human touch

Touch life...imprint your journey...sculpt reality...feel your way through (Tina Pitts)

I've actually been thinking about a blog entry such as this for a long time now. Every Monday when I go to yoga and at some point Deralyn comes to help readjust the pose I'm in or to press her hands on my shoulders as I'm in our final resting pose I think, "Ahh...the power of the human touch." And when I go to Praveeta for my acupuncture I think the same thing. Except for I always have an additional thought, "Human touch with gifted, healing hands." And when I get a hug from someone, I think how awesome and powerful human touch is.
You can see it when little babies are calmed as soon as someone picks them up from a wailing fit. You can see it when residents of a nursing home do better as the result of physical contact with others. Numerous studies have been done and articles written about the healing powers of the human touch. And while I'm no expert, I'm pretty well convinced that there's something to all of the research.
I'm not trying to get all "mushy" here but try a little experiment of your own and give an extra hug tomorrow and see if it doesn't make you feel better. Bonus - you probably made the other person feel better, too! Of course, choose who you hug carefully...not everyone likes to be hugged...or touched, for that matter. But if they are okay with it, they will probably be grateful for a bit of human touch. Yes, "reach out and touch somebody's hand...make this world a better place, if you can..."

I'm in a time warp...

...somehow it's already time to be listening to Christmas music - thank goodness at least a few radio stations and stores actually waited until AFTER Thanksgiving to crank up the "Silent Night"s.
...I feel like my days in NC for Thanksgiving were an eon ago and I've only been home a little more than 24 hours. Maybe it was all the good food I ate that put me in a food warp, too?!
...I am geared up to return to the mania that is December at St. Andrew's. Hold on to your hats, folks. If you thought I was busy at other times of the year, I think this stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas takes the cake.
...I am in disbelief that 2009 is about to fold into 2010. Where did a year go? So many familiar projects still left unfinished. That's okay, leaves me something to look forward to accomplishing in 2010!
...and I am amazed that between now and Christmas I know what I am doing each day of each weekend (and on the workdays, too)...YIKES! Now to start making the "to do" lists for those days so that I get everything done before leaving for Christmas break.
December...ready or not...here I come! Or vice-versa!

thanksgiving

And some thoughts on gratitude - I'm full to over flowing with thankfulness.
Here are some "Thursday quotations" this time around. Because sometimes you just have to shake things up!
Happy Thanksgiving to all near and dear to me...if you read this blog and I know you, you can bet that I'm thankful for you. May your day be filled with reasons to be grateful and know that you are one of those reasons for me.

If the only prayer you said in your whole life, it was "thank you", that would suffice. (Meister Eckhart)

Gratitude is the memory of the heart. (Jean Baptiste Massieu)

a few of my favorite things...

Go ahead, sing it, "raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things..." And, yes, "The Sound of Music" is one of my favorite things but today I was struck by the fact that I have a few, very random favorite things. Things I never have really had favorites of before.
For example, I found a certain Sharpie pen in my office (someone left it there...SCORE!) and, well, I love it. I've never had a favorite type of pen before. I will write with whatever I find within reach - and I still will. A pencil, a Bic pen...I've never had to have a certain pen to be happy. But if this pen is an option, it's my first choice by a longshot. It's really not fancy - although the blue color is wonderful. But it writes well and it's comfortable to hold. And it's sort of cool looking. Not sure if it's as cool as the pens I did love in jr. high - the ones where you could write with four colors...ahh...those were the days. Admit it, you know you thought they were cool, too.
Another new relatively new discovery is Greek yogurt. I've long been a fan of yogurt, but recently I learned that most Greek yogurt has a TON more protein than regular yogurt (i.e. 17-20 g protein for Greek yogurt and 7 g protein for regular yogurt. I've been eating the plain Greek yogurt for a while now but recently branched out and tried a new brand. Two actually. More plain but still REALLY delicious was the Voskos Honey-Vanilla Bean. Not too sweet. Not too thick in terms of consistency (some Greek yogurts are). And just right to match with coffee. Yum. The other is actually Icelandic! WOW. It's not your typical yogurt, Greek or otherwise. The kind I had was orange & ginger and it was a real treat. Interesting flavor. Good consistency. (The truth is that I will only buy these when they are on sale as they are rather pricey but that's okay...nice to know to look in the dairy aisle and see what treat I might have in store on any given day!)
Other favorites are the usual suspects so I will save them for another day...because no "ETG favorite" list would be complete without things like ice cream, swimming, time with friends and family, a great song on the radio, a hug, an awesome massage, etc...! The list could go on and on but for today, it will end here. I warned you...random.

letting yoga spill over into my life

Today's yoga class was very chill. Sometimes it's very intense but not today. Deralyn was trying some new stuff...including partner handstands. I got the giggles when Amy was trying to help me which only made my handstand more difficult to hold. Well, my pseudo-handstand. I've got a ways to go there!
But I did leave yoga feeling calm and centered. Our focus today was "what do you want to let go of?" And my answer was, "How many things can I list?" Actually, there aren't that many but they are all old friends of mine...fear, anxiety, insecurities, etc... But it felt good to name them in my head today and then try to actively focus on leaving them behind in the yoga studio. As Deralyn pointed out, we don't give those things up easily so it's not going to happen in one yoga class. But I did leave feeling a little lighter having left some heavy burdens behind me.
And then I went to WF to grab some coffee...without having to rush in and out like an Olympic sprinter because I'm on vacation! Which means I could go and get my car washed and get into work (deadlines to meet before I leave for NC!) whenever I wanted. So the "chill" from yoga was easily applied to my life. Which is a real treat. Now for it to create a permanent place in my life...

trying my hand (well, my feet) at something new

I told myself a while ago (translation...back in February when I was recovering from shin splints and ran the SAS cross country trail a few times) that I wanted to try my hand (err...feet) at trail running sometime. Truth be told, I think I actually said (well, blogged) that I might consider something crazy like a long trail run. Like SunMart (which I don't think really exists anymore) or Bandera or something. Obviously, you need to build up to a long trail run like that so the trail runs at the Dirty Du seemed like a good option. I actually almost signed up for the 1/2 marathon trail run, reasoning that I would have just come off of Conroe and would be in 1/2 marathon shape. Thankfully Amy talked some sense into me and reminded me that it would be my first trail run and that maybe, just maybe, I should start with the 5K. THANK GOODNESS FOR AMY!
The day turned out to be not such a dry day...the day before had been even worse. And what that means for a trail run is mud and puddles...and mud puddles. The puddles are actually a good footwash, which is awesome after you've run through mud. Michelle and I drove out to Bastrop early Saturday morning with plenty of time to spare (and get Starbuck's!). The crowd doing the 5K was supposed to be about 40 large and ended up being maybe 20 or so. I think the cold, overcast, dreary weather kept folks away. And those of us who braved the elements were probably wondering why we weren't in our cozy beds.
But we forged ahead and encountered the joys along the trail - namely the "peanut butter" mud that literally grips your shoes as you try to maneuver your way through it. Turns out that in spite of the wet conditions, I really like trail running. It's interesting. There are obstacles. The scenery is (can be) great. You always have to be using your brain. And, well, you get to pretend like you are a little kid running through the woods!
However, I did learn a few things: 1) do not wear shoes with E-Z lock elastic laces (or anything like that) if it's muddy...the mud acts as a suction, you go to pull your shoe up, and all that happens is that elastic laces stretch and stretch and stretch... And you are just praying you don't lose your shoe! 2) I stink at running downhill...seriously slow for downhill. But I'm not 1/2 bad at the uphill part. 3) Sometimes a clump of grass can be your best friend - whether you're grasping it in the hopes that it will hold you up so you don't slip down the mud hillside, whether you are planting your hand in it to avoid falling, or whether you are running on it alongside the trail just to gain some traction. 4) Pick a race where there will be showers/hoses at the end...you get seriously dirty if it's muddy at all. Dirty is fine for a race and just after a race. But when it's cold and you want to put on clean clothes, a shower is your best friend (right after the clump of grass).
Long story short...I'll do this again! And maybe build up to the 1/2 marathon distance. Good times! (Plus, this race is followed by the always great High Five Event celebrations...cooking out...a bike toss...the possibility of camping...and the Dirty Du the next day - which I would like to watch someday...not into the mountain biking thing yet!)

friday quotation

The more I thought about what I get to do, the less I realized I had to do. It was just a shift, just a new perspective, just a new and more grateful method for labeling the things in my life. Think about it - if you stopped yourself every single time you were about to say, "I have to" and changed it to "I get to," it might change your entire experience.
Kristin Armstrong

Working on this one in my life in general...

what do you want to be when you grow up?

Oops...I'm totally this teacher. At least in the sense of me telling students not to get so caught up in what the world says they should do with their lives or be in this world. In the sense of encouraging them to do what they love and figure out a way to make that their passion their profession.
Yesterday was Career Day at school. Basically, this means we have a panel of "professionals" come and speak to us in chapel. It's always interesting to see who the parents can convince to come and speak to a bunch of high schoolers. This year's line up - an orthopedic surgeon, a photographer, an entrepreneur, and an astronaut. Lots of interesting stories from them...lots of good questions from our students.
But the main theme that each of the speakers kept coming back to was "find something that you love and just do it." They all noted that along the way someone will tell you that you can't do it, that you won't make it. They also said that it might be tougher than you think and that you may not make as much money as you want, but that at the end of the day, you will be happier in your life if you are getting up to do a job that you love every day. Doesn't mean that you love every part of your job...but that overall, you think that you made a pretty good decision in terms of what you are devoting your life to.
This was cool to hear because it's what I believe, too...but also because I had just spoken those same words to a former student two days before. She had called asking advice about what major to pursue. She was getting all sorts of messages to switch from English/Philosophy to Business. When I asked her what her interest was in Business she said, "I don't have any. But it's what everyone is telling me to major in. And I get it, I mean, what do you do with an English major if you aren't going to be the next great American author?" We both laughed and had a great conversation about hearing your heart and then listening to it and going with your gut.
Result - there will be one more English major in the world. Not sure what this former student will be when she grows up but her calling me three years after her graduation makes me think that maybe I'm doing exactly what I'm supposed to be doing...even if I'm not totally grown up. (Proof of the not grown up part...I'm counting the hours until Thanksgiving break!!!)

adventurer?

"You've got some adventure in you." A perfect stranger said this to me today when he asked where I was from and how I ended up in Texas. I took him from New Orleans to California to Virginia and finally to Austin. And his response, "Wow, you've got some adventure in you."
I laughed and said, "Well, I guess so" - even though I've never thought of myself in that way. In fact, I've always thought of myself as someone who plays it pretty safe.
So I spent some time thinking about what might make someone an adventurer. According to Wikipedia, an adventurer is someone who "bases their lifestyle or their fortunes on adventurous acts." It might be someone who
1 - travels to unusual, exotic places;
2 - lives by his/her wits; or
3 - someone who takes part in risky acts for profit or position.
Hmmm...none of those definitions really works for me. Maybe #1 but not totally. And the truth is that I'd nearly always rather travel domestically than internationally. Certainly, I'm not #3. I can't even imagine playing more than the slots if I ever went to Vegas!
So, I started to develop my own definition: someone with a willingness to try new things...and a little bit of foolishness to keep him/her thinking she/he can do those new things!
Yes, I think I fit that definition.
Here's to a life of continued adventures...big or small...meaningful or not (although most tend to be meaningful)...life is certainly never dull as an adventurer!

yoga Monday

The message seems to be coming in loud and clear to me...SLOW DOWN.
Yesterday, Gran wrote to me in response to the book of my blog that I gave to her for her birthday. What she wrote cracked me up:
Dear Elizabeth,
Was just thinking of you so I thought I would send you a note to say how much I love you. Last night I read a lot of the blog book and it is so interesting. Thanks for sharing your daily activities with me. I admire your energy but don't overdo it.
This morning I looked great as I had on the blue vest you gave me for Christmas. It looks great with the black pants and white shirt that Roby brought me when he came to Birmingham to get me after Katrina. It is so easy to get sloppy so I am trying to at least stay presentable.
No news around here. Have an appointment with Bhansali on Thursday. Also have to have my pacemaker checked. Am way overdue on both. Hope Bhansali can find out why I do not have any strength or energy. He will say, "remember you are 92+."
Have a nice weekend.
All my love, Gran
This made me laugh because in the same breath she's telling me to take it easy AND wondering why she doesn't have more energy! Love her!!!
Anyway, that was Sunday.
Today, the message at yoga was also about slowing down. Deralyn read a great passage from a book that was all about figuring out what you are looking for...but then making sure that you are traveling slowly enough so that you don't miss it when you find it. Not sure I really know exactly what I'm looking for but once I figure that out I sure as heck don't want to miss it because I'm flying past it!
And then this afternoon at Praveeta's we were talking about training because I was on my way to our run workout and she said, "Are you slowing down any now that Conroe is over?" I said, "Oh, yes...just doing the workouts that I feel like doing. Staying in enough shape to begin CDA training in January with some solid base but not overdoing it. It feels nice."
I know in some people's mind I'm not slowing down but I guess it's all relative? I did take a week off of running...meaning no running at all for a week! And I only went to one practice last week - swim...on Saturday. It's nice to be flexible and more carefree. Still the opportunity for structure but not feeling any real obligations.
And that is slowing down for me.
Now for the rest of my life to slow down...yeah...maybe at Christmas.

and for this year...

...I'm considering committing to using my TP massage roller kit every day. Last year, I committed to blogging every day. But this year I might commit to rolling out my muscles every day. We had a session on how to use this kit yesterday at the PTC (thanks Tony for the lesson and to Chris and Mo for organizing it). I've had my kit for a good year or so and was really good about using it when I had my shin splints but I've been rather lazy about it lately. However, given the pain I felt when I was rolling yesterday, I've decided I really just have to start using it again. And this "off season" is a good time to get back into it so I can go into CDA training with my muscles in good shape. Basically these (torture!) tools break up adhesions in your muscles so that you are less likely to get injured because your muscles are working properly...so your form is less likely to be compromised...so you are less likely to compensate with other muscles...so...well, you see where I'm going. It's just better for you.
Ideally, one would roll twice a day but I'm really not sure that will happen. I should be able to do it once a day though...especially since Tony told us that it should take between 7 and 11 minutes. One really good thing I learned is that I was spending way too much time on one given area. Sweet! This means it won't take as long AND I don't have to sit on any one area too long...which means I will breathe a little more during these sessions! And I learned how to roll some areas the right way. And, well, that it still hurts but maybe it won't always hurt this much.
Of course, an alternative to committing to rolling every day would be to commit to having a mimosa and brunch every day with friends - thanks, girls, for a great morning! Alas, maybe some combination of the two is the way to go...but for tonight, off to roll...

cheap, fun date

No...this is not a personal ad!
It's my attempt to chronicle Wednesday night at the bingo hall (I've been calling it a bingo parlor but I've learned that the correct term is bingo hall...bingo gods, please forgive me).
I'm not really sure where to begin except for to say that this "night on the town" was an awesome, refreshing, fun slice of Americana - and one that will be repeated.
Let me set the scene for you...Amy, Yvonne, Nancy, Suzanne, and I arrived at Big Star Bingo just before the 8:30 p.m. game started. The parking lot was PACKED and there was a "guard" in the parking lot - guess because there was serious money being won inside. As soon as we opened the door we were met with a wall of smoke. Crazy. I haven't been in any place so smoky in a looooooooooooong time. Never fear, there is a non-smoking room but you have to go through the smoking room - which makes me laugh - and the smoking room is easily twice as large as the non-smoking room.
We made our way to the counter where we easily purchased our "cards/sheets" and daubers. Deal of the century - $5.00 for the dauber + 5 sheets of frames (with 12 frames each). Seriously...it's like they are giving it away. But, wait, it gets better. Someone mentioned that it was my birthday (or my birthday celebration) and the guy behind the counter got all excited and said, "Well, then, you play for a penny! And you get an extra set of sheets AND an electronic bingo machine that essentially lets you play a whole bunch of sheets at once but you only have to press a button and the machine does all of the work for you...even tells you when you have Bingo.
The cars in the parking lot were just a hint of the mess of people inside of the bingo hall. Table after table, tons of people with very few empty seats. We tried to all sit together but ended up at two tables (back-to-back). The people around us looked a little intimidating at first but it was quite obvious that we were rookies and soon enough there were actually a couple who were willing to help us understand the ins and outs of this game. Because it isn't your 5-year-old's Bingo game, friends. No bingo in a line or a diagonal or anything. Nope. There was double bingo, three-way bingo, and a few other configurations that would need diagrams - which thankfully there were! There are TV screens showing the ball that corresponds to the square you want to be able to fill in with your dauber - for example, I25 or G57. And it was also called out over a speaker. Aside from that, the bingo hall is pretty quiet. There is a weird feeling of tension because you know with every number called someone is getting closer to winning the jackpot (literally, $500 for some games...$750 for the last one!). But the place is also pretty peaceful because everyone is concentrating so hard on making sure they've colored in the appropriate numbers. There's very little talking, except for the guys walking around saying, "top dollar, bottom dollar, pull-tabs, blazing balls..." Which always made us laugh - I don't care if I did just turn 36.
An hour or so later we were walking away from our tables, daubers in hand, no big wins in our pockets but a promise to return in the future. So if you ever think I've disappeared from the social scene, start checking out bingo halls in Austin! (Thanks to Amy for making my bingo birthday wish come true!)

friday quotation

Life is too short to wake up with regrets.
Love the people who treat you right.
Forget about the ones who don't.
Believe everything happens for a reason.
If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.
If it changes your life, let it.
Nobody said life would be easy.
They just promised that it would be worth it.

official end...

...of a round of quite stellar 36th birthday celebrations - also known as "cakefest 2009". I know you think I'm exaggerating...I'm not. It takes a serious party animal like me to be able to handle this much cake and ice cream. Bring it on. (No comment from my waistline, please!)
Friday - actual birthday
- flowers from Mom
- calls from family and friends
- cards from family and friends
- emails from family and friends
- presents from family and friends
- Tiff's Treats (WARM COOKIES + milk) from Amy
- birthday party with sweet work friends...complete with some of my favorite tunes, some of my favorite people, and one of my favorite birthday treats - CAKE and ICE CREAM (white cake, white icing, mint chocolate chip ice cream...YUMMY!)
Saturday - and we're off to Conroe
- Nancy and Karen greet me to whisk me off to Conroe because they are amazing Sherpas and teammates before we even get there! And Nancy has CAKE for us (chocolate cake, white icing...YUMMY!)
- dinner time rolls around and we find a great Italian restaurant and sneaky Nancy has them bring CHEESECAKE to me at the end of the meal (I showed some restraint to this delicious cinnamon flavored delight because I was racing in a few hours...)
Sunday - race day!
- Did you know that they make cake flavored Gu? KIDDING!
No cake this day...probably because I was racing for 6 hours. But that didn't stop me from having COOKIES (courtesy of Laura...YUMMY!) right after the race...and then again when I got home that night. You need to replace all of those carbs that you use up while you're racing you know.
Monday - b'day celebration with my advisees
- Most of them were gone on Friday so they wanted to celebrate my birthday on Monday. I have to celebrate another day - shucks?! And what do we celebrate with? CAKE (from Claire...white cake, white icing with a big heart on it...YUMMY!) Oh, and some cookies with pink ICING, too.
Tuesday - is spent trying to recover from the previous sugar overdoses so that I can gear up for...
Wednesday - final day of celebration...just before I have to have my insulin levels checked!
- dinner with some sweet T3 friends (and Bingo, too...see previous post...another full post will be dedicated to this slice of Americana adventure that I loved, loved, loved...) complete with BLUEBERRY PIE a la mode (oh, my gosh...I mean, really, can't this count as fruit and dairy and not dessert or cake?! Thank you, Jess, for a DELICIOUS, "I'm in heaven" treat...that I had to top off post-Bingo fun with some cookies baked by Amy (Yvonne had brought some to the dinner, too, but I managed to escape without one of hers! I'll save that treat for another time...)
And thus ends cake-fest 2009.

Until next year...or at least until my blood sugar levels return to some normal range.

"how sweet it is to be loved by you"...

...was the chorus that echoed through my head as I drove home from my final birthday celebration of my 36th birthday.
Preview of my next blog, which will be a recap of the many, many ways in which my 36th b'day was celebrated:
I have a friend who's kind & bright
and Guice is her name-o
G-U-I-C-E
G-U-I-C-E
G-U-I-C-E and Guice is her name-o

It's time to celebrate her day of birth
and sing her happy day-o
H-A-P-P-Y
H-A-P-P-Y
H-A-P-P-Y
Happy birthday Guice-o

A potluck dinner with drinks to start
and then a little bingo
B-I-N-G-O
B-I-N-G-O
B-I-N-G-O
with friends to show we care-o

So skip track run and bring a snack
I know it will be fun-o
H-U-R-R-Y
H-U-R-R-Y
H-U-R-R-Y
and let me know if you're on your way-o

P.S. We did partake in a little B-I-N-G-O on Wednesday night & I now have my own dauber so beware!

blog-iversary

Congratulations to all of you...you have survived a year in the life of ETG blogging!
Somehow, I managed to have an entry for every day of this past year?! Seriously, I'm wondering what else I've committed to do every day for an entire year except for the basic things needed for survival!
Anyway, not sure what the year ahead will look like in terms of blogging. Might take it easy on myself and not pledge to blog every day...or I might miss it so much that I return to daily blog posts. I do love having the reflection time each day. But I sometimes worried that I was just babbling...like now. So I will give myself permission to miss a few days...or end an entry early!

and now for...

I feel a bit like Paul Harvey who would start off his radio shows with the line that I can hear even now, "You know what the news is, in a minute, you're going to hear the rest of the story..."
So as far as race reports go, here's the news: Ironstar 1/2 Ironman in Conroe, Texas on 11/8/2009 - official time: 6:08
- early morning wake-up call...incredible friends and teammates Nancy and Karen got up early with me to take me to the race site. Almond butter and banana sandwich on the way. Some water and coffee, too. Although, as Karen noted, the Super 8 in Conroe promised "coffee available 24 hours a day" - and indeed it was. "Available" does not mean "warm", "fresh", or "good"!!!
- easy parking...this triathlon was SO small in terms of participants...loved that! Met up with Jim in the parking lot and once we got our gear together, we walked down to get body marked. Again, SUPER easy b/c there were so few people.
- transition area was a mere fraction of the size of other tris that I've done and there was something really nice about that
- Jim and I got set up and then wandered around for a while with Karen and Nancy...nice, relaxed group
- the weather was perfect...slightly overcast, cool but not cold...it was going to be a good race day!
- eventually we returned to transition to grab our wetsuits and begin the wetsuit wiggle (it helps to have folks like Nancy there to make sure they are pulled up all the way, etc...!)
- leisurely walk down to the swim start, some last minute instructions from the race director, and we were minutes from the start...

Swim I was in a wave with all women 35 and older...see, it WAS a small triathlon! We were just behind some men in fluorescent green caps which I only mention because I used some of their caps as markers in between buoys! We started in a small cove and then turned out into Lake Conroe. Mostly a flat swim. A little bit of chop out in the lake but pretty calm...okay, VERY calm if I compare it to CDA! Decided to creep up toward the front of the swim and that turned out to be a good idea. Two women darted out in front very quickly and I really never saw them again in the water. Another woman and I leap-frogged the whole way. We were never more than a stroke or half a stroke from one another and I think we probably both pulled each other along in that pattern. We followed one another into the final cove, and I finished less than a second behind her. It was funny because while I felt myself spurred on by wanting to keep her within reach (and sometimes a tad behind me!), in that final stretch I didn't really have the desire to pull a "come from just behind" move and beat her to the swim finish. I would have felt obnoxious - as if 1 second is a big deal?! Anyway, felt good about my swim. Easy sighting, strong strokes, 4th out of the water for my wave and age group (16 of us total in my AG).

T1 - uneventful...pretty quick...decided against arm warmers...good call

Bike
It was a little chilly in the beginning but nothing like it has been in years past according to friends and teammates who've done the race before. We had driven the course on Saturday so I knew what to expect but still I forget what 56 miles of rolling hills feel like until I do them on race day! Found a woman to leap-frog with for the first half of the race but when we hit the turn-around point (well, the mid-point), I didn't see her again. I think she stopped at a water stop where I just grabbed a water and kept pedaling. Saw Jim at that point and that made me smile! Lots of strong women cyclists...some were flying past...someday? Maybe someday?! But I felt strong and was enjoying the great scenery. Seriously, the ride through Sam Houston National Forest is gorgeous. I forget that there are places like this in Texas! I bet it has great camping spots...but I wasn't thinking about that while I was riding.
People often ask what I do when I ride and here's what Sunday's thought process included: lots of different songs, cadence, being strong, how the two horses on the side of the road would respond to the very fast car that was speeding toward them, and trying to channel speedy thoughts and inspirational rides with teammates. I was trying not to think about the funny pain in my left inner thigh. This happened in Galveston, too, but I remembered it going away on the run so I figured I'd be okay. It's a bizarre little ache and so far it's only happened in races...not on long rides? Anyway, nothing to stop me or really even slow me down. Averaged about 17.1 which is pretty darn solid for me on a course like this. Really, I don't know where this comes from given that on long rides during training I'm lucky to average 16 or 16.5?! Race day adrenalin maybe?? Being surprised by Karen, Nancy, and Laura on the course?! I don't know! But I felt good and ready to run by the time my bike computer read 56 miles. (Note: I didn't finish all of my nutrition on the bike...I was a little faster than I expected so I should have had some left...but not quite as much as I did!)
The ride was definitely highlighted by seeing our T3 sherpa/cheerleaders at one point - complete with awesome signs to cheer us on! Seeing Laura was a sweet surprise. And having them there was a HUGE boost.

T2 - a few bikes already back in transition but not all of them...yay! I wasn't last in my wave/age group to finish the bike! Threw on my running shoes, grabbed my hat and race belt, picked up my water bottle, and I was off. First stop...port-o-potty! Jumped out and realized that I'd left my Thermolytes in transition...oh, well, I'd have to wing it. (Note to self: figure out how the race electrolyte/salt offerings compare to what you normally lose in the event that you pull a knuckle-headed move like this!)

Run
I knew that if I wanted to hit my lofty 6:00 finish goal that I'd need to hit 9:30s on the run pretty steadily. My plan was to start off slowly (I never, ever do this and it always comes back to bite me when I bonk around mile 9 or 10!) and then pick up the pace - especially in the second half - for a steady negative split. Heading out to the main road I saw Jim which made me happy...thinking that he'd be a mile or so behind me on the run and that he'd catch me and maybe we could run together. I kept those first few miles in check - for once in my life. I thought I was holding 10 minute miles but seeing that 10 minute miles were my average, I must have been going slower. Too slowly if I was going to hit that 2 hour mark. But I didn't know that at the time, which was probably a good thing.
There was a woman in a green shirt who I spent most of the run trying to catch and pass...finally did at mile 9! And just before mile 5 I saw that our amazing T3 friends were on the run course, too. And they had recruited others to cheer for us. They were so loud you would have thought that there were about 10 of them...there were only 3...and there was no way not to speed up when you ran past them.
I was actually feeling pretty good at that point...strong, steady pace, focusing on picking it up at mile 7, working the inclines like we do in practice, and taking advantage of the few downhills and flats. The course was full of lots of false flats but also some nice stretches where it was either a slight decline or something fairly flat. It was definitely warming up by this time and it was a little more humid than I'd initially realized...darn Thermolytes that got left behind - I could have used them!
Managed to pass a lot of people on the run so I was surprised at how slow my pace was (relative to my training), especially when I felt pretty good the whole run. Saw Jim as he approached mile 5 and I was approaching mile 7. Was hoping we might run a little together but he was dealing with leg cramps so we were never really able to run together.
As I headed past Karen, Nancy, and Laura the last time they were full of all sorts of encouragement ("you're looking SO fast..." & "you're headed for a PR..." - which I knew could ONLY happen if I managed 8 min miles for the last 5 miles...ummm...not this girl!) and that totally helped. But then I started to get worried about them...if they stayed much longer they wouldn't make it to the finish line. I would have been okay with that but I knew they'd be bummed. That occupied me for about 1/2 a mile and then I had to focus on my run again! There were folks JUST heading out as I was turning back so I tried to offer them encouragement...and count my lucky stars that it was them and not me.
Final stretch back to the resort was just a beast. Well, actually, more like a slower method of torture! The main highway back is a slight incline the entire way. And then when you turn into the resort you think you have a straight shot to the finish line but NO! You wind through a neighborhood, you can hear the finish line, and you pray with every turn it will bring you closer. And it does. But it feels like forever! I did my best to pick up my pace for that last mile but I just didn't have a lot in me.
I do think I negative split but when you start slower than you are supposed to, even the negative split doesn't help you meet your goal time! But something has to be said for feeling pretty solid up until mile 12 of a 1/2 marathon following a 1.2 mile swim + a 56 mile bike ride!
Headed to the finish line...about 8 minutes after my goal time had passed...and saw Karen, Laura, and Nancy! How in the world had they gotten through that long line of cars turning into the resort? (I found out later...don't put anything past Nancy!)

Post-Race Activities and Thoughts
Nancy, Karen, and Laura made me feel awesome about my race...and Amy, too, via a phone call...and then Jim when he crossed the line...which was wonderful because I was feeling a little bummed about not having been able to pull it out on the run. But I knew I had given it my all...I just didn't have "all" that I have during training runs. And maybe that's more realistic than I was being before the race! I suppose if you add 1 minute or so to your average run pace as an expectation for an Ironman then maybe you can add 30 seconds or so to your average run pace for a 1/2 Ironman? And if I do that, then I hit the nail on the head! But I'm not sure is that's accurate math! I know it needs to be faster if I want to finish in 6 hours or under.
And in a way, it's sort of nice to still have that goal out there. I've beat it once but that was in Galveston and really, that race course is insanely fast...flat, flat, flat! This course was NOT flat. Not super hilly but enough to remind you that Texas has rollers.
I tend to be tough on myself so it's taken me about 24 hours to feel good about the race overall. I gave it my best shot and for some parts of the race that was enough. Actually, for 2/3 of the race that was good enough and that's pretty cool! It wasn't the race I wanted to have but it wasn't a total disaster either. As for the run, well, I need to pow-wow with Meredith, Chrissie, and Logan and get their advice for future training and expectations. I'm bummed that I didn't do better on it only because my training runs have been so solid. Maybe it means I need to do more bricks in the future to put that whole bike-to-run thing in motion more often OR maybe I need to push myself and run faster in training...hmmm...can't believe I just wrote both of those things (and I'm not sure how much of the latter I can do but I'll try)!

Finally saw overall results today and ended up 10th out of 16 in my age group...and even if I'd finished closer to my 6 hour goal instead of at 6:08, I would have still been in 10th place! I don't really care about what place I get - in fact most races are so much bigger that I never even look. But I thought I'd check it out just for kicks this time.

All in all, a GREAT day. Much improved by the T3 company that I kept. Oh, and by the Coke and fries on the way home...yummy. Thanks again to Nancy, Karen, Laura, and Jim for all being out there. And to everyone else who offered support leading up to the race - coaches, teammates, friends, colleagues, and family... I never feel like a race has happened on my own.

And now, for the rest of the story...OFF SEASON!!! (from the picture below you'd have thought I started my off season the night before the race...not really!)

quick Conroe report

Race update tomorrow...partly because results aren't posted yet and I'm curious to see those before I make a lot of comments...although I do have some thoughts already (I know, you are shocked!):
- Nancy, Karen, and Laura are AWESOME sherpas! And they showed up ALL over the race course today in Conroe with posters, cow bells, and VERY loud voices, even though they were only three of us racing
- Jim Opre is a machine when it comes to racing...seriously, neither flats nor leg cramps can get this guy to stop with anything short of a strong finish
- the Ironstar course is great...pretty much rolling hills all day on the bike...well, on the run, too...so it's not "easy" or "flat" (note - I wasn't really expecting either!). But it was beautiful! And the small race...loved that, too. No clue what next November holds but this will be on my radar again!
- wetsuit strippers rock my world when it comes to races
- forgetting your Endurolytes on a run that's a little more humid than you thought isn't the best idea in the world...silly me!
- hitting "the wall" at mile 12 instead of mile 10 on the run is a BIG improvement (even if my time doesn't necessarily show it)...and a negative split is a BIG improvement even if I started off too slowly to have the negative split get me to my ultimate time goal
- feeling strong and pretty happy the whole way is perhaps more telling than any actual race time

More to come...

new way to carbo-load?!

How do you carbo-load two days before a 1/2 Ironman when that day happens to be your birthday?
With cookies and milk in the morning from Tiff's Treats...thanks to Amy. They arrived warm and just in time for advisory. Really, how do you resist that? YOU DON'T...you dive in and enjoy in my book. It was just a question of where to start - peanut butter chocolate chip, chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, oatmeal raisin... I discovered there was NO bad choice. And just when I was sure that I had taken in enough carbs for the day, there was cake and ice cream at night at a wonderful party with my SAS family. White cake with white frosting and mint chocolate chip ice cream..yum! Made me glad I had passed up the muffin at Whole Foods that morning...but I'm sure I more than evened up carb-wise! Sorry, Meredith, I know this is not the pre-race nutrition plan we had talked about! We'll see how this race strategy works for me on Sunday...it sure tasted good on my birthday.

friday quotation

Sometimes, not often enough, we reflect upon the good times. And those thoughts always center around those we love, and I think about those people who mean so much to me and for so many years have made me so very happy. And I count the times I have forgotten to say 'thank you' and just how much I love them...

I'm not forgetting today.
Thank you for the outpouring of love and birthday wishes. I hope they all come back to you tenfold. Thanks, friends and family, for the many ways in which you love me - even when it's not my birthday! My life wouldn't be nearly as wonderful and I wouldn't be looking forward to my 36th year in the same way if it weren't for you...
I love you.

recipe for life

About a year ago my aunt put together a book for my cousin Logan for her 21st birthday. We were all asked to contribute a "recipe". Some people submitted actual recipes for food. I tried to come up with a recipe for "life" since I figured there were plenty of cookbooks with recipes for food. Anyway, as I approach another birthday I thought I should take a look at it, see if what I'd written made any sense...and if I was following it. Assuming it was worth following. I suppose the jury is still (and always will be) out on that although I know I sure am trying!

Recipe for (a meaningful) life
Ingredients:
- only things that matter to you...there are no set ingredients although these are some ideas:
family, friends, love, compassion, passion, selflessness, awareness, courage, humor, determination, acceptance, open-mindedness, forgiveness, faith, resilience

- use the very best quality that you can afford...you deserve it! But know which ingredients are just as good generic. If you can make your life more simple and less costly you'll probably end up being happier in the long run.

Directions:
- Mix everything together in a space as large as you have available to you. Don't be afraid if it's messy. Life is generally messy and that's okay...it usually turns out to be a treat in the end.
- Listen to people who you respect as you're watching it all come together. Hear their suggestions for improvement but do not toss in "extras" just because they work for someone else. Learn to hear your own heart.
- Stay flexible and don't be afraid if certain combinations come out different every time.
- Sometimes the recipe will come together after only a short amount of time...other times it will take hours, days, weeks, months, even years for it to come together. Trust that the ingredients are meant to be together and will eventually interact in just the way they need to.
- Speaking of those ingredients...don't be afraid to change them. At times, the result will not taste quite the same as it did originally. Just tweak something...don't throw away the entire thing. Look for ways to re-invent what you have.
- Accept whatever the end result is. This doesn't mean that you are complacent or that you are a pushover, but it does mean that you have some peace about working with the "hand that you've been dealt" and that you've figured out how to make the best of it. (And then do it differently the next time if you're not satisfied.)
- When in doubt:
> have faith that things turn out the way they are supposed to
> ask advice from people whom you respect
> be patient...with yourself, with others, with life
> reach out to someone else and see if you can help
> turn to love

eek! I'm doing a 1/2 Ironman in 4 days!

Warning: pre-race dump (not that kind!)
On Sunday, I'm doing a 1/2 Ironman...AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Okay, now that that is out of my system, I can move on.
I guess the good news is that I haven't been uber-focused on this race. (Meaning that I've had a nice balance between training and other things in my life.) But I guess the bad news is that when I'm not uber-focused on a race, I tend to be a little forgetful about it. So now all of the sudden it's almost Thursday and I have four days left. I've made a rough game plan - thanks to the help of my coaches Logan and Chrissie. But I'm not going to lose my mind if the goals I have don't get met. I know it's not my "A" race - it's more of a "maintenance" race. But all the same, I want to have some goals so that I can really "go for it". I want to make sure that I've pushed myself, challenged myself, and done the best I can at the end of the day. And sometimes having goals helps me keep myself in check that way.
In my head, I know I'm ready. I know I've put in the miles - on the bike and on the trails. I know I've swum the yards. I know I've practiced my nutrition. And deep down inside, I know I have what it takes...now to get my heart to stop questioning that last piece!
Just a part of the pre-race cycle for me...

national card and letter writing week

Whether or not it really is National Card and Letter Writing week is still up for debate. I heard it on the radio. I googled it. I came up with lots of different results. Best I can tell National Card and Letter Writing month is April. And there's a National Letter Writing week in January. But National Card and Letter Writing week appears to be this week...at least according to a website that posts a November "party guide". Never thought of card and letter writing as a "party" but to each his own...
Anyway, far and away the most prolific letter writer I know is Gran. Even with terrible arthritis and, as a result, nearly unreadable penmanship, Gran never misses the opportunity to send us a card, a letter, or a little note with a newspaper clipping or whatever else she might be sending us. As someone said, "writing a letter is the next best thing to showing up on someone's door." It's personal. It shows that someone took the time to do something for you that is a little different than an email or phone call or text message. It's hard to describe, but there is something different about a letter or a card. Maybe it's the excitement of having something in your mailbox that's not a bill? Nah. It's more than that. If you receive a letter or card from someone it's usually something special - either that you've done for them...or because they think you are special...or because something special (even if it's a sad event) has happened in your life and a card or letter is the appropriate way to acknowledge it.
And on that note, turning off the computer and picking up the pen and paper for a long overdue sympathy note to a friend...

monday...ahh....

Started my day with yoga which is always good...lots of stretching today...different teacher who had us in different poses. My neck is a little tight so it felt good to work some of that out. Want to be limber for this weekend!
No yoga epiphanies from this morning but I love this picture/quotation that I came across yesterday. I don't know about you, but I find a great deal of comfort in the idea that I'm not alone in this world - even when I might feel that way. I'm part of something "big and important and magical". Big? Sure...the world is a big place. Important? Questionable. Magical. That would be awesome!
Some days I get a glimpse of all of that. Today was sort of one of them. Still not sure about the "important" part although I guess you could argue that my work is important. And maybe I'm important to my friends and family. Does that count? But I know I always feel part of something bigger when we have a chapel service that includes communion like we did today. And I know that when daylight savings time kicks in and we're wearing reflective vests for run practice, that time of day feels almost magical. (And bizarre today being the only girl there...that was a first! It was not a first for me to go too fast on my race pace 900m repeats. Got to get that under control for Sunday.)
So, yeah, maybe my world was big and important and magical today.
It certainly was full of lots of smiles.
And lots of sweetness (especially from Praveeta...who gave me AWESOME socks for my birthday and upcoming race).
Pretty great day to be alive.
(Oh, it doesn't hurt that it's PERFECT fall weather now...40s/50s in the morning, warming up with the sun mid-day, and dropping into the 50s/60s again when the sun sets...I LOVE FALL.)

hello November!

November means a lot of things to me, but it always starts off with the Race for the Cure. Being the daughter of a breast cancer survivor - go Mom!!! - I do this race every year. I actually think I'd do it even if my mom hadn't battled cancer but it is even more special to me because she did. Anyway, it always falls right around (sometimes on) my birthday and a few years ago (I think when I turned 30 and was freaking out about that a little), I decided that I needed to make sure to improve my time in this race each year. It's a silly little game that I play with myself. And one day it's going to catch up with me and it's not going to work; but since 2006, I've managed to win this match!
11/6/2005 - 27:16
11/5/2006 - 27:48
11/4/2007 - 27:07
11/2/2008 - 25:17
11/1/2009 - 24:57
Not sure whether or not this year really counts...or maybe it counts double. Anyway, we ran a new and different course so I figured I automatically had a PR! But either way I look at it, I did, and that's fun.
But what's even better is that there were well over 16,000 people registered for the Austin Race for the Cure. In fact, I heard somewhere that it was around 19,000 which is just AWESOME. More awareness and more money raised to combat breast cancer and anyone who's ever had anyone close to them battle this disease can celebrate that.
I also celebrated this 1st day of November...which was a GLORIOUS fall day, by the way - cool morning, bright sunshine during the day, mid-70s, cool evening...by spending time with Amy (first in-person catch-up since her marathon - yay!), cooking, doing laundry, grocery shopping, and cleaning. I know. It's not that exciting to most people but it's a little early b'day present to myself. Although I hated to miss two parties this weekend, I really needed this downtime at home. (The little hermit in me comes out every once in a while.) And it's just nice to start the new month with a clean slate...or at least a clean house.
Study is tidy again with everything filed and/or recycled and/or on its way to the shredder. Front of the house is still neat. And the bedroom is picked up...need to resolve a few issues there but that will come in time.
Tomatoes from Jim have been made into a tomato pie with lots of fresh basil and feta...YUM! And chicken is in the slow cooker. Some bran muffins for the week are next on the "to do" list. And then I'll be all set for the week. Want to make sure I'm eating well this week since I have a 1/2 Ironman at the end of it...yikes! How did that creep up on me?! Or maybe, I can't believe it's finally here.
Anyway, feeling good about November already...and loving the extra hour of sleep I got last night.