Wednesday, October 21, 2015

The Countdown: 39 days

39 things that I'm a pondering right now:

  1. I am 39 days out from Ironman Cozumel.
  2. I was 39 in my first attempt at the Ironman distance. (Ironman Arizona 2012)
  3. This year was the 39th running of the Ironman World Championships.
  4. The average age of all Age Group Athletes at Kona is 42.8. I am 42.
  5. I have a list of 39 Prince songs in my head when I have to go into that dark place in my mind because training is getting tough. (ask me about that)
  6. I probably have another 39 ignorant a$$ hip hop and rap songs in my head when I need to just get hyped
  7. I have 13 favorite go to swim workouts that I love, 13 different body weight workouts and 13 favorite run workouts I love to do. 13 + 13 + 13 = 39
  8. Crank Sports is my nutrition of choice this year for Ironman. Keep it simple.
  9. 2XU are the tri shorts of choice. Yes, I do wear tri shorts for a 112 miles on a bike.
  10. Would you believe this is the only race that I am doing? There are some things that I don't want to explain. Things are the way they are.
  11. I think I have cried more than 39 times in this training.
  12. I've made it through 2 seasons of "24" on my long rides. Ok, I never watched it when it was on originally.
  13. I've also watched ALL of the Star Trek movies in CompuTrainer as well. The original 6, Next Generation and the reboot with Chris Pine.
  14. Why do I always want to eat 3 extra large pizzas with mushrooms, peppers, anchovies and artichokes after my long swims??? Why?????
  15. Coffee is a necessity in Ironman training.... actually in all training,
  16. I discovered LYFE Kitchen during training. Oh my GOD!!!!! The Brussels Sprouts alone!
  17. I've been really working on my weakness: The Bike!
  18. I have done more maneuvering this year in order to do ALL of my training. There were only 2 days where I could not get my training in due to my work schedule. I really needed one of my locations to be 24 hours on the real.
  19. I am not committing to any race for 2016 until I am finished with Ironman Cozumel. And no, I WILL NOT sign up for the following Ironmans: Wisconsin, Chattanooga, Kentucky, Texas, Coeur d'Alene or Boulder.
  20. The goal next year is to get a new bike.
  21. Yes, I am balancing on one leg on a disc to work on my core strength and balance while writing this.
  22. As of today, I have swam a total of 275, 175 yards which is 156.35 miles. What the ???
  23. I squeezed my a$$ into an Extra Large Roka Sports Swim Skin. Yes, I am an extra large, not an extra long which I actually am.
  24. My bib number is 1451.
  25. I'm missing Thanksgiving but I am totally fine with this.
  26. I am working on my race plan right now. I have a time in my head but only 4 people are privy to that information.
  27. With that being said, I'm working on my bike and run nutrition. South patch kids and Swedish fish are a MUST in my special needs bags.
  28. I have not done any stress out workouts, but I have been doing stress out foam rolling.
  29. I have not been eating enough. When I'm stressed, I don't eat. There, I admitted it.
  30. I hope I can get my prescription sunglasses replaced without costing me an arm, a leg and my soul.
  31. I am going to enjoy myself. https://youtu.be/Cj9GYUvj704
  32. I will not workout for 2 weeks when I return. No, really.
  33. I will say it until I am blue in the face, PILATES is my secret weapon. Let me know if you would like a complimentary session. :)
  34. Everyone who has been doubting me (surprisingly, there are a lot). Thank you for providing me fuel for my workouts.
  35. Everyone who has supported me, THANK YOU!!!!
  36. I have not swam in a 17 yard pool since I started training.
  37. Speaking of swimming, band and paddle workouts are just EVIL!!!!
  38. I really need a shoe sponsor due to my shoe size and the lack of options out there. Thank you Brooks for the Pure Flow 4 in size 12.
  39. I am not stressed out about this race.
39 problems and a race is not one.
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Monday, October 19, 2015

Gratitude, beauty and friendships...

Gratitude: grat·i·tude [ˈɡradəˌt(y)o͞od]: the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness:
"she expressed her gratitude to the committee for their support"
synonyms: gratefulness · thankfulness · thanks · appreciation ·

indebtedness · recognition · acknowledgment · credit
 
I am usually not at a loss for words but this is a slight departure from my normal blog post and  I really should be asleep or eating or something of the likes. It has taken me almost 2 months to come up with the words to really express how I feel on what happened on Labor Day. If you are friends with me on Facebook, you know exactly what happened. I truly thought that I was in on a 50th birthday surprise for my friend Sally. Little did I know that the surprise was actually for me.
 
In these past weeks, I have really just been thinking about how truly thankful that I am to everyone and I do promise to do my damnedest to kick Cozumel's a$$ as athlete #1451. Yeah, bib numbers are out!
 
Beauty: beau·ty [ˈbyo͞odē]:

  1. a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight:
    "I was struck by her beauty"
  2. a beautiful or pleasing thing or person, in particular.
I find beauty in what I do. It may sound hokey, but I see beauty and grace when I am training/teaching Pilate; I see the magnificence in swimming, running and... yes, biking. Fitness is not about the pretty that most people see, but it is the behind the scenes,  the grittiness, the rawness, the struggle and eventually, the triumph.

 
Friendship... well, see below

THANK YOU!

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