Go TEAM HIGH ROAD!!

The Tour of California is taking place right now and it holds a very special place in my heart. Mostly because it covers roads and routes that I have travelled so many times growing up in Cali. And one stage goes through the town where Derek and I were living right before we moved -- almost right by our house. Ahhh, if only the tour was around when we were living there. . .

Anyway, this year I am 100% backing Team High Road. Not only do they have a woman's team (YEAH!!), but they are an amazing team that is trying to bring back the respect that true cyclists and cycling teams deserve. With all the recent doping scandals, it's hard to believe in the skill and amazing athleticism associated with cycling. But Team High Road was started in order to be "transparently drug free". I mean, listen to this:

"Our teams are founded on the principles of clean and fair sport, personal commitment, and placing ones goals beside those of the team. We strive to create an environment of success for our athletes using the best methods, technology and personal development tools found across the world of sport. Our goals are to make change happen, to win by fair means, and represent the best aspects of sport."

HELL, YEAH! They actually test their riders more often and under stricter guidelines than are required. George Hincapie is their main "name" but they are filled with great riders and one of our guys is currently in 3rd place.

Check them out at www.highroadsports.com. They're worth watching. In the meantime, send some good ol' mojo toward Team High Road!!

Here comes the sun . . .

I realize it has been just over a month since my last blog but life has just gotten crazy. And with things that are just not bloggable -- at least not enjoyably bloggable. But, today. Today was fantastic. Today it was sunny and I got to train outdoors. I forgot how much I missed being on my bike while enjoying the sunshine. Sure it was a bit windy. And, yes, a 3 hour bike ride followed by a 6 miles run may not sound like "fun" but, God, it cleared my head and cleansed my spirit.

I want to remove my hat, close my eyes,and feel the sun, warm and intermittent, on my face.”
William Collins


Today was a good day. Filled with sunshine, love (I was riding with my wonderful Derek) and friendship (my friend Jenn joined for a lap or two and I even ran into TG SanDee). Thank you Mother Nature for giving us this wonderful day in the middle of February!

My word. . .

I have been thinking long and hard about my "word". The TRIgirls have been given an assignment to come up with one word that they will use as their focus for 2008. Choosing a word has proven be much more difficult than I initially thought. There are so many words that partially define what I'm aiming for but and it was really very difficult for me to find one word that fully encompassed everything that motivates me, encourages me and truly inspires me.

Then suddenly, I figured it out. My word is:

APPRECIATE

I know. Initially most people will think, what the heck? It's not the typical inspirational word like "courage", "confidence" "believe" or "persevere". But, when I thought about it, it really seemed to fit what I was focusing on this year.

The official Webster definition states:

appreciate

1. to be grateful or thankful for; I need to remember this more often. I am thankful and completely grateful to be on this journey. When I find myself complaining about waking up early, or the social plans I may miss or the difficulty involved in training I need to remind myself that I am truly fortunate to be able to do this. And, I need to show my family and friends how much they mean to me. I am so lucky to be surrounded by the people I have in my life. I want to give back to them this year and show them how much I appreciate having them in my life.


2. to be fully conscious of; be aware of; detect: ie: to appreciate the dangers of a situation. this, too, is something I need to focus on this year. Whether I'm running, biking or swimming I need to be fully aware of how significant every moment is. These are not moments to be wasted but should instead be cherished. I also need to appreciate what my body can -- and can't -- do at any given time. I want to really concentrate on how to listen to my body and to train smart this year.


3. to raise in value. In doing all of these things I want to raise the value of myself as a friend, a wife, a mother and an athlete. By the end of this year, I would like to know that I have become better in my own eyes and in they eyes of those that I love.

So, that's my word. APPRECIATE. Tomorrow as I'm sitting on the bike, I'm sure I will have to remind myself to appreciate the experience more than once!!

Margo has tagged me to list seven weird things about me! HAHAHA!! Seven!! More like seven HUNDRED!!

1. I love peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. Really. Try it. You'll love it.

2. I pick my toe nails constantly. I know. Gross. But, I swear, I never bite them. My daughter, Booger, however, bites hers all the time.

3. I like to read the Dictionary. Words are just cool.

4. I'm scared of the dark. Totally, completely petrified.

5. I'm a wee bit scared of midgets. I know it's wrong. And, there's no reason for it. I have no excuse. It's just a flaw of mine.

6. I have a tic. I "sniffle" my nose. Sort of like Bewitched but not nearly as cute. I don't know why. My nose doesn't itch and it's not running. I just sniffle it.

7. I can wave my pinky toe. Without moving any other toes on my feet, I can make my pinky toe stick out and wave. On both feet, too. I know. The talent is endless.

But I'm okay with my weirdness. In fact, whenever I do something weird and Derek looks at me funny I tell him "Yeah, I'm weird but these are all the things you'd miss about me if I were dead." And, he would! Where else is he going to find some girl who eats peanut butter & pickle sandwiches while running from midgets waving her pinky toes?!?

Okay, so now who to tag??? Everyone's already been taken!! So, I'll just go ahead and TAG Derek (who has no blog but reads mine so he can post his weirdness for all to see!) and Kathy from NZ. So let's hear it! Bring on the weird!

I'M SO HAPPY!!!

Sing with me "It's the most wonderful time of the year . . ." Okay, I know. That's a wacky way to follow up my whole "I hate winter" tantrum but last night I registered for the first tri of the season. Woohoo!! I can feel it coming. The training that we say we hate but we secretly long for, the comraderie of being on an awesome team, the setbacks, the PRs, the excitement of race day. Woohoo, again!!! I get excited just thinking about that moment right before you start a race when your adrenaline is pumping and your jumping out of your skin!! Toeing that line and thinking, "will my training payoff? is today a good day or will I struggle?" and, really, "will I do myself proud?" I just LOVE race day! It totally makes up for all those days of waking up at the crack of dawn just to drag your sleepy butt out of bed to run in -1,000 degrees!

There will be 33 of us at the first race and it's going to be FLIPPIN' AMAZING!!! I can't explain how awesome it is to see that pink on the course -- high-fiving, encouraging one another, and cheering eachother on. It makes the race such a great experience.

Woohoo, for a third time!!! Bring on the tri-season!!!!!

Winter . . .

I am a California girl. Through and through. And what does that mean? Winter kills me. It's like water to the Wicked Witch. Or Kryptonite to Superman. It is literally sucking the life out of me. If I don't get bright beautiful sunshine at least once a week I get depressed. I honestly think I have that SAD disease where you need sunlight on a regular basis or you go wacko. Now I know most of you are probably saying, "What? Richmond has mild winters! And this one has been warm so far!" That may be true but, you see, I grew up in So. Cal. I like tank tops -- ALL YEAR LONG. I DESPISE jackets and sweaters and all this other bundled up stuff that makes me feel like the Michelin man.

A week or so ago we had an unseasonably warm night. I actually went for a run in shorts and a t-shirt. And I was like some maniac on crack. I wouldn't stop running. Despite the fact that I've been put on running restriction for my achilles and the fact that I usually dislike running! I just kept going and going like Forest Gump. If I hadn't had to fix the kids dinner, I think I would have just kept going until the weather got cold again -- which was the next day. Ugh!

Okay, enough of my bitching. I'll write something more positive soon (if it's warm) And, really, how many days until Spring???

Remembering the Ironman . . . the Finale.

So, it has been just over one month since the Ironman and life has managed to go forward for everyone around me without much of a change. It's so odd. It reminds me of when I got married or when I had my children. Everything about me -- my core, my very center, my life -- had chanaged dramatically and yet the miracle that had occured in my life was virtually unnoticed by those around me. When I had my first daughter I wanted to shout, "People!! Have you not noticed that much like Alien, an entire human being just popped out of me!! Granted, she is not a monster -- she is, in fact, an angel -- but, either way, since this miracle has occured surely life must take a moment -- time must at least hiccup -- so everyone can cherish this amazing gift!!!" That, of course, never happened. I suppose it is not the act of having a child that is the miracle -- it is the change that occurs in your soul that is so miraculous.

Ironman was very similar for me. How was it possible that friends could ask "how was Ironman" in one breath and then begin telling me about the long lines that they had to endure at the grocery store or ask me if I've seen the latest popular tv show in the next. I just completed an IRONMAN!! Shouldn't time have stopped? Shouldn't the oceans have parted? At the very least animals should have begun walking on two legs and speaking proper English!! Do not misunderstand me -- it's not that the people who love and support me didn't care -- it's simply that this is another one of those amazing experiences that is so self-contained within yourself that it is utterly impossible for others who have not experienced it to understand. But, make no mistake: it is AMAZING!! Absolutely beyond description. And, for the rest of my life, I will be markedly changed by this experience.

I have realized I am STRONG. Much stronger than I thought. I have the will to perservere and I will call upon this when life throws me for a loop.

I have learned that I can TRUST. This is usually difficult for me. I want to do things on my own and do not find it easy to trust someone to guide me blindly into the unknown -- particularly something that I am fearful of. But, I trusted my coaches on this journey -- fully and completely. I put my dream in their hands and I've learned that I can trust others to lead and it's okay for me to follow.

I've learned that I am WORTHY. I deserved this. I worked hard and was dedicated to this for a long time. I deserve to be proud. I can allow myself to toot my own horn. No matter how uncomfortable that is for me. I do not like attention. But I will allow myself to be openly proud of this accomplishment. And I will wear my new Ironman jacket with the enormous M-dot on the back with all the confidence and pride that I feel inside!!

And, most importantly, I've learned YES I CAN! That one statement that the wonderful Kate O. put on my arm in the early morning of the Ironman will carry me through many, many tough moments in my life. In the past, I have always held a little back in everything I've ever done. Mostly out of fear of failure. What if I couldn't do it? When I was doubtful, that little voice in my head would say "you can't do this. You know you can't handle this" And, now that faint whispering voice has been replaced by a loud, confident voice that screams "YES YOU CAN!" And, it is a wonderful sound!

So, Ironman is over. And I have a beautiful, pale pink M-dot tattoo on the back of my ankle to mark my accomplishment (courtesy of Coach Som!) I have wondered what I'm going to do this next year -- what will fill my time and strike that passion that Ironman did. And, I realize, that it cannot be recreated. It,again, reminds me of having a child: no matter how much you love the first one, it cannot be duplicated. Right now, I cannot imagine enjoying the next experience or being as touched as I have from this one -- but I know that once I plan and go for my next Ironman it will have its own unique, special qualities and I will undoubtedly love it just as much as my first. Until then, I am going to enjoy the next year of half-Ironmans and racing for "fun".

While, of course, waiting for the day IMAZ 2009 opens up . . .