Things I've learned from the men in my life

1. Don't sweat the small stuff
2. It's all small stuff - unless it's basketball season and my team is losing
3. There are such things as soul mates
4. Having the chance to share your life with your soul mate is an amazing thing - no matter how short lived
5. A soul mate can never be replaced
6. All men are NOT created equal
7. Ibuprofen is a vitamin
8. Skiing down a long steep is awesome - and scary as shit!
9. Skiing off the side of a mountain is NOT advisable - but it's really cool to look back at when you get to the bottom and say, look what I did!
10. Riding a motorcycle is the feeling of freedom
11. Wine and cheese is perfectly acceptable for dinner
12. Anything is possible if you want it bad enough
13. Computers are the answer to all your problems
14. Computers are the cause of all your problems
15. Cars are just appliances - really nice appliances, but appliances nonetheless
16. Always clean the kitchen before going to bed
17. Never get on the highway without a full tank of gas
18. Always say I love you when you leave
19. I have a hero complex
20. Beauty can be found in small, every day things - Every day!
21. Life is short
22. Life is an adventure
23. Try new things
24. Trying new things doesn't mean you have to give up the old things
25. Take care of your equipment
26. Anger doesn't solve anything
27. Work like your boss is watching
28. Do what you love
29. Play at least as hard as you work
30. Sex is good

Riding

Now, I know all you hard core triathletes are going to laugh, but bear with me as I'm not even close to "there" yet. I took the bike out today for maybe the third time. Now, you must understand, when I say third time, I don't mean, just third time this year, I pretty much mean third time since I was twelve. Okay, it's a different bike - this one has GEARS! - but still you get the point.

Anyway, it was just a nice easy 30 minute spin out the legs ride after doing a killer hill run workout yesterday. I had a blast! I am NOT fast, but I was faster this time than last time. I am not super coordinated on the bike, but I didn't fall over at any of the intersections I had to stop at this time :) (Boy that was fun the last time, just stopped, got stuck in the pedal and fell right over - yep, there were people there.... lots of people!)

So why was today so fun? Today I practiced cornering. I've been reading all these blogs about people racing tris, kicking butt on the bike up hills and around corners, holding lines.... all these things that are not issues on the run, but on the bike... seems like these are things I should practice if I ever want to get into this awesome sport. So today I practiced holding my line around corners... then in the middle of one of those corners I let my mind wander to the way my husband used to corner when he was racing motorcycles. It was soooo cool... knee down, actually touching sometimes ... I have pictures and it's just the coolest thing. Well, I got to wondering... could you do that on a bicycle?

Mind you, I wouldn't do that on a bicycle... wouldn't even try it less than a month before the big race I've been training for months for, but it made me think just enough that I kind of freaked myself out on a piece of wet, sandy pavement. Whew! Another thing about the bike. you can't just let your mind wander off like you can while you're running. Better get my head in the game!

Willie's life lessons

I've learned a lot of things from my dog, Willie, over the years. Good lessons that would make us all better people and a better society in general if we could adopt them into everyday life. The newest one is this: carrots are not only acceptable vegetation, they are a very good treat for a job well done. You see, Willie is undergoing some physical therapy at the moment. He has a partially torn ACL (or so they think), but not torn enough to actually do surgery on. So being an active "mom" and wanting to know what I can do to help fix it, I asked the vet... and he said, physical therapy... and lose a couple of pounds.

So he has to do things like sit/stand exercises, figure eights, and walking up and down the stairs. For the most part, he doesn't understand why we are doing these things so I thought we'd make it into a game. Sit/stand is only something he'll tolerate 2 or 3 times before he gets bored and either starts jumping (bad for the ACL) or just walks away and lays down. "Seriously, Mom, why do I need to stand up? I just sat down for crying out loud. What is your problem today? You on crack? Forget you told me to sit down just 2 seconds ago?" So we've incorporated sit/stand into the walking up and down the stairs exercise. This seems to go okay. We're supposed to do 5-10 reps. He hasn't gotten past six yet. His attention span is worse than mine! But at the end? Carrots. He thinks these are just a wonderful treat. And you know, pretty good for you if you're trying to be healthy or lose a few pounds

So I ask myself. Why don't I eat carrots as a reward? Nice crunch. Not a bad flavor (kind of taste a bit like dirt, but not bad). Healthy. And I want to be healthy. Oh yea, I know why... they don't taste like chocolate. Now if they made chocolate covered carrots I could get all over that, but they make carrots that taste a little like the dirt you pull them out of. Okay for a snack, but not going to do anything for my sweet tooth.

Every day I think to myself that I need to be more like my dog. When he's tired, he sleeps. When he wants a snack, carrot is totally fine, even exciting. When he sees I'm stressed, he brings me toys cause it must be time to play or change things up a bit. And he really gets into his exercise routine... mind you he doesn't care for some of the physical therapy exercises, but if I make them into a game it's okay. What he really likes though are his walks. He wouldn't dream of missing his walks. He has a schedule. It's more important than eating or sleeping. He needs to get those walks in - twice a day, rain or snow or wind or sun - hot/cold. It doesn't matter. He's out there, putting in the time, doing his thing - not cause he wants to win some race or better his muscle tone (his is fine) but because he likes walking. He likes sniffing the grass. Watching the birds. Chasing the squirrels and other earth bound creatures.

And in the afternoon when it's not too hot, you can find him outside laying on the grass or rolling in the grass or throwing his ball to himself. Just enjoying the great outdoors.

So - go outside today, play, enjoy the weather - whatever it brings, watch some birds, get some rest, eat healthy, change the scenario when you get stressed out, make exercise a fun part of your everyday existence, don't worry about tomorrow.

The reason I have a coach

Well, after being all down on myself cause I missed my goal by a few minutes in crappy conditions, I emailed my coach and she brought me a big dose of reality. It was nice to know "hear" that I had done some things right and she had me do a good exercise to get my mind in the right place - five things I did well in the race. It helps to remember the positives.... the good things.... and to put things into perspective.

So... what am I waiting for? Today is my day. This is my golden opportunity. I will give it all I've got. Leave it all out on the course and answer the challenge.

Game on!

When do reasons become excuses?

I could say I'm satisfied with my time - there were MANY hills. The wind was 20 mph with 35 mph gusts. It was 45 degrees (okay that part was great!). But I'm not satisfied. I know in my heart that I gave up on myself. I didn't leave it all out there. I wussed out. I had a chance to hang with the boys and get it done, to meet my goal or even exceed it, but I didn't ... I quit. At one point I not only quit the race, I quit running - as in I started walking, but beyond that I QUIT. I was ready to throw in the towel, call it a day, call it a "career", call it whatever you will. Then the math beat me too, because when I decided I was ready to put my big girl pants back on and start running again, I decided I had already lost, there was no hope of meeting my time goal today, I would just shuffle along and give in.. or give up... whatever. I know it was a tough course and I know conditions weren't ideal, but when are they ever? I KNOW in my heart of hearts, my mind is what defeated me today, not the weather, not the hills, not even my legs... MY MIND. So where do I go from here?

Do I allow these excuses to get me down? Do I allow myself to wallow? Maybe a little. I'm giving myself today dear friends, to wallow in my defeat. Tomorrow, I will look for inspiration again and hope that it will come. I don't really WANT to quit. I'm NOT a quitter. But I need to dig deep and find some inspiration somewhere along the trail in a hurry. Having time goals really SUCKS. I was happy just crossing the finish line last year, happy to feel good at the end of a race, still on my feet, having accomplished that task. Having bigger goals means having bigger defeats, taking bigger risks, putting yourself out there.

Pretty soon people are going to ask who the crazy lady is who talks to herself all the time - "pull yourself up", "get moving", "You can do this", '"HTFU!"

Looking for inspiration

Got that race in the morning. No sleep tonight. I've been antsy all day... and I'm tired, but I WANT it. I want it so bad I can taste it. Now, can I do it???
So I'm looking for inspiration, trolling the internet and the blog world and I found this quote:
"It's not whether or not it hurts, it's whether or not you mind" Ahhh... that was what I was looking for. I KNOW it's going to hurt. I have to accept that, breathe through it, let go and move on to the next moment. I'm ready to puke at the end of that race tomorrow.

My pledge

After a week of business travel that included little sleep and bad eating... can I come back and meet or exceed my goals for the half? I struggled through my workouts all week - on treadmills and crappy exercise bikes. I slept little, but had fun. And I paid. I paid on my tempo run done after sitting on an airplane off and on for 12 hours. And then I slept. What is it about sleeping in your own bed, Advil PM in the system, and no dog to wake you for a morning walk? It was bliss! Slept 10 hours.

Now I've made up some time on my recovery run, done a few stretches and had time to think and review my schedule for next week. I have to say, I'm a bit nervous about the half coming up on Saturday. Easy, steady, fast, FASTER.... can I do it? Can I hit my goal? Time will tell, but I know one thing for sure...this week I will NOT sabotage myself. I will eat right. I will sleep. I will do my prescribed workouts... and I make this pledge to myself: no matter what happens on Saturday, I will continue this "clean living" until the marathon. I will give myself every chance I can to meet and EXCEED my goals. I owe myself that much.