beach read

So, I wasn't at the beach. Or in a lounge chair much this weekend. But I did satisfy my "beach read" quota for the month! Picked up a wonderfully trashy novel in the airport on my way to CA and knew it was good when I had finished 1/2 of it before I touched down in San Francisco. Sometimes it just feels good to not take my reading so seriously and read for frivolous fun. Not a college counseling journal. Not something about education. Not even something about triathlons or running or training. Pure fluff.
It reminds me that I love a good story. That I'm a total sucker for a quick read and mindless plot. And that I enjoy getting lost in someone else's life...even if it's a bunch of fictional characters. It's just fun to escape from your own life this way. Movies can do the same thing but reading has always been an escape for me, too. And with August right around the corner and one more out-of-town trip I might just have to pick up another airport novel and get lost again.
P.S. Speaking of books...I got the one that I had made for Gran's birthday today. A book of my blog posts from the first one through her birthday post. A present only a grandmother could love. I'm giddy with excitement to give it to her when I see her in a few weeks! (Thanks, Erin, for the good tip on how to do this!)

a little stroke of luck...

I've never really considered myself a lucky person. Don't get me wrong. God has smiled down on me far more times than I deserve. When I look around at my friends, when I think about my family, when I am thankful for my job and my colleagues, when I remember what I've overcome and the dreams that I've already fulfilled (and the ones that I still have), when I think about my health, I know that I have lived a very charmed life by all standards. I have way more than I need in most areas. But I don't put this in the category of luck.
Luck is that winning lottery ticket. Or being the name drawn from the hat for the random prize at a party. Or getting a free something because you are the 53rd customer. Or having your bag make your connection in Denver when you were an hour late from San Francisco, when Southwest (God bless this airline!) held the plane for 25 minutes for you and four other people, and then having your bag actually make that plane to Austin with you. I'm not usually that lucky person. But today I was because that last scenario describes by stroke of luck today!
Happy to be home. Happy to have my luggage with me. Happy for some sleep in my own bed. And happy for great memories from my time in CA - strokes of luck and otherwise.

Sherpa pride!

Can I even begin to tell you how proud I was of my T3 teammates out here at Vineman today?! Seriously. I felt a little like a mother hen with lots of little chick-a-dees running in a million directions as I tried to race after them to keep track of them, check in on them, and ultimately let them do their thing! And they did do their thing...and they were great.
Some first time 70.3-ers and some veterans. Some who had great swims or bikes or runs. Some who had lousy swims or bikes or runs. Some who nailed their nutrition. Some who are heading back to the nutritional drawing board. Some who loved parts of the course. Some who were not that enchanted by any part of the course. And some things they had in common...long hours of training going into this; T3 - coaching, support, teammates; hotter than expected weather; and a doting Sherpa.
Seeing everyone out there reminded me of the guts it takes to tackle a triathlon (of any distance). People had to make difficult decisions on the course today about whether to keep going or call it quits. They made the best decision they could - I hope they all sleep well with those decisions tonight. They were supporting one another and allowing themselves to be supported.
Doing something like this makes you really vulnerable - you put yourself and your goals out there...the former quite publicly and the latter often privately. You risk disappointment. But there's the possibility of great joy. You often surprise yourself...and maybe others, too. But most of all yourself.
And from the sidelines you watch this all unfold, never quite sure of each person's exact story but always trying to figure out what to say or do that will be "just right" as you watch a friend and teammate (or sometimes a complete stranger) go by. It's neat to be on the sidelines as someone who's also raced because you have a small idea of what is helpful (and what is not helpful!) to hear. It's also really rewarding to be able to be out there for teammates who have cheered me on. It's sort of a "pay it forward" and "return the favor" all at once. And it's totally inspiring. All the more so when you know the people doing the race.
At the end of the day, I discovered that I'm a better Sherpa than cheerleader (are we surprised?!)...that I have the odd urge to race again (odd because I don't really like to race...but I do like what it brings out in me...although I'm content to wait until November!)...that T3 is a wonderful little family to be part of...that showing up and getting out there and doing your best still matters...and that it's a privilege and an honor to have friends and teammates like this in my life. Proud of you, all you T3 Vineman-ers!!! Most of all, I hope you are proud of yourselves.

dialing back the speed of life

I've forgotten what it feels like to not have an agenda. Or a schedule. Or a "to do" list. Or a plan. I think I'm a "doer" by nature. I think I enjoy being in constant motion. But I have to say that today, I have enjoyed doing a whole of "nothing". Well, "nothing" by the world's standards. I woke up without an alarm clock to the sun pouring through the screen door of the room I'm sleeping in at my aunt and uncle's house in Calistoga. I rolled back over and tried to sleep a little more, but eventually I rolled out of bed, grabbed my book & my hoodie, and headed out to the porch where I got to sit and read for about an hour before my aunt woke up. One of their barn cats was walking his laps around the porch and stopped to check on me each time. Still reading, buddy, still reading. The sun was beginning to bear down on the fields to the side of the house. And I listened to the birds and the sound of the fountain. I can't remember the last time I had a morning like this. Even if I have a "lazy" morning at home I am always staring at the cobwebs feeling the urge to clean or planning what I have to do next - laundry, dishes, cooking, paying bills, etc...
But here, away from home, with nothing I "need" to do I could just relax. Something I'm afraid I'm not very good at. But this morning I excelled at it!
After some coffee and a simple breakfast complete with fresh watermelon and yummy bread, we walked down to the Farmer's Market, checked out the museum in downtown Calistoga, and turned around to hike back up the hill to my aunt and uncle's house. The good news - I wasn't totally out of breath at the end of it. Although I can't imagine running up it! Might have to do that on Monday as my hill workout for the day before I head home. Or maybe not.
Maybe I'll just have total downtime while I'm here - aside from cheering on my T3 teammates tomorrow at Vineman...which will be a workout of another sort. One that I'm really excited about!
Maybe I'll just focus on being still - which is a different sort of workout for me. To be still enough to listen...to my body, to my heart, to the little chirpings of my mind... When I'm busy, it's easy not to listen because there's always something to be paying attention to. And sometimes it's easier not to listen because listening makes me think and ask myself hard questions - yuck! But a good yuck.
So while this weekend is about speed and racing for some of my friends, it's about slowing down for me. Something I really haven't done for a good long time. I'm a little rusty at it. It's not natural to me. It's pushing me to new places in different ways. But I suppose it's good for me...even if it feels a little uncomfortable trying to live at 15mph instead of 95mph.

friday quotation

some believe in destiny
some believe in fate
I believe that happiness is something we create...
(Sugarland)

I know, I know, these are sort of cheesy lines from a cheesy country song, but I love the message. It leaves us with all sorts of power to find ways to make ourselves happy! Like going to see family and cheer teammates on at Vineman this weekend. Like getting a good run in that makes me feel healthy and more alive - even if I felt like I was swimming through the humid air. Like spending time with friends. Like finding pleasure in the simple things (sno cones, a favorite song, cold water when it's 100+ degrees, seeing someone smile, a green light just when you need one...the list could go on and on).
At the end of the day, I'm realizing that I'm more simple than I thought. Sure, I find ways to complicate my life - and sometimes life just gets complicated. But in terms of what I really need materially (except for this crazy sport of triathlon), emotionally, socially, etc... I don't need a whole lot. So, maybe the answer to happiness for me is to create a life full of simple things.
Friends. Family. Love. Laughter. Staying healthy.
Here's to whatever it is that makes you happy...make it more a part of your life!

so it would probably be a good idea...

...to stop letting myself eat a cookie everyday now that I'm not in serious training mode. But oh, they are SO good. My new favorite treat (if I'm going to try to be sort of "good" and steer away from a gingersnap or oatmeal raisin cookie from a bakery...yum...and really my preferred treat but honestly that would be disastrous as a daily treat!) has been the Kashi Happy Trail Mix cookies. Delicious! And they are not that guilty of an indulgence. Still, I'm pretty sure that at some point here I need to stop eating them daily.
Well, maybe only after I've tried the Kashi Dark Chocolate and the Kashi Oatmeal Raisin cookies...
P.S. I didn't feel guilty about my cookie today at all...especially since it was good comfort food for Blythe and Joe leaving town today. I know I'm not the only one who will miss them...but I really will. I'm not very good at good-byes but for Blythe's sake I tried to keep it sort of light today. I didn't even cry...at least not when she could see me. And we left one another laughing about something so I have a wonderful memory of her great smile in my mind...which is usually what happens when you're around Blythe. She's smiling and that makes everyone else smile and the world just feels good. Already looking forward to seeing them again in October!

today was a reminder..

oatmeal at Magnolia - $2.75
chocolate dip cone from Dairy Queen - $2.00
carwash - $6.00
time with friends - priceless

Thank you, dear friends, who made my day so very wonderful. Core...breakfast...IM chats and emails during the day...taking Avery out to the Blakistone's...cleaning an oven, a pantry, a kitchen sink...eating pizza... From beginning to end I was reminded that I'm one lucky gal! XOXO!