Trucks, Boats, Bikes, & Boots

 As you are well aware, I tend to take some pretty ambitious trips.  So when Scott and I began to plan our summer vacation, I tried to scale my visions of grandeur back so I wouldn't overwhelm Scott.  This was, after all, our first "real" vacation together (trips to family and our honeymoon don't count in this category).  However as we began to formulate what we wanted to do, yet again I knew I had married the right man for his visions of grandeur were as big, if not bigger, than mine.  What started out as a trip to New England to see my family and explore a little (Scott hadn't been to New England aside from Cape

Cod) became an adventure that would involve trucks, boats, bikes, and boots.  And so we begin...
To the left you can see our accommodations for 12 of the 21 day trip.  Camping is something that Scott and I have loved doing together since the beginning (our first date was camping in Death Valley).  And because we are such a great team (and because we really have some pretty awesome gear), the whole camping experience is so easy and fun.  For this trip we car camped, meaning that every campground we stayed at allowed our vehicle right at the site (okay, there was one in Maine that I had inadvertently booked a walk-in site but we sneakily finagled our way to a car site).  This meant we could pack a couple of rubbermaid containers for dry goods and a cooler.  This was awesome because I packed enough food and supplies for the entire 21 days (minus stuff that needed to be kept cold), or so I thought.  The week before we left was a little crazy since Scott had to be at work 12-14 hrs each day and I so ambitiously volunteered us to have a family BBQ with our small group the night before we left and as much as I tried to get things ready ahead of time, I managed to forget some pretty critical things....like wine, utensils for cooking over a fire and the charcoal I bought for the trip that is still sitting inside the garage.  We of course made due until we could get to a store to resupply, but we did have some pretty charred and crumbly salmon burgers...yuck.

On Day 1 we traveled around 525 miles from Weston, MO to Hoosier National Forest in Indiana.  The campground was quiet and we had the loop we were in all to ourselves.  I think the closest camper was about a 1/2 mile away.  After driving for 9+ hours, it was fantastic to be back in the woods and enjoying the peace of nature.  Everything was so green and alive.  Quite a difference from the dryness that we were (and still are) experiencing in Missouri.

On Day 2 we travelled 530 miles and it took us 11+ hours to get from Indiana to Alleghany National Forest in Pennsylvania.  The sole bane to our travels was the state of Ohio.  Although they were probably the most patriotic state we passed through, we spent an inordinate amount of time in traffic or on alternate routes due to brush fires, rubber-neckers (c'mon, you know what I'm talking about...those busy bodies who have to slow down to examine any little thing happening, even if its on the other side of the highway!), trailers hauling houses and windmill parts (those blades are the length of a football field!), the 12 broken down cars and 4 accidents.  By the time we reached Alleghany it was dark and all we wanted to do was sleep.  The campground host was a wicked nice older gentleman who stayed with his golf cart lights on so we could set up our tent.  Thanks Carl!

Getting from Pennsylvania to Hapgood Pond in Green Mountain National Forest took around 7 hours and 435 miles.  This was my favorite campground.  It was raining when we arrived but the rain cleared up long enough for us to make a fire, have dinner, and crawl into our tent before the skies opened up again.  We walked around a bit but I would have liked to been able to spend more time exploring here.
A few comments on our first few days overall.  First, I was pleasantly surprised at the conditions of the outhouses.  They were clean and not smelly, which I was truly concerned about.  Second, I recommend camping to anyone (especially families) because it allows for time to reconnect.  With yourself, with each other, and with nature.  I had very little cell/internet service and you are well aware of my attachment to my iPhone.  This trip was my "detox" from that attachment.  Aside from the map app (which I used in conjunction with a good ole fashioned paper map) I really didn't plug in for the majority of this trip.  And I liked it!  Finally, I have to put in a plug for our camping mats.  We invested in temperpedic air mattresses for our tent and I must say, that made us so very happy.  Camping on the ground for 12 days can be tough on the body and we sooooo appreciated waking up rested from the nice cushiness of our mats.  Gotta love those creature comforts!

Gardening 2012

 Gardening season.  It has to be my favorite part of living in the mid-west (aside from my wicked fabulous husband).  Now that I have finished my master gardener course (and am only 1.5 volunteer hours away from being a full fledged master gardener) I feel that I am infinitely more empowered to be successful with my gardening, both flower and vegetable.  Happily, I am proving that to be true this year.  Back in February, I started the following seeds which have now made it into my vegetable garden and are thriving: tomatoes, basil, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant (okay, so these little guys took a wind beating and are not doing so great.  But then again I didn't have much luck with eggplant last year either...hmmm), peppers, cucumbers, summer squash, acorn squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and zucchini (can you tell we like our squash?).
I initially planned to turn the soil by hand this year, having procured myself a very cool ergonomic pitchfork.  However after an entire weekend of turning enough soil properly to plant peas and beans, I realized that I was being terribly overzealous and unrealistic.  It sometimes takes me a while to catch on to exactly how big my visions of grandeur are until I get knee deep into them.
As you can see, this year I have constructed a fence around my garden.  The need for a fence came about once I started to plant and realized that I had critter issues.  No peeps, I did not have to worry about the critters that lived in the wild around our neighborhood, my garden woes came from the 4-legged, doe-eyed ball of energy and mischief that is Chloe.

Things in my vegetable garden are going very well now.  For those of you on Facebook, you have seen my peas, zucchini, squash, strawberries and peaches that have already started to come in.  As Scott and I get ready to head out on our summer adventure, I must confess that I am a little disappointed that I will miss the first tomatoes and broccoli to come in.  But there will be plenty and I am happy to extend my garden bounty to my neighbors while I am gone.

Thanks to my friend Brenda, who has moved on from Fort Leavenworth, I have now inherited plants that will adorn our porch during the warm weather and live inside during the cooler temps.  Those, along with all of the hard work Scott has done to make our backyard area so picturesque, makes our porch absolutely perfect for enjoying a glass of wine and the sunset (which we can see from the porch all summer and fall) while we take turns figuring out where Chloe has run to or who Maggie is barking at.  Ah, this is the life :)

Oh, The Places You'll Go-Ironman 2012

Bragging rights.  That is what this race has always been about.  The right to say I completed an Half-Ironman race.  70.3 total miles of back to back, human powered movement.  Six months ago when I talked my friend Heather into doing this race (I know she was already considering it but I'd like to think that I was the icing on the cake to her decision) I knew it would be a lot of work.  Physically. What I didn't factor in
was the mental work.  I like to think that I can handle any thing at any time.  No worries.  This race has proved that I can, however it has also made me more aware of the trends that my mind likes to follow.  I was able to talk myself into and out of training days so easily that I didn't even know what hit me.  And in the days before the race, my mind played some nasty games with me.  That's where Dr. Seuss came in.  In "Oh, The Places You'll Go" there's a part that goes: "I'm afraid that sometimes you'll play lonely games too.  Games you can't win cuz you'll play against you.  All Alone!  Whether you like it or not, alone will be something you'll be quite alot.  And when you're alone, there's a very good chance that you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.  There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won't want to go on."
And boy did I meet some things in my head that scared me.  Scared me into thinking that I may not make it through the race.  The run was where I was worried.  I am not a zenful runner, I do not get "runner's high".  I get through a good run with my head full of music to drown out the pounding of feet.  But there was no music allowed during this race.  So I spent a lot of time not letting me psych me out.  By the time Saturday came and I was preparing my gear, I had concluded that although there would almost certainly be tears during my run, come hell or high water I would finish and get my medal.
Race morning came, and it came early.  We were up at 3am and out the door at 3:45am to make the hour long drive to Clinton Lake for the race.

The weather was predicted to be in the 90s with 20-25mph winds from the south and gusts up to 30mph.  Water temps were above 76 degrees which meant that my first decision of the day was whether to wear a wetsuit and be put in the last wave of racers or go with my age group but no wetsuit.  The wetsuit allowed for better buoyancy and energy conservation.  It also meant that I would be in the very last wave, running my race against the cut off times.  I went for energy conservation.  The swim went well and although it was pretty choppy, I felt strong coming out of the water.  1.2 miles done.
Next was the bike ride.  I had rented a bike with faster wheels for the race and thanked myself over and over for that decision.  In between patting myself on the back, I was also negotiating with Mother Nature.  She had provided 25mph head winds almost all the way out.  You pedaled down the hill just to keep some speed.  Uphill was a grinding battle.  Add a brilliant blue sky with the sun beating down and you have the recipe for misery.  Since my race goal was to finish, I had no problems taking each hill as slowly as I needed to.  No rushing, no stressing, just keeping my legs moving.  I did not walk any of the 10 or so hills but by the time I finished the 56 mile route, I was physically spent.  No time to think about that, I had 13.1 miles of running to get through.
I came onto the run course walking.  Being the nutritionist I had a half sandwich for the transition and intended on taking the time to eat it properly (I also had cramps in my toes and quads that I hoped would work themselves out with a little walking).  I had written down the words to "Oh, The Places You'll Go" and put them into my race belt to prepare for the occasion during the race when I would need some motivation.  I was too tired to get it out.  What I had instead was infinitely better.  Scott met me along the run course and stayed with me for most of the run.  He carried my water, brought a wet towel to drape over my shoulders, and kept a constant flow of encouragement going.  He kept reminding me that my only goal was to finish, which kept the mental monkeys from taking over and spreading doubt all over me.  And when I saw the finish line, yet again I found some little pocket of energy that allowed me to almost sprint in to finish strong, 70.3 miles, 8 hours and 35 minutes later.

As an end note to all of this, I was very grateful to have many people tell me that I was a positive motivating factor in their decision to either get active or participate in a race.  In my life goal to serve and motivate others towards positive experiences, I can't think of a better way make my achievement more gratifying.  Thanks to all of you who supported me in some way, whether you told me or not.  Your energy was felt and I am blessed.  I now have the right to say I am an Ironwoman.

A Turning Point

Micro-adjustments, that is my mantra this year.  Small steps in honoring my bliss.  I am not good at small.  So I go big.  Like signing up to run the Half Ironman in June.  Its been on my bucket list for a long time now but really, what the heck was I thinking? I have been struggling to wrestle together my motivation and endurance for the training of this monumental task I have set out to accomplish.  Yesterday was a defining moment.  Yesterday I ran the Kansas Half Marathon, after only two weeks of hard training.  Yes, I had taken a 3 week hiatus from any kind of training to focus on my new job (nutritionist for a local grocery store-such a cool job I have) and to get my garden started.  I have also been listening to my knees complaining a bit about the abuse I was inflicting on them.  It all made for great excuse soup.  But yesterday the tides changed.  Or since I am in Kansas, I guess it would be the winds that changed.  I went into the race hoping to make it in at 2 hrs, 30 minutes.  I had no romantic visions of running the whole race, I had proven to myself earlier in the week that I was not ready for it.  So I took a breath and tried a different approach.  In 2006 I had run the Palm Beach Marathon using the Galloway method.  This is a run-walk method that makes distance racing more achievable and reduces the damage on your body.  Although I hadn't trained using Galloway, I quickly calculated what my pace should be and what my run-walk ratio should be and planned accordingly.  I also put together a killer playlist to keep me motivated.  It was a cold morning, temps in the 30s and the wind was bitter.  Scott stood with me as I waited in line for the bathroom (you can never go too many times before a race otherwise you end up waiting in line for a nasty portapotty at mile 4) and I was just coming out when the race started.  I kissed Scott and ran off to start my race.  I turned on my playlist, cranked it up and was on my way.  And amazingly something happened.  My monkey mind stepped aside to let me run (For those of you unfamiliar, a monkey mind refers to all of those voices and thoughts that keep you from relaxing and accomplishing your goal.  Negative self-talk or whatever you want to call it).  It was a beautiful thing.  I did not hear the pounding of feet on the pavement.  I was not listening to all of the conversations going on.  I focused solely on my run-walk times.  3 minutes of running then 1 minute of walking.  Repeat.  The hills weren't nearly as harsh as the ones I train on near my house.  My feet went numb around mile 6 and my monkey mind tried to yank me off the race course.  For a mile I could think of nothing except the pain & numbness of my feet.  I thought about stopping to readjust my shoes.  I thought about just stopping.  But I didn't.  I took a breath and let it go.  If my feet wanted to go numb then they would do just that.  And I would deal with them in another 7 miles.  Until then, game on.  I kept looking at my watch with disbelief.  I was ahead of my projected time and I was not feeling any signs of slowing down.  When we crested at mile 10, I knew I was home free.  It was all downhill from there.  For a few brief moments during mile 12 I felt my monkey mind reaching out to grab a hold of me, trying to convince me to stop & walk.  I was almost there, this was good enough.  I shook it off and kept going.  And when I saw the finish line I picked up the pace.  Somewhere I had a pocket of energy that I kept just for such an occasion.  I came across the finish line at almost a full sprint feeling awesome.  I had just come in under my goal time.  It was an amazing feeling to have set a realistic goal for myself and achieved it, knowing I could've done more.  I need to do this more often...

Reflections...

As with most of the conscious population, I tend to reflect as the year closes. Thankfully my reflections have changed over the years, an evolution of sorts. I used to condemn myself for those outrageous resolutions that I did not follow through on and make myself a new outrageous list that I would not or could not follow through on for the coming year. However in the past few years, that reflection process has changed. I now understand the importance of accurately reflecting on the events of the past year and how I contributed to them. I say accurately because in the past I have let my expectations of what should happen (in my mind anyway) and how others should act (again, my own mind creating ideas for others) affect my responses and ultimately my actions. A friend once told me not to take much of what others do personally because nine times out of ten you are just on the receiving end of a whole bunch of events that had nothing to do with you. Since I abhor drama (my definition being the lack of personal accountability and decision making and the attempt to drag others into that murky abyss), I find it very useful to take a step back and accurately evaluate the situation before I respond. Of course I am no expert at this (I don't think I have enough time in this life to accomplish that) but I have found that when I take a breath and assess before responding, I can make adjustments to my expectations before they get in the way.

So 2012 for me is going to be about micro-adjustments. Our bodies are constantly making micro-adjustments every second of every day to adapt to the surrounding conditions.

I am committing to helping my mind learn how to make those micro-adjustments to avoid getting trapped within my own expectations.

Alright, enough of the deep thought for one blog entry. Our holidays were spent in Florida, where the weather and the

company were nothing short of fabulous. We spent time on both coasts, first with Scott's family in Bradenton for Christmas then with my peeps in Stuart for New Years. We fished of course (although my off-shore day was nothing short of miserable due to windy conditions and 4-6ft seas coupled with my lack of sea legs since I'm not on the water very much) and kayaked, and I got to try paddle boarding (which I loved!). There was some shopping (I can't beat my mother-in-law for being a super bargain hunter), and a whole lot of eating (Scott & I introduced his family to some healthier versions of holiday treats which they loved). I got down to the beach or water as

much as I could and soaked up the sun like the worshipper I am (although I must confess that I am a little disappointed at the lack of tan I came home with...) and I practiced the art of doing nothing. This is always a challenge for me since I feel like I have to be doing something all the time, but I am getting better at it and believe I will have it mastered soon so I can move onto other projects...oops, did I say that out loud? Seriously, I really did take some time to just be in the moment & enjoy not having to do something at every moment. My struggle with doing nothing is that I only

have so much time in this life and there is so much I want to do. The flip side of that coin is that life happens while you are making other plans and if you don't enjoy the now now, you can't get it back later. And so it goes I guess. All in all, the trip was perfect and when we c

ame home we were pleasantly surprised to have a string of 50-60 degree days (for those of you questioning my joy at these temps, I do live in Missouri, and it is January. I'm jus sayin...). So bring on 2012 with the Half Ironman, science & nutrition business, volunteering, dogs, my

wicked awesome husband, and the winter (there's one of those micro-adjustments I was talking about...never before would I have been ready for winter but I figure it has to be better than last year-lol). Love & light to all of you and may your 2012 be without expectation and filled with joy!

Committed & Creating Habits

Well, after a month of cleaning my nutritional house, I am ready to begin my training. I have signed up with a nutritionist who worked with a friend of mine who competed in the Kona Ironman last year and she has sent me the first month eating plan. I know you may be puzzled as to why I would be working with another nutritionist when I have a degree in that very field. The answer is accountability. I need to have someone else helping me to keep track and let me know when I am veering off the trail altogether. In addition, since I have never trained for a race of this magnitude I want to make sure that I am not doing myself harm by fueling improperly. This will be a good learning experience for me and I hope to be able to train others in the future.

As for the exercise aspect, I am on a slow path to increasing my endurance. Today was the first time I've run in quite a long time and am reverting back to my run/walk training to build myself up slowly and successfully. I have also begun taking a spin class at the gym to get myself in bike shape. The only part that I'm dragging my feet on is the swimming. I really hate the idea of getting into the water when its cold & then having to go outside after. However I am determined to overcome this. I will get into the pool at least once a week for the next two months to start. Feel free to check on me. The more accountability I have, the stronger my commitment will become. Happy holidays peeps!

Bring It On

Well, seeing as things are finally starting to settle for me and I seem to have found a niche here in the midwest, I have decided to train for the Kansas Half-Ironman, which will happen on 10 June, 2012. Because really, I don't have enough to do-lol.

Seriously, this has been a goal of mine for a long time, ever since my first triathlon back in 2004. This will also be a focus for the winter since the majority of my training will have to happen indoors, which will help to take my mind off of how much I don't like the winter.

How does it begin? Although my weight is not an issue (I am weighing in right now at 135), my body fat ratio is about 26% which is a fair amount higher than I would like it to be. I know some of you may be questioning why I am concerned about my body fat ratio, so let me explain. At this stage in my life, age almost 37, my metabolism is on the down slope. It will continue to slow down until I am in my 60s, when it will finally level out. I have a limited window right now to put myself in a much better position to handle that metabolism slowdown. Raise the amount of lean muscle mass I have and reduce the amount of body fat I carry. It is as simple as that. Or not. The premise is very simple but the real life application is not. In the body composition game, about 60% has to do with nutrition (the what, when, how much & why of eating), 30% has to do with exercise, and 10% has to do with genetics. Nutrition really does play that huge of a role.

Thus far I have done a fairly good job at remaining in decent shape. I've participated in 1 marathon, 9 sprint distance triathlons, and a half dozen or so 5K races. This past year has also given me the opportunity to run 2 adventure races with Scott. Those were great opportunities for us to work together and build our strength and trust in each other and we loved the challenge! Ultimately, my goal is to continue to do things that challenge my comfort zone and keep my quality of life as high as possible for as long as possible. Its my big picture.

On the nutrition front however, I have some hurdles to overcome. Having the background that I do, I still struggle with the right plan for me. I can identify in others the changes that would be most beneficial and be the support for them to make those changes and see success. In myself, its a whole different ballgame. I am very critical of what I need to do and have gravitated to an "all or nothing" approach. If I can't do everything right, then I won't do a thing. Not healthy. For instance, if I have set a goal for myself for the week of 1 small sweet treat per day and by midday I have a craving for something sweet, I eat the sweet and then chastise myself for eating it and continue to the sweets because now I have screwed up the entire day so why bother. I'm not really sure when I mastered this chastization of myself but it has become very self-sabotaging.

So in order to successfully train for the Kansas 70.3 (1.2 miles of swimming, 56 miles of biking, & 13.1 miles of running), I must retrain myself. Both body and mind. And this weekend begins that training. On Sunday I will begin a cleansing process to start retraining. I will start with a 24 hour fast from 6pm Saturday night until 6pm Sunday night. From there it will be 1 day of just vegetables, then limited fruit will be added in, followed by protein sources. Aside from vegetables, foods will be added in one at a time with notice taken to any reactions, either digestive or otherwise. Dairy and grains will be monitored with careful consideration and foods with added sugar will be eliminated. I am fairly confident that by the end of two weeks. I will have a much clearer understanding of what foods fuel me and what foods slow me down.

I tell all of this to you because I need your support. This race, and the subsequent preparation, will be very challenging for me and I anticipate some very tough days ahead. I must keep the big picture in mind, and learn to not let my mind overrule my body. Both mentally and physically I am both looking forward to the challenge and dreading it. So let the games begin.