Motivation

The girls at the Cabin

Earlier this year I talked about completing a sprint distance triathlon.  Moving and a lack of motivation and training derailed that a bit - but I still hosted a triathlon weekend in May at the Bass Lake cabin for a couple of my girlfriends for their first triathlon and ran the 5K sister race.  I was a bit disappointed that I didn't accomplish my goal, but, it was a good reality check.  

How does one go from a run or two a week to a triathlon in a couple of months?  Especially when one is totally freaked out by the idea of riding a bike anywhere with even the remote chance of sharing the route with a car?  Conclusion - triathlons, while I am amazed by my husband and friends that even dare to cross the starting line - are just not for me.  

So what is for me?  Sticking to a normal exercise schedule - instead of 3 months on 6 months off - would be a good start.  The 5K I ran that weekend was faster than my first ever 5K, and with only a couple of runs as training in the month before hand, I was actually kind of pleased.  I also loved seeing my two girlfriends transition from their swim to their bikes, waving and screaming like mad to motivate them on their out and back run, and toasting their first triathlon with Gatorade mimosas on the dock.  

Since then?  I've started slowly with more walking and some exercise classes.  In the past few weeks I've increased my frequency and am feeling stronger with more Dailey Method Classes, walking, hiking, and yoga.  Up next, adding in my running again and looking towards more 5 & 10K races as goals.  

Triathlons?  Still not for me.

Highlights of the Week

The view on my Saturday run

Wow - what a busy few days!  Some highlights:

• Thanksgiving Dinner - stuffing - pie - need I say more?
• Chris's uncle M (a retired high school track coach) met us at the track and gave us a running evaluation and some recommendations.  It was fantastic and so helpful - thanks M!
• We had a great 6+ mile run on the Bob Jones Trail in SLO; what a great run along the creek and out to the pier in Avila Beach.
• We're packing up the office like mad at work for our big move to our new building in Menlo Park next week.  I'll have a new office all my own, Hmmm... now if I could just figure out the commute route.
• Chris is winding up his second semester of Grad School - go Chris go!
• My friend L invited me to try her 'Dailey Method' class today - it was so hard!  My arms and legs still feel like jello.  I signed up for unlimited classes for the rest of the month - we'll see if I can sculpt some great arms by Christmas!

Thankful

The view on my morning run today, I just had to stop and take a picture

I am a lover of Thanksgiving - what a wonderful idea - a day to stop, spend time with your family, and think about what you have in your life to be thankful for.  Here are just a few things I'm thankful for this year:


- My wonderful husband - I am so proud of you.  I am amazed watching you working so hard both at work and at school, training for and completing your first and second triathlons, and seeing the wheels turn in that big old brain of yours.  I am awed that we passed our seven year mark of marriage - that passed so quickly!  I love that we find so much joy with each other and I could not have asked for a better partner in my life, thank you.


- Family - near and far.  Some are often seen - some rarely.  I love being a part of your lives and having you a part of mine.  You ground me and make me feel loved and cared about no matter what is going on in my life, thank you.


- Friends - some of you have become a second family to me, one that I have been privileged to know and be a part of.  This year brought wonderful events from weddings and births, to simple everyday joys like walks for coffee, sitting in the grass, talking about our goals and dreams, thank you.


- My work - how many people can say that they truly love what they do and that they feel 100% that they are doing what they were meant to do?  I look forward to going to work and learning everyday, thank you.


- My health - I am so thankful that I am here, living life, striving to be better all the time.  I don't always succeed - but I have learned not to give up this year.  I learned a new way to eat & shed 45 pounds (!) and forced myself to commit to exercise by teaching myself to run again.  I've impressed myself by completing a few 5 Ks and my first 10 K.  For the first time in eight years I feel confident in my skin, thank you.

Chris's first Triathlon

A couple of weeks ago Chris competed in and completed his first ever Triathlon.  I went along to watch and cheer him on.  It was the Scott Tinley Triathlon down in San Luis Obispo - a triathlon Chris grew up hearing about and daydreamed about completing for many, many years.  He completed in the sprint distance (.25 mile swim, 12.4 mile bike, 3 mile run) and completed it in 1 hour 48 min.

Chris gets his number - 212 - and preps for the race

Chris takes a dip to warm up before the .25 mile swim starts

Swim done, Chris is heading out for the 12.4 mile bike

About to cross the finish

All packed up and headed home, proud and hungry

Chris is officially hooked and is already plotting his next Tri in November - great job honey - I am super proud of you.

Sugar no More

A couple of weeks ago I totally OD'd on sugar, and no, not in a good way. I was at work, and was surrounded by sugar, and had an entire movie sized box of candy plus a couple of cookies and a handful of chocolate, by-my-self. I went to Bikram (way to hot to be comfortable) yoga that night with my friend and mostly laid on the floor in class, feeling the sugar coursing through my veins and wondering why I had, and had been, doing this to myself. I resolved that night to stop eating junkie sugar products (candy, baked goods, and other sweets) and to see how I felt about it after a week.

Days one and two were hard, there were the ever present bowls of candy and well meaning plates of baked goodies sprinkled through the office. I apparently see anything sugary and my brain instantly tells me to eat it, but once I identified the urge and resisted a few dozen times, I found that if I think about it - I can control myself. Duh, but when you don't actually evaluate and run on autopilot when it comes to this - it's easy to eat handfuls of this stuff without even registering it.

After week one, my impulses were controllable again, and walking away from sugar temptations were pretty easy. I was also surprised how much sugar has influenced my energy, emotions, and mood the past few months. Instead of feeling exhausted all the time and commenting several times a day that all I really wanted to do was sleep, I slept better at night, woke up rested and made it through the day with some energy to spare. I still had moments of stress, but instead of diving into a candy bowl to avoid it, took a deep breath or two and worked on addressing it in a positive way. And instead of getting frustrated or cranky when things didn't go as planned at home (like dinnertime), I learned to joke about it and move on. This low to no sugar eating is a habit I am planning on continuing as it has made my life better in so many unexpected ways. Goodbye sugary drugs, welcome back to the real Summer.