What a year! I am abundantly blessed and gratefully content for all that my God has done for me and enabled me to do! In reflection, I have grown incredibly in many ways! I love growing and I never want to stop. I have grown more in my faith, in maturing into a person who resides more in an acceptance with joy mentality. I am excited about what the future holds and for the ways my life can make a difference in the world....however small that may seem to others is not important.
Physically, in the past year I have amazed myself and believe that God has used so much alone time in training to know Him and love Him with all my heart, mind, and soul which is thee absolute greatest gift anyone on earth can be blessed with! His character is beautiful and for that fact alone is the toppest reason to seek Him wholeheartedly. What a loving, nurturing, caring, personal, protective, forgiving God we have and He longs to be in relationship with every soul on this earth!
Back to the physical...
1. seven marathons (no significant injuries) including the first marathon ever...Athens, Greece
2. two half ironman triathlons
3. one sprint (first place in my age group, seventh overall)
4. endless long training runs out in the wildnerness (soaking up the wonderful smells of the fresh air, and hearing sounds of various wild animals)
5. various century bike rides
6. attempted a 200 mile bike ride, 16,500 ft of climbing, 106 degrees hot, and made it only to 111 miles.
7. Gained AWESOME 65 year old biker buds in the Santa Rosa cycling club
decided to go for the gold by training for my first ironman triathlon IM France
8. met some amazing peeps who are also doing the IM France
9. became a drug addict...uh hem, aka: natural high from effects of post run endorphins ;)
have peace in my heart and gained exercise as a year old learned outlet to manage stress! UGH! SO GRATEFUL!
10. races have created more special family times and closeness that i will cherish forever...one of the highlights being during the finish of the Big Kahuna, on the brink of tears from such a bad ending only to hear my mom screaming at the top of her lungs for me! Makes me teary just thinking about her preciousness!
11. All my family members who have been so dang supportive in my races and training. I can't believe how blessed I am to have the most wonderful family in the entire world! I am forever grateful!
12. Joined a Master's swim team that is nationally ranked...still a little scary for me, and kicks my butt during 6am practice!
13. Pushing through extreme fatigue and muscle soreness with my buddy Angela makes a hundred times more doable and way easier to commit! She's awesome and i love her mental strength! She's also a damn good swimmer
The year has had it's failures as well. Of which I am grateful for and will learn and be stronger as a result. I would say the greatest theme for 2008 has been surrender and acceptance with joy. I've learned to stay in the now, not regret the past or hold on to past hurts or resentments, and not fear the future. I have hope in my heart and excitement for what is to come. I have confidence that my God will take care of me and my family and that doesn't necessarily mean "perceived" bad things won't happen, but that His plan will be carried out and the final destination will be beyond my best dreams!
I want to write and write some more but i am beyond exausted and need to go rest. I could only sleep for 3 hours after work last night before meeting Angela at the gym for a 2 hour hard spin at the gym while we rocked out to Greek music, Guns n Roses, and Bob Marley...the bomb rockin' music! But, i am tired now. I am at my parents and will be going to a pretty formal dance party for a girl who is going to Argentina to serve the poor there indefinately. So, for now i'll go try and grab some shut eye before putting on my black silky dress that goes down to my toes. It'll feel wonderful to be in something other than sweaty workout clothes or scrubs for work. It'll be a reminder that I am a girl and girls just wanna have fun!!!!! :)
Thank you God for such a wonderful year. Thank you family for being my greatest loves. Thank you friends who make me laugh at work, emails, on the phone and for always!
May you all set your goals that reach for the sky and grab every single one of them along the way!! Life is short and fragile.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Training to Train, Building to Compete
So, it's Friday night at about 8pm and I have one more day left of week #1 (1 of 6). Then the real "peak" training begins. This week started with a 6am swim in the outdoor pool with rain pelting our faces as we listened to coach Hermine guide us. The weekly plan includes track workouts, swim practices, group rides, weights, core fitness classes and yoga. Angela and I have a pretty rigid schedule which consumes much of our day before work. This is nothing compared to the double and triple brick workouts that will hit hard come February. But, im working hard on trying to stay in the now. I'm going to stay the course...strong. I will wrestle the current beast of negative thoughts that like to hit hard when I'm drained and fatigued and brutally sore!
It has been a stressful training week, to be expected and perfect yet so incredibly challenging. Instead of dwelling on how much i dislike each of these speed workouts, weights, core strengthening exercises, yoga hold positions that make me nauseous, cold temperatures and so on...ive decided to keep my eye on the benefits.
In just six weeks of this "boot camp" I will see drastic changes in my body composition, in my strength mentally and physically, in my performance, in my flexibility, in my speed, in my joy.
Paying the cost is far worth the rewards so I will stay the course, not skimp out on any part of my workouts, give exactly what I am supposed to give to each workout which includes not going 100% when I'm supposed to only go 70%. I am in a teachable student in an intense schooling right now and I'm doing just fine!
Great news! I went to the Sports medicine doctor today who cleared me (have a hamstring problem (for a year) and a hip pain for a few months now...since June?) to train and do the IM France. That was awesome! He highly advised weekly massage and said, "what you need is someone to dig into your butt to stretch out your Gracilis and Biceps femoris muscles and the smaller gluteul muscles that attach to the lesser trochanter which are fatigued and super tight.
So get this!! I found a lady who does traditional Chinese sports therapy called Tui-na (twee-nah). This is a combination of accupressure on a stretched muscle and joint, sports massage, range of motion, and compression. I went and felt like a new person afterwards. I have NEVER EVER had a massage like that in all my life! So, she and I struck a deal for her and for Angela and me. For a mere $130/month we will be gifted with this WEEKLY massage for 45 minutes each time! That is absolutely unheard of! Yet again, I am convinced that God is taking excellent care of us!
In closing, I just want to add a few positive thoughts I read about in my woman triathlete book today:
"Triathlon is a sport that epitomizes the concept of balance. To be successful, you must balance swim, bike, and run workouts; balance intensities to reach peak performance; and balance triathlon with everyday life. Training in simple terms is about being 'resistent to fatigue.' Training has a cumulative effect, and while change and development can sometimes be subtle, sticking to both the hard and easy workouts (at the correct time) cannot be overemphasized."
PUMP YOURSELF UP
Post your goals. Write them down and post them where you can see them daily (on your bathroom mirror). This will keep you on task, and once you begin achieving them, they'll motivate you to aim higher.
Surround yourself with other athletes. Finding training partners or joining a triathlon club will keep you from missing workouts and make training alot more fun.
CHECK YOUR ATTITUDE. DURING TOUGH MOMENTS, SEE CHALLENGES, NOT PROBLEMS, AND LOOK FOR THE SILVER LINING. REMIND YOURSELF HOW FAR YOU'VE COME, HOW MUCH YOUR FITNESS HAS INCREASED, HOW BLESSED YOU ARE TO BE HEATLHY, OR HOW BEAUTIFUL THE DAY IS. THESE MENTAL TRICKS WILL PROPEL YOU FORWARD AND KEEP YOUR HEAD POSITIVE. (I like actually writing out a gratitude list to realign myself with a GOOD attitude.
Praise yourself. Positive self talk ("I am a machine!" "I am fast!") during your training and racing will help you avoid the rough patches.
Mix up your training. Take recovery days when they are planned, and use cross-training to avoid injury and burnout. There's nothing like time off from a sport you love to get you pumped for your next workout!"
AMEN!
Tomorrow is a long run and then to work. But for now, it's off to bed! G'night.
It has been a stressful training week, to be expected and perfect yet so incredibly challenging. Instead of dwelling on how much i dislike each of these speed workouts, weights, core strengthening exercises, yoga hold positions that make me nauseous, cold temperatures and so on...ive decided to keep my eye on the benefits.
In just six weeks of this "boot camp" I will see drastic changes in my body composition, in my strength mentally and physically, in my performance, in my flexibility, in my speed, in my joy.
Paying the cost is far worth the rewards so I will stay the course, not skimp out on any part of my workouts, give exactly what I am supposed to give to each workout which includes not going 100% when I'm supposed to only go 70%. I am in a teachable student in an intense schooling right now and I'm doing just fine!
Great news! I went to the Sports medicine doctor today who cleared me (have a hamstring problem (for a year) and a hip pain for a few months now...since June?) to train and do the IM France. That was awesome! He highly advised weekly massage and said, "what you need is someone to dig into your butt to stretch out your Gracilis and Biceps femoris muscles and the smaller gluteul muscles that attach to the lesser trochanter which are fatigued and super tight.
So get this!! I found a lady who does traditional Chinese sports therapy called Tui-na (twee-nah). This is a combination of accupressure on a stretched muscle and joint, sports massage, range of motion, and compression. I went and felt like a new person afterwards. I have NEVER EVER had a massage like that in all my life! So, she and I struck a deal for her and for Angela and me. For a mere $130/month we will be gifted with this WEEKLY massage for 45 minutes each time! That is absolutely unheard of! Yet again, I am convinced that God is taking excellent care of us!
In closing, I just want to add a few positive thoughts I read about in my woman triathlete book today:
"Triathlon is a sport that epitomizes the concept of balance. To be successful, you must balance swim, bike, and run workouts; balance intensities to reach peak performance; and balance triathlon with everyday life. Training in simple terms is about being 'resistent to fatigue.' Training has a cumulative effect, and while change and development can sometimes be subtle, sticking to both the hard and easy workouts (at the correct time) cannot be overemphasized."
PUMP YOURSELF UP
Post your goals. Write them down and post them where you can see them daily (on your bathroom mirror). This will keep you on task, and once you begin achieving them, they'll motivate you to aim higher.
Surround yourself with other athletes. Finding training partners or joining a triathlon club will keep you from missing workouts and make training alot more fun.
CHECK YOUR ATTITUDE. DURING TOUGH MOMENTS, SEE CHALLENGES, NOT PROBLEMS, AND LOOK FOR THE SILVER LINING. REMIND YOURSELF HOW FAR YOU'VE COME, HOW MUCH YOUR FITNESS HAS INCREASED, HOW BLESSED YOU ARE TO BE HEATLHY, OR HOW BEAUTIFUL THE DAY IS. THESE MENTAL TRICKS WILL PROPEL YOU FORWARD AND KEEP YOUR HEAD POSITIVE. (I like actually writing out a gratitude list to realign myself with a GOOD attitude.
Praise yourself. Positive self talk ("I am a machine!" "I am fast!") during your training and racing will help you avoid the rough patches.
Mix up your training. Take recovery days when they are planned, and use cross-training to avoid injury and burnout. There's nothing like time off from a sport you love to get you pumped for your next workout!"
AMEN!
Tomorrow is a long run and then to work. But for now, it's off to bed! G'night.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
