friday quotation...from Idaho

Almost forgot what day it was...common in pre-race days...and therefore almost forgot it was time for a quotation. This one is perhaps a totally selfish one but it's something I've been reading and re-reading over the past couple of weeks, ever since I met with one of my coaches about this upcoming Ironman. Unfailingly, she believes I can accomplish more than I think I can. And that always makes my stomach turn a little. Or a lot. But I tried this time to let that wave of nausea pass and hear her voice instead of mine. Quiet the ETG chatter and channel the Chrissie chatter.
And then I got this quotation via email and it was as if the universe was channeling Chrissie, too...and, well, because I can get all superstitious and believing in karma and all of that stuff, I thought maybe it was a sign that I should pay attention.

Set your goals high because what a person accomplishes is in proportion to what they attempt.
~Mitchell Naufel

So that will be me on Sunday...racing with some high goals...but not losing sight of the wonderful journey that this has been (thanks, Mom, for reminding me of that today). I'm not sure where Sunday evening will find me (well, in what state), but I know that I won't be happy with myself if I don't reach for those lofty goals...if I don't see what I'm made of in this environment...if I don't see what I can accomplish. And if I fall short, that's okay. I'll know that I put it all out there. And, as my dear friend Kimberly said, "You may be an ironman but you're all heart, too" (yes, this resulted in a few tears) - and, at the end of the day (even IM day), who could ask for more than that?

We're here...

I was just about to write about our "long" day of travel yesterday but when I think about it, in travel terms, it was pretty "short"...and much shorter than many of my friends who were stranded, delayed, and all sorts of bad stuff! Yes, Jess and I had a "short" travel day - departing at 6:15 a.m. Austin time and arriving before 10:00 a.m. Spokane (and Idaho) time - and a relatively easy one with incredible "transitions" in the Denver airport (gate to bathroom to next gate in record time with only about a 10-15 minute window to work with...and a line at the bathroom!). Easy car pick-up in Spokane...a roomy Chevy Traverse which is giving me a chance to drive another car that I don't ever really want to own...but that comfortably held three bikes today (two of them being big boy bikes!), so I can't complain. A nice drive from Spokane to Coeur d'Alene...and a chance to get settled in our home away from home. It's a house walking distance from Ironman village and all of that action and it's INCREDIBLY spacious (with a guesthouse out back that is as big as any regular house!). Lots of families in CDA rent their houses out for this week because the entire town pretty much turns into an extension of Ironman village. Shopkeepers and locals act impressed when they ask if you are doing the race and you say "yes" and they offer "oohs and aahs" as if you're the first person they've ever met to do an Ironman - which could not possibly be the case if you live here in CDA! But it's a really nice atmosphere to be in...and we certainly feel supported and welcomed.
Easy run with Dustin B. and Jess in the afternoon to shake out our legs and enjoy the cooler weather...did you know that it is possible to run in the summer without becoming a big, super-sweaty mess?! Well, at least if you're here in Idaho and the humidity is super low...it is possible. And enjoyable!
By evening, Chrissie and Jeremiah had arrived - just after an AWESOME meal that Jess made for us. And as our little house came together (minus Cheryl who got in very late Wednesday night), I found myself smiling more...which is saying a lot because traveling with Jess can pretty much just make you smile all day. So I should say that my smile just got bigger and all-encompassing...even if it was mostly an internal smile because I could feel myself fading (still fighting off whatever is trying to pull me down). And I thought how funny it was that a day of pretty easy travel suddenly felt VERY long...whatever that phenomenon, sleep came easily.
And that was good because the sun rises so early here that by 5 a.m. I was stirring again...but managed to go back to sleep until 7 a.m. LUXURY! Time for coffee and pre-workout snack in the back patio area with sweats on to stay warm through the morning chill...and then down to the lake to meet up with Dustin S. and Erin for our first team swim. What a difference from last year for me. Not sure what it was but my pre-race swims last year were not that great. Sure, the water was cold but that wasn't it. I just never felt in the groove or at home (which I usually do in the water) last year during our practice sessions. This year, I felt like I was a CDA fish finding its way back to familiar waters. Wetsuits, goggles, swim cap (not the neoprene one) in place...and off we went. Smooth strokes. A few builds. Everyone feeling good. YAY!
Quick change to running shoes and then a 20-minute out and back with some builds. This felt really good, too...and helped me confirm my race day attire (provided that the forecast stays the same as it is now). Lots of leap-frogging with teammates...a chance to take in some of the run course. (I evidently was really out of it last year b/c in my mind the first part of the course was bordered by only trees on one side...umm...there's a college there...right behind the trees. I saw it this time around!) Then back to the house for showers and off to grab some breakfast at the Bakery by the Lake - YUM! Registration and some IM gear shopping (unnecessary items perhaps but I bought some anyway) and soon we were headed home with the blue wristbands that we'll wear for the next four days in place. Yikes. This is becoming more real.
Some hangout time with Jess on our patio while we were waiting for Jeremiah and Chrissie to do some grocery shopping and soon it was time for another meal - don't judge, I'm going to be exercising for 14 hours or so on Sunday...I need my fuel! The weather remains awesome here so we've been eating outside as much as possible, and there are moments when we're so relaxed that I almost forget I'm doing an Ironman in 4 days! That changes when I look at my gear...and when I see my wrist...and when we do things like bike pick-up.
Steve and Natasha had our bikes ready for us and it was super easy. We were all happy to see our bikes...and they were in tip-top shape! Saw Brad and Jill there - yay...they finally made it! And managed to get the bikes back to our house in only two trips - pretty impressive for having two cars that only hold small bikes.
And then...some more downtime. Our group overall is super chill so that's great. We've all agreed that our house is in a great place - away from the crowds and the vibes that all of the Ironman stuff can create down by Ironman village. It's a funny deal, this Ironman stuff. Sure, it's "serious" in the way that it's serious training and a serious commitment and a serious challenge and something to have serious respect for...but, in my opinion, unless you're a pro, you don't need to take it that seriously. I mean for the rest of us, you should have fun doing it, right? (I hope the pros think it's fun, too, but I know there's more pressure on them...) You should be able to be a little light-hearted and thank the volunteers who want to chat with you and laugh at the folks who are taking it so seriously that they almost run you over with their bikes on the sidewalk along the lake! It's a gift to be able to do this stuff and I think that knowing that lets you walk around here with an "attitude of gratitude" - as cheesy as that sounds - that lets you enjoy it, soak it up, and get ready to have a great day on Sunday. Or maybe that's just what I tell myself to calm my nerves...
On that note, my stomach is growling...hopefully I'm not the only one who thinks it's time for another meal. After all, it's been nearly 4 hours!

here I go again...

Like many things in life, you go to do them again, and you find that they are a completely different experience. Such was training for my second Ironman. In many ways, training for IMCDA 2010 was much more difficult than training for IMCDA 2009 even though that one was my first Ironman.
In 2009, nearly everything was a first for me when I trained…my first 100 miler on the bike, my first 20+ miler running, my first 4K in a wetsuit. And there’s something to be said for novelty…and fear!...when it comes to sticking to a training schedule. It’s exciting to go for each bike ride because it will bring you to a distance that you have never accomplished before on a bike. It’s exciting to finish another long run because you’ve never run that far before…at least not in one morning! And finishing a wetsuit swim that’s nearly 2.4 miles is just plain fun...albeit a bit crazy. And you do it all day in and day out for 6 months because in the back of your mind you have that little voice that says, “What if you can’t really do these distances by June?”
But the second time around you know those distances. You have the confidence that you can do them and that is awesome and powerful. But you also know the pain and challenge of doing them…and those feelings are awesome and powerful, too! And, at least if you’re me, you have different expectations for yourself. Completion is always still the goal; but within that there are more specific goals. Go faster…ride harder…work the hills…focus on cadence…feel the water…be aware of form…be better than you were the time before….but keep having fun because you are doing this for fun…just to name a few.
If you remember, I loved (absolutely loved!) training for an Ironman the first time around…and the second time around was no different in that I still love it. But I was harder on myself. I actually trained less – in terms of hours spent at practice – but I was more focused with my training. Therefore, at each practice, I vowed to give it 100%. Even if that 100% was only about 80% of what I can actually do – it was all that I had on a given day. Last year I sometimes caught myself holding back, always anticipating the next practice and knowing that I had to have something to give to it. This time, I spread my practices out a little more, worked in a day off each week, and trusted that my body would and could recover between practices…therefore giving myself both more downtime but also cutting myself less slack. We’ll see how this method of training works out on June 27!
But it worked out really well during training…and after all, it needs to work for training because that is 6 months leading up to race day. It really can’t all be about race day. If it is, you risk spending 6 months being miserable…and you risk setting yourself up for a huge disappointment.
Lucky for me, I confirmed that I LOVE TRAINING for triathlons. I get a kick out of it. I thrive off of the physical activity and I have tried to learn from the successes I’ve had along the way…as well as the blips I’ve had along the way. I cannot call them “failures” because I don’t think anything that we learn from is a failure, and I’ll be the first to say that I’ve learned as much – if not more – from those very bad practices/runs/swims/bikes as I have from the good ones. For me, my training peels off layers of myself, makes me more vulnerable, makes me think about different parts of my life…and in some bizarre way, I hope it makes me a better, stronger, more open and loving person.
I feel really blessed by the comradery that being part of a team provides me. I have learned something from each and every teammate who’s been by my side through this journey. Some have taught me to laugh more (at myself and at other things); others have taught me to step back and appreciate what our bodies can do. From others I’ve learned that I can run faster or ride more miles or swim more repeats than I thought…or at least I’ve come to believe so by watching their example. From everyone, I’ve felt such an amazing sense of support in every form from the tangible to the intangible. It’s the notes left on my car…it’s the smiles along the trail (or the nods when we can’t muster a smile)…it’s the thumbs up as we pass one another on our bikes…it’s knowing at the end of the day that there are a bunch of other people striving for the same tangible end goal (and many intangible goals along the way...and at the end, too) who appreciate the sweat, the tears, the wind-chapped skin, the numb toes and fingers, the heart-thumping and all-encompassing journey that this experience can take you on…I can’t imagine doing this alone! As with so many other things in life, you learn that who is by your side makes all of the difference…and you learn that you really cannot do it alone.
And the T3 team has also given me wonderful coaches. Coaches who listen. Coaches who care. Coaches who “get” me. Coaches who hear my worries about this upcoming race and then say things like, “Well, let’s imagine it working out really wonderfully…and if it doesn’t, we’ll deal with that together on Monday.” Coaches who tell me when to dial it back and skip a practice and get some sleep. Coaches who say, “I think you can do this run at thus-and-such pace” (which is usually faster than I think I can go) and then applaud me when I do…or coach me through it when I don’t. Coaches who get goosebumps watching me nail a 40 mile ride followed by a 13 mile run. Coaches who are mentors and role models and inspirations and friends. I couldn’t ask for better.
And last but not least…my family and friends. The people who are so dear to me who give me the freedom to do these crazy things. Who might be scared for me but who above all enjoy seeing me happy and fulfilled and know that my life would be a little less of each if I didn’t have this triathlon stuff in it right now. People who will listen to tales about a weekend run and how cold or hot it was or who will tell me that I’m riding distances that I should only be driving. People who have met me for coffee late in the afternoon because I had to ride 80 miles that morning and I’m just not that fast! People who have supported me for YEARS now whether I’ve been ice skating or playing soccer or trying to make the honor roll or running for a class office or changing positions at work. You all are my backbone and the reason I ever had the confidence to try something crazy and new like this as an adult.
Yes, I might be the one who physically carries myself over the 140.6 miles (2.4 mile swim + 112 mile bike ride + 26.2 mile run/a marathon) on Sunday, June 27…but I won’t be out there alone. I’ll be digging deep into years of love and faith and friendship and support…and relying on every ounce of that knowing that I never would have gotten here alone. You’ve been with me along this journey and you’ll be with me in my heart that day. And if you want to see how the journey ends, be looking for #2330 on Sunday...
I hope to be able to update my blog from Idaho but I wanted to make sure to extend my gratitude before I left Austin. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your friendship, your love, your support, your patience, and everything else that has made this journey worthwhile.

no yoga Monday...

...but I've been enjoying a herbal, holistic cocktail all day as I try to get this sore throat and slight cold to take a back seat to my life! I've got places to go and things to do Mr. Sore Throat Cold.
And even though I'd rather get inspiration from yoga class, I've actually had a little epiphany of my own from this taper sickness (apparently this happens often...it just didn't happen to me last time...although I could have expected it because it's SO like my body to shut down when I actually give it a moment to rest!).
Here's my thought about all of this: my body is trying to get rid of all the sicky germs that are hanging around so that I'm healthy, strong, and ready to go on Sunday. So, thank you for coming to visit early in the week, Mr. Sore Throat Cold...now please know that you will have worn out your welcome by the end of the week, in fact, you might get left behind when I board a plane for Idaho on Wednesday. Don't say I didn't warn you!

daydreaming...

...about lots of different things.
CDA: which is exactly one week from today...and I'm imagining it as a glorious thing (without the sore throat that is currently plaguing me!)...full of highs and lows but nothing that I'm not able to overcome or soak up...feeling strong...smiling...taking in the amazingness of an IM race day...drawing in the energy from everyone and everything around me - and offering it right back to others along the way...going into the swim, bike, and run with the confidence that the last 6 months of training have brought to me and the confidence that my coaches, teammates, friends, and family have in me...
post-CDA: and some mornings of sleeping late...of exercising just as much as I want to for as long as I want to...until my body eventually tells me it's time to get back to training again...more time on the weekends to relax, get together with friends outside of training, and get things done around the house (a few projects I've been neglecting)...and of daydreaming of what the next training adventure will be...after a little time to space out.
vacation time from work: although it will be brief this year I'm really looking forward to the time away from the office...my job is AMAZING (I'm so, so fortunate to love it), but even the most amazing jobs benefit from a little break...glad to have one coming up this week and then another one next month (can't wait to see Gran, too!).
my job: and all of the possibilities that this upcoming year holds...I'm already feeling pretty ambitious about what I can accomplish - some new things on the horizon, some new hopes that we have as college counselors, some old ideas that might finally get set in motion...good stuff.
what's next: who knows what's around the next corner...and I'm not sure why I feel like I'm about to round a corner. Maybe you feel that way when you are about to get a good chunk of time back in your life. Will it stay empty? Well, maybe for a little while; but knowing me, not for very long. I'm excited to see what's next...I feel like it's going to be good, no matter what it is. Maybe it won't be all that different but I will come at it with a different attitude or a different hope or a different perspective. If it's anywhere near as good as the life I've already lived, I'll be all smiles and my heart will be full, full, full.
Happy Father's Day, Dad!!

friday quotation

"I can imagine it working out perfectly," she said.
"I can't," I said.
"No wonder you're so stressed," she said.

Thanks to everyone in my life who is that other voice in my head...the one that CAN imagine it working out perfectly. I'm starting to begin to possibly maybe imagine it myself.

focus, focus, focus

It's the one thing I cannot do right now.
I start something and I can barely finish it - a letter, dinner, an email, a load of laundry, a sentence...
I try to sit down and think about one small thing and my mind immediately goes elsewhere.
I go to pack my bags for CDA and I find myself making a batch of chocolate chip cookies.
I jump into a project at work and I'm suddenly making a list of all of the things that have to be done before school starts in August.
I attempt to write a thoughtful and sincere blog post about IMCDA 2010 and I can't even direct my thoughts enough to do that...
So I'm giving in to the one thing I know I can focus on - the back of my eyelids. Maybe with some sleep I'll have better focus tomorrow!

only triathletes and mathematicians...

...could get so worked up over numbers. But for those of us doing IMCDA in 12 days (YIKES), we now have our bib numbers. So let me introduce myself as 2330. How do I love this number? Let me count the ways...
1) it contains 3 - my favorite number! hooray!
2) okay, the first reason gets another mention because it contains two 3s!!!
3) it's almost a palindrome...okay, "almost" might not really count but I like the symmetry of this number.
4) it's divisible by 5! Thank you, Katy Dooley :)
5) and if you add the first digit to either the second or third digit you get 5!!
6) for my 1st IM, my bib number started with a 1 (#191)...so it's sort of nice that for my 2nd IM, my bib number starts with a 2. (I know this trend won't continue so I'm going with it while I can!)
And finally...it's MY number. Which is why I like it most.
Honestly, I never knew I could care about a number so much. But when you wear it all day and people refer to you by it (sometimes instead of your name), you begin to feel a certain bond to your race number. Good thing I feel like we're already friends. We've got a long day ahead of us on June 27.

yoga Monday

Life is a series of holding on and letting go.
And I was reminded of this in yoga in this morning as our teacher talked about our practice and our lives as a dance between holding on and letting go.
Holding on to the things that are dear to us, the things that build us up, the things that make us better people, the things that help us leave the world a little better than we found it (or at least some small part of the world)...
Letting of the things that hold us back, weigh us down, tell us that we're less than we are...
And so the dance continues...
P.S. Happy birthday, Kimberly!

sunday evening post

The summer ragu is simmering ("summer" because I made it with ground pork and white wine...a little lighter than the "winter" ragu usually made with ground beef and red wine). I'm wearing an apron that Gran gave me that takes me back to her kitchen (and will save yet one more shirt from a kitchen splatter!) The laundry is nearly done. My house is clean. My packing for CDA has begun. I've just had a nice phone catch up with different friends. My grocery shopping for the week gave my basket a very colorful look (see photo) and plenty of stuff to make "real" meals from (note to self: do NOT skimp on nutrition right now with two weeks - YIKES - to go to CDA). I'm prepping for the week, enjoying a trout salad with asparagus and other veggies and some goat cheese and the last of the wonderful bread that Jess made last week for Erin's party, and listening to some country music (because, really, sometimes that's just what the mood calls for)...and sometime tonight I'll watch "Up" as I head to bed at a pretty early hour. Life feels very sweet. (Sure, there are always things that I could dwell on. But overall, when I think of the tragedies around the world and the sadnesses and worries in the lives of some people - floods that take people's lives, the BP oil spill, cancer that won't give up, heartaches for other reasons - I have no problem admitting that my life is very, very blessed.) And I'm soaking up the lazy days of summer.
I actually haven't been that lazy, but I do love the different pace that summer (and TAPER!!!) provides. In terms of work, I have really tried to hold myself to the motto that "things can wait until Monday" during the summer so as to preserve a little sense of vacation even when I'm in town because I don't think I'll be getting away for all of my vacation time this summer. Of course, I will always respond to emergencies, but I'm trying to really be better about defining those emergencies. And I'm hearing Hilary's wonderful words, "Elizabeth, we really aren't dealing with life or death matters here...there are VERY few real emergencies in our line of work." True. True. And taper has allowed me more time in my weekend and more energy overall (although that did not stop me from taking a nice nap today!). More time to get together with friends, to do stuff around my house, to take a long overdue load of recycling to school, to make a dent in the big stack of magazines and books that has been growing by my bedside, more excuses (like 95 degrees of them!) to eat popsicles and snocones... Even though summer brings heat and BIG TIME humidity, it also brings these good things. And heirloom tomatoes...and grapes...and peaches...and cherries...and summer squash...and watermelon...and mangoes...and excuses to eat "light" (read lots of salads and smoothies) because it's so incredibly hot!
I also love how the days sort of blur together in the summer because our routine at school is so delightfully altered...I had to remind myself that today was Sunday and that tomorrow is Monday and that I should show up at work! Maybe I have entered "vacation mode" even though I'm still working...that would be a miracle. But miracles do happen. I believe it!

friday quotation

"Whether you are geographically a resident or a transient, always try to remain a resident to yourself, be true, and find a home in you."
~one of my students

yoga Monday

It's funny to me when life and yoga intersect. Saturday I was talking to a friend about feeling grounded, or not grounded as the case may be. And today in yoga, that theme comes up again.
We were doing crescent lunge...or I was trying to do crescent lunge. This pose gets me every time. It's sort of like mile repeats at track or certain tasks at work. I'm well aware that it's as much of a mental game as it is a physical thing. But this morning my work was cut out for me as I tried to engage both mentally and physically. Mentally, I was elsewhere. A place that is not helpful to be when you're supposed to be in yoga class! Physically, my legs were tired and tight from our weekend's workouts. I was hoping that yoga would help but I wasn't sure that crescent lunge was the answer!
So as I was mapping out the most graceful way to fall out of this pose without taking out my neighbor should it come to that, our teacher Malia says, "Ground your back leg and let your heart open up and lead the way." Inner dialogue: "That's a lovely thought but really, I'm just trying to stay upright here." But something must have sunk in because I kept thinking about it all day. And as I looked into this pose a little more, supposedly one of its benefits is that it gives a sense of freedom since the heart is open and lifting upward but all the while you are grounded and rooted in the earth beneath you as you seek to maintain balance.
And maybe that's the message to me...I can still feel freedom even if I'm grounded. I can still be grounded even if my heart is open and free. The question for me is always - what am I grounded in? And what is my heart opening up to? I guess the latter , and maybe the former, will reveal itself in good time. Although I think I know more about my grounding than I do about what I'm opening up to...but I'd like to trust in both what's beneath me and where my heart is taking me.
In the meantime, I'll feel victorious at not having made this a "falling moon" lunge!

each year, one doctor's appointment reminds me...

...to be super grateful for my health.
I must admit that as the years go by and as my original diagnosis of a pituitary tumor (back in 2001) becomes more and more distant, I don't get as worked up about my yearly appointments with my endocrinologist. And yet, each year when I leave there with a clean bill of health (which, fortunately, has been a number of years in a row now) that includes good blood work and no need for an MRI, I find myself walking (er...floating?) a little lighter than usual. My hormone levels were all in check this time - and even better than a year ago! Now, hormones are very temperamental things so it really could have just been a good day when I got my blood drawn, but I guess the theory is that if you do the tests regularly enough and are in tune with your body enough, you'll catch the hormones on a bad day at least once and you'll be alerted to anything that you need to be alerted to. My cholesterol was picture perfect - to quote my endocrinologist, "These are the sort of numbers we hope to see after someone has been put on medicine to control their cholesterol." Thank God for small favors that high cholesterol doesn't run in my family. All in all, Dr. Blevins was very happy with my current health, inquired about my exercise and such (exercise and relaxation to relieve stress...okay, I do one better than that other..., were two of his original prescriptions for me) and told me to keep doing what I was doing. I joked that I wasn't sure I could keep doing an Ironman every year but that I promised I wouldn't slack off too much. He laughed and said, "You know what I mean. Your exercise is keeping you healthy in the ways it would for someone without a pituitary tumor; it just has added benefits for you." Nice.
So I decided I'd keep that tumor at bay and ride 75 miles on Saturday and then run 13 on Sunday as an "I'll show you, Mr. Pituitary Tumor" and as a sign of gratitude for my health - a "because I can" gesture. (Never mind that it was also on my training schedule!)
And on Sunday after my run, I came across this article in the NY Times called, "A Cancer Scare, a Scar, a Silver Lining", and while no doctor ever thought my tumor was malignant (apparently this type of endocrine tumor rarely is), I certainly understood the author's silver lining comments as well as his sigh of relief when he hears that the tumor was benign. I seem to know (or know of) a lot of folks right now who haven't been so lucky when it comes to cancer or tumors or illness in general so I'm saying an extra prayer of thanks. So many of these diseases/health problems are so sneaky that you can be feeling relatively fine and all of the sudden be knocked down for the count by some awful condition. And hormones are SUPER sneaky and subtle and often leave you just feeling "off" which you can attribute to anything from not enough sleep to allergies to a slight case of the flu to not enough caffeine. And I guess that's why I'm relieved every year to see good test results. It's just added confirmation to feeling good and living the very full life that I do. Perhaps I shouldn't need that affirmation, but I do. For all of the belief that I have in acupuncture and other forms of healthy living and healing, I am the granddaughter and daughter of doctors after all...we like seeing numbers and reading results as "normal"! Okay, at least the blood work is "normal"...even if the patient might not be deemed completely "normal" on any given day.
But for today, HOORAY for another year of healthy, clean living...it really is a great gift and I'm the grateful recipient.

friday quotation

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they are a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
~Rumi

My cousin Sarah shared this quotation with a group of us as a means of comfort just after the Morrow's new puppy (the one I posted pictures of a while back) died unexpectedly. And today is Sarah's birthday so I thought it was appropriate that my friday quotation should be one that she shared with me. Happy birthday, Sarah! And here's to all of us welcoming guests of all sorts into our human being home.

yoga Wednesday

It's usually "yoga Monday" but this Monday was Memorial Day and filled with CapTex and Wilke repeats goodness. Great day to be part of the tri community here in Austin...lots of inspiration from hours of helping people out of the water and then a little exercise of my own as Jess and I tackled Wilke...times 6. Possibly my favorite moment was when a random car pulled up alongside us and said, "20 of these, okay?" I responded, "Um...not today." He laughed and offered us an encouraging "you're looking good" as he drove away.
Oh, yes, and my first SnoBeach sno-cone of the season...YUM. It was so hot on Monday that I almost broke down and got two sno-cones...but I satisfied my craving for more icy, sweet goodness later that night with a popsicle instead.
Tuesday was the beginning of summer at school. Summer hours: 9-2. I AM SPOILED. It feels like vacation even when I am going into the office each day because the pace is slower and the atmosphere is more laid back. That being said, I am still really looking forward to the days of "true" vacation that I will take this summer. Swim + core-pin (Jim's wonderful name for core class + spin class at the PTC) in the evening. It was the first time I'd driven to Lost Creek since getting my car back from the deer accident. I was going SUPER slowly down Lost Creek Blvd. (translation - probably 25 mph) with my brights on as much as I could. And I didn't really relax until I got to the pool. I'm sure that feeling will die down over time. I sure hope so. Being cautious is one thing; feeling that tense at 5:30 a.m. is another! Core-pin was awesome Tuesday night...Katy had us laughing so hard that I will claim three workouts (the two obvious ones + the one we got from cracking up at Katy's commentary throughout core). So glad she's back around!
Wednesday morning brought another swim...WITH JESS :) We finally got to claim a lane - with Tennille, too. Our legs were all fried so we were a good match for one another. Lots of fast stuff with 8 x 50 about three times during the set. Talk about getting your heart racing early in the morning.
At work I got to be part of two interviews with students where I was once again humbled and moved by their maturity, poise, accomplishments, humor, self-awareness, and sensitivity. How many people get to be inspired every day at work...and by those MUCH younger than them?! Not too many that I know. I left feeling pretty lucky and definitely in good spirits.
Spirits that were only lifted even more when I met with Dr. Sellers at Performance Wellness for one last check-in about my hip, psoas stuff and got RELEASED! WOOT! And just in good time for this little race that I have on June 27 :)
Celebrated by going to yoga...which kicked my butt, by the way...so I got to end the day with a parting inspiration from the universe (via my yoga teacher). We were reminded as we left that at any given moment we have just that - one moment, one lifetime, one breath, etc... What I heard was to live in the present, realize that our life is precious (and perhaps fleeting), and live life to the fullest. I'm not sure that's exactly what we were supposed to get out of that message, but it was my yoga moment of the day. And probably one that I can never hear enough.