Back in the saddle again!

I'm officially back in the saddle again and boy does it feel great!! Unfortunately since my half ironman triathlon this summer, I let life takeover. I had hopes and dreams of doing a sprint triathlon in Oct. and half-marathon in Nov. However, with the hubster having shoulder surgery(and needing my assistance to get dressed, tie shoes, shave, button pants, etc.) launching my own business, starting back up with homeschooling and getting a new co-op up and running...training went by the wayside. I ran here and there, but nothing like the hours I was used to putting in.
Wanting to get crack-a-lackin' again...I signed up for two races yesterday. A half-marathon here in town in May and then an Olympic distance triathlon in Morro Bay June 5th. My first ocean swim!! Inspite of the yummy, coziness my bed offers, I managed to drag myself out to run this morning. Life is still busy, but what I realized most in the months I didn't train, is that I truly love what I do. Getting up early gives me a unique opportunity to spend time with the Lord by myself with no interruptions. I love pushing myself to limits I never thought possible and finding rest and strength in Him during those times. It helps me to be disciplined and focused...two traits I doubt I can ever pursue enough.
Being back in the saddle is a wonderfully, fantastic place to be and I'm excited for the journey!!

Creep-O'Meter

So I'm wondering...what sets off your Creep-O'Meter?? I don't mean something that gets the gauge quivering a bit. I mean full on sparks flying, gauge shattering, smoke billowing from the old Creep-O'Meter!! Is it spiders?? Snakes?? Someone touching your feet?? (Girls, I know that's a big one for some of you.) Mine is possums (I almost ran over one when I was learning how to drive and those beady little glowing eyes have haunted me since!) and being in water where I can't see the bottom.
As you can imagine, open water swimming has sent my Creep-O'Meter into overdrive. Friends stories of giant catfish nibbling my toes, giving me pedicures and dead bodies being dumped in the lake send it truly off the charts. Now I realize that the gianormous catfish have long made fish food of those dead bodies, but my mental game is in full-swing when I get out there. Swimming is no longer as tough physically as it is mentally. As the water gets colder, I know it's getting deeper(just how deep, I don't really want to know...thank you very much!!) and that alone gives me the heebie geebies! Where's my black line in the pool? My comfort zone...my safety net?? Waaaa!! I know that hand I see is my own, not something grabbing from the dark abyss. And catfish...they live at the bottom of the lake, right?? They're nowhere near my pink piggies thrashing furiously through the water. I'm okay...I think...
So off I go to swim and sharpen my mental toughness. After this race, I should be ready to conquer the world or at the very least, beat my Creep-O'Meter into submission!!

Momma needs a new saddle...

Oh my gosh...I need a new saddle!! In the world of cycling, a saddle is known as a seat. I believe the reason it's so appropriately referred to as a saddle is because like a saddle on a horse, it can leave you with some nasty saddle sores. Hence, the reason I need a new one!!

Two Saturdays ago, my first ride of the year, I rode 25 miles. About 10 miles into it, I was highly aware of my uncomfortableness. Shifting around can only help so much and sometimes can make things worse. At 25 miles, I was a-hurtin' bad! You would think I would've marched myself to the nearest bike shop and demanded something redeeming...but no. Instead, I rode 35 miles the next Sat. on the same flippin' seat! What the heck is wrong with me?? Like 7 days is really enough time to erase my memory of that awful pain, so I decide to go 10 miles farther?? Seriously?? All I can say is...OMG...there should have been blood!

So tomorrow...momma's getting a new saddle.

Yes...I'm still training.

Yes...I'm still training. As you can imagine, some days are better than others. For awhile, I was suffering horribly from insomnia. Why is it that I will wake up to the slightest sounds of kids stirring in the room down the hall, yet my husband next to me can get out of bed, get something to eat, etc. and I sleep like a baby through it all?? I guess it's my "Ninja Momma Radar" going off! So night after night, I would wake up at 2 or 3am and be wide awake for 2 to 3 hours...yes, hours!! Seeing how I have to teach kids something during the day, that makes it almost impossible to get up at 5am to train. Working out later in the evening after my hubby gets home with family activities and kids sports, is a futile attempt at best.

During this time, I was freaking myself out wondering if I can actually do this distance. I mean, a half ironman isn't something I can half-heartedly train for, hoping and praying I'm not the last person crossing the finish line. I'm looking at competing hard for 7-8 hours straight...hence the mental anguish and freaking out moments!!

I'm back to sleeping a bit better. I still wake up sometimes. Although instead of ditching my workout, I've decided it's better to get up and train. By the grace of God, I manage to get through the day with a little help from my friend "seriously strong coffee". I fall into bed absolutely exhausted and usually go right back to sleep after hearing my cherubs stirring in their beds.

I've also managed to cut myself some slack. I am not an elite athlete with all the time and resources to train, although I am blessed with many privileges. I have the privilege of managing a family of 7 on my husband's teacher salary, homeschooling our kids, juggling chores, kids/family schedules, church activities and training for a triathlon. I'm going to enjoy this journey. I'm learning so much and still have so much to learn~

Perspective

Why, oh why, did my run stink today?? Was it the fact that I had done a gruelling leg workout the day before and my legs were screaming at me to stop? Could it have been the time of day?? I mean, normally I run at o'dark thirty when I've just rolled out of bed and am fresh, not at 2:30 in the afternoon when I've been awake for 8 hours, moving non-stop. Perhaps it was the fact that my music only lasted the first 5 minutes because I forgot to charge it. Whatever the reason, I just didn't have my mojo going on today and this run stunk!

As I was running to my intended destination, I was lamenting the fact that I just wanted to turn around and head for home. Waaaaa!! Can't you just hear me bellyaching as you read this? :o) However...I caught something out of the corner of my eye and decided to stop for a sec and check it out. Two teenagers were doing some crazy motocross stunts a bit down off the trail from me. It was fascinating to watch. No fear!! It was then I began to notice other things. The rain we've been blessed with these past few weeks had made the countryside the most vibrant green I have ever seen. Off in the distance were the most beautiful white, billowy clouds. The sun hit them just perfectly. Cotton candy I thought...they reminded me of cotton candy. I saw horses playing in a pasture, an amazing barn colored many different shades of red, a windmill in the yard of an old farmhouse...you get the picture. It was glorious and I got to be apart of it. Wow!!

I started back on my run thinking how thankful I was that I got the chance to be out on such an amazingly, beautiful day. I realized that without my music blaring in my ears, I could hear the birds chirping and the wind blowing in the tall grasses next to the trail. The sun shining on my back was a nice treat from the cold, dreary, sometimes foggy mornings I'm used to. I was even thankful for my rubbery legs...they were helping me go places and experience new things. It's amazing what a little perspective can do towards changing our attitude.

I finished my hill repeats and ran back to the car with my newfound attitude of gratitude. I was thankful I didn't listen to my negative self, turn around and go home. What a wonderful, glorious day I would have missed! I guess my mojo wasn't off as bad as I thought. I just needed a little perspective.:o)

When do I find time??

A lot of people have asked me lately, with 5 kids, when do I find the time to workout. This is a good question and the answer, as with most things, lies in the art of planning. You must plan it, schedule it, tattoo it to your forehead or it isn't going to happen. Something more pressing will always take precedence and missing one day will inevitably turn into one week. Before you know it, a month has passed and you haven't done a thing. Not good! So get together with your hubby/wife and figure out a schedule. This is especially important if kids are involved and you both want to work out. Someone's gotta watch the cutie patooties!

What works best for me is to workout at o'dark thirty in the morning when the rest of the world(or at least my family) is sleeping. First of all, I don't have the kids pulling at me to snuggle with them. (It's my Kryptonite. I just can't resist their yumminess!) Second, it's quiet. I love the solitude the early mornings bring and the opportunity to think, dream, pray, talk to the Lord or just listen to the pounding of my stride on the pavement. Third, I'm ready for my day. Somehow, I'm just powered up a little bit differently when I've worked out first thing in the morning. Most of all...I don't have to think about it anymore. With all the thoughts swirling around in my head, to have one less is always good. It's done and I can get on with my day.

Funny thing is...I'm not typically what I would describe as a morning person. I would much rather stay up late watching movies, reading or hanging out with my sweet hubby. Not to mention that my warm, comfy bed has secret tentacles that come out and hold me down, helpless, till I break free, sprinting to get my workout clothes on. It's tough some mornings, but I'm always glad I decided to get up.:o)

So figure out a schedule and get going! The great thing is that if you find something doesn't work, you can tweek it till it does. If you miss a day, don't sweat it, just get back into your groove. Just make sure that day missed doesn't turn into a week...or more.

Have fun getting healthy!

Two years ago, in what seemed a lesson in futility, I was trying to lose weight. After having 5 kids in 7.5 years, my body wasn't exactly "bikini worthy". Truth be told, I was busting out of the largest size I had ever worn and was determined not to shop at Lane Bryant. One night a friend asked if I was interested in competing in a triathlon with her. Me? The girl who has never possessed any athletic abilities whatsoever? (I'm not being humble friends, I'm being brutually honest.) The girl who HATED P.E. in school?? Heck...I couldn't have run out of a house fire, let alone competed in a triathlon. Besides, aren't triathlons for people who are wafer thin?? However, she had piqued my curiosity and I decided to check it out.

I went home and talked with my hubby. Now you have to understand, if I came home and said I wanted to walk on the moon, my sweet hubby would in all his human ability, try to make that happen. He is my greatest encourager and best cheerleader! After surfing the web, he found a triathlon that was in the town we met and went to college and...it was on our 17th wedding anniversary! How perfect is that?? He got excited and decided to train for it too. So on July 27th 2008, we crossed the finish line hand in hand, our kids and family cheering quite loudly for us and with a finishing time of 2 minutes and 5 seconds under our goal!! From that day on I was hooked!! I've since finished two more triathlons and two half-marathons, bettering my times by 33+ minutes.

As for my weight loss that started this whole journey, I have lost some and am still in the process. I've replaced the "bikini worthy" notion with "I want to be leaner, stronger and faster". I'm not wafer thin, but who really cares anyways?

This year I celebrate a big milestone birthday. In honor of turning the BIG 4-0, I really wanted to do something memorable. I've decided to train for a half ironman triathlon which consists of a 1.5 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run. Crazy, nauseating and exhilirating all in the same breath! Who knew a little homeschooling, housewife, not so wafer thin momma could do something like this. It's okay...me either!:o)

Come join me as I share my struggles, victories, light bulb moments and anything else I might encounter along the way. It should be a fun, crazy adventure!