ABANDON HOPE!

Day 6 of the New Year, and already she's giving up? Not quite. I have been giving quite a bit of thought to what my New Year's resolutions should be. More so than usual. And number one on my list is to love and accept myself. As I am. Right. Now. No excuses. No what ifs. I must abandon hope* of becoming "perfect" for I am already perfect. Losing ten pounds will not make me a better person, nor will it make me happy. There will always be someone thinner, fitter, faster than me. To be truly happy, I need to be myself, and I need to love myself.


Having said all that, there are a few things I'm working on. And the new year is as good a time as any to work on changing some habits.

Living in the Moment -- I worry a lot and tend to over think things. Part of what made the Ironman such a great experience for me was that I was in the moment as soon as the gun went off. I stopped worrying and just swam and biked and ran for 16 hours and forty minutes. I was proud of myself for getting there. I soaked in the beautiful views and enjoyed the support and kindness of strangers. And the day just flew by! I want every day to be like that. People shouting my name and cheering for me eveywhere I go would be pretty cool too.

Stretching

As you can see, I need to work on my flexibility. This is me seriously stretching, and that's as far as I can go even with my knees bent. Right now. Lisa, my private trainer, says that my tight calf muscles are hindering my movement and has me using the foam roller every day. It's painful, but I am noticing an improvement. I went to yoga twice this week, and it felt sooo good. Once I go back to work (tomorrow!) I'll be lucky to fit in one yoga class a week, but I can stretch for 10-15 minutes at home everyday.

Nutrition -- I need to be more mindful of what I'm putting in my body. This mostly means planning, grocery shopping, and cooking so that I have good, healthy choices readily available. And it's not all that hard. The other night I threw a turkey breast tenderloin (preseasoned) in the oven and roasted some veggies along with it. It was very easy and tasty. The only drawback was that it took over an hour to cook. That's where the planning comes in.

So, I think this is enough to work on for now. Happy New Year!!

*I first heard the phrase "Abandon Hope" from my good friend and IronFan, Liz, on June 23, 2007, in Coeur d'Alene, ID.

Farewell 2007

Ah, the sun sets on yet another year. And I have to admit I'm happy to see this one go. Yes, I accomplished a great deal this year ... training for and completing an Ironman while raising over $9000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I made some great friends along the way too. Yet my Mom's passing on January 18, 2007, put a damper on things to say the least. I know she's proud of me. I just wish she could have been here to share this success with me. My Dad too (he died on January 15, 2002).

My Dad was my first coach. He had my four older brothers and me doing drills daily ... swinging the bat 50 times in front of a mirror, fielding balls, playing catch, etc.; but always we were thinking ... visualizing the ball and thinking about the play we would make. And quitting or giving up was never an option. My Mom was team mom, manager, score keeper, etc. If there was a job that needed doing, she did it. I don't know how she did it, but she seemed to attend EVERYTHING for all FIVE of us. Amazing! She even traveled from Arizona to San Diego to be there for my first triathlon! She was a little disturbed by the "skimpy outfits" worn by some of the athletes, and she thought I should have won, but she was there for me. Always. Thank you both.

11:46

For two weeks in a row my total duration of training has reached exactly 11 hours and 46 minutes. I ran more and swam less this week, but still the total time was exactly the same as the week prior. I don't think I could do that again even if I tried. Freaky. Maybe it's a sign that I can finish an Ironman in 11:46. Ha!

Yesterday I rode on PCH in Malibu with the Team. It was a beautiful day with an easy 2 hour ride on the schedule. PCH has some rolling hills and gorgeous views. Seven months ago it was our easy, recovery ride. But yesterday the hills seemed a bit harder than I remember. I'm a little worried about what's gonna happen when we start riding the real hills. Will I be able to make it? Will I be going so slow that I'll just tip over? Or start sliding backward down the hill? I doubt it of course, but still I worry.

Stats for the week of December 17th:
Swim: 6200 yards; 3:00
Bike: 67.0 mi; 4:42
Run: 11.0 mi; 2:04
Weights: 2:00
Total Time: 11 hours, 46 minutes

Stats for the week of December 24th:
Swim: 3050 yd; 1:40*
Bike: 52.3 mi; 3:50
Run: 20.3 mi; 4:01
Weights: 2:15
Total Time: 11 hours, 46 minutes

* I had to cut my swim short on Dec. 24th because of the aqua aerobics class. Those old ladies can be ruthless.

It feels good to be back :)

New Muscles

Well, the week is almost up so it's time for a new post. These past two weeks have been a little strange. I'm on vacation so even though there has been lots to do ... baking, shopping, wrapping, spending time with family and friends ... I have been able to fit in all of my workouts. Last week I logged over 11 hours, but I have been eating SO much that I feel kinda gross. I'll be glad when the holidays are over and I can get rid of all the junk in my house (and on my thighs!)

I felt some new muscles while swimming last night. I think they were the pecs! I have worked out with my trainer four times so far. I have also done the workout she has shown me on my own several times. I love that tingly feeling I get after I work out with weights ... like my muscles are still working. And feeling them last night was even better. It's going to be a challenge fitting everything in, but I just know all this work will pay off.

I'm Back

Holy crap! It's been a long time since I've posted. How does that happen? I'm back in the training groove, and I'm liking it. I love having a schedule to follow and a purpose for each workout. You can check out my training log here. I've also hired a personal trainer. I need to drop about 10 pounds and get leaner and stronger. This will make help tremendously on all those long bike rides and runs. I will start posting at least once a week again whether you like it or not ;)

It's Official .....

I have my spot for Ironman Coeur d'Alene!! June 22, 2008 will be here before I know it so it's time to get serious about my training again.

Big Plans

I bought my plane ticket to Paris today. That's right, I'm going to Paris to run a marathon on April 6th! Don't worry, I'll have plenty of time to see the sites and eat croissants and drink wine :) The race comes at the end of my two week Spring Break so the timing is perfect. My friend and fellow teacher Jeanine is going with me. Actually, I'm going with her. She's a planner and has already worked out almost all of the details. Thanks Jeanine!

The other big news is that I signed up for Ironman Coeur d'Alene again!! Last month I made the decision to be a mentor with Team in Training. The team is training for Wildflower Long and Vineman. So, I had people to train with, but no race. Until now. I love having that goal out there. This year will be a little different. I know that I can do the distance, but I also know the sacrifice it will take to get there.

More about goals (one of which is to post more regularly) in another post ....