaming, but it's all part of the experience. Right? This is going to be a long road, but as long as I'm moving forward, that's all that matters! Besides, it was just a few drills, not 2800 yards!
One of my clients sent an email to me telling she had read my blog and she said she could relate to the lack of confidence. She said she felt like she has the knowledge, but didn't quite find the edge to push herself. It is this kind of feedback that inspires me to blog. It's a great way to get your thoughts out there and maybe there will be just one person who can relate or be inspired by something you've said or done. It's such a small world and really deep down we are all the same - we want to be happy, loved, accepted and succeed. Not that I'm trying to get deep here, because really who has time for that anymore? But it is all so human and normal to feel that way. Anyone who tells you that they don't feel that way, you should be suspicious - probably a pod person, so watch your back!
Well, I'm tired and it's late (for me) so I'm going to hit the hay.

Picking back up...

2009-02-17T17:45:00.003-06:00

Okay time to get back onto the blog horse! No matter how short the blog is or what it's about. I assure you that most of the time until Aug. 30th this blog is going to be about my adventures in training. I'm really learning a lot about myself so far. Things like I can break through my mental barriers and push through my limits - for a very long time I have stopped short of going above and beyond because I have lacked the confidence and knowledge to do so. I changed one thing, I hired a coach with 10 years of experience. I couldn't be doing this without her - Thank You Liz! I've also learned that training for an Ironman can be VERY lonely. It seems like while everyone else is out doing group rides, I'm slotted to run or swim or do drills on the bike. Things I don't lack are consistency, focus (on training) and being a "good girl" (meaning I do as I'm told). I want to risk nothing that will keep me from doing my absolute best for this Ironman. I'm talking about over training and injury because it's usually a two-fer with those! I think I would be absolutely crushed if I got to a month out of doing this life changing thing and hurt myself because I did something that Liz advised me against. Yup, I'm going to do this thing right and who knows where it could lead me?
Just a synopsis of my very interesting and intriguing training from today (because I know you all are just dying to know). I swam 2800 yds. today and I'm here to tell you that I never thought I would be doing that! EVER! The tail end of the swim was 4 x 75 at max effort (R:30). Translated: swim 3 lengths (75 yds) as hard and fast as I could then rest 30 seconds - do that 4 times! By the last 75 yds. my ears were ringing, my heart was racing, my legs were tingling and almost stopped working - I thought I was going to pass out. I just kept telling myself, "Look lady! You are in 4 ft. of water and can stand up at ANY time. Push it!". It really made me appreciate the 150 yd. cool down. Drills are the way to go if you want to get good at swimming. I have improved quite a bit since the end of Dec. After the swim I had to do some strength training for 30 minutes and compared to the swim, it was cake!
I look forward to a good season and hopefully I'll see some of you sprinkled out there along the way.

Getting ready for a comeback!

2009-02-14T15:51:00.002-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

I promise I'm coming back! Febuary is always like this plus my training is getting ramped up week by week. Spring is coming and I have to be ready. I'll try and blog tomorrow!

Cooking, one legged pedalling and a good season to come!

2009-01-18T20:29:00.009-06:00

Okie dokie! Back among the living now. Thank goodness! I was beginning to wonder if January was a foreshadowing of the rest of the year. I decided that I prefer thinking that I'm just getting all of the bad stuff out of the way to enjoy a great season.

I got Retuled! A very cool 3-D, state of the art bike fitting they now have at Chainwheel. It shows you everything - your position from every angle, power output, cadence, etc... They hook you up (literally) to get a readout of everything. They show you a chart of a "normal" range of numbers that you aim to hit. Of course, every body is different and Pat was sure to make it clear that he understood this. Their focus is to get you to a comfortable place thus increasing your power output. Because after all, if you don't feel good you can't perform well! He made a few minor adjustments and I tried it out on Sunday.

I have to pre-empt my experience with the fact that I've recently started cooking for us more. I received a really great cookbook for Christmas named 'The Foods You Crave'. I decided that I wanted to cook on Sundays for the upcoming week. I like the idea of making things because that way you know what's in your food. I want less sodium, more protein and convenience. So I make out a list, I go to the grocery store somewhere between Wed. and Sat., prep on Sat. and cook on Sun. I freeze what I can so all we have to do for the most part is take something out of the freezer for dinner in the morning so it's thawed by that evening. I've had a lot of success so far and it's helping us to stay honest with ourselves. Chris is even eating salads now (requesting them actually). This, of course, excites me not only because it's healthier, but I like salads and they are easy to make.

So after cooking most of what I wanted to cook on Sunday, I was about to start climbing the walls. I thought briefly about putting my bike on the trainer and doing my drills inside because of the 15 - 20 mph winds. Oh, the sky was so blue and it was almost 60 degrees (in Jan.?!!!!), so I loaded my bike into the VUE and went on my merry little way to Cook's. I got a bad feeling on the way out there, but chose to ignore it. I hate it when I'm right sometimes! I didn't take into consideration that everyone else on God's green Earth wanted to be outside and on the River Trail too!

I got out of my car and almost got right back in because it sure didn't feel like almost 60 degrees now! I unloaded my bike anyway - I was determined to ride outside and ignore my gut and goosebumps. At least I was smart enough to put on a long sleeved base layer and had some long fingered gloves. Rats! No ear covers anywhere in my car, though. Usually as long as I can keep my ears warm I'm okay.

I finally get everything together and I'm ready to ride. I actually had to pee, but I couldn't bear the thought of sitting down on the ice-covered toilet seat that would make me even colder. I already couldn't feel my fingers. So I bit the bullet and hopped on the GURU. I mean, hey, I've ridden up Hwy 7 with about 8,000 feet of climbing in a pounding rain storm complete with hail, fog, wind, thunder and lightening with free flowing traffic. I'm not going to let a little nip in the air prevent me from doing what I love. Have I mentioned that I hate it when I'm right sometimes?

I usually listen to my gut, but not that day for some reason. I got started and it wasn't that bad. Eventually I noticed more and more people out on the trail so I kept having to unclip to get around them. There were people everywhere and they were NOT paying attention. Lots of children with no boundaries from the parents on where they could go. I realize that kids will be kids, mind you, but when their parents let them do whatever and go wherever they want without teaching them proper safety (look both ways before you cross the trail) it really kind of pisses me off. It also affirms the fact that I really am okay with just having nieces and nephews.

I started approaching a group of young men that seemed to be scattered through one section of the trail. That was the last time I unclipped. I couldn't get my left shoe clipped back in. I grew more and more frustrated and by the time I got to a stopping place to see what the problem was I was absolutely exhausted from wasting all of my energy on being angry. We had decided during my bike fitting to put some wedges on my shoe. Well, the wedges on my left shoe had gotten bent up and prevented me from clipping back in. It was getting late and Chris and I were supposed to meet with some friends at 5:30 for coffee. I still had a 10 minute run to do. I didn't have time to fix my shoe. Well, I'm pretty sure you can guess what went on for the entire way back. That's right! I got to pedal primarily with my right leg into the 15-20 mph HEADWIND! I think the only time I have ever been more miserable was on the last day of the Northwest AR Challenge. This was a four day, 353 mile, 20,000 feet of climbing ride. The ride up Hwy 7 that I wrote about above was Day 2. You may think that on the last day after all that climbing you would welcome a flat at the end of the ride. Unless there is a 30 mph headwind!!!! Even with my beloved pulling we probably averaged about 9 mph on that stretch.

On the way back I passed a couple of friends who looked so happy. Of course, they were in the tailwind and on their way home. JBar called me the next day to tell me how unhappy I looked. Who was unhappy? Not Little Miss Sunshine! I finally made it back to Cook's; probably averaging about 12 - 13 mph. I think that's pretty good for a one legged suffer fest!

I had a fleeting thought of skipping the run, but decided to do it anyway. I mean, how much worse could it be than the ride? I put my running shoes on and took off. I kept waiting for the familiar twinge in my hip and much to my chagrin...no pain!!!!! Absolutely none! I was so excited that it made the ride seem like it wasn't so bad.

You know you have good workouts and not so good workouts. You really need both. You need the bad ones to remind you that sometimes it hurts to be human. You need the good ones to remind you that you can do incredible things and what it's like when the pain from the bad workouts go away. I'm just happy that the good outweighs the bad so far. This is going to be a great season... The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!

Grounded and ready to fly

2009-01-13T07:25:00.004-06:00

Okay, I know it looks like I've been slacking, but I've been battling a sinus infection for the past 7 days! Finally had to see the doc yesterday. A steroid shot, day 2 of the Z-Pac and some nose spray later, the fog is starting to clear. Liz pulled the reins on my training until I'm 100% better. I hate feeling crappy!

I did get to start my Total Body Course that I'm teaching this morning at 5:30 a.m. I know some of you have your heads cocked sideways thinking about "getting" to start ANYTHING at 5:30 a.m. Yup! That means getting up at 4:00 a.m. to get to the gym by 5:20. The first class is always about working out the kinks and blowing out the cobwebs. You find out what you can cut out and what needs to stay on the program. Anything that elicits heavy grunting and sweating definitely stays! These people work hard when they take these classes and I'm always happy to see their interest. I've never been one to like being up in front of even a few people with all eyes on me. It was always seriously nerve wracking to me. What's kind of personality do you need to have to pull it off? Do I need to be witty and entertaining? How about serious and focused? Will it be challenging enough? Will everyone get the benefit that I want them to get? I go through this every time I start one of these things. The reality is that people want you to be real, sincere, genuine. All they ask is that you be honest and yourself. You don't have to have a witty dialogue throughout the experience. I just have to remember to enjoy myself and remember that my job is FUN! It's a privilege to get to do what you love and are passionate about for a living.

Sometimes I forget this and it becomes "a job", but in those moments that I feel that way if I get really still and just breathe it all comes back to me. You have to remember to stay grounded and do everything you do with purpose. Live and breathe every moment of everyday in and exhale out all that unimportant stuff. Take a moment to get centered then bring yourself back to whatever madness you need to deal with. Here, let's try it now...

Inhaaaaaaale

and

Exhaaaaaaale

aaaaaahhhhhh

See, isn't that better?

Something to make you cry and make you laugh!

2009-01-06T19:55:00.006-06:00

My training is going well so that's good news. It feels good to be getting pain-free again. I did some drills on the trainer for an hour and then ran on the treadmill for 20 minutes (easy pace). I've been getting acupuncture for my hip and yesterday I went to see a friend of mine who is also a massage therapist. She asked me what I needed her to do and I told her whatever she had to do to get this hip back to good. She did an evaluation on me. She did some Rossiter work which is somewhat like Rolfing, but...hmmmm...a bit more intense. Well, a lot more intense, if you ask me. This actually made my eyes water. We'll call it an exquisite pain. If you're an athlete then you know exactly what I'm talking about. You are generally lying on the floor as the practitioner takes her/his heel and finds a "good" spot then proceeds to put pressure (not their entire body weight) while you go through some range of motion. Brilliant! The client is essentially doing all the work. I have to learn more about this! Anyway, let's just suffice it to say that she got to the root of the problem I believe. I feel really great today, so I think I'm on the right track!
Okay, someone sent this to me a few days ago and it cracked me uuuuuup!! It reminds me a little of that game Mad Libs (I love that game). I've sent it to some of you already and your responses have been keeping me quite entertained. So break the code and leave a comment on what yours is!

Here is mine as an example:

I sang to a fork in my car because I'm cool like that

Pick the month you were born:
January-------I kicked
February------I loved
March--------I karate chopped
April----------I licked
May----------I jumped on
June----------I smelled
July-----------I did the Macarena With
August--------I had lunch with
September----I danced with
October-------I sang to
November-----I yelled at
December-----I ran over

Pick the day (number) you were born on:
1-------a birdbath
2-------a monster
3-------a phone
4-------a fork
5-------a snowman
6-------a gangster
7-------my mobile phone
8-------my dog
9-------my best friends' boyfriend
10-------my neighbour
11-------my science teacher
12-------a banana
13-------a fireman
14-------a stuffed animal
15-------a goat
16-------a pickle
17-------your mom
18-------a spoon
19------ - a smurf
20-------a baseball bat
21-------a ninja
22-------Chuck Norris
23-------a noodle
24-------a squirrel
25-------a football player
26-------my sister
27-------my brother
28-------an iPod
29-------a surfer
30-------a homeless guy
31-------a llama

What is the last number of the year you were born:
1--------- In my car
2 --------- On your car
3 ----------- In a hole
4 ----------- Under your bed
5 ----------- Riding a Motorcycle
6 --------- sliding down a hill b
7 --------- in an elevator
8---------- at the dinner table
9 -------- In line at the bank
0 -------- in your bathroom

Pick the colour of shirt you are wearing:
White---------because I'm cool like that
Black---------because that's how I roll.
Pink-----------because I'm NOT crazy.
Red-----------because the voices told me to.
Blue-----------because I'm sexy and I do what I want
Green---------because I think I need some serious help.
Purple---------because I'm AWESOME!
Gray----------because Big Bird said to and he's my leader.
Yellow--------because someone offered me 1,000,000 dollars
Orange--------because my family thinks I'm stupid anyway.
Brown---------because I can.
Other----------because I'm a Ninja!
None----------because I can't control myself!

Trust me, you're gonna laugh!!!

Sitting idle, but revving up...

2009-01-02T06:46:00.008-06:00

Feeling a little dull yet antsy today. I'm ready to get into a routine. I haven't really had any time to sit down and think what that means, what it will include and how to go about it. I always begin the new year with getting organized. I'm ready to sit and clean out folders, files and drawers. A total purging and cleansing experience!

Then the exciting part comes...NEW OFFICE SUPPLIES!!!!! Some people love that new car smell; I love that new notebook smell. Some women buy shoes and clothes to cheer themselves up. I go buy new pens and paper. When I first told Chris about this when we were dating, he was a little confused and intrigued. He thought he had women somewhat figured out, but I threw him a curve ball with that one. I'm not saying that I'm not high maintenance (I think all women are on some level), but I pretty much maintain myself. Anyway, I know I'm not alone in this love of office supplies. The reason I know this is because when I confess this to some people they just exclaim, "Me toooooo!!!!". Like they are relieved that they aren't the only one with this affliction or affinity (all depends on how you look at it). I guess I could have a worse addiction, so all things considered, I think I'm pretty stable and maybe a bit nerdy at worst. So this little office supply-aholic will belly up to the bar and treat herself to a plethora of pens, paper, folders and pretty much anything that suits her fancy (only in a blog can you "speak" of yourself in third person). So I'm taking this upcoming Monday and Tuesday off to do just get things done that have piled up this holiday season. I'm hoping to feel more together by the middle of next week. Just got done with the last weekend of follies in Shreveport with Chris and friends for the Duathlon and Mountain Bike Race. Neither of which I participated in, but I was more than happy to spectate. I have to say it's a much different experience to watch and I am no good at it. I did get to meet the president of the AR/LA/OK/TX region for USAT, Dave Young! I had initially approach him because of his cool shoes. He was there doing the duathlon and told me about some other multisport events he's done. Like the Ironman in China. He said it was the hottest one he's done and his goal - to be that last finisher. He finished with 20 seconds to spare and said he got treated better than the first place finisher. Fireworks, 5,000 cheering spectators and an interview with a beautiful Chinese newscaster. He said the only thing was that as soon as he ran through the finish line, they collapsed it and there was no food. Someone ran to Burger King for him. The other excitement came from the mountain bike race. Patrick said to me that he was not feeling the love and I almost said, "well, don't do the race", but I knew that would be some wasted breath. He hit a huge, deep pothole and ended up screwing up his shoulder and in the ER. Wow! So that's what a waiting room looks like. I'm so used to being in a treatment room. Anyway, he's okay; they sent him on his way with a prescription for pain meds. He sure is a tough bugger!
I always forget what it's like to get back into it after a sabbatical. Especially the holidays. I gained 6 lbs. and it really makes everything soooooo much harder. I know there is a collective groan going on when I say such things, but it's all relative, right? I start to get a little freaked out when I see 3 lbs. over what I usually weigh, so 6 lbs. is red alert time. Time to get back to low-fat, high fiber and protein. Yep, gonna be living on Kashi Go-Lean Crunch. It's the perfect food because it contains pretty good amounts of all three of those things. Of course, that will start today. Hmmmmm...there's always that last hurrah which is what really makes me completely insane. There is always a good excuse and a reason to throw caution to the wind. Like being out of town. I was relatively good...'cept for Fri. at Burger King when we hadn't even made it out of town yet. Well, I've started the morning with my bowl of Kashi, my scrambled eggs with low-fat cheese and my FRS. Getting ready to go swim and do my strength training routine. I think after this week I will be giving little updates and stats of my training. Last week and this week are the adaptation phase. So basically it's been drills and those are just too complicated to describe. I'm really having trouble with the swimming drills, but I now am armed with a kickboard and flippers. Can't wait to see how that goes! I'll letcha know!

2009-01-01T07:53:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year!!!!!

and that's all I got to say about that.

Pay backs

2008-12-25T21:40:00.004-06:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I know we did. I'm so thankful for my family even though at times I would like to not claim them as my own. My mom is retiring this year. Infact, tomorrow is her last day. 30 years at Drs./St. Vincent's Hospital. She has absolutely run herself into the ground working and her body forced her to halt this evening. She started getting a headache and claimed it was because she waited too late to eat and drank wine on an empty stomach. Very valid, so I figured she knew what she was talking about. She started to look extremely tired and holding her stomach. I kept asking her if she was okay. She eventually decided to lay down for about 30 minutes and when she got up she looked refreshed. Then it started over again and I started to question her about being dehydrated. After all, I am an expert in this department now! I gave her some Endurolytes and offered to go get her some Pedialyte (that stuff is magic). She took the Endurolytes and promptly offered them to the carpet in their bedroom. I told Terri, my sister who is a nurse, that she was dehydrated and needed some fluids. So she left to go to the hospital where she works and get a bag or two (or six). While she was gone, I laid down next to my mom in their bed and put my arms around her just like she used to when I was a kid and not feeling good. I stroked her hair and felt her warmth and the weakness of her tired body. It felt weird to have the tables turned. I liked it because I got to thank her a little for all the times she took care of me in that moment. I gave her a massage and she started to relax and even fell asleep for a few minutes. My sister returned with the fluids which was my cue to leave (no needle going under the skin watching for me). I realized just how important my family is to me tonight. Both of my parents have worked their fingers to the bone and never really enjoyed life at all. They got to raise three children and struggled to make ends meet. Somehow they always managed to do it. We had everything we ever needed. We understood that the 'wants' never matter. We turned out pretty good if I do say so myself and I attribute all the good things about myself to them. It just took 37 years to figure out that they really do know a thing or two about life. Who knows what the future holds? We may not be here tomorrow, but we have so many opportunities to let people know that we love and care about them. I don't want to let those precious moments slip away anymore. How about you?

Sin-amon Rolls and Other Deadly Sins

2008-12-16T20:09:00.002-06:00

Can you believe that we are in the thick of the holidays? It just seems to have slapped me on the back of the head and said, “Ya bloomin’ idiot! I show up every year at the same time and you still act surprised to see me. Amazing!”. So here I sit at my little laptop unable to focus on any one thing for very long. I’m just about to lose my mind from not running for almost two weeks and I am passing things through my lips in mass quantity that I would never eat during the season. Why just today, I’m ever so proud to tell everyone, that I devoured an entire cake pan of homemade yeast cinnamon rolls one of my evil clients made for me. Isn’t that spectacular? I had a fleeting (and I do mean fleeting) thought to just eat the middle (the best part in my opinion) out of one of them and throw the rest of the pan into the trash upside down. That way I wouldn’t be tempted to say to myself, “They’re still in the pan and I haven’t thrown any trash on top of them. That wouldn’t be unsanitary.”. But noooooo! I had a more brilliant idea! I’ll just eat the middle out of all of them to make myself sick and not want cinnamon rolls ever again. So that’s exactly what I did. I was even two fisting it. It was a cinnamon roll orgy! My God, it was beautiful and ugly all at the same time. Nothing but cinnamon roll shrapnel left. I’m seriously glad no one was here to witness it. I did manage make myself sick…for about an hour. I will always love the cinnamon roll, though. I just need to learn to respect the cinnamon roll. Thank goodness I was strong enough to turn the remnants in the pan upside down in the trash or else Chris might have come home to me on the couch with Princess Leia on a leash.
Chris and I decided not to go out to eat for 2 weeks after this past Sunday. Well we made it to this evening. He had pizza and I had pasta. We agreed that it perplexed us that we crave comfort food more when we are dormant. Why don’t we want that stuff when we get done with a long training or an intense workout? Are we distant relatives to bears with their hibernation phase? “Better stock up, we’re not gonna move for a few months!”.
Since I haven’t been running, I’ve been swimming more. I may not be the most graceful swimmer, but it’s a great cardio workout when you are unable to run or ride. So they’ve seen my face quite frequently at Jim Daily Fitness and Aquatic Center. People are so funny to me in justifying what is in their diets (see above paragraph). I walked out of the gym on Sunday morning and the trashcan was overflowing with sacks and wrappers from every fast food joint known to man! Pizza Butt, McFunnel’s, Taco Hell, etc… A sacred temple of crap! People eat this stuff on a daily basis and tell themselves that it’s okay because they will be spending 30 minutes (reading a magazine) on the treadmill or elliptical not pushing themselves because it’s all they could do to even stick their big toe on their right foot in the gym. Someone asked me once what my idea of junk food is and the first thing that came to mind and out of my mouth, honest to goodness, was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Don’t get me wrong, I used to live on fast food and grease laden, cheesy concoctions. When you are young and wait tables for a living you learn to conserve your money for more important things like liquor and cigarettes (yes, I even smoked for 10 years – 10 years ago). The nutritional value, quality and taste of food was somewhere at the bottom of the list of important things.
So I start officially being coached on this Ironman in KY on December 29th. I’m pretty excited about all that I will learn about myself and my nutritional needs. I’m supposed to get on the elliptical on Thursday for 30 minutes and again for 45 minutes on Saturday and report on how I felt. Until then I will try to veer from this self destructive path of eating, but in the meantime I’m pretty sure I will be enjoying a cinnamon roll or six…

Don't think about it, just do it!

2008-12-04T05:10:00.006-06:00

Another week has come and gone. Where does the time go and what have I done productively with that time? These questions sort of scare me because that means I've been on auto-pilot this week. The fact that I have to look at my calender brings about awareness that I definitely need more sleep!
Monday was actually a pretty significant day and is most likely the culprit for walking around in a haze. Jo had sent me a text that she was probably going to sign up for Ironman KY that day. I told her that was pretty exciting and didn't give it another thought. Now if you follow Chris' (Luvbug) blog you already know this story, but this is my perspective of the whole roller coaster evening (roller coaster for me). So I go on about my day and when Chris gets home and before we go get something to eat I tell him, "Jo is going to sign up to the IMKY.". He responds with, "Really? Well I think I need another year of 1/2 Ironmen to feel like I'm ready.". Uh-oh! He threw the word "think" in there. I know what this means...he's thinking of doing it. That's what it means! All I could think about is why the hell did I open my big mouth? We had a plan. That plan was originally to wait until we are 40 which somehow got changed to 39. I was comfortable with this plan and nobody - I mean NOBODY - was going to change up this plan. DAMMIT! Do you all hear me?! I am NOT veering from my course of action! So the fact that I knew he was thinking about signing up made me dig my heels in and I was prepared to hold my line. He starts talking about it more and more and by the time we get to the restaurant (5 minutes from our house and 15 minutes from when I mentioned Jo's decision) he was 50/50. I knew that he had already made his mind up he wanted to do this. He had asked me several times if I really didn't mind if he did it. I had mentioned it earlier that I wasn't ready and he was asking me every 5 minutes if I was still okay with him doing this without me. Each time he asked me my resolve was weakening. He was so excited and I didn't want to throw a bucket of ice water on it. So I just kept saying, "Yes, I'm fine.". But I wasn't fine. We were suppose to do this together and I felt like I was being left behind. I wanted to cry so I just kept looking away. I knew he was onto me when he said I seemed pre-occupied at the grocery store. I was trying to be excited for him, but I was never a good liar. So we get home and I go to the bathroom and proceed to bawl my eyes out. I didn't want to hold him back and I didn't feel like I was ready to do an Ironman. I felt pressured and that made me angry. I was pretty much running the gammut of emotions right there in the bathroom. I finally gathered myself and splashed some cold water on my face. He was going upstairs and change clothes and told me he was going to sign up after that. I just told him, "Well, you may as well sign me up too, then." . There was complete silence (you know like in the song the 'Gambler' by Kenny Rogers? "You could've heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and locked the door"). I can't really remember what was said immediately after that except for the, "Did I just say that out loud?" in my head. I sure did and it was like the vice was removed from my heart. I could breathe and relief washed over me. Maybe I really am ready and I just needed that nudge that he has become so great at giving me. At any rate, we are officially signed up and it took until Thursday of last week for my brain to "thaw".

Time to get a serious, well organized training plan together. All kinds of thoughts started running through my brain like a herd of elephants. Like the fact that my nutrition sucks and I've pretty much reached a plateau in my knowledge of training. Time to bring in some professional help!

I've started following a blog of a pro-triathlete named Elizabeth Waterstraat that Chris told me about. It's freakin' hilarious! I had noticed that she is a USAT coach and didn't really think too much about it...until we signed up for the IMKY. I contacted her last week and started "talking" via email about retaining her services starting in January. She agreed to take me on (Yesssss!) and sent some forms to fill out. I had mentioned that I was having a hip issue so she started asking me a series of questions to see if she could help. She deducted, through my responses, it may just be bone related and not muscular. She suggested that I find a good Sports doc and I may need an MRI. YIKES! I was afraid she was going to come back with that. I sent an email to Mira to see what her opinion was and she suggested a bone scan. Hmmmmm....I guess there was just no way around this and I couldn't ignore it anymore. I have a client who's husband is an Orthopedic Surgeon so I asked if there was anyway I could talk to him. She called him right there on the spot (it was 6 a.m.). He agreed to see me last Friday at 3 p.m. What a guy! I said to him, "You must hate this. It's like you're at a party and there's a guys that says 'Hey, you're a doctor right? Well, I got this pain right here...'.". I guess it sort of helped that I used to work for his brother at a coffeehouse so I've know him for 14 or 15 years and he's just an all around great guy.

Chris and I went to a swim clinic about stroke efficiency on Thursday night and I talked to Gary, another USAT coach and the head of our multisport group at CARVE, and asked what he thought. He said that typically stress fractures are in the pelvic/groin area. Mine is actually where the IT Band attaches to the iliac crest (the arch at the top of the hip). So I started to feel better about this not being a stress fracture.

I went to my appointment and got there about 2:50. They took a couple of x-rays. It was about 4:15 when Gordon entered the treatment room. We looked at the x-rays and he said I was very structurally sound. We came to the conclusion that it was the IT Band fired up. I can put my fingers right on the pain. So ice, stretching and 2 weeks off (per Elizabeth's instructions) running and cycling. I'm already starting to feel like a caged animal......GGGGGRRRRRRRR. Oh well, maybe my swim stroke will improve!

I spent Saturday until 2 p.m. in my PJ's and got some holiday baking done this past weekend. We even went to see a movie and try a new restaurant. I don't know, maybe this won't be so bad ;-). I still have swimming and strength training. At least it happened now and not halfway through training for the Iroman. I'll come back stronger and more ready to kick my own ass with training than ever! I guess if you can't find a way around it, you must go through it.....

Land of the Lost

2008-12-01T08:00:00.005-06:00

Okay, so mountain biking is not natural to me. It's not the end of the world. No big deal. I bow to you, Sarah! I don't know how you people do this and I am in awe of you. Doing a 1/2 Ironman is way easier than that "focus-sucking-energy-draining-oh-my-gawd-I'm-going-down-and-the-big-sharp-rock-on-the-ground-is-coming-fast-at-me" shit is! And that's exactly what I thought several times yesterday.

It had been sprinkling off and on yesterday morning and the temp was in the 30's, but Chris loaded the mountain bikes up anyway. We were being held accountable by John so the show must go on! On the phone to Chris he said, "I thought you were adventurous people". We are to a certain extent. What the heck? It wasn't like it was pouring rain, right? I put on 2 long sleeve base layers, a long sleeve jersey, tights, bike shorts and grabbed my wind breaker, ear covers, knit $1 pair of gloves and we hit the road. Well, would you look at that? SNOW! The only thing that gave me comfort is that once I heard that it doesn't have to be 32 degrees to snow, the temp can be higher. In the 40's even. So I just try to ignore the "feels like" on the weather report. I used to love cold weather - when I weighed 50 lbs. more. Now it just makes my whole body one big muscle contraction and refuses to relax. Unless you want to count the shivering as a muscle spasm.
I proceeded to call John and give him my latest observed weather update and he laughs at me. He tells me that he is 2 minutes from the gate of Camp Robinson and he will be waiting in his warm truck when we get there. No turning back now! DRAT! I'm a woman of my word and unless I have a really good excuse I don't usually back out. Suddenly I feel like the postal service - wind, nor rain, nor sleet, nor snow...
We pull up and just like he stated, he was in his warm truck and waiting. Chris tells me I can just wait in the truck and he will unload my bike, so I immediately jump out of the truck. No way were these boys going to tough it out more than me, damn it! Chris and John talk while we get ready to go get lost in the woods. I wanted to ask if anyone had a map, but Chris usually does so I didn't ask. When we take off I discover that my $1 pair of knit gloves are exactly worth that. You get what you pay for. I'm no wuss! No siree! I'm hanging with the boys today.
We head into the woods on a fairly sane trail. Well, I may have a very skewed view of sane, but big sharp rocks under my tires doesn't seem like a very calm ride to me. I think part of the reason my fingers were numb is because I had a death grip on the handle bars enough to cut off the circulation. Every time I go out on a mountain bike ride, I want to be at the back and far away from the person in front of me. Never mind that I've only been on about 5 mountain bike rides in my entire life. I just like staying upright with my skin in tact on my body, but mountain biking doesn't lend itself to stability. I can just hear those rocks that probably weigh more than me laughing at the novice. I swear some of them move into the path just because riding a bike on dirt and slick leaves uphill is not quite challenging enough. Then you have tree roots, which I don't mind as much as rocks. They are long and thin and you can just roll right over them pretty easily. It's taking every ounce of concentration that I can muster just to keep it rubber side down. All the while John is just talking away - man can he talk! I'm really starting to feel like I can't walk and chew gum at the same time. I feel every bump and crevice. I can only imagine what this does to a person's spine and neck...well, pretty much their entire body. No wonder Sarah needs 2 hours on "the rack".
I'm now going through periods where my teeth are clenched so tightly it would take the jaws of death to open them if I died on the spot and periods of totally enjoying the ride. Unfortunately there were more moments of teeth clenching. I don't really like to grind my teeth in my sleep. I prefer to do it when I'm totally awake! So we're going along and I come to one of these lovely rock gardens and get a knot in my stomach when I hit the side of one and start going down. I tried to unclip, but I guess I just thought I would wait until I hit the ground. I thought that I would also slam a sharp rock into my shin to really initiate myself into the world of mountain biking. Do you know how many times you can say the F-word in 3-5 seconds? A LOT! If I was going to fall I was going to do it in true mountain biker fashion. Unfortunately, I didn't draw blood, so technically it wasn't FULL mountain biker fashion. Now I'm just pissed off and trying to keep from crying about the throbbing in my shin. I wasn't going to cry in front of the boys!
So I get up and get back on the horse - a little on the shaky side. We start riding again and every pedal stroke feels like Tonya Harding has her thug hitting me in the shin with a metal pipe. I have now decided that these rocks aren't going to get the best of me. Noooooo! I'll show them a thing or two! I'll just get off of my bike and walk over those babies. Take that, you stupid rocks!
I'm starting to get a vibe that we are lost. I'm cold, I'm in pain with my hip and brand new shin bruise, I'm frustrated, I'm cranky, my eyes have been gooping up since the beginning of the ride and I have to piss so bad I think I can taste it. So I tell the guys they can keep riding, just show me how the hell to get out of there and I'll be the one waiting in the warm truck this time. John instructs me that if I just stay on this path off to his right that it should take me straight out to the dirt road we came in on. Chris asks if I want them to come with me to make sure I don't get lost. I thanked him, but if the dirt road was just ahead, I thought I'd be fine. So he asked again to be sure, but I needed to be alone to express myself properly and not let them see me fall apart. So he told me that if I did get lost just turn around and come back to that road because they would be coming back that way. With a kiss I was off. Looky there! A small bed of water. How fabulous! At this point in the ride it might as well have been a rushing river with big currents to pull me under. I get off of my bike and cross it because quite frankly I'm sure I would have fallen in and gotten frostbite. So I see off to my left a trail called "Airport Loop" and over the horizon in front of me I see a fence. I decide to put my bike down and investigate the fence option.
There was a dirt road alright! But should I go left or right? He didn't tell me that. I've got a bad feeling about this, but at least I had my cell phone. I opt to try the trail instead. So I grab my bike and take off - cussing everything in the woods. "F-in trees, f-in rocks, f-in leaves!!!!! It all looks the f-in same!". I've been riding for about 10 minutes and I start to hear voices. I decide to keep riding because if it's Chris and John then they will call. Well how about that? My f-in phone that's in my f-in Camel Back in a f-in ziplock bag is ringing. Of course I totally miss the call. It was John and he's left me a message to call if I'm lost. Pretty sure that he was saying "Um, I told you the wrong way and I know you're lost.". So I call, no answer. I call again and some one's beeping in. I wonder who that is? Hey it's John! He tells me that they are coming for me and that I should just turn around. Okie dokie! I turn my bike around and head back. I see Chris and not John. Well he entered the other end of the trail to come looking for me. I send him a text telling him to meet us at "Two Bridges" trail. I hand my phone to Chris because he has a front pocket. Meanwhile Chris is apologizing to me for letting me ride off and not making sure I was okay. I honestly thought I would be fine and assured him it was my choice and not his fault.
John makes it back to us and they tell me that this is definitely the way out as Chris pulls his map out (told you he would have one) to make sure. Chris says he's going to blaze this trail and I should just stay on it because I wouldn't get lost. He takes off and by this time my head is pretty heavy and I just want to go home. I thought I was going to puke at the thought of taking one more pedal stroke. It starts snowing and raining again at this point. As I'm riding I notice that I can see daylight and a skyline. Then I look at the trail and it curves around and is taking me back into the friggin' woods! You gotta be kidding me! Now I'm just talking to myself in disgust. "Look at you! You're lost again and you're NEVER getting out of here!". "Oh, suck it up sister! You came here on your own free will.". Then it occurred to me that Chris had my phone!!!!!! Then the panic set in. "What if I really am lost? I mean they would send someone out to look for me for sure. But how long will I be out here before they found me? Should I keep riding or should I stay where I am?". We are talking Cybill here! I thought I just need to pee and life would be so much better, but I also don't want to ride home in my pee pants. I really have to go though and get off my bike and throw it on the ground. Earlier in the ride, John had mentioned that if you're ever lost and there's not a soul in sight, pull down your pants and someone will appear out of thin air. And you know what? He was right! There was John looking at me and thinking I was throwing my bike down in disgust. As he started to approach me he realized what I was doing and just said, "See! What did I tell ya?". It seemed like I was squatting for 10 minutes. I did feel much better even in my pee pants. We finally see the edge of the woods - Thank ya Jesus! John informs me that if it's any consolation I was cute as a bug on my mountain bike and I looked like I know what I'm doing. I think he was just trying to make me feel better. This time I gladly let Chris handle the bike loading and get myself into the truck as fast as possible. As we were driving away it starts raining and snowing harder and we decide on grabbing some dinner at Lilly's. Chris told me he loves me and that one of the reasons he married me is because I'm a trooper. He said that a lot of other women would have been doing nothing but bitching the whole time. That's just a waste of energy and solves nothing. It also effects the people around you negatively - what's the sense in that?
I'm not sure about this mountain biking thing. I will get back out there, but I guarantee that I will be armed with a map of my own, a flashlight, extra clothing, more food and if I see one single snowflake or drop of rain - FUGIDABOUDIT!

Not feelin' too "hip", just one hip right now...

2008-11-29T18:24:00.005-06:00

We were supposed to do a 12 mile run today. That's what the training schedule said. I really wanted to run 12, but my hip was on fire from the beginning. I settled on 10. I'm okay with it, but this is getting pretty frustrating. I mean I've had aches and pains before, but this feels serious and I'm reduced to taking my own advice (which I don't normally do). I told Chris that I hate it when I'm right and he agreed! I just have to back off a little. Which I've done and it's better, but I will probably never take more than a week off. Massage seems to irritate it, probably because it is so inflamed. I did take a cold bath after the run. I always tell people to do that when they are feeling achey and gimped up after an activity. I've only done it a couple of times before during a four day, 325 mile, 20,000 ft. of climbing ride called North West Arkansas Challenge and it really worked. Another friend told us to try Epsom Salts. That's next. We're supposed to go mountain biking tomorrow so we'll see how that goes and the swimming is really the only thing that is giving me a good cardio workout right now. Thank goodness for multisport and cross training. I guess I'm going to go conform to the couch and watch a movie for now. Dang, recovery sucks!

Baby love and the "Functional Season"

2008-11-28T15:05:00.000-06:00

I have a friend and a past client who has just had a baby – McKenna Lauren. In fact I got her in shape and fitting nicely into her wedding dress a little over 2 years ago. I also worked with her for about a month toward the end of her pregnancy. We had decided that Madame M (as I have deemed her) thought that her mother’s ribs were like monkey bars because she always seemed to be “climbing” into them during the workouts. Well, about 3 ½ weeks ago, Madame M made her debut and mamma is finding out how challenging it is to be responsible for a little princess. I liked the first text message she sent out after she had given birth. It ended with something like “I can’t believe how much I love her”. I thought that was the sweetest thing I’d ever read! She apparently has long hair already that she loves to have washed. Daddy says it’s an early sign of high maintenance – a certain payback if you will! I recently sent an email to ask how things were going and she replied that they were surviving, but McKenna had started crying more (another sign of high maintenance?) and “woo – this is tough stuff”. My response was:

That's what I hear about babies! You think you know 'em, they're all quiet 'n stuff then - !WHAM! - they start crying like somebody set their feet on fire or somethin'. Woo is right!

I did get to babysit my 1 y.o. nephew, Reid, for a few hours recently and I gotta tell ya he is the BEST baby. He's usually smiling and when he's not, he's asleep. The child will eat ANYTHING you set in front of him and A LOT of it! I gave him some bread with peanut butter on it and you would have thought he hadn’t eaten in days; his eyes got really big and he was reaching desperately for the rest of it. Chris and I are fully convinced we can turn him into a pro-triathlete. He is so much different than my other nephew, Graham. He's 5, a little taller than waist level on me (yes, that's tall for a 5 y.o., no short jokes) and weighs about 40, maybe 45 lbs. at the most. He is a string bean because he's a very picky eater. He will eat oatmeal, mac-n-cheese-spaghetti-o’s, chicken nuggets and chocolate milk and he loooooooves mochas. In fact his Thanksgiving dinner was spaghetti-o’s and chocolate milk. Aaaahhhh to be 5! Then you have my brother, James, and sister-in-law's, Lisa, child they just adopted from China, Avery. She is 5 as well and even taller than Graham. My sister, Terri, said she walked into the airport on the night they arrived and saw Lisa’s entire family hovered around the screen that shows the escalator in the Starbuck's cafe. Apparently they were a little eager to meet Avery because no one was speaking to each other. They all swooped on her when they arrived. Terri said Avery just kind of tucked her arms in really tight and braced herself. She recognized Terri and Lisa's sister, Suzanne, from pictures. At least she had a couple of familiar faces. I got to meet her on Thanksgiving; the first thing she says to anyone is “Hi! Bicycle.”. All she wants to eat is watermelon and Pringles (although she is expanding her diet little by little) and detests brushing her teeth. In her defense though, I'm pretty sure that tooth brushing wasn't encouraged in the orphanage or her foster home. Lisa has told her that the only way Santa will come to their house is if she brushes her teeth. Obviously she wants a bicycle for Christmas after seeing Graham’s and now she is brushing her teeth about 15 times a day.

I haven’t been blogging lately partly because of being busy and partly because I’ve been battling a hip issue. The last time I ran was over a week ago and it’s absolutely killing me, but it kills me more if I try to run. Chris and I tried yesterday and oooooh-weeeee, it hurt. I’ve been doing a lot of swimming lately, but it seems to be working just as well. I just love to run and when you aren’t able to do what you love it’s like someone has you tied down. I’m going to try again tomorrow and I’ll let you know how it goes.

So now it’s the season of giving. Giving rude people the finger in traffic, giving up your sanity when you know exactly what you want in the store and there are people standing exactly where you need to be not moving when you say “excuse me”, giving stuff you have around the house as gifts because you don’t want to leave your house (just kidding about that one). I like Christmas, I just hate traffic and don’t really care for crowded stores. Thank goodness for online shopping. I don’t like the whole gift exchanging idea though. I always have a fear that I will open a gift and have “that” look on my face. I know you know the look I’m talking about. I suck at buying gifts so I have a tendency to buy people what I would like to receive - functional and practical things (I’m pretty partial to pens and paper). Not because I want them to think of me each time they use it, but to make their lives easier. If your life is made easier because of something that is as simple as being easier to carry then that makes you just a little less stressed. A little more happy even. Happy is gooooood! I’m very into making people happy and being happy myself. Of course you can’t be happy all the time; you would lose appreciation for the times when you are on some level. I personally like running the gamut of human emotion and it seems like I run through them all at some point every single day. I like to think that I am happy for the most part, though. I had a friend tell me that they had told someone that I laugh more than anyone they know. I think that was one of the nicest compliments I’ve ever gotten.

Well, I’ll get more into training and really make an honest effort to blog more often even if it’s just a paragraph. I know, I know! Promises, promises! People start to talk about you if you have a blog and it lays dormant for awhile. I just never realized that my life was so darn fascinating. I just appreciate that people like reading my blog and find it interesting. Come to think of it, I really like reading other’s blogs and I’m sad when they don’t update it. I think that’s part of my problem. I’m so busy reading other blogs I run out of time to blog. Maybe I’ll just take a speed reading course…

Zone 5 Heart Rate Training

2008-11-07T20:22:00.004-06:00

I had a bit of an adventure this morning. I usually start work at 6 a.m. at the gym, but I had a client that had cancelled so I didn't have to be there until 7:30. Well, I had already had coffee and about 20 oz. of water so needless to say, I needed to make a pit stop before I started work. The bathroom in is the common hallway shared by the businesses in the building. The past 3 mornings I've tried to get into the bathroom and it's been locked - at 6 a.m.! No one else is in the building that early in the morning besides the fact that the door automatically unlocks when you turn the handle. It's almost impossible to lock yourself out of the bathroom, but nothing is totally foolproof. Amy had told me a couple of weeks ago that there was a way to unlock the door if it ever happened. Again the door was locked so I once again used the men's bathroom. I walked back into the gym and asked Amy the magic door opening trick. Of course it involved an Allen wrench; I should have known. I go back out into the hall and proceed to unlock the door. I thought it was weird that it was fully locked so I knocked before I opened it. No answer so I turned the knob and started to push on the door. I was having a hard time getting it open - I was really having to push hard. I looked up and thought maybe the hinge at the top of the door was stiff from the door being locked for that long. When I looked down on the floor there was a soda can and at the same time the door gave suddenly. I saw someone move behind the door and the lights were out! I felt all of the blood rush out of my extremities and I was sure that everyone could hear the pounding of my heart. I released the door and walked back into the gym probably as white as a ghost. I looked at Amy and said, "I think there is a person sleeping in the bathroom". Amy's client looked at me and said, "I can see your heart beating", they were about 10 feet away from me. It turns out that Amy has had her suspicion about this homeless woman using the bathroom to at least clean up. I guess since it's gotten colder outside she must be using it as a hotel room as well. After I could feel my toes and fingers again, I started trying to find the humor in the situation to further calm myself. I said, "Well, she didn't have the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the doorknob. How was I supposed to know she hadn't checked out yet?". A client I relayed the story to later in the day said, "Well she must have forgotten to set her clock back and she's over sleeping.". I mean I know homelessness is a terrible and serious thing, but with the recent events (Ann Presley) everyone is on high alert and afraid. I'm just glad that it was a live person on the other side of that door. I refuse to be terrified and tortured by all of the horrible things that go on in this world today. As long as people are living in fear, the bad guys win. Don't get me wrong, I am not invicible or untouchable and if something happens to me I know it was meant to be. It will have nothing to do with what I was wearing or that I invited it in anyway. The only pain and torture I invite are the pain and torture I inflict upon myself in doing crazy events where I push my body to the limit. My friend David has a t-shirt that reads "Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body". If that's the case, I'm pretty darn strong and I know I can and will get a lot stronger!

Fall rides, good friends and bad runs

2008-11-06T10:51:00.012-06:00

Not too much going on lately, but I thought I'd try and keep my promise to blog more. Even if it's not "wow" material.

We did go to John and Diane's again this past weekend. We got there about 8:30 Friday night. It was Halloween and we usually just turn the lights off, hide upstairs and pretend not to be home. You never know who's going to be on your doorstep these days. Now THAT'S scary! Diane had made this awesome Tamale Chili Pie and it was soooooo yummy. Perfect for a Fall evening. We visited for awhile then made our way to the "Love Nest". I can't remember the last time I slept so hard. It's also really weird for the sun to be up before I'm up. We suit up in our cycling gear and head across the street to have a light breakfast. I think I eat more for breakfast than anyone else I know, even with the understanding that after our ride we'll have bacon, eggs, toast etc... Everyone else had toast while I had cereal with a banana and toast. I just couldn't help myself and I know I'm going to probably use up most of that fuel anyway, so it doesn't bother me. We had a pretty relaxing ride even though there was some climbing involved. However, this time I hadn't run 14 miles the previous day, so of course it was easier - DUH! The Fall color was good, but we agreed that if we had ridden a week later it would have been absolutely bursting with color. Mother Nature is truly on her own schedule.

Here's my missed photo op from the Longhorn 70.3. Pretty sure I didn't want to get close to this big fella though. He probably would've used me for a hood ornament!

We finished up our ride and we all felt great. I'm really starting to enjoy the social rides. Chris and I headed back across the street to gather our stuff so we could come back and take advantage of the outdoor shower because it was really nice outside. I started up the stairs and looked up and I was in the middle of a swarm of red wasps! Of course it didn't take long for me to warn the tribe with my battle cry. Nor did it take me very long to get inside. Even though the door wasn't open for every long, we ended up letting about 10 wasps in. I'm pretty sure it was the warm temps outside that brought them back out, but I'm also sure that there were some already inside the "Love Nest" (now known as the "Wasps' Nest"). We grabbed ALL of our stuff and made a mad dash out the door. I wish I had gotten a picture of my Knight in shining armour armed with a fly swatter in each hand! We told John about it and he said that he would go over and take care of things. Meanwhile, I was enjoying the outdoor shower and heard the screen door open out to the back yard and turned to see John pouring out bacon grease and as he headed back inside he said, "Don't worry Rebecca. I didn't look...much". The thing is that now I am not even close to as self conscious as I used to be. It just made me chuckle. What's a little outdoor nakedness between friends, right? We had "breakfast" and decided that a hike might be nice. John started some pork tenderloin on the smoker and we set out once again. The colors and views were awesome. Zulie (sp?) is a really great dog and climber. Not sure she knows she's a dog though.

I especially liked the Mt. Dew hood ornaments. Very classy!

We went back to the base camp and I proceeded to make the most divine cookies on which we would all make ourselves sick before and after we had the awesome pork tenderloin. One thing I can say about John and Diane is these people know how to cook and feed their guests well!

After dinner we watched the Texas and Texas Tech game. Okay, I watched the back of my eyelids more than the game - major sugar crash! We braved the "Wasps' Nest" and still slept pretty good with one ear open. We left about 8:30 (yipee for the extra hour) and Chris went on a mtn. bike ride in Cedar Glades with a group and I went for a 10 mile run. The run went pretty well and I managed an average speed of 8:53. That was one Roctane and about 20 oz. of fluid. I followed that up with these new little cookies from Fig Newton. They are not very sweet and only have 100 calories and about 2.5 grams of fat. They sit well in my stomach, too.

I worked chest/back/abs on Monday and we went for a 30 minute walk that evening. I did intervals on Tuesday afternoon on the bike then went for a very painful 2.5 mile run and when I met up with Chris I walked the other 1.5 miles. I worked legs/back/abs on Wed. I went for a 3.25 mile run this morning and it was a bit better. Leann came and worked on my legs and got most of the hip pain and shin splints calmed down. I'm feeling pretty good right now!

I should probably wrap this up; got a client in 30 minutes!

Yada Yada Yada

2008-11-03T20:32:00.009-06:00

I have to once again pre-empt this with the fact I started this blog about a week and a half ago. I think my promise in the new year to myself (I don’t like to call them resolutions) is to keep better track of time and try not to take on so much. Don’t get me wrong, I like being busy and active, but the everyday stuff just piles up in the meantime. We always have an excuse to let things fall by the wayside.
Zheesh! I think I even needed recovery from my Longhorn blog. Time just gets away from us and before we realize, it’s been a week or more since we blogged. I try to keep it up, but it seems that I have too many Irons in the fire (pun intended). Anyway, I’m just going to hit on some highlights from the past month or so in this blog. I know myself well enough that I have a very short memory and, at times, questionable about details of things that happen. So I have to either write it down or relay it immediately to someone else. My poor husband is the recipient of a lot of these stories and gets a little frustrated with me if my story is too long. So in respect to that, I have learned to condense things a little more and just relay the important happenings. Not to say that I don’t still get a bit wordy at times. My friend Sarah once commented on one of my blogs that I can be as long winded as I want to in my blogs, because they are mine! So true, Sarah!
Chris and I went to John and Diane’s river house in Heber Springs in late September. They have a barn on a separate part of their property in which the second floor is a small living space, sort of an apartment. Diane refers to this as the “Love Nest”. This is where we and all the other guests who will be there more than one night stay. I have to say it’s pretty groovy and it comes by its name honestly! I won’t go into detail about how I know such things. Anyway, Diane was getting ready to do her first triathlon the next weekend. We did an abbreviated race rehearsal to give her a feel for transitioning and she really wanted to ride the bike course to see what she was in for. It was a pretty good course with a severe climb right before the turn around. Coming back down was a little sketchy around a certain switchback that brought back memories of descending Mt. Nebo. She did great and was really glad she got a preview, but unsure that she was fit enough to complete the whole thing. I, on the other hand, was 100% sure she would finish and she would be hooked. I’m psychic like that. Or maybe that’s psychotic. We took it easy for the rest of the day and even helped clean up the yard a bit while John was getting ready to start dinner. We had a fish fry that night and Jo and Matt joined us. We had a great time! The next morning we walked over from the “Love Nest” and we all went for a run. John says he’s not fast, but he was really moving. He was talking and didn’t seem to be out of breath. I, on the other hand, was gasping for air. When we finished our run, we had a little breakfast and were slotted to go floating before we left to go home. I’ve never been floating and was curious to see what’s involved. I’ve heard, on more than one occasion, that you should, under no circumstance, get into a canoe or kayak with your significant other or best friend. It can be the cause of great friction in a relationship. So I got into the canoe with Diane and Chris and John were in separate kayaks. Diane has been teaching people to canoe and kayak for about 12 years so I was fairly certain that I would be enjoying my drift down the cold, but calm waters of the Little Red. Chris sort of looked like a deer in headlights because he was so afraid of tipping the kayak and dunking himself the 54 degree water. I can’t say I blamed him. There were several flyfishers out with a fog hovering just about the water. It looked like something out of a photo or painting. We did get to see a beaver out for his morning swim. He just swam right through the middle of us like we weren’t even there. We really enjoyed ourselves and John and Diane are great hosts.

Okay, I have to tell you about my sweet, new ride! I can’t even believe she’s mine. Chris and I were on our way back from Austin and I was emailing back and forth with Pat about my new tri bike. We thought (hoped) it would be in before the ½ Ironman, but it was probably just as well that it wasn’t here. I wouldn’t have ridden it anyway, I don’t like to change stuff right before an event, it’s just taboo. It’s a Guru and I am in looooove. Most people say that climbing is difficult on a tri bike. I didn’t find that to be true. We did a ride that took us over Wye Mtn. last weekend and she performed beautifully. Although I’m having to get used to a standard double up front. I had to stand while climbing for the most part. This weekend we are supposed to go back to Heber Springs to John and Diane’s place to do a Fall Foliage ride. It’s a pretty hilly course so I’m sure I will have an even clearer picture of how she performs.
Friday of the week following the Longhorn, I accompanied my sister and nephews to the pumpkin patch. She had volunteered to be a chaperone for my nephew Graham’s class field trip and needed someone to watch my other nephew Reid. She gave me the option of either watching him at their house or going with them to the pumpkin patch. No way was I going to miss the pumpkin patch; that seemed like too much fun! We arrived and the first activity was the pig races. I think this was more for the adults than the kids. It was really funny. Then we went on a hayride, pet some goats, played in the haystack and had lunch. I’m glad I opted for the pumpkin patch!
Last Saturday, Chris and I ran the Soaring Wings ½ marathon in Conway. It was the best run I’ve had to date. It was in the low 40’s when the race kicked off at 8. Quite a difference from the upper 80’s of the Longhorn. Chris wanted to do a sub 2 hour race and I just decided to use this for a marathon training run, but if I could do it in less than 2 hours that would be a nice perk. It was rolling hills pretty much the entire time, but no severe climbs. I stayed with the 2 hour pace guy until about 2 miles out and decided I was ready to take off. The last downhill was pretty painful, but I rounded the corner and saw, guess who….No really, guess! Yup, you got it, Mr. Christopher Irons! All I could think was, “Did he finish or did someone pick him up and bring him in?” I’m so proud of him; he finished in 1:56:24! I finished 1:59:30 and was really pleased with that. I hope it’s a sign of things to come.

Between the event about which ended this blog some other things have happened. I’ll try to catch up in a day or two (weeks). Rrrrrriiiiiight!

Longhorn 70.3

2008-10-20T20:46:00.002-05:00

Here it is! I’m sorry it’s taken me so long, but life and work have gotten in the way. Quite frankly, I was dragging my feet. I think it's part of my recovery process too. Nonetheless, I've been working on this blog when I found time. So without further ado:

Okay, I have to pre-empt this with “The Bet” that Gary and I had. First I must tell you that Gary is British (I think). We were all having a conversation via email about final details of the race. David had suggested we call ourselves the “Arkansas Mafia”. Gary had wanted someone to bring an Arkansas flag to hang at our team tent. David volunteered and I made the comment that I couldn’t wait to hear Gary use the word “Y’all”. He wrote that he didn’t think he had ever used that word before, but if I broke 6 hours in the race, he would use it for the rest of the day. Famous last words: “You’re on!”

Oct. 2
We get on the road by 10:15 and the drive is pretty uneventful. At some point during the trip, Chris informs me that instead of having 1:10 after the LAST wave goes off, each wave has 1:10. I lost it! I just started crying. I’m so insanely petrified of the swim that I was counting on having the extra time. I explained that to Chris and said that I would be fine in a few minutes. We got past Dallas right after 4 as the traffic was stacking up on the other side of the interstate. I talked to Jo while they were driving the bike course – rough surfaces and lots of turns. She reported the water was very “weedy” and worse than Lake Beaverfork in Conway. I’m sooooo looking forward to this swim now. I can hardly wait to jump in (so I can drown myself). Traffic was very bad coming through Austin to find our exit (turned out to be the wrong exit). I mean it was 7:00 p.m. for the love of God. We had quite a bit of trouble finding the hotel, which David and Jo talked us through it. We finally found it! We walked up to the room and had a beer upstairs then one downstairs waiting on dinner which made me tipsy. Slept pretty good, probably had a little something to do with the beer.

Oct. 3
Slept in and had a good breakfast at the hotel. Then Jo was off to work. I was bummed out that she wouldn’t be hanging out with us all day. Chris, David and I drove the bike course. He had already seen it yesterday and fortunately remembered the course for the most part. They were right about the surface being pretty unstable. As we were driving the bike course David pointed out the part of the run that was on trail and got a good gander at “Quadzilla”. We were planning on swimming and running just a little, but decided against it. I was hungry and starting to bonk. We got back to the hotel and had a little lunch and I had decided that if I was going to have to endure sleeping on something that felt similar to a bed of nails that I could at least have a better pillow. So off to Target we went. We bought a shirt for Jo (which you really need to check out David’s pictures on his blogsite to understand). With pillow and various other things in hand we trekked back to the hotel. We headed down to packet pick-up and it was a little chaotic. Really nice schwag! I decided that I needed to go back to Target because I had forgotten razors. Chris opted to stay at the hotel and David decided that I need to be put on a leash because I almost got hit by a car. This time turned out to be a chocolate run as well. You know I was a bit stressed out and I needed something to comfort me. Jo met us at a restaurant across the parking lot and we had a pretty nice dinner.

Oct. 4
MY BIRTHDAY!!!!! I finally got Starbucks and all will live. This was not the best birthday I’ve ever had, but understandable considering that it’s the day before a big race. Jo had to work for a few hours again. When she got back to the hotel we headed back downtown so she could pick up her packet. It seemed more organized this time. We went into the Pro Panel meeting and athlete briefing. Where I found out that we would, infact, have 1:10 from the start of the last wave. Okay, that’s good news. We were walking back to the Mom Bomb (I love that) and Jo gave me one of her LIVESTRONG bracelets that she bought at the expo for my birthday! It is my first one and I love it! We went back to the hotel and it was time to load up the bikes to go rack them. Chris, Jo and David checked out the water and said it felt great. I opted to stay on shore and watch everybody’s stuff. We dropped the chairs off at CARVE tent and chilled out for a few minutes. I was starting to feel like I was bonking again. I was cranky and ready to get this over with. I tried to be optimistic about it, but I was having some looming feelings. I just couldn’t figure out what was going on with me and that was making it worse.

Saturday, Oct. 5th RACE DAY!!!!!!
The alarms start going off at 3:30 a.m., but I started waking up every half hour at 2:00. I think it was a combination of nerves, which was worse than usual (wazzupwidat??!!), and sleeping on a hide-a-bed. I was really glad that I had a pillow similar to mine at home. I had waited to take my shower until this morning and it was a good thing too as there was no hot water the night before because the hotel was full. I ate my breakfast and I felt pretty good. Out the door and off to the races.

I was unusually nervous for some reason. I mean, I’m always nervous, but I can usually joke around a little. This was on the verge of being deer-in-headlight-full-blown-I’m-going-to-throw-up-for-real-terrified. I didn’t know what exactly was making me feel that way, but I needed to get over it QUICK!!!! I hadn’t felt my best on Friday or Saturday nights (I felt like I was bonking). It was almost like a premonition and I hate it when those come to fruition. Most of the time when I get bad feelings it’s something small and doesn’t pan out. This time it was different and I told Chris that.

They had everyone park offsite about ¾ of a mile from the race site at the expo center. You could either catch a shuttle or walk to the race site. We chose the shuttle. Next was the body marking. The woman asked my number and I rattled that off with no delay. When she asked my age, I totally spaced. I’d almost forgotten that my birthday was the day before. The woman behind me said, “Oh just tell her 18.” I said, “Oh no, I think it should be 84. I could win my age division that way.” Okay, sense of humor still somewhat in tact. We decided to hit the port-a-potties before the lines got too long. Once again I felt my stomach tighten yet another notch when we entered the transition area. WTF!
I got to my spot and I thought back to Arkadelphia and the brawl that almost broke out about the proper side to set up your gear. So I turned to the woman on my left and asked, “So what do you think? Left or right side?” She said that it was usually on the left but there was a person in between us missing so it really didn’t make any difference to her. Left it is, then. We talked a little more while we were setting up and before I knew it, I was done. I almost asked her what her pace was going to be just so I could try and find her out on the course; maybe she could talk to me and take my mind off of the pain.

The next 1 ½ hours was sort of a blank. I just remember walking and talking with Chris while it was still dark. All of the sudden it was light and I found myself taking off my running shoes in the transition area and grabbing my swim cap and goggles to head down to our team tent. I think my brain had shut down and I wasn’t really thinking about anything. I finally see Gary walking up to the tent. He, of course, looked cool and calm. He even made the comment that right before a race is when he is the calmest. He has done everything he could to prepare. Man, I wish I could say those words to myself and actually have it sink in because it’s so true. I just feel like I fall short every time. There is always some good advice I hear right before an event and all I can do is play it over and over in my head during the event or else it just gets lost in the shuffle. Unfortunately when I do that I lose focus on the task at hand and leave something vital out.

I see Chris walking up to the tent and I want him to just sit down with me, stroke my head and assure me it’s going to be okay. He tells me I look really scared. I really am and I start to doubt my abilities and think, “Should I get in the water?” Ahhh, the dreaded swim…Look at all these women with the fluorescent pink swim caps on!!! The first wave went off at 7:50, two minutes later the second then there were three minutes in between the remaining waves. I think there were 14 waves all together and I was in the sixth; meaning there were a lot of fast swimmers to knock me around like I’m a hockey puck. I get in the water and make my way over to the outside trying not to think about the hydrilla tentacles grabbing my ankles. I found myself asking the universe to please help me stay calm through this leg. Here we go! After I escape from the hydrilla, I find myself sticking with my plan and telling myself not to panic when I feel a hand brush me. I would take ten strokes then I would look up quickly to make sure I was staying the course. This was working really well. Then something very interesting happened. I actually thought I was drafting off of someone to my left for a long time. I finally realized that there was no one there. I don’t know if it was divine intervention, the way the light was hitting the water or something on my goggles. It really didn’t matter because I was calm and it was getting me through the swim. Personally, I think it was literally a guiding light. I rounded the last buoy and this turned out to be the hardest. I have a tendency to veer to the right and the buoys were angled in toward the left. It sort of seemed like that scene in the movie ‘Poltergeist’ when the mother is running down the hall trying to get to her children and the hall keeps getting longer and longer. I zig-zagged all the way in. Out of the water and the crowd goes wild!!!!!

Okay chip is still on, check. Found bike, check. Helmet on, check. Feet muddy, double check – YUCK! Okay, wipe mud off of feet. Shoes on, check. Garmin on, check. I take off and I feel pretty good. The ride is fairly uneventful, but it was hard not to draft because of the amount of people on the course. It was also really windy. There were people jumping over the yellow line and coming in between other people to pass. It was a little sketchy and I played leapfrog with about three other people. Even though the last stretch was flat and fast, I was happy to see the transition area.

Time for the run. This course was tough and had it not been for the support and 16 aid stations I’d probably still be out there. There was trail running involved and I’ve NEVER done any trail running. They cleaned the trails very well, so it was smooth sailing for the most part. It was still overcast and felt pretty good. I took off way too fast and I knew it at the time, but I didn’t have any time to lose because I wanted to win “the bet”. More so for getting in under 6 hours than really to hear Gary say “y’all” even once. I was making good time and feeling okay, but my hips had started to feel a bit like bone grinding on bone and a little achy. I shook it off and dismissed it as sleeping on the hide-a-bed. I mean, I’m not Grandma Moses, but I’m no spring chicken either. Aches and pains are no longer from hangovers and dancing all night long. No, they are now from causes like sleeping in a strange position and injuring yourself training. I had a client that had just turned 50 and she started calling these years the WTF years. She wakes up in the morning and says, “Now, WTF does that hurt for?” I’m starting to understand that on some level.

So here I am running. Then here I am walking. I don’t know if it was because all of the people around me were walking or if my body was forcing me to do it. I gave high fives to my fellow teammates as we ran/walked in opposite directions. We had disco dancers, superheros and live music on the course which was very motivating and entertaining. I filled my bottle at every rest stop and took my Endurolytes like a good girl. At times I could feel and hear the fluid sloshing around in my stomach.

I was going along pretty nicely and then all of the sudden, there it was…Quadzilla. Wow, I get to do this twice??!!! Really? That’s fantastic! Well, I guess I better get started. Yeah, baby I’m walking this puppy. I wasn’t alone in my choice of walking. With each step more and more heavy, I finally reach the summit. I can’t even bear the thought of having to do that one more time right now. I say to myself, fugitaboudit (for now).

Round two! I run through the left side of the chute heartbroken that I can’t go to the right. I will get there. They may be packing up everything when I do, but I’m going to make it. This second loop starts out MUCH harder. I find myself walking pretty much from the get-go. The harsh reality of me not breaking six hours is starting to sink in. So I try to enjoy myself as much as possible for the rest of the race. Only now the sun has decided to come out. How lovely! 300% humidity and now the fireball in the sky peeks through just as I’m entering the newly paved asphalt. All I can think about now is my friends already sitting under the team tent enjoying beer and how good that Coke is going to taste once I get there. David passes me going the opposite direction and says, “Chris is right ahead of you. Not too far.’ I get excited at the prospect that maybe we could come through the finish line together holding hands. That would be really cool! I start running with the hopes of catching him. I see him up ahead finally and catch up. I’m relieved that he is walking because that means I get to walk for a little while too. He tells me that I don’t have to walk on his account. I inform him that it’s not a choice at this point. We walk and talk for a bit longer then my legs let me know they are ready to run again. I’ve decided that I’m going to try and run the flats (as if there are any) and downhills and walk the uphills. It turns out that the uphills were much easier to run than the downhills. Too much pressure and pounding on the knees and feet. I make it to Quadzilla the second time. This time I decide to try and run it just to get it over with. I made it about ½ way up and petered out. I walked until I got almost to the top and decided to resume running. This time I kept running and I was so happy to be able to run down the right side of the chute. It was a glorious feeling to hear them announce my name! They didn’t do that in Arkadelphia and as you know (if you’ve been reading my blog) they called the race before I was done in Kansas.

I decided to wait for Luvbug so I collected my medal and handed in my chip. I stood there for about 20 minutes then decided that I needed to find a port-a-pottie then I would come right back. I wanted to be there to see him finish. I turned and walked out of the finisher’s tent and entered the Twilight Zone. I became completely disoriented and forgot what I was looking for. I got that familiar feeling of passing out. I looked at the food tent and said to myself, “I don’t think that’s was I was looking for.” I looked at the medical tent and thought, “Maybe that’s what I was looking for. I think I should go there.” I put my hand on the shoulder of a paramedic with his back toward me and he turned to me as I was sitting down next to him and said, “Oh hey! Do you need some help.” I said, “I think I might.” I sat down, he started checking me out and he asked if I felt like I was going to pass out. Again I responded with, “I think I might.” In reality I was certain that I would at any second. Then he asked if I thought I could walk to the cot to lie down and I responded with, “I think so.” Not so much. The next thing I know I’m being carried to the cot. They start an IV in my right arm and start taking my blood pressure. The doctor asked me to stick out my tongue and immediately told them to start an IV in my left as well. They announce my blood pressure is 66/40 and that was the only time I freaked out during this whole experience. All I could think was, “Is that MY blood pressure? Isn’t that sort of LOW? Holy Shit!” While all this is going on all of the sudden I see a familiar face over me. It’s Gary and he asked me if I was okay. I said that I thought so; I was starting to feel better. He told me he was going to get Chris. I wanted to cry because I didn’t get to see him cross the finish line, it was so important to me. Then there was his beautiful face looking down at me. He looked so scared and worried. At that very moment I got very calm and realized how much I need and love him. They had an oxygen mask on me by now and had started talking about taking me to the hospital right before he got there. I was feeling much better, I’m fine, really! I don’t need to go to the hospital! All I could think about was how expensive that was going to be and would insurance cover any of it. I know it’s silly, but I worry about that stuff. Gary’s face is above me again and he says, “Well I guess you’d go to any lengths to hear me say the word Y’all!” Then I see Jo smiling down at me…what happened to her tooth?! Has it been like that? She had done an endo last Christmas and broke her tooth off and got it fixed. She said that she thought it had re-broken off opening a gel. David was busy documenting the occasion with pictures. He always says if there aren’t any pictures it never happened. They had decided that I definitely needed to go to the hospital. All of the sudden I was freezing and started shaking uncontrollably. They covered me with towels and transported me to a stretcher. Into the first ambulance I went. They put me in another ambulance to take me to the hospital. Jo and David had gathered our stuff out of the transition area and brought Chris’ truck to the hospital. We have the best friends in the world. I ran the gamut of the ugly scale. I told Chris that he has officially seen me at my worst. I was nasty and grimy from the race. I had lake water and sweat in my hair. I had to use a bed pan for #2 (very humiliating if you’ve ever had to do that) and had the dry heaves. I felt so sorry for Chris. I know he was tired and hungry and he was drained from worrying about me. The nurse finally brought in two sandwiches and I ate about ¼ of one. She started explaining about heat stroke. Heat stroke??!!! Four hours later, a total of three bags of fluid and a heat stroke diagnosis they were going to release me. I was really impressed by everyone who had a hand in taking care of me that day.

We left the hospital with instructions that I was to do nothing strenuous for at least a week. We got back to the hotel, got a nice hot shower and ordered pizza. It was nice to sit around with my sweetheart and better friends than I deserve. I felt good when I went to sleep, except for this little sore throat. I woke up the next day and felt like I had swallowed broken glass. In fact I didn’t sleep very well because every time I swallowed I woke myself up. I chalked it up to the oxygen that was shot up my nose and ragweed. We gathered our stuff and packed up the cars and headed to Mellow Johnny’s to spend some money. We said our goodbyes to Jo and David. Chris and I started our search for a hotel. We decided to stay until Wednesday. If you’re ever in Austin, three restaurants to hit are South Congress Café, Magnolia Café and Truluk’s (I don’t think I’ve ever spent that much on dinner in my life). We visited the Zilker Botanical Garden which was nice, but this late in the year there is nothing really in bloom. We did see a snake which I almost crawled onto Chris’ head after I noticed it. We had a nice time in Austin (for what it was worth); it’s a really neat place. Maybe we will do this race again someday. If for no other reason than to prove I can do it minus fallout (or falling out).

Final thoughts:
*What I saw in the water, to me it was something beyond the realm of what happens here on Earth. I do know it was what I needed exactly when I needed it
*I know now what I did wrong or rather what I didn’t do. I failed to hydrate myself before the race. Very stupid yet an honest mistake with the temps so mild and the air so dry on my taper week. I’ve been consuming fluids like there is no tomorrow since then. I will not let that particular mistake happen again.
*As long as my body is moving I’m fine. It’s when I stop that my body realizes that it’s time to cease and desist. Sometimes a bit too much.
*When the day is over it’s all been a learning experience, right? I don’t think I’ll ever be totally prepared, but

ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE!

Gettin' around to it is hard

2008-10-16T04:53:00.002-05:00

I know, I know, I know! I'm working on it. Busy, Busy, Busy...
Things to report on:
*A canoe trip
*Longhorn 1/2 Ironman (and the days leading up to it)
*The pumpkin patch
*The new machine - VROOM!
* Various and sundry other things in there

In the Long Run...

2008-09-14T18:01:00.007-05:00

The date may say that it's from the 14th, but I actually finished it today, the 16th.
I did it! I did my first 16 mile run Saturday! I'm very excited, if you couldn't tell. Friday night and before I started on Saturday morning I told myself I couldn't think about it so I couldn't talk myself out of it. I had everything laid out on the counter and a note to myself for last minute things.
I woke up at 5 a.m. to eat so I would have time to digest my breakfast. Then back to bed for an hour. Back up at 6:30 to get ready and head out. I got to Cook's and started my run by 7:30 a.m. I intended to start by 7, but it was not to be. I have been getting nutrition advice from different people, so I'm trying what sounds like it would work for me. I took a package of mini Fig Newtons, a Special K Chocolate/Orange Bar (very yummy, BTW), a Roctane Vanilla-Orange (it Rock-tanes!), my hydration drink and an extra bottle of water to drop off for on my way back. I said hello to a few people and took off. I felt pretty good, but I had already promised my legs that if they started to ache that I would adjust accordingly.
The run was fairly uneventful, but I saw lots of people on the trail trying to get their exercise in before Ike blew through. I dropped my water about 4 miles out which turned out to be right when I needed it. Chris pointed out that there are water fountains along the River Trail. I just don't notice them when I'm doing something like a long run. I'm usually thinking through something or focusing on how much my knees are aching. I'm glad I lugged it along with me anyway. I took in my gel about 5.5 miles in and had my Fig Newtons at about mile 11. Marianne told me she likes Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies - gonna try that next time. When I got down to the bicycle rental place I was disappointed to see I only had about 7.25 miles, so I ran in a few circles. I headed back when I got bored with that and decided I would be satisfied with just under 16 if it came to that. NOT! Most of the time I can't say I'm going to do something and be satisfied if I just fall short. I have to follow through no matter how much physical pain or emotional discomfort I put myself through.
I had to run past Cook's about .25 miles to get my full 16 in. After I limped back to the parking lot, I stretched and took in an Ensure and my second dose of FRS. It's really hard to eat anything after putting my body through something like that, but I know I just have to force something down. I didn't have any digestion problems this time and my legs felt great for the rest of the day. Pretty groovy and also I sign that I will be able to push myself a little further next time and be fine.
I rested on Sunday. I'm trying to get used to "rest days". It's really hard when it's as pretty as it was to not go do anything. I worked chest, back and abs, swam 1500 yards in the pool on Monday and we rode 13 miles on Monday evening. I plan on doing a brick this afternoon. Letcha know later how that goes!

Distractions and Great Causes.

2008-09-09T13:30:00.009-05:00

Okay, I've been slacking on the blog front. These little everyday things just keep piling up and it's so very hard to get things crossed off of your list when you suffer from AOADD (Adult Onset Attention Deficit Disorder). The whole cycle begins when I get home from working at the gym. I walk through the door intending to start washing the dishes and lay my "stuff" on the counter. I walk over to hang up my keys and look in the laundry room and think to myself (although at times I do this out loud, but the cats don't seem to mind) that while I'm over here I can just throw the clothes from the washer into the dryer before I tackle the dishes so that can be going on while I'm doing dishes. Okay, so I get the clothes in the dryer and look down to see the litter box needs to be cleaned while I'm thinking (at this point out loud; next step is to start making a list on a post-it) that I can get another load of laundry going in the washer. I look at the pantry and decide I need a few Goldfish and Craisins, so I get some and think that I need to organize the damn thing to find stuff easier. I bypass the organization for now and on my way through the kitchen I look at the dishes and the computer and decide I need to check my email (spam doesn't come in on the Blackberry and sometimes the spam really isn't spam). I check email then I look at the toolbar and see blogs listed up there so I decide to see if anyone has updated lately (because, ya know, I really don't have anything else to do). I am a very slow reader, so there is no way to "quickly" check out the blogs - I want to absorb the main story line, after all, in each and every one. After reading blogs I look down on the desk top and decide to pay a few bills that are laying there. I get bored with the computer and decide that I need to eat before I make a really bad decision and have ice cream with hot fudge for lunch. I look at the dishes again and decide that I will wait to do them until after I eat because I like consolidation. I hear the dryer going and I remember that I wanted to get another load going in the washer. I head upstairs (next house I promise will be a single level) to get some dirty clothes. I see a Tigger on the bed so I have to go love on her for a sec. Then I notice that she has puked on the comforter and the sheets need to be changed - BAD KITTY!!!! I go to get toilet paper to clean up the "gift" and see that the toilet needs scrubbing so I throw a little cleaner in there and close the lid. After I clean the comforter off, I have to change the sheets (well, at least I know what to put in the washing machine now). I look in the toilet to throw the "be the mother bird" substance in and now I have to hold it in one hand while cleaning the toilet with the other. I finish that and change the sheets. Go downstairs to the laundry room and start the wash and notice the litter box again. I really should eat or someone might die! I then clean the litter box and after washing my hands what do you think the last thing I do is....the friggin' dishes. I know there has to be others that are afflicted with this terrible disorder. I bet we could have a fundraiser and organized ride for it!

Anywho, I have been keeping a food journal and carrying it around with me. I have never been successful in doing this. Who has the time to write down what they eat every single day? I didn't ever think I did. I just had to force myself to do it and now it's a habit. I make time to write that and my training down. It really does work at keeping you honest - "I had how many chocolate chip cookies today?!!!". You either develop better eating habits or you lose interest in logging everything. Well, I have persevered and the ugliness reared it's head! I have changed a few things, but I feel that if I deny myself certain things that I will gain all that weight back by sitting down at the fridge with a fork. So I have to come to terms that my body craves certain things especially during certain times (if ya know what I mean) and give it what it wants when it wants, just not the whole package.

This past weekend was the Bike MS Pedal the Peak. We had absolutely gorgeous weather! We arrived a little before 8 pm and Chris checked us in while used the facilities. Chris decided that he would wait to eat until we got to Mather Lodge only to find out the restaurant closes at 8 pm. I see JBar and he told me to go get Chris if he wanted something to eat. I ran as fast as I could and fetched him. They were so patient and the waitress was really great! Thanks Theresa! They even warmed up my food that I brought and gave me another to go box just in case I couldn't eat it all. That's the way you get good tips. Although I have been on the other side and it's really frustrating when people come in right before you close, are total buttholes and don't leave you jack for a tip. I think everyone should be required to wait tables at least for a month out of their lives. Gives you a whole different perspective.

We finish eating and go down to the AR Room to sign in. Sarah had asked if I wanted to be a Ride Marshall and tempted me with a free jersey. I turned in my form and they gave me my jersey. It was a large. Since I would be wearing a parachute, I was hoping for no headwind this weekend. We told everyone goodnight and headed to our cabin. Back at the cabin, I got a call from Sarah saying that Arron, her husband and a Ride Marshall too, would trade me his medium jersey for my large at breakfast the next morning. There was hope that I would finish before sundown now! Thank you Arron!
Neither one of us slept very well, but what do you expect when you are sleeping essentially on a piece of foam. I had gotten everything ready the night before and I was very calm about what lay ahead. If you know me, this is a rarity. I'm usually as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs about this stuff. I guess once you do an open water 1.2 mile swim with 1299 other people and survive, doing anything on dry land is a snap. We get down to the start/finish line and see several members of Team Fast Girls Slow Guys. I decided I would just ride easy and not care how long it took to finish Sat. I wanted a good social ride so my legs would be good to go for day two.
I gave Luvbug a kiss, told him I love him and I would see him later. With that he was gone. I had to yell at some people and even had to chase some guys down. I think I depleted my glycogen stores and all my ATP in that one burst, so I knew the rest of the ride was not going to be quick or painless. Thank goodness for the downhill! The best part of the ride probably is descending Petit Jean. It's fast and curvey and not for the faint of heart. Kind of makes you want to raise your arms in the air and yell out "WAAAAAHOOOOO!!!!". Unfortunately, it doesn't last very long.
Sat. I decided to stop often and just enjoy the company, scenery and weather. I always have to stop at the first rest stop and visit on the first day. The first year I was any part of this ride was in 2005 as a volunteer. I was stationed at rest stop 1 and made Rice Krispie Treats (chocolate and peanut butter, I think). There was also another woman, LaDonna, with her 3 daughters and a friend of her oldest daughter. They were a hoot! Her husband Mike rides every year. In 2006, he was the only reason I made it through the second day of riding. The second day is much flatter and less scenic than the first, so it gets a little rough if you get caught out there by yourself. Especially if you've ridden the first day. Each year at this rest stop they have Rice Krispie Treats because of me! I love that!
Well, I was feeling pretty good when I got close to Perry County, remembering the email that Lisa had sent out that there would be a parade going through. She had gotten permission from the parade director that we would be allowed through. Much to my chagrin, we were halted by a Deputy. Now I have respect for the law, but he was acting like Barney Fife (sp?). Telling us that we would be stopped on the other side if we went around the back way and he had his orders, dammit! Well he didn't say that, but you could just hear him thinking it. I finally called Lisa and her first words were, "I am so pissed". I tried to get the Deputy to talk to her, but he stood there all serious and not saying a word. I handed my phone over to one of the support guys for the ride. Meanwhile I finally turned around and all the cyclists that had been behind me were riding back up the hill and around the block. When the support guy handed my phone back to me (I had been there for about 10 minutes-enough time for my legs to get stiff), Barney looked at me and said, "If ya went through this parkin' lot and around that white buildin' it would come out on the other side and ya could just ride on the shoulder through.". He had a half smile on his face I wanted to wipe off with my bike tires. What a jerk! Instead I told him to have a nice day and saddled back up.
I tried to forget about, as Lisa refers to it now, "The Parade Incident". I was just so happy I wasn't going to have to wait out the entire parade! I knew I shouldn't have stopped so long at the first rest stop! I rolled along and saw several people I knew and socialized for a bit before taking off. I get frustrated sometimes because I'm slower than the fast people, but faster than the slower people and end up riding by myself alot. I just try to convince myself that it makes me stronger and it's good mental training for triathlons. I finally come to the lunch stop and see my friend Geo! I fix myself a sandwich and get some plain pasta and sit down across from him and next to some super nice and funny people. I tried to make quick work of lunch and refill my bottles to be on my way. As I'm getting ready to take off I see an old friend of mine. I used to work for his brother as a baker at a coffeehouse. I now train his wife and have done some plyo training with 2 of their kids. They are genuine and down to earth. All 4 of their kids are well-mannered and sweet natured. His is an Orthopedic Surgeon and I usually see him in scrubs. I didn't recognize him at first in his bike clothes. He said, "Thank you for getting my family into shape.". I told him it was my pleasure to boss them around and make them sweat ;-) !
I caught up with Geo and rode with him for awhile and we talked. He asked me nutrition and fitness questions. I told him I would bill him later! I stopped at rest stop 5 and was ready to be done at that point so I decided to skip the last rest stop. The road leading up to the climb up Petit Jean is always so hard for me. I don't know if it's a mental thing or if by the time I get there I'm just so whooped. I finally start the climb up and get almost all the way to the top and I see this guy running down the mountain. Now, my husband said he was going to run after the ride, but he's usually spent after a hard effort. This guy starts coming into focus and I discover that it is, in fact, my husband. He looks fresh and like he hadn't ridden 78 hilly miles. Like he just decided that he wanted to run in that bike jersey. Our friend Marvin said he thought Chris had lost his bicycle and went back to look for it. I said that he had lost something, but it wasn't his bicycle. I'm so proud of him for his recent weight loss and fitness gains! Welcome to the world of fitness fanatics! We are the few, the proud, the lunatics!
I decided after I ate, I would get in line for a massage. I've never taken advantage of this before and I'm so glad I did this time. I'm sure it did alot of good and it felt great! Chris finds me and we stay and talk with some friends. JBar introduced us to a woman named Dell. She wants to do a triathlon, so of course I'm more than happy to dispense advice on this. Once you get me talking about something I'm passionate about, good luck on trying to shut me up. Lucky for Dell, I remembered that I was sweaty, grimy and tired. We headed back to the cabin to shower and nap for a bit.
Winrock Foundation always provides us a place to have our Awards Dinner and they own really beautiful land up there. The food was tasty and the MC was entertaining as always. Our team usually takes biggest team trophy, but this year I was not the greatest team captain and I'm sorry for that. This year a very well deserving Team CARVE took it. Good job, Sarah. Even with bronchitis she comes through. I've gotten to know Sarah a little better this year and she is one of the most upstanding, funny people I know. I certainly respect her knowledge of the sport. If I ever decide to do more mountain biking, she will be the one I call on to give me advice and ride with hoping that she doesn't laugh at me too loud or get too frustrated with my 'like a 4 year old' bike handling skills.
DAY DEUX
Chris told me that he had decided not to ride the second day because of his near 20 mph average and 5 mile run. Smart choice and understandable. JBar told me that he was going to wait for me at the bottom of the mountain because he didn't want to get stuck without a paceline to grab onto. Sure enough there he was in a sea of Megasoreasses waiting on me. I was already in a paceline so he just jumped in. I had decided I only wanted to stop at a couple of rest stops today. We bypassed the first one (while the rest of our paceline stopped) and I told him I really needed to stop at the second because I forgot to blasted pee before the ride got started. He pulled me for a good while and the Megasoreasses paceline came by. We grabbed on and held on to them for most of the ride. We all worked together and everyone pulled as much as they were comfortable with. I felt good all day! It was nice to have people to ride with consistently. We stopped at the second stop and the lunch stop. I gulped down my food and was ready to roll, but no one seemed to really be in a hurry. So we hung out until our group was ready. We were going at a pretty good pace down a straight stretch and all of the sudden there was alot of commotion. All of the sudden, I saw on of the riders head on the asphalt to the right and riders scattering. She overlapped wheels with the person in front of her and down she went, HARD! The guy behind her ended up running right over her and then going down. Double ouch! We avoided the mayhem and assessed the situation. Nothing broken, lots of road rash. The guy that ran over her had a big hemotoma on his hip. She laid in the grass and said that she wanted to ride and started crying because she couldn't. Both of her break levers were bent in. I felt really bad for her because she didn't have far to go. I bet she was really sore the next day. We got back on our bikes and took off after support took care of things. We saw the CARVE paceline come by us while we were on the side of the road. We ended up catching up to them, thanks to JBar. Sarah advised us to go the front as the guys in the back were a little sketchy. When JBar was a little more rested we went to the front. We dropped the CARVE group without realizing it and the Megasoreasses caught back onto us again. I was pulling when JBar got my attention and said that there was no one with us, but a guy named David. Why the heck was I working so hard? I guess I needed to prove that I could hang. So JBar, David and I rode together and prepared for Cove Mountain, a monster of a climb! We rounded the corner and took a deep breath. Who do you suppose was sitting on the back of his truck halfway up Cove Mountain? None other that Christopher Irons. He looked like he was enjoying himself thoroughly. I'm so glad that I have a triple on the front because no way in hell am I EVER going to walk my bike up any hill. At least that anyone will witness. We made it and enjoyed the descent on the other side. We stopped at the last rest stop and got ready to make that not so final climb up Petit Jean. The last 2 miles is probably the most grueling in my opinion. It's right at that point where you want to throw your bike in the ditch, but you're almost done! You just know that the finish line is around the next corner when really all it is, is another climb. It's so good to round the corner and see the finish line and that's the point that you remember why you do this stuff to yourself. You stop whining and grab your finisher's medal.
It's really not that big a deal when you consider that there are people who would give ANYTHING to ride, but can't. You remember that this is temporary pain for you and they must deal with physical limitations everyday. This is one of the best supported, organized and beautiful rides in the state. Especially if the weather cooperates like it did!
I will stop here. I will be attempting a 16 mile run tomorrow morning and I have to prepare for it. Thanks for reading and maybe the next one won't take me three hours to write and you an hour to read.

Trial, error and experience

2008-08-27T19:07:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to touch base while I have the time. This time of year is typically slow for me because of end of summer vacations, kids back in school and trying to get back into a routine. I use to panic because I was pretty much flying solo before Chris. I'm still learning to relax and not freak out when I don't have a lot of business. Over time I have realized that the universe gives you exactly what you need when you need it. There is no use in trying to fight it or control it. It is what it is, period. So that being said (or typed), I have a little free time to catch up on some things. Very seldom do I feel comfortable sitting on the couch with Winston (our alpha cat) not doing really anything productive. Just kind of being, ya know? It's a foreign concept to me. I'm more of a doer, but every once in awhile I like to give being a whirl.

In my extra time, I've also found that I'm more relaxed when I'm training. Somehow that translates into being a little faster. My body also hurts less. The only thing I'm having trouble figuring out is how to keep my gut from rebelling on me after a long run. That's the only time it happens. Not riding or swimming. My guess is that it's because running burns more calories. So I should take in more calories - pretty simple. Or is it? When one takes in solid food, the digestive tract needs the extra blood flow to do its thing. The extremities also need that blood flow to do what they need to do. You can only take in so much gel before it starts just hanging out in your stomach and the same goes for fluid. There have been times when I could hear the fluid just sloshing in my stomach and not being absorbed. So what's a gal to do? Not sure, but I'll just keep collecting data from different people until I find something that works.

Summer is almost over and I really am looking forward to the off season. Even though training will never stop completely, it's still nice and necessary to give yourself a break. I have been doing P90X for essentially 5 1/2 months now and it has sincerely done wonders for me. I'm ready to switch gears and start integrating what I was doing before this program to see how much progress I've made. I like to do that with my clients. The look on their faces is priceless when I have them do something they were struggling with in the beginning and they realize they really have made progress. It sort of fires them back up. They are more motivated than ever at that point. It's so interesting to me how much negativity we are exposed to on a daily basis and how easy it is to turn people around with some positive reinforcement. I can't believe how many times clients tell me how grateful they are for my belief in them and the encouragement I give. Like they've been conditioned to that negativity. I don't know about you, but I respond much better to someone being sincerely supportive of me than if they tell me I'm just not working hard enough. So that's how I talk to and train people. I want people to succeed. If they don't do as well as they would've liked to the first time, I encourage them not to give up. Some things just take practice. It's important to not compare yourself to other people all the time. It's also important to have goals. Push yourself and try to find someone who is just a little faster than you on the days you don't have it in you to push yourself. Take rest days (personally I struggle with this one). Eat right, but allow yourself a little wiggle room. Remember that you can't be "on" everyday, so give yourself a pat on the back for just getting out there and doing it anyway instead of getting frustrated (calmly back away from the ditch and put the bike down - you paid a lot of money for that bike).

I could go on and on, but I'm tired and I really do have a little work to do. Otherwise, I could surely sit here and do this all night. The cats would love it. Cats got it going on! What a life....

To be is to do - Plato

To do is to be - Socrates

Do be do be do - Sinatra

Victory is mine!

2008-08-19T20:27:00.003-05:00

Well, well, well. Little Rebecca Irons finally did it! I completed my first 1/2 Ironman. Unbelievable experience. I met my goal and that makes it even sweeter. I have also discovered that I am forever changed. I can't explain it, but I just feel different. Also when I finish an event, in my mind I know that I just did something incredible, but it doesn't really register. I seem to have the mindset that if I can do something anyone can do it. So it just seems like just another training day. I think if I continue look at it that way, I'll be more likely to finish.

So here is the recap.
We rolled into Arkadelphia and went to pick up our packets. Brent was staying with us so he just met us at the hotel. A nap was in order; probably not a whole lotta sleepin' going on the night before a race. Just a little 30 minute power nap and that should do it. I have to tell you that I have a unique alarm on my phone. It's titled...SONAR. Yep, sounds like you're on a submarine and it throughly freaked Brent out. I think it's funny, but I guess if you're not used to it, you could have an adverse reaction to it.
It's important to find pre-race food that works for you and when you do it's like magic. So Chris and I brought our dinner from a couple of LR restaurants. Everyone in the lobby was asking where we got the delicious smelling food. We told them they would have to go to LR to get it. When we finished, Chris and Brent went to drive the course while I stayed and prepped my bike and layed out my clothes for the next day's festivities. I certainly didn't want to be running around like a chicken with my head cut off in the morning; my brain was not going to be working. So the boys got back and we proceeded over to The Cracker Barrel to meet the Mooneys, JConn and Michelle. Had a great time and I was pretty relaxed when we left.
4:00 a.m. Saturday
Alarms across the room started going off: sonar, Chris' gentle wakey wakey alarm, wake up call on hotel phone, then the actual alarm. Wow, did I ever sleep harder than I thought I would! Highly unusual. Which translates into: I was not anywhere close to in the mood to go do what I was about to do. I paid a lot of money to endure this kind of pain - why do I continue to do this to myself? Because the feeling is pure bliss when you know you have in fact endured that pain. Shower then down to the lobby to warm up breakfast and eat (which I made because again, I know what has worked for me in the past). Back up to the room to brush the pearly whites, load up the bikes and gear, then off to the races!
5:30 a.m. Saturday
We arrived at the transition area. We both got pretty good spots and I saw that I was right across the rack from Marianne. Up until recently, I had only heard her name. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite people. I like training with her because she is faster than me and it gives me a challenge. Lord knows I need to be challenged, so keep up the good work, Marianne! We get our bikes racked, put our transition bags down and head over to get our chips and body markings. You know these volunteers have been out here for awhile already and are sincerely smiling and happy which really helps. Things are going well so far! After getting marked we head back over to the transition area to set up. Our little cluster of women are getting everything all laid out just so. Then all of the sudden there is a woman who is unhappy that not everybody's "stuff" is on the left. She was treating this like it was some big time event and making the rest of us uncomfortable. We all just tried to be as accomodating as possible without giving in, but she wasn't having it. She had gotten there late and was a little unhappy that she would have to go to the end of the rack. So she thought she would just squeeze herself right in between me and another woman. I was fine with whatever, getting through the swim was the thing consuming me at the time. Marianne pulled me to the side and said, "Hey, I don't think I have a picture of you yet. Let's go over here so I can take one." Then she said, "Don't get caught up in the transition area conversation. That's why I pulled you over here." Again, thank you Marianne! It really is all a learning process. I decided to go for a very short warm-up run and before I knew it, it was time to head to the water. Oh my freakin' nerves!

6:45 a.m. Saturday

It's go time! Was I ready for this? Well, one thing I can say is I didn't feel as small a fish in that pond as I did in Kansas. I crouched down in the water (the water temp was warmer than the air temp) and just thought, "You're in the lake with your friends having fun." Marianne waded over and crouched down next to me and held out her forearms. On her right was written FLY and on her left was written BELIEVE. For some reason I felt just a little more calm. No matter how hard I try to start at the back this year, I've ended up in the main stream. I was sure I had a good (for me) position. I was on the outside and what looked to be behind everyone. They started the countdown and my heart started pounding in my ears. My goal was to get back to shore before Chris and Brent took off (their event started an hour later). HERE WE GOOOO!!! Stay calm and breathe easy, don't flail your arms, flutter kick, rotate your body, let your hands glide through the water and propel yourself forward. So much to remember and I seem to forget it the minute I take off it seems. I was puttering along and then WHAM! Someone kicks me in the forehead. I decided to slow down and let people pass until I felt comfortable. I had a really great swim, not the most impressive time. I made peace with the water and found a great rhythm. Before I knew it I could see the shore with Chris and Brent still there. I made it! I loved having them there yelling for me. What a rush! The rest was going to be cake! And I looooove cake!

Lost track of time now....

I got to my bike and there was a woman who just looked at me and said, "I thought I was going to be the last one out of the water". What the hell do you mean by that? Aren't we supposed to be out here supporting each other? I mean all the fast competitive people are already out on the course. How about a "Great job #78" instead? I hope you like looking at my backside, because I'm about to pass you on the bike! I gather myself and make what I think is a fairly quick transition. Get on my bike at the mount line and take off. I had ridden this course 3 times already, so I knew what I was in for. I felt fairly certain I knew when to cut loose and when to be conservative. Every volunteer and police officer I passed got thanked. I even started joking with them. I've been on every side of an event; volunteer, official, cheerleader and participant. I know what it's like to be out there for hours trying to be accomodating and helpful. At some point you forget how to smile and get tired of repeating yourself. So I try to add a little comic relief and appreciation. I hope it helps them remember why they choose to do this and hope that they make the choice to do it again.

Marianne and I leapfrogged on hwy. 7 and I hopped over her one last time and didn't see her again for awhile. She came blowing past me telling me that she had dropped her chain. Here I thought I was Miss Superstar Bike Rider! Well, not so much. So I finish the first loop and start the second. As I was riding past this one volunteer for the second time, I started singing Henry the Eighth - "Second verse same as the first". He seemed to get a kick out of it.

On the second loop, my knees started talking to me and my back was whining. "Don't make me stop this car" in my dad's voice was all I could hear above all that complaining from my body. I popped a couple more Advil and tried to convince myself that I was not in pain. I made the last turn before the transition area and saw Chris finishing his race. GO LUVBUG!!!! You Rawk!!! They announced him coming down the chute - " And here comes Chris...Christopher Ironman Irons". I'm so proud of you, baby!

Well, just a delightful 1/2 marathon to go. It sounds so much better to say it that way than to say 13.1 miles to go. I ran out of the transition area and there was D'Wonn and Jo! Jo ran beside me for a bit and I needed it badly at that point. I started off and felt amazingly good. The 3+ miles uphill were a bit of a challenge, but I paced myself. I made sure to give encouragement to most everyone on the course, hoping they would reciprocate and I could feed off of that. I hit the turn around point and headed back toward the finish - DOWNHILL. Yeah Baby! I crested the hill and at the bottom I saw Chris, Jo, D'Wonn, Brent and Gary all cheering! I passed a woman that was watching and said, "I like the downhill better". Jo made a comment about my running skirt and Gary, in his British accent, asked, "Are you wearing a skirt?". I flipped it up in the back as I ran by and said "Yep". The cruel irony about the run is that in the 1/2 you get to see the finish line, but you can't go. Oh well, I didn't have anything better to do, right? I passed by everyone and their words pushed me up the hill. That woman I passed minutes before said, "You look just as good going up the hill". Thank you nice lady! I trudged on up and I finally got to the turn around again. I made the turn and said to myself, "Only 3 more miles. Let's do this thing"! Then I hit the wall - HARD. Oh no! Not now! My body heard my words and started closing up shop. Pulling all the plugs and turning off all the lights. I started shutting down and I was sincerely convinced I was not going to finish. My knees were on fire and my gut was clenched so hard I was surprised I was still standing upright. I hung my head and started walking. I thought to myself that if I just keep moving forward then I was still making progress. I looked up and saw the 11 mile sign and decided when I got to that sign I would try running again. I got about 40 feet before I started walking again. Just then a man came running past me that I had passed earlier and said, "Come on! We only got a mile left"! I got back on my horse and saw the 12 mile sign. I just couldn't fathom walking to the finish line. I started over the crest of the hill that everyone was waiting at and kicked it in! I thought my knees were going to buckle. "Finish Strong!"...and I did!

It was all surreal and I knew I needed to eat something even though my stomach was knotted with cramping. I mean when you burn about 3400 calories then only give your body about 400-500 during that burn, you have to expect it to be a little upset with you. I got over to the food tent and I kid you not, the woman looked at me and said (in her most enthusiastic voice she could muster), "We have some lettuce, Italian dressing, bread and baked beans. Oh! And oranges!". My heart sank. You have to be friggin' kidding me! I didn't care if I ever saw another orange in my entire life. Was I really that slow? 100 out of 121? I guess that makes me not last though, eh? Good enough.

I have some things to work on, transition time and nutrition to name a couple. A tweek here and a tweek there (everywhere a tweek tweek?). Seems like there is always something to work on, but if we ever reached perfection what would we have left for to stride? Besides, it's all about the journey and nobody ever really gets there, do they? Is that what we really want? It seems like we're always asking, "Are we there yet?". Just stop asking and

ENJOY THE RIDE.... and the swim and the run!

Thanks for reading!

This is for you, Sarah.

I made it

2008-08-16T21:39:00.001-05:00

All I can say at this point without my head crashing down on the keyboard from exhaustion is

I MADE IT!!!!!

I will hopefully get a chance to blog tomorrow about this big day....

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Training and Awareness

2008-08-15T19:31:00.004-05:00

I've been working and training and training and working. Not much else. I can't really remember what has transpired in the last few weeks. I'm hoping some things will come back as I'm blogging now. The only thing I have that may jog a few memories is my calendar. Gotta go grab it, be right back.....

The last time I really blogged was July 16 about our anniversary and I got lots of great comments that gave me warm, fuzzy feelings. Thanks to all our dear friends! I rely on those around me more than I care to admit sometimes. Most of you don't get to see my grumpy side. Poor Chris! Oh don't get me wrong, he has one too that only I have the privilege of witnessing. for better or worse. Right? Absolutely! We are in this for the long haul and the good far outweighs the bad in the grand scheme of things.

So here I am in this hotel room in Arkadelphia while Chris and Brent are out driving the course. After the Kansas 1/2 I reassesed my training and I think I am more prepared for tomorrow. I know in the long run I will keep fine tuning things and I will perform better at the next and the next and the next... It's all about improving and keeping an open mind. Your training may go great. Then on the day of the event you may feel like you've been tied to the bumper of a beat up truck and drug down a dirt road for 30 miles. Many of my friends have recently blogged about the importance of the journey and the friendships made overshadowing the actual event. I
echo this. It's just another training day, after all. Right?
Chris and Brent came back and we went to join the Bus Driver, Bethany, JCon and Michelle at the Cracker Barrel for dinner. Not many places in Arkadelphia to fine dine in, but the breakfast food is really good. Collectively we had biscuits, gravy, eggs, sausage, pancakes, grits and hamsteak. Oh and a good dose of chocolate milk. We laughed a lot and talked a little smack. Everyone seemed relaxed and at that very moment all was right with the world.
So what's been going on leading up to this? Well, swimming twice a week in the pool. When I swim in the pool, it's purely for technique. We've had a couple of open water training swims here at Lake DeGray and I feel pretty comfortable at this point. Really, I just want to get through the swim. Which is how a lot of triathletes feel. Other than the swimming, I've been running, doing P90X, running bleachers, line drills, riding, bricking and I think that's about it.
As for working, I recently became certified in endurance fitness training. It basically means that I can train people outside the gym and get paid for it. Well, I had my first two experiences doing that and it was a blast! One was taking a 12 and 14 year old brother and sister to the football stadium and had them running bleachers and doing some other things out on the field. They are gearing up for soccer season and their mother thought they needed some extra push. The other training was a PT client of mine that loves cycling, but her husband doesn't have the patience to ride with her and help her. She asked me to meet her and do some interval training with her. On my way out to meet her I realized, "I'm getting paid to ride my bike! How awesome is that?". After the training I thought, "Wow! At this very moment my life is headed in the direction I want it to go.". I usually don't realize that something like that has happened until, well, it's happened. Not usually while it's taking shape. Hmmm, maybe with age really does come wisdom...
I believe we all have a destiny, but how we get there is up to us! More tomorrow after the 1/2 Ironman.

I'll be back

2008-08-06T04:59:00.003-05:00

Yes, I am alive and, yes, I will post again! It's not that nothing (is that a double negative?) has been going on. Quite the opposite actually. Between training for the Arkadelphia 1/2 Ironman, work and trying to have somewhat of a social life, I'm just ready to take a deep breath and sit down to blog for about 3 hours. I'll try to spread it out. I know the last blog was a bit wordy, but I was feeling sentimental. When that happens, LOOK - OUT! Chris will tell you that. Of course, he'll tell you that I'm like that (wordy) about 98% of the time. I'm going to try and condense things a bit when I finally do blog. Maybe this weekend. Until then...

Thanks

2008-07-16T22:01:00.002-05:00

I just want to say thanks for all the compliments from everyone on my progress of fitness. All the hard work is paying off and I am completely motivated from all the positive energy surrounding me. I realize how negative my last blog seemed, but sometimes it's necessary to get all of the bad junk out to get to a better place. The place I'm in is so good that some days I feel unworthy of it all! I believe I'm in a place of acceptance...acceptance of being worthy, loved and supported. It seems that all is right in the world.
Now on that positive note, recent events:
Sunday's Lollipop Ride is being rescheduled to a hopefully less wet day. The radar and weather reports were less than stellar for a good, long, climbing ride. So an alternate plan was organized. Everyone had about 50 lbs. of whatever they were going to bring to the BBQ after the ride, so rather than sit and eat 20 servings of fruit salad (not so bad) and 1 1/2 doz. chocolate chip cookies (not so good), a later ride was arranged. About 30 people showed up and it was a great ride with some climbing! We chowed down on some great grub and had a splendid time after the ride. I felt a bit guilty for much of what passed through my lips. It seems that everyone says, "Well, you earned it! As much as you work out, you should be able to eat anything you want!". I realize that you can't be on the straight and narrow all the time. It's makes for a very stressful life. It's very hard when you don't burn many calories during a hard workout to justify eating as much as I do sometimes. I know that alot of you that know me and read this blog don't think I understand what it's like to be heavy, but I do. About 4 years ago, I was at my peak of hefty and (about 55 lbs. heavier than I am now) I decided to start walking. I was fairly slow in my progress until about 3 1/2 years ago I endured some emotional trauma that triggered my obsession to change EVERYTHING. I won't go into detail about that, but just know that it got my butt off of the couch and hurdled me through time and space to become who and what I am today. It was the worst pain I've ever felt, but in retrospect it was the best thing that could have happened. Little did I know back then that was what it was going to take to turn that very sharp corner (I'm still not great at cornering). My husband has always cocked his head sideways in wonder at why I'm so hard on myself and why I kill myself with a workout. I just kept telling him, "One day you will understand! When you lose all the weight you want, you will run while eating that chocolate chip cookie just so you don't have to deal with the fear that you will gain it all back." He now understands.
Tuesday, was our anniversary. Two years! Sometimes it seems like it was just yesterday when we met for the first time in person at Barnes & Noble Cafe and sometimes it seems like I've known him forever. He's like the most comfortable pair of jeans and it's been that way from the very beginning. We got matched up on an online dating service. He was the only man that responded very quickly to my emails. Everyday, I would rush home after work and see if there was an email from him. My heart fluttered like a school girl in love for the first time. We were matched up in June of 2005 and talked for the first time on the phone a month later. We agreed to meet the next evening. It was the 4th of July and I sat nervously waiting. I decided that I wasn't jittery enough so I got some espresso. As I turned around and ours eyes locked. We sat and talked for a good 2 hours and all I remember thinking was, "Wow! I can't believe how attentive this guy is!". I asked him if he wanted to go to a party with me. If you ask him, he seems to think the invitation sounded like I said, "Hey, if I like you, maybe I'll invite you to my friend's house.". I assure you that was not how I meant it! Bravely he accepted. I already knew he was brave; he posted a picture he took of himself with his camera phone on his profile. Who does stuff like that besides an honest and upfront person. Most people will post a "glamour shot" they had done 3 years ago! So we go to this gathering and there are some...well...let's just say "shady" things going on. He didn't react appalled by this behavior either. Wow! Was this guy real? After having witnessed illegal activities, eating things he didn't like and having fireworks shot at him (accidentally) I still got a very solid hug. One that said he really liked me and respected me enough to not try and get to first base. As we got in separate cars and went our separate ways, my phone rang. He said, "I'm sorry. I should have asked you if you wanted me to follow you to make sure you got home okay". I knew I was in trouble then. Nobody had ever treated me like that. I thought that only happened in movies or to other people. We met the next day for lunch and I kept spitting food at him (also accidentally) and assured him that this was a sign that I truly liked him. We met a few days later for dinner. When he got there, he told me on his way over (across the street) that he felt butterflies in his stomach. That was the cutest thing I had ever heard. This night was the night of the first kiss! I just have to tell you that the sparks flew! We definitely had to put on the breaks quickly because we both knew where it would end up if we didn't. The back seat! Well, I knew within 2 weeks I was going to marry this guy. I had never felt anything like this in my life. Seriously! I know people say that all the time, but this was for real and I had to seize it so I wouldn't miss my chance. Never have I felt so loved.
Time to meet the family. First was cousin Jenn and her husband Chris. He lived with them at the time. I was so freaking nervous that I can't really remember anything about that night except the fact that we hit it off almost immediately. Chris Shaw and I are now referred to as Those Damn Libras! Whew! First test down. Next was his brother Eric and his family. We walked up to the door and he turned to me and said, "Listen to this". He rang the doorbell and it sounded like a little herd running. Then there was a parting of the blinds on the window with little fingers and a very excited "UNCLE CHRIIIIISSSSS!!!!!". I was getting the impression that he was the golden boy in this family. That made me even more nervous...no pressure here to impress anyone. By the end of the visit the kids were sitting in my lap and his nephew was pulling on my hand saying, "Mine!" to counter Chris', "Mine!". This was more than making up all those lonely years. To tell you the truth, I can't remember meeting his parents for the first time. I was so smitten by then that I couldn't see past Chris. It didn't matter at this point. He said that they would love me and I would love them. He was right! But then again, he usually is. A month later I found myself with him, cousin Jenn and the other Libra in Wichita Falls, Texas at a cycling event called Hotter 'N Hell 100. I was new to running (fair weather running only) and at the time I really didn't understand the allure of riding in 100+ temperatures with 2,000% humidity. I would discover the joy of that a year later! I got on the treadmill in the exercise room at the hotel and witnessed, with awe, the start of this event! I couldn't believe the size of this. The sea of cyclists went on for blocks and blocks. I strangely wanted to be out there among them, but mostly I wanted to be with Chris. I heard the canon go off and watched as people made their ways slowly past the start line. I had never seen anything like that and I was inspired! So inspired that I went back to the room and watched movies all day. I don't do well in strange surroundings and I had no idea that the finish line was a few blocks away and there was free beer and barbeque. I didn't know the protocol for the significant other that doesn't participate in these things. I was not about to go hang out outside in the hot Texas sun and humidity anyway. So there I waited, can't even remember what I watched. Then three very hot, dirty, sweaty and tired riders came knocking on the door. Everyone was supposed to go to dinner that night. Chris' legs were cramping so badly that I couldn't even breathe on them. I'm a massage therapist and all I could do was stand there and ache to do something to help him. He couldn't even move, but at the same time all he could do to relieve a cramp was move. He was in complete agony all night. All in all it was a good trip mapped out by Yale according to where the Starbucks were located.
Seems like about a month later we were looking for a house. I was looking online and found one. The only trouble was that I didn't like the location. I had spent a major part of my adult life in the neighborhood of Hillcrest. Very eclectic bunch of people. Very Democratic and it suited my personality. It's historic with lots of old houses. This house I found was in West Little Rock and I knew his heart was happy there. West Little Rock is like any other major city. You know it has Target and Wal-Mart and chain restaurants. Not me at all! However, I'm very go with the flow and said, "What the heck? It can't hurt to at least look at the place". Needless to say, it was the first and last house we looked at. We love this house and I love West Little Rock and I don't care who knows it!
In late January of 2006 he asked me to meet him at our local bike shop. He had gone and looked at two bikes for me. Now I didn't ride at the time, but that was all about to change. I sat on each bike thinking that it was not going to go home with us that day. He surprised me by saying, "If you want me to pull the trigger, just say the word. It's totally up to you, baby." So that day I went home with a ruby red Specialized Allez. I will never sell that bike. I still adore it! So I stealth rode for about three weeks just around the neighborhood. I don't like doing things for the first time in front of people. Cuzette (Jenn) had been trying to talk me into riding, but I was resistant. We didn't tell her right off the bat (come to think of it, WE didn't tell her a damn thing! Richard who owns the bike shop let that cat out of the bag), just so I could get some experience in. Well, we almost never heard the end of it when she told us she knew! I believe she stated that the 'Circle of Trust' had been broken. When she finally got over feeling betrayed, we went on the first 'Family Fun Ride'. It was Valentine's day! See a pattern of important things happening on holidays? My memory is so bad that it works out really well that way!
I've done several different events since then. Several century rides (including HHH100) and triathlons. I've even ridden 164 miles in one day. My life has done a 180. I guess what it all boils down to is the fact that there is a common denominator in all of this. Christopher Irons pulled me out of my shell and showed me that I can always push myself harder. The only way is up. Sure, I sink down sometimes, but I know if I just look up I will see him reaching for me. He never lets me down and I know I will always have him to break my fall. I don't know where I would be or what I would be doing without my Luvbug and I NEVER want to find out.

Auto Pilot

2008-07-10T20:37:00.005-05:00

Can you say 'Auto Pilot'? Wow I've just been cruising through the days in sort of a numb way. I have been trying my best to be aware of what is going on around me, but I seem to have blinders on and that is quite disturbing. Going through the motions and not retaining a damn thing. I think that I am seriously sleep deprived and my body is tired. Summer really wears me down. There is so much going on that sometimes you just can't seem to catch your breath and end up feeling like you're running in circles with one foot nailed to the floor. It never used to be that way. Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with my friends and family. I love all the invites to parties and participating in all the events. It's just that sometimes I end up either staring into space blankly or I want to yank all of my hair out. I try to save the cathardic screaming for those times that I'm alone (our neighbors probably think that I'm killing people in our house sometimes). I just hope that this is normal. I envy people who feel comfortable with saying what is on their minds (the tactful people) and especially envious of people who don't think twice about using the word 'NO'. I try to use this word sometimes and it is immediately followed by an explanation of why I can't or won't do something. It's really no one's business why I can't or won't do something. Most of the time when I am explaining things, my inner dialogue goes something like this, "You idiot! They didn't need to know that! That really sounds lame. Now you're just babbling and they smell the weakness. Just go ahead and lay out your calendar, give them a pen and let them write down stuff on your schedule". Every once in awhile, though, I can pull it off and just say the word and leave it at that. Maybe one of these days I will have that mastered!

Just a quickie

2008-06-29T20:39:00.002-05:00

What a bummer! There were thunderstorms, so no ride with the kiddos. I was really looking forward to it, too. And no, Jenny, I think I will pass on borrowing Lauren. Don't get me wrong, she's awesome, but I don't think I'm quite ready to tangle with a teenager. I have enough trouble getting some of my age 45+ clients to do what I say. So we ended up doing nothing fitness related. This is a VERRRRY bad situation when it happens. I get really depressed, have no energy and when the depression wears off, I am possessed by Miss Cranky Pants. Not that I'm horrible, I just don't want to be bothered about anything. Especially if it has anything to do with being social. Which was exactly what I had to do yesterday afternoon. My sister-in-law and brother are adopting a little girl from China. You would think this would be a quick process because they don't much care for little girls over there, but it has taken quite awhile. Anyway, Avery Jane Xinrong Foard's (what a mouthful, eh?) birthday was a few days ago. So even though she isn't here yet, they decided that it would be nice to have a birthday party for her. My brother video taped it so they could send it over so she could see it. Very sweet. Well I made a cake and we went over about 3:30. We had a good time despite not being in the mood to be around people. It was very relaxed in fact. Fortunately there was a lot of fruit and veggies, but the other stuff was a little less than healthy which means danger for Chris and his diet. He wasn't too bad, but he still felt guilty about the little bit he did eat. Everyone has days like that, or weeks (ladies I think you know what I'm talking about). So not only was I not physically active, but I proceeded to shove good old Southern food straight down my throat. It was very ugly. I, however, more than made up for it today I believe. I went for a 28 mile hilly ride, a 6 mile run, did a chest and back workout and some core work. Life is good again!

Take it easy.

2008-06-28T06:50:00.005-05:00

Good morning! I was just sitting here contemplating going for a 3 or 4 mile run and I'm afraid my heavy eyelids and slow pace are going to get the best of me. Inside I really, really want to, but I think I should just lay low again. So I'll just blog now and maybe go for a run later. Besides, we are going for a ride soon! This is a very unusual and special ride for us, though. All this week Chris has been talking to his sister-in-law, Kayla, about taking our neices and nephew for a bike ride. Briana and Alexandria are 7 and Caulder is 5. We don't have any kids ourselves, so we just borrow some every once and awhile! It's a great method. These are some of the sweetest, smartest and cutest kids I know. Kayla and Eric do make very pretty babies! In fact they have a new addition, Hallie-Claire (sp?) , as of this past January. All their children have looked the same as babies. Beautiful skin, dark eyes and A LOT of dark hair. Anyway, I think this will be their first bike ride outside of their neighborhood. Should be fun and very interesting! I'm going to try to remember my camera and blog about the whole experience later.

Whole lotta nothin'

2008-06-26T21:17:00.006-05:00

Okay! Okay! I know it's been about a week. Actually I think it's been exactly a week. I just know you are sitting on the edges of your seats wondering, "What's that Rebecca been up to? Has she abandoned us? We must know what is going on in her life or we shall surely perish!" Well, work mostly along with various and sundry other life things.

This past weekend was unstructered. I'm not productive if I don't have a plan. I did manage to get in an 8 mile run and a 25 mile ride (the "Triple Bypass"). We also went to see a movie. Chris started his diet on Friday and has not cheated. However, he did say that he wanted to bury his face in my bag of popcorn at the movie. I, in respect, wanted to hook myself up to an IV with his diet soda. People look at us really weird when they see me sniffing his drink and see him sniffing what's on my plate. But hey, it works for us!

This week has gone by really fast and I barely got any training for myself in. Amy, who owns the Wellness Studio, has been out of town and I am subbing with some of her clients. I've also been pretty low energy this week, so I just had to stop being frustrated that I haven't worked out. Well, I pretty much work out everyday with clients, but unfortunately I don't feel like I've worked out. Not the way I need or want to. I'm probably feeling the effects of Kansas and I needed some downtime anyway. I'm just trying not to beat myself up over it. Don't want to over train; I wouldn't be able to do anything for awhile. I need to just be in chill mode with my friend Sarah. Just need to go with the flow...

Back to life...

2008-06-19T10:24:00.004-05:00

We got back into town about 7:30 on Tuesday evening and we're both glad to be home. We missed our kitties and our own pillows. It usually takes a day before I really feel like working again. Then I remember that I love my clients and they remind me with all their different personalities how much I love what I do for a living. Sure beats sitting behind a desk! I never really considered myself much of a people person until I got the Luv-Bug. A fast acting virus I've had since July 4th of 2005 that gently nudges me outside my comfort zone on a regular basis. I mean look at me now, I've got lots of friends, I'm blogging and doing crazy things like 1/2 Ironmen. I never thought I'd be doing what I'm doing. I have to say that a large amount of credit goes to him for giving me confidence, unearthing dormant potential and helping me see that I'm worthy.

The next venture is to attempt the 1/2 Ironman in Arkadelphia. I promised myself and Chris that I would do that one if I didn't finish or get to finish the one in Kansas. So training starts for that next week. I feel like I know what I need to do to be ready for it this time. But different course + different weather conditions = huge difference. I've already ridden the bike course for it. All chip and seal and pot holes. Quite frankly, it scares the hell outta me, but I'm going to do it and I'm going to finish!

So here we are, back to life in real time. How fortunate I am that it's a good life! I have a wonderful husband, great family and circle of friends, precious little furballs, I'm healthy, want for nothing and I love what I do for a living...Life Is Good!

What a time we had!

2008-06-16T13:15:00.028-05:00

We were eager and all set to go. We had planned and made all the arrangements for our vacation/event and packed the truck (well, Chris did). So out we set on our great adventure to Kansas with hopes of putting our great 70.3 stickers on our trucks. Was it in the stars? Who can ever really tell? You train and train and train some more to prepare for the big event and sometimes it happens and sometimes it don't! Read further if you want to know, which most of Fast Girls Slow Guys (our cycling buddies) already have the scoop. They just may want to read about the journey, which is the important part, after all.

I sort of wrote about the drive here a couple of days ago, so I'll skip that part. It was pretty boring anyway. We like the hotel we are staying in, it's not like any place we've ever stayed. It's small and stinks with atmosphere. The walls are sort of stucco and they have those bronze looking statues everywhere. The staff is really relaxed and laid back, but extremely helpful. I recommend this place (Senate Luxury Suites) if you end up in Topeka, Kansas.

Anyway, Friday we get up late and take our time getting ready. I just thought, "I could get used to this!". I guess that's why they call it a vacation, right? We decide to go to the local spots for breakfast and coffee just to get the whole experience. The Pancake House, I have four words....70's truck stop diner. First of all, the sign on the door is pretty much an indication of how progressive Topeka is in their healthy lifestyle campagne. It read something like "Smoking permitted in designated area Mon. thru Fri. No smoking on Sat. and Sun." As a matter of fact, every other person on the street had a cigarette in their hands. Not the most health conscious town. Back to the restaurant. I don't even know what to say about the wall paper on this one wall, but I think my grandparents had some on their kitchen wall when I was a kid. The seats were, I believe covered in the original vinyl. I think the only thing that would have completed the ensemble would have been if the waitresses would have been dressed in the uniforms off of the series "Alice". I think the size of the breakfast could have fed about two truckers who hadn't eaten in a couple of days. When we were leaving we noticed a hall way with a newspaper article. come to find out, the place opened in 1969 and probably had all the original decor. You don't find this kind of place just anywhere and it was awesome. We left there and went down the street to a local espresso place for my fix. All ready to head down to the race site and check things out while we waited for Jo and Lisa to arrive.

The first turn off led us down a gravel road and we started to worry. However, we were relieved to find out this wasn't part of the course. We started to enter the race site and the official sign of the Kansas 70.3 Ironman was up. My heart had started racing way before I was supposed to. We got out and took a gander at the impressive transition area that would soon hold 1300 bikes. The spots were numbered so we had an assigned spot, which made me very happy. I am a Libra and one less decision I have to make is one less stress for me. I've never done anything like this before and I have no idea what the best position for me to be in is. We went down to the beach to take a gander at the water. The buoys didn't look so far out...yet. When we started driving the bike course we quickly realized that Kansas is anything but flat! Jo and Lisa said it reminded them of the M and M course that they train on with D'Wonn. I gotta start training on that loop! We headed down to the expo and got checked in. After check in we got some lunch at a pretty groovy little place called the Global Cafe.

Jo called after she'd found a parking space and we met up with her and Lisa and went back to the expo for them to register and look around. We decided to go to dinner at a place called Old Chicago. They offer about 3 billion different beers. They have pretty good pizza, too. I think Jo may quit her job and buy an Old Chicago franchise. Saturday was another slow to rise day. This time we opted for IHOP and Starbucks. By the time we made it to eat breakfast, it was lunch time. So Chris had his last pre-race cheeseburger. You will understand if you are following his blog. If you haven't read it, you really should check it out and give him your support! Go to the Luvbug link under my Other Blogheads. On with the story. I needed my daily dose, so down the street for some Starbucks! I should just hook up an IV. It would be cheaper! We headed down to the race site again to rack our bikes. We rode a little bit of the course with Jo, Lisa and Kevin. I quickly discovered that I need to ride my bike more. I will have to just quit my job and train 40 hours a week! Chris is working on winning the lottery. We got our chips and racked our bikes. There was no turning back now! We came back to the hotel and napped a bit. Then went to eat some dinner. The time was drawing nearer and I was officially starting to get nervous. We made it to bed at a little after 8 with our alarms set for 2:30 a.m.

After a night of relatively good sleep, the alarm tells us it's almost showtime! I roll over and tell Chris to have fun today, half kidding. We pull into the race site at about 4:30. It really started to hit me in the truck on the way over that I was going to be doing the most epic thing for me to date. My stomach was in knots and I was having trouble breathing. Not really a good sign when you're getting ready to jump in the water in a couple of hours because for me the feeling only intensifies. Just once I would like to experience something like this without the side effects! We set up our transition areas and check them about 3,000 times. We see Jo and it's a little before 6 and she seems rushed. As she's airing up her back tire, we hear that familiar sound of "POP! shphzzzzzz". Damn what a time to get a flat. At least it was before the race and not at the beginning of the ride. Chris came over and helped changed the flat. She only had one tube so I gave her one of mine. What are friends for? Chris and I decide to go for a 5 minute run then put our wetsuits on. Oh gawd! I don't know if I can do this!!!!! Well we start the swim and as usual it takes about 600 yards to get into a rhythm for me. Just enough time to get run over by the wave that started 3 minutes later. And the one after that and the one after that. I was swimming beside another woman and she was very angry that the men went off after we did. I had to agree with her. I got kicked in the ribs, elbowed in the side of the head, pulled under by the ankle and got my head pushed under water by a hand. All by men. After being almost drown twice I had to stop and collect myself while coughing up yummy lake water. Well, just suffice it to say that I didn't have to hydrate too much on the bike. I finally drug myself out of the water and when I got my my wetsuit off I noticed my timing chip was not on my ankle! AARRRRGH! You've got to be friggin' kiddin' me! I rushed to tell one of the volunteers that I had lost my chip and she told me to get ready for the bike and sent someone running. As I started to put my shoes on I saw my chip lying on the ground. Thank ya Jesus! Chris said he heard them call my name as I was leaving the transition on my bike. Away I went. It started out great! I felt good and I wasn't doing too badly. I just tried to remember that when I started to feel like I was putting out too much effort, I needed to back off. The last leg of the bike was brutal. The head wind had to be in between 20 to 25 mph with some viscious climbing. On the way back though, it was blazing saddles! Finally pulled into the transition area for the run! Home stretch baby! This was it! Just a mere half marathon. It was pretty difficult, but at least it was not hot. I noticed that dark clouds started to roll in and the wind kicked up. We knew there was a chance of rain later. I had run through a couple of water hose sprays and they were handing out ice cold sponges on the course which I needed at the time. Only now my shoes were squishy and I was starting to get cold. As I was thinking, "surely I'm not dehydrated" some guy announced that the temp had dipped into the 60's. Brrrrrrrr! Squishy shoes, wet and cold I was going to finish this race! I was so excited even though my run time was getting slower and slower with each painful step, I still had plenty of time to make it to the finish line. I no longer cared what my time was going to be. Then it happened...they called the race! I had come about 6 1/2 miles and they were shutting it down because a possibility of tornados. I almost made it! I was sooooo close and I would have finished, but alas it was not to be. There was one poor girl who was absolutely crushed. She was bawling and my heart went out to her. I, surprisingly, was not very upset.

It started raining about 20 minutes after I was pulled from the course. Oh well, I was already soaked and freezing my patootie off. What difference was a little rain going to make? I see Chris coming through the finish and we talked for a few minutes, got our bags and headed down to gather our stuff and get our bikes out of the transition area. By the time we got back to the truck it had all but stopped raining. Traffic was insane so we decided to go get some pizza that was meant for the athletes after the event. Needless to say there was a ton of it. They had turkey sandwiches that were pretty tasty. By the time we decided it was safe to go, the sun was shining and not a cloud in site. I called my dad to wish him a Happy Father's Day on the way back. We thought about stopping at the Fantasy Gentlemen's Club for a lap dance or two, but they don't open on Sundays. Dang! We got back to the hotel all soggy and tired. We took a shower and about a 2 hour nap. Got up and walked over to Walgreens and bought some not so good for you food. Let me tell you, I decided about 8 or 9 months ago to give up cola of any kind inspired by OD'Wonn. Chris said that I should reward myself with one after the 70.3. I did and it was good, but surprisingly it was not as good as I thought it would be. Which was good news; means I'm not missing anything! It was still a nice treat, though. I'm feeling pretty good considering what I just put my body through. Now it's time to hit it hard again! Yeah, baby!
I may not get to put that 70.3 sticker on my back windshield right now, but I hope to by the end of the year. I will however wear the finisher's shirt and my hat I bought.
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

...and closer

2008-06-13T22:35:00.005-05:00

Okay, here we are in Kansas, Toto! It was a purdy uneventful deerive. Not a whole lot of scenery. We finally got here about 10:30 last night. We ran into a little rain...okay, maybe more than a little. So we pull up to the hotel and from the outside it looks sort of run down, but quaint. We walk in and it has sort of a spooky feel to it. If you've ever been to Eureka Springs, AR you know what I'm talking about. Like a ghostly, haunted feeling. I had asked the woman at the front desk if it was haunted. She said that there have been reports of hauntings, but she works nights and she'd never seen anything. Maybe they're daytime ghosts. I absolutely love paranormal stuff, so of course I'm just looking for something! I think Chris is hoping for just the opposite. I will download some pics maybe tomorrow morning and report on the race course, too. I just wanted to give a quick report.

Getting closer!

2008-06-11T09:24:00.002-05:00

Okay! I can't believe I'm going to put this out there. Chris had informed me that an athlete could be tracked in our 1/2 Ironman. So you will be able to see where we are on the course and what our times are. I just looked and ours isn't listed as one that will have this feature. However, they may add it to the list closer to the day. We got to watch our friend David (his blog is listed under my links) come across the finish line at the Ironman Louisville last year via the web. It was really cool! Not quite like being there and cheering for him, but it was still exciting! So I may regret this but here is the website: http://www.ironman.com/ When you get to the homepage go to EVENTS. Click on Ironman 70.3 Series. Click on Ironman 70.3 Kansas. Scroll down until you see Spectators in the lower left corner. Click on Athlete Tracking. So if you want to see how we're doing (or maybe not doing) just follow those easy steps. You can also read about it in our blogs if they don't end up giving you the option of using that feature.

What a rush!

2008-06-09T21:00:00.002-05:00

Wow! Can you believe how fast this month is moving, not to mention the entire year. Right now my head is so convoluted with "stuff". I'm currently trying to stay focused on the Kansas 1/2 Ironman, but trying to get everything done and packed before Thurs. is making me sort of cranky. Just ask my peach of a husband! I just don't want to forget anything, but if I do my Luvbug has an extra, I guarantee it. So, seriously I don't know why I'm stressing! Getting ready to hit the hay. Just wanted to get in a "quick hit" (as my friend Geo puts it). I think after this weekend, I can really kind of settle into this blog and be productive with it.

To blog or not to blog

2008-06-02T21:48:00.004-05:00

Weeelll, let me just tell you how difficult it was to get this show on the road. I created my blog homepage and I've been so busy that I had to put off my first entry for a few days. I just wanted it to be good! I finally settled in Saturday night to blog about my class I took to renew my massage license and up popped the message that my blog was under investigation for a possible Terms of Use violation. I'm not a rebel and I would be the WORST 'bad girl' you have ever seen. I mean, when I was in 5th grade, I had heard a dirty joke from one of my older brother's friends and the teacher caught me telling it. I felt nothing but a rush of heat and was totally embarassed. Not from knowing what the joke truly meant, but because I was being punished in front of everyone. Anyway, my point being that violating anything is well beyond my nature. I found out that the 'robot' thought it may be a spam blog. I put in a request for a review and here I am! So it's way past my bedtime, but I was so excited that I had to write. Yeah, I think this is going to be really good for me. Not that my life is sooooo exciting that I thought you may want to read about it, but I feel like it's just something that I've got to do to help maintain my sanity. Thanks for reading!