Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Another day, another drama
So, I get up this morning and despite reports of rain, it is not raining. I am feeling lucky because I have to ride my bike home after I drop the Jeep off at the Jeep dealership (to fix the repairs where the lady rearended me last week). So, I load up the bike and start on my way. About now it starts to pour. Oh well, the ride is about 8-9 miles and I can ride and get home, get a run in before I have to go to school. I drop off the Jeep and unload my bike and start to ride. I step down on the left pedal to clip in and I hear a strange noise. Then I realize that the left pedal is not coming up when I pull up. The crank is broken. Well, of course, I did not bring my cell phone because I did not want it to get wet (because I have already had to replace it from water damage not 3 weeks ago). So, I decide that I will ride over to the bike shop where I work part-time and fix the pedal myself. So, I ride about 2-3 miles to the bike shop, pedaling with one leg. So, imagine for a minute...I am riding in the pouring rain and can only pedal with one leg. I get to the shop and I cannot fix it. Wait, did I mention this is the bike I am doing Ironman in on Sunday? So, I call Sandy and ask her if I can borrow a bike to get home to get to school. I, of course, burst into tears when trying to explain this. She tells me to take any bike I need to and head home. So, I grab the easiest bike I can get to which is a 53 cm cyclocross bike, which is too big for me and of course, has the wrong pedals on it. I start home and while I can pedal with both legs, I cannot clip in and have to pedal on my toes because of my cleats. In the meantime, I lose both flat sides of the clipless pedals on the cyclocross bike. I get home and it stops raining. AAAAAHHHH! About now, you are probably asking yourself "Why did she not ask for help?" Hello, that would mean I would have to depend on someone else and do not want to trouble anyone. Being a Capricorn (whose sign is the goat), I am extremely stubborn and am convinced I can do everything on my own...even though I am continually reminded, I cannot! Oh well, more material for my best seller. At least the crank arm broke now and instead of at Ironman on Sunday. Now, I am convinced I will do great on Sunday because all the bad stuff has already happened.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
One day I am going to have a best seller....
Any time my husband is far enough away that he cannot return quickly, some thing (okay, many things) go hay wire in my life....here is the latest example...
So, today I decide I am going to cut the grass so Leona and I can go to the beach tomorrow. I get the lawnmower and off I go. Mow the front yard and the lawnmower works just fine. Get to the back yard and with my ADD self, I cannot cut the grass in straight lines. I have to go in some funky jacked up way...not even a pattern. But I think I will cut the grass and start cleaning the house so when I get home from the beach tomorrow I can just hang out in my clean house with the manicured lawn. So, about half way through the lawnmower starts smoking and I think that something is wrong with the oil. Well, it stops and there is some oil on the mower but it starts up again. First thing I notice is all the bugs are gone! WOW, I think the smoke cleared away the bugs and I could leave the windows open without fear of getting eaten alive. So, I continue in my jacked up lawnmowing way and finally the lawnmower dies. After several attempts, I figure it is better for me to leave it and maybe somehow someway it will fix itself. Of course, I leave it in the middle of the backyard. I then decide to get the weedwacker and trim the rest of the grass because in my brain there is not that much left. So, I start weedwacking away. Now, the weedwacker is cordless and dies after about 10 minutes. Not to mention that thing gets a little heavy my forearms feel like I have been beat up by the closest UFC fighter. So, here I sit...lawn looks some psycho elf half assed mowed it, dead lawnmower sitting in the middle of the back yard, dead weedwacker on the charger. All hopes of becoming the more efficient wife and better housekeeper dead...better get the wine because I am really good at that. And once I have had enough wine I won't care about the yard and I might convince myself that it looks just fine and I might have discovered a new landscaping trick. Heck, I won't even care the house looks like a hurricane hit it. Bless my heart and bring on the wine!
So, today I decide I am going to cut the grass so Leona and I can go to the beach tomorrow. I get the lawnmower and off I go. Mow the front yard and the lawnmower works just fine. Get to the back yard and with my ADD self, I cannot cut the grass in straight lines. I have to go in some funky jacked up way...not even a pattern. But I think I will cut the grass and start cleaning the house so when I get home from the beach tomorrow I can just hang out in my clean house with the manicured lawn. So, about half way through the lawnmower starts smoking and I think that something is wrong with the oil. Well, it stops and there is some oil on the mower but it starts up again. First thing I notice is all the bugs are gone! WOW, I think the smoke cleared away the bugs and I could leave the windows open without fear of getting eaten alive. So, I continue in my jacked up lawnmowing way and finally the lawnmower dies. After several attempts, I figure it is better for me to leave it and maybe somehow someway it will fix itself. Of course, I leave it in the middle of the backyard. I then decide to get the weedwacker and trim the rest of the grass because in my brain there is not that much left. So, I start weedwacking away. Now, the weedwacker is cordless and dies after about 10 minutes. Not to mention that thing gets a little heavy my forearms feel like I have been beat up by the closest UFC fighter. So, here I sit...lawn looks some psycho elf half assed mowed it, dead lawnmower sitting in the middle of the back yard, dead weedwacker on the charger. All hopes of becoming the more efficient wife and better housekeeper dead...better get the wine because I am really good at that. And once I have had enough wine I won't care about the yard and I might convince myself that it looks just fine and I might have discovered a new landscaping trick. Heck, I won't even care the house looks like a hurricane hit it. Bless my heart and bring on the wine!
"We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night tovisit violence on those who would do us harm."-George Orwell
"We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."-George Orwell
Today, I read this on a forwarded email. Like a lot of people I have been watching the Olympics religiously nightly (sometimes very late into the night) and while I am totally amazed at their athletic feats and blown away by their natural abilities, I have only heard one American athlete (funny it was an athlete that I don't really respect - Kobe Bryant) say anything about our troops overseas who have given them the ability to compete at these Olympic games. This is a subject I am extremely passionate about because one of those troops is my husband. He spends a lot of time away from home because of this. I even forget that he gives me the freedom to do all of these athletic feats (on a much smaller scale than the Olympics) and his willingness to visit violence on those who do us harm also allows me the freedom to do all of these things I take for granted. Most of us do not think of the war going on a daily basis far far away and we go on about our every day lives taking all of this for granted. We forget that there are actually people fighting for our freedom. Every night we go to bed and most of us do not give the troops another thought...these are the very people that allow us to go on about with our lives. We do not think of the sacrifices these troops make...and some will make and have made the ultimate sacrifice. It doesn't matter your political persuasion or your views on the war, we are able to sleep safely in our comfy beds every night because of these troops. What's the point? Just to make us all stop and think and maybe even say a quick prayer for our troops (past, present and future) and respect their undying devotion to our country. Some of them have given much more than any Olympic athlete competing today. Off the soapbox...
Today, I read this on a forwarded email. Like a lot of people I have been watching the Olympics religiously nightly (sometimes very late into the night) and while I am totally amazed at their athletic feats and blown away by their natural abilities, I have only heard one American athlete (funny it was an athlete that I don't really respect - Kobe Bryant) say anything about our troops overseas who have given them the ability to compete at these Olympic games. This is a subject I am extremely passionate about because one of those troops is my husband. He spends a lot of time away from home because of this. I even forget that he gives me the freedom to do all of these athletic feats (on a much smaller scale than the Olympics) and his willingness to visit violence on those who do us harm also allows me the freedom to do all of these things I take for granted. Most of us do not think of the war going on a daily basis far far away and we go on about our every day lives taking all of this for granted. We forget that there are actually people fighting for our freedom. Every night we go to bed and most of us do not give the troops another thought...these are the very people that allow us to go on about with our lives. We do not think of the sacrifices these troops make...and some will make and have made the ultimate sacrifice. It doesn't matter your political persuasion or your views on the war, we are able to sleep safely in our comfy beds every night because of these troops. What's the point? Just to make us all stop and think and maybe even say a quick prayer for our troops (past, present and future) and respect their undying devotion to our country. Some of them have given much more than any Olympic athlete competing today. Off the soapbox...
Thursday, August 21, 2008
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do. -Eleanor Roosevelt
This is at the signature at the end of my email and I have written about it before. Maybe I actually followed it yesterday...Only three other people knew I was even considering swimming the 800 meters at the post swim meet. I had never swam at a swim meet before and I was scared I would embarrass myself and end up last. So, yesterday, after teaching spin class, I sped like a mad woman to post and got there just in time. There were lots of people I knew there which made it worse because if I was going embarrass myself at least I did not want everyone in God's green earth to see it. So, when I got to my lane, my timer asked me what I thought I would swim and I said about 17 minutes. Well, sure enough...I had a decent swim but I was dead last. Yes...exactly what I was afraid of. Good news, I did finish 15:41. At first, I was mortified in the water because I could see people passing me and actually lapping me. I thought of all the excuses (I swam 1800 yards this morning, I am a long distance athlete and do not warm up until after 1000 yards, I just came from spin class, yada yadaada) that I could make but finally on the way home I realized...I did it and I did not die from embarrassment and no one really cared but me. The best thing is I did something that really scared me. Is it scary to most people? Probably not but it was to me!
Today, I ran 55 minutes this morning and rode this afternoon. The week (as usual) has not worked out quite as I planned but it is not a bad week! Tomorrow, a swim and run.
Note for the day...do something that scares you...even if you do not completely succeed - at least you tried and that is winning!
This is at the signature at the end of my email and I have written about it before. Maybe I actually followed it yesterday...Only three other people knew I was even considering swimming the 800 meters at the post swim meet. I had never swam at a swim meet before and I was scared I would embarrass myself and end up last. So, yesterday, after teaching spin class, I sped like a mad woman to post and got there just in time. There were lots of people I knew there which made it worse because if I was going embarrass myself at least I did not want everyone in God's green earth to see it. So, when I got to my lane, my timer asked me what I thought I would swim and I said about 17 minutes. Well, sure enough...I had a decent swim but I was dead last. Yes...exactly what I was afraid of. Good news, I did finish 15:41. At first, I was mortified in the water because I could see people passing me and actually lapping me. I thought of all the excuses (I swam 1800 yards this morning, I am a long distance athlete and do not warm up until after 1000 yards, I just came from spin class, yada yadaada) that I could make but finally on the way home I realized...I did it and I did not die from embarrassment and no one really cared but me. The best thing is I did something that really scared me. Is it scary to most people? Probably not but it was to me!
Today, I ran 55 minutes this morning and rode this afternoon. The week (as usual) has not worked out quite as I planned but it is not a bad week! Tomorrow, a swim and run.
Note for the day...do something that scares you...even if you do not completely succeed - at least you tried and that is winning!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
2 more weeks...
2 more weeks to IM Louisville! This week's workouts...
Monday-swim, run, teach one spin class
Tuesday-run, bike, yoga, and weights
Wednesday-swim
Thursday-run, bike, and weights
Friday-swim
Saturday-short brick
Sunday-BEACH - JEEP RIDE!!!!!!
Monday-swim, run, teach one spin class
Tuesday-run, bike, yoga, and weights
Wednesday-swim
Thursday-run, bike, and weights
Friday-swim
Saturday-short brick
Sunday-BEACH - JEEP RIDE!!!!!!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Self Destructive Behaviors and Nutrition
Oh...why is it before Ironman your legs feel like they weigh 900 million pounds? Today, I rode the Carthage ride with Hal, Leo, Quincy, Mike, Zodie, and Bob. While it was fun and my friend, Leo, swears the hills were not that big...it hurt. We did come in a little over 3 minutes faster than 2 weeks ago. Stuff hurt...hips, priformis muscle (thanks Ginger for telling me what the heck that was), legs...OUCH. I probably worked way harder than necessary but all in all it was a fairly good ride. The ride was for the Special Forces Association who raise money to help families of Special Forces that were wounded or killed in action. It was a great cause, the weather was perfect and I was in good company.
Today, I was reading my friend, Amelia's, blog (http://www.sbrtricoach.com/). Amelia is a local triathlon coach who I met at our first coaching clinic a few years ago. While I do not talk to her that much anymore, she helped me through some very difficult times in my life. She talks in her blog about several things but the two topics that hit home with me were self-destructive behavior and nutrition. She says, "So when do triathletes engage in self-destructive behavior? The most common scenario leads to overtraining. As the art and science of triathlon have evolved, we’ve learned that we should ‘periodize’ our training." This is true. Somehow we think more is better and even with a degree in PE and lots of training in the subject, I do this too. The bad thing is that now I am ready to give up triathlon because I do not know when to back off. So, the best advice I can give to people is to actually rest and have easy days when you actually go easy and don't feel like because you do not stay with the pack one day, you suck. Actually, this could help you out more than you know and you can bypass the pack!
Now, nutritionally, we all have self-destructive behaviors. We all have our thing that we love and it is not good for us. Now, I do think that all things in moderation are okay. Sometimes a piece of cake will not kill you and it will curb the sweet tooth. Unfortunately, for me, I cannot have one piece of cake...it is several pieces and then some. So, what can you do if you have this problem? Well, there are many several different schools of thought on that...what has worked for me sometimes is to completely give that thing up and write it down and give it to someone who will keep me to it (Thanks Hal). It does not mean I cannot have a treat but I know that I cannot eat just one piece of cake. Does it always work? No. The problem with the wealth of nutritional information we get bombarded with is that it is hard to tell what is going to work for each of us individually. That is the key...what works for each of individually. Find what works for you and do it! I will say that the healthier I eat the better I feel and usually perform better. Be careful here and do not take it too far and end up focusing only on food. Again, everything in moderation.
Today, I was reading my friend, Amelia's, blog (http://www.sbrtricoach.com/). Amelia is a local triathlon coach who I met at our first coaching clinic a few years ago. While I do not talk to her that much anymore, she helped me through some very difficult times in my life. She talks in her blog about several things but the two topics that hit home with me were self-destructive behavior and nutrition. She says, "So when do triathletes engage in self-destructive behavior? The most common scenario leads to overtraining. As the art and science of triathlon have evolved, we’ve learned that we should ‘periodize’ our training." This is true. Somehow we think more is better and even with a degree in PE and lots of training in the subject, I do this too. The bad thing is that now I am ready to give up triathlon because I do not know when to back off. So, the best advice I can give to people is to actually rest and have easy days when you actually go easy and don't feel like because you do not stay with the pack one day, you suck. Actually, this could help you out more than you know and you can bypass the pack!
Now, nutritionally, we all have self-destructive behaviors. We all have our thing that we love and it is not good for us. Now, I do think that all things in moderation are okay. Sometimes a piece of cake will not kill you and it will curb the sweet tooth. Unfortunately, for me, I cannot have one piece of cake...it is several pieces and then some. So, what can you do if you have this problem? Well, there are many several different schools of thought on that...what has worked for me sometimes is to completely give that thing up and write it down and give it to someone who will keep me to it (Thanks Hal). It does not mean I cannot have a treat but I know that I cannot eat just one piece of cake. Does it always work? No. The problem with the wealth of nutritional information we get bombarded with is that it is hard to tell what is going to work for each of us individually. That is the key...what works for each of individually. Find what works for you and do it! I will say that the healthier I eat the better I feel and usually perform better. Be careful here and do not take it too far and end up focusing only on food. Again, everything in moderation.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Tired...only 17 more days.
This morning I woke up tired...Think I am quickly approaching overtraining and ready to be done with Ironman. Rode with my good friend, Pat, this morning and then rode with Hal and Leo this afternoon. All and all 50 miles today. My head tells me I am tired and my legs scream they are tired which is all making me very grumpy. This is the worse part before IM. You just want it to be over and then when it is over, you are sad and want to start all over again. You forget being tired and pain and just remember that $1,000,000,000+ feeling when you cross the finish line. I always say if you could bottle that feeling and sell it, you would be a trizillionaire! Not only do you feel good but you forget all the bad stuff! Every time I do IM, about half way through I think...I do not remember this hurting so bad or being so hard...well, it is because of that feeling at the end. Even at the end of IM Arizona in April (which was my worst showing to date), I had that feeling. The day was not the best but I still had that feeling of accomplishment and this time (after 4 times) I finally heard "You are an Ironman." I had never heard it before, although my friend, Elizabeth, is convinced that is what makes your arms go up when you go over the finish line. I hope so! Just the same I finally heard it! WOW!
What does it mean anyway to be an Ironman? HMMM...it means different stuff to different people. Surely, it means you completed the 140.6 mile journey - no matter what your time or where you did it. It does not make you any less of an Ironman to do the race in Kentucky or Hawaii. You still completed the journey. Are some courses tougher than others? Sure but so is life but we all still complete the journey. To me, it means doing something I never imagined I could. It means being out there no matter for how long and how hard it is and making it through. It means that no matter what happened outside training and how much it hurt inside, you did it. You did it. There are more and more people who can say they are Ironmen and Iron women but seriously, it is probably less than 1% of earth's population. So, whether you finish at 8:10 or 16:59, you are still among an elite population. Now, I never think that of myself because I think I am just a regular person who just can do things for a very long time. I often see myself in the mirror as a slow, fat, dumb and lazy person who is able to keep her body and mind doing things for a long time. Which if you knew me in real life, that would not make sense to you at all...I am a little ADHD and I think way too much. So, even people who are little crazy can be an Ironman. We still did the same 140.6 miles that the leader did. Sorry for the babbling post...just pondering...
Best Ironman so far...IM USA in Lake Placid - do this race. The venue is supreme and the people are soooooooooo nice! One of their bike shops is open 24 hours IM Week! The water is pristine!
Hardest course-IM USA
Toughest mental IM (because of life in outside life)...IM Coeur D'Alene
Flatest course-IM Florida, without a doubt
Coldest swim-IM Coeur D'Alene
Toughest/Hottest day-IM Arizona
Most Emotional Finish - IM Wisconsin...the first one is always the most emotional...
Maybe these will change in 17 days...who knows. All I can honestly hope for (beside a PR) is not to drown, fall off my bike and no blisters on the run and to do all of this and still feel good at the end. One of my greatest joys at every IM is that my parents are always there and just as proud of me as they were at the first one. My mom has a hat you can see from outer space and is always there screaming and worrying but she is always there. My stepdad is always there-mostly worrying-and he is always there, too. Thank goodness for parents who believe in you, no matter how crazy they think you are (trust me, they think I am crazy but support me anyway-with t-shirts even). My biggest sadness for this IM is that I hope to PR and it may be my last IM...and my Doodle will not be there to see it but I know he will be there watching on Ironman Live. So is life. All I can do is put one foot in front of the other and have faith that God will see me through it no matter what.
Today, my friend, Pat, said he was a blessed man and he is (although it might just be with crazy women ;) ). It really started me to thinking that I am blessed too. I have spent a lot of my life looking at the bad things and focusing on me and not everyone else. But I made a vow to myself today to really start trying to look for the good in all situations and focusing on others. Thanks Pat! (Of course, this was after our Waffle House breakfast because of a fog delayed ride...it could have just been the grease talking!)
What does it mean anyway to be an Ironman? HMMM...it means different stuff to different people. Surely, it means you completed the 140.6 mile journey - no matter what your time or where you did it. It does not make you any less of an Ironman to do the race in Kentucky or Hawaii. You still completed the journey. Are some courses tougher than others? Sure but so is life but we all still complete the journey. To me, it means doing something I never imagined I could. It means being out there no matter for how long and how hard it is and making it through. It means that no matter what happened outside training and how much it hurt inside, you did it. You did it. There are more and more people who can say they are Ironmen and Iron women but seriously, it is probably less than 1% of earth's population. So, whether you finish at 8:10 or 16:59, you are still among an elite population. Now, I never think that of myself because I think I am just a regular person who just can do things for a very long time. I often see myself in the mirror as a slow, fat, dumb and lazy person who is able to keep her body and mind doing things for a long time. Which if you knew me in real life, that would not make sense to you at all...I am a little ADHD and I think way too much. So, even people who are little crazy can be an Ironman. We still did the same 140.6 miles that the leader did. Sorry for the babbling post...just pondering...
Best Ironman so far...IM USA in Lake Placid - do this race. The venue is supreme and the people are soooooooooo nice! One of their bike shops is open 24 hours IM Week! The water is pristine!
Hardest course-IM USA
Toughest mental IM (because of life in outside life)...IM Coeur D'Alene
Flatest course-IM Florida, without a doubt
Coldest swim-IM Coeur D'Alene
Toughest/Hottest day-IM Arizona
Most Emotional Finish - IM Wisconsin...the first one is always the most emotional...
Maybe these will change in 17 days...who knows. All I can honestly hope for (beside a PR) is not to drown, fall off my bike and no blisters on the run and to do all of this and still feel good at the end. One of my greatest joys at every IM is that my parents are always there and just as proud of me as they were at the first one. My mom has a hat you can see from outer space and is always there screaming and worrying but she is always there. My stepdad is always there-mostly worrying-and he is always there, too. Thank goodness for parents who believe in you, no matter how crazy they think you are (trust me, they think I am crazy but support me anyway-with t-shirts even). My biggest sadness for this IM is that I hope to PR and it may be my last IM...and my Doodle will not be there to see it but I know he will be there watching on Ironman Live. So is life. All I can do is put one foot in front of the other and have faith that God will see me through it no matter what.
Today, my friend, Pat, said he was a blessed man and he is (although it might just be with crazy women ;) ). It really started me to thinking that I am blessed too. I have spent a lot of my life looking at the bad things and focusing on me and not everyone else. But I made a vow to myself today to really start trying to look for the good in all situations and focusing on others. Thanks Pat! (Of course, this was after our Waffle House breakfast because of a fog delayed ride...it could have just been the grease talking!)
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