April17
I am busy with race preparations. So no real deep thoughts just a free flowing post on what is going on in my head. Just a week and a half before the big event: Cheyenne Mountain Trail Race. I wasn’t sleeping for a little while dreaming about weird things like showing up in my underwear! Not really, but I was having those types of dreams. When I was a bartender at TGI Friday’s I used to dream that the bar filled up and I would take people’s orders but I could never make the drinks and get them delivered! I think I have a deep desire to serve people. This week the dreams have settled. Runners are still signing up. Volunteers are signing up. El Paso County Search and Rescue is on board to provide emergency help. Food is set. Tents are ready for delivery. T-shirts are being printed. Aid station food lists have been created. Student Massage Practitioners are signing up to give post race massages. An announcer has signed up. GoSonja and her hubby, Troy will be there to help out. My dad is set to drive from CA later next week. My sister flies in from her Chi Nei Tsang clinic in California. I ran with Stephanie at lunch today. Oh and I bought an inflatable kayak. It is awesome.
Now if I can keep the weather as is…
Happy Training!
March26
Checking in after my commitment to be back online this week. I am surprised to find there is a little bit more of a spring in my step and a lighter feeling in my mind this week. Last week I decided that alcohol was having a negative effect on my sleep and my health (duh), so this week I did without alcohol. Well almost! Tyler Walton appeared on my voicemail singing Boot Scootin’ Boogie to invite Steve and me out to the Stampede. Well, for those of you who really know me, well you know that I have a hard time passing up an opportunity to 2 step! Anyhow, the point of this story is not to tell you I fell off the dance floor, but that I drank two Tangueray and Cranberry drinks (which by the way is not why I fell off the dance floor) and the next day I felt no bueno. It confirmed for me, that alcohol does indeed slow me down! However catching up with the gang is always great inspiration for me and a good reminder that I can do anything I set my mind to. After all I did run a double crossing of the Grand Canyon in a day. Thanks Tyler!
Also this week I have some more clarity on why I believe focusing on my health as my number one is, indeed, a good idea. I was reminded how much energy is generated by good workouts. They leave me with a sense of power. They drive me to be better and they help energize me for the next thing. So whether it is time with the family or time at work I believe I do a better job with both when I am working out regularly. This week looked like this:
Monday: Boot Camp
Tuesday: 4 mile Run
Wednesday: 4 mile Run
Thursday 3 mile Run and Boot Camp
Friday: Rest Day
Saturday: Rode the fixie to Boot Camp and back
Sunday: Run 4.5 miles
My mantra this week: Health
So here’s to you and your health! Happy Training
Andrea
March19
I am what I consider to be fat, out of shape and unmotivated. Steve was running a 10K this weekend and I did not participate. It gave me the opportunity to reflect on myself and examine the sadness I felt about my current condition. If I had to choose one word to summarize the place where I am it would be unhealthy. I have been focused on losing weight and building financial security instead of being healthy, which has created a state of discontent and lack of interest in a lot of things.
This process is difficult, but my goal with it is to get my raw self exposed and have it help me evaluate what is important to me. I made a list of my priorities and put how much time I spend on them and rated them according to their importance to me.
Health
Family
Work
Creativity
Socializing
What I found was not surprising. The amount of time I spend with each category is unbalanced with their importance to me. It looks something like this:
Work
Family
Creativity
Health
Socializing
Being aware of the imbalance shown in these 2 lists opens up the possibility of actively being engaged in making different decisions. These lists helped me come up with some ideas of how to put myself back on the path of health.
The next thing I did was evaluate how I feel in relation to my body. I have a muffin top and I do not want to put a swim suit on. When I look at these superficial feelings and look back ( I really don’t like to look back but I think this one is good) at the time when I was the most fit it was really not about how I looked but about how I felt. Even when I was super fit I thought I was chunky. The fact of the matter was I could wake up at 5:30 spring out of bed, work, train, and accomplish my other goals, and sleep well at night. I want that feeling back again!
I have committed to doing bootcamp on Mondays, Thursdays, and possibly every other Saturday morning. This is a good place for me to add to my current running. Another after work habit I have developed is having a glass (or 2 or 3) of alcohol. This is no bueno for feeling healthy! It interrupts my sleep and keeps me holding onto fat reserves to process the alcohol-so as part of my plan to be healthy I will also cut back on my alcohol consumption.
The last thing I would like to execute is to blog regularly. I was gonna do the whole 90 posts in 90 days but that feels a little overwhelming. So, I will write at least once a week for the next 3 months.
Blogging helps me see patterns in my behavior and my thoughts, and I believe it helps keep me honest with myself.
“See” you next week!
December22
Those of you who know me know I have struggled athletically this last year. I have come to the conclusion that growth can be painful. My ego is HUGE and causes a foggy head most of the time. (hard to admit) 6.0 and I were out on a bike ride this past weekend and it caused me to reflect on what it is that truly makes me happy. Since I was on my bike my mind focused on that aspect of me-Biking Andrea. My legs were burning and I asked myself if I liked that sensation. The answer was and is no yes. I think it is supposed to make me feel alive. It gives me fitness and it gives me strength. Biking gives me a connection to the outside that is different than what I get in the water and what I get on the run. Right now I am pretty uncomfortable on my bike, but I am able to embrace that feeling and appreciate where I am. Maybe I am stripping down my ego one pedal stroke at a time. Anyhow, we rode a route we frequently ride and I had an amazing ride! Funny how when I release the past ( “I used to be fit and now I am not.”) and focus on what is right here, right now everything is just as it should be.
My work buddy, Stephanie, and I are still running over lunch. There are times when I struggle to run 5 miles and I do not look forward to the suffering, but being out there with a buddy is one of the things I love about running. I have an opportunity to connect with someone and create a relationship in my life that I enjoy. There is an escape from work and a chance to breath in the air, feel the sunshine, and touch the outside.
I wrote the previous words in September and am just now getting around to posting this. Today I am working on being happy right where I am. I do not always feel like I am living the life I want to live, but I have not been able to make the changes to live the life I think I should live. What does that mean?
Happy Holidays! Happy Training! Happy Living!
July19
This weekend held a few firsts for me. Kai spent a week away from home at Boy Scout camp. I remember when I first noticed Shaun having hair on his legs and his voice changing and how surreal that was. Kai being at camp for a week left me with the same surreal feeling-my youngest kid is growing up. Pushing it further, Thursday was his birthday and he was out of touch at camp. I did not like that even though we celebrated with cake and a new long board before he headed out to the mountains. I missed seeing him on his birthday. But….Friday was parents night at camp. Which I found myself amused in many ways. I spent a lot of time at summer camp and there was never parents night. What is wrong with the world these days? Kai invited Steve and I up for the festivities, so Steve and I ventured up for parents night. We got to see the boys campsite, eat dinner with them, watch skits, and watch the boy scouts burn, yes BURN the American Flag. They sang songs about loving everyone and rocked back and forth to the rhythm of camp songs. All the while all I could think about is the hipocracy in the whole deal. The boy scouts do not allow gays into their program. To go to parents night Steve and I had to get a certification which consisted of watching a video on boy scout policy. There is always 2 deep leadership. You cannot take pictures in or near the restrooms-if you see this you must confiscate the camera before images can be uploaded to the internet or evidence can be deleted. A single adult may never go anywhere alone with a boy. And best of all we got to see how a child molester may groom a child. You know prep him to be molested. Trust me, I get it. As a parent I guess it is cool that the place where my kid is going is aware of the possibility of endangerment and is putting guidelines in place to hopefully set up camp to prevent these types of things from happening. Ultimately Kai had a great week at camp. He earned a few merit badges and got to be a boy out in the wilderness and I am grateful he has the opportunity to explore nature and be an adventurer. Summer camp instilled a sense of adventure in me and that sense of adventure got put to use this weekend!
Friday night after LEAVING boy scout camp (read that clearly-we LEFT boy scout camp before embarking upon our adventure) we set up camp, had a campfire, and ate a couple of smores. I all of a sudden felt like going for a run. So off we went…into the wilderness. There was a road off the main road which took you out into the cow pastures and we decided to hop the fence and go run up the road. We were literally in the middle of nowhere…so stripped down to our bare bums and ran into the night! We had a blast running naked-it was a first for me! Running has always been the part of my sport where I struggle mentally. Making running fun is very important for my mental well-being. I have not gotten the thrill of winning a race or qualifying for a Boston Marathon. For me it is the pain staking place where everyone passes me. So to continue on I have to have fun. It is the place in the race where I can cheer people on and be really excited about seeing where they are in their race. It is the place where I often get the opportunity to encourage others to dig a little deeper. But, strangely enough it is where I really get to enjoy the race atmosphere. I do not think I will ever win a running race but I win in so many other ways that I really don’t care. Back to my point…I have to keep running fun or I can get really down on myself. This night of naked running made my spirit happy. It reminded me how lucky I am to have found a person to share my life and that he LOVES me just the way I am-not because of how fast I run. Celebrating me and where I am at was pretty awesome.
We loaded our bikes on the car so we could ride up in the mountains on Saturday morning after breakfast back at the scout camp. We ended up in Loveland and rode our bikes through that neck of the woods. My bike has not met my bum for a really long time. I was nervous about climbing up in the mountains. I requested of Steve that he let me set the pace and call it a day when I was ready. We had a great ride. It was hot and balmy but climbing went great. Again, my spirit was renewed and I had an amazing day. Our plan was to head home Saturday after riding but we were having such a great weekend that we decided to pitch our tent for one more night so we could ride again the next day. Another great ride was had on Sunday. Nothing epic in the sense of distance or difficulty but epic for my sense of adventure.
Steve and I had such a great weekend that we have a “credit card” ride planned in 2 weekends. We are just going to stick a credit card in our bike jersey and head out for an adventure on the bikes. It is great having plans in the works again. Tomorrow I am off to Freshman Orientation at University of Northern Colorado for Shaun-crikeys! The boy is off to college in less than a month…
Happy Trails…
July12
My journey to going long started many years ago. Somehow though I have forgotten the beginning. There was no high school swimming or running career. I did not grow up bike racing. I played soccer until I was in 8th grade and volleyball through 11th grade. I started smoking cigarettes when I was in 6th grade. I smoked pot for the first time that year too. By 9th grade I was expelled from school and got together with my boyfriend. He and I did a lot of things together and I think I probably got some of my sense of adventure from that relationship-mostly though we partied our way through high school and hung out with our friends. While running the Denver Half one year at about mile 10 I started laughing pretty hard at the whole idea of me running a half marathon! It was entertaining to me that a gal who grew up smoking pot and drinking a lot of booze was out training and doing triathlons. I thought, “Wow! How far I have come!” As I sit now doing really nothing with triathlon and feeling REALLY out of shape, I am trying to figure out how to “get it back.” So I have been thinking about the beginning a lot. It didn’t start with a 50 mile run. So here is my beginning. How it all happened and proof that I can come from no fitness to doing a double crossing of the Grand Canyon and completing Ironman and LOTS of triathlons, marathons, trail runs, 225 mile bike rides, 6 mile swims…
When Shaun was born (almost 19 years ago) my dad gave me his Schwinn Mountain Bike-I think the bike was his attempt to “get back into shape”. He used to ride it around the dirt block and up the hill on Juniper Road. I was in awe that he was riding his bike so far. Mind you this block was, and still is, about 2.5 miles long. Anyhow, his attempt at fitness ended up in one of the junk piles heaved into the middle of the desert. So when I had Shaun and was on my own I put a kid bike seat on the back of the bike and would ride around the desert. We would go everywhere. There were late night rides to get him the frick to sleep. (unsuccessfully-if you know Shaun you will understand) There were rides with my friends who were not hauling kids. And there were rides where we fell over and got all bruised up. What I have forgotten is that these were not long rides. They were maybe 5 miles at the most-and even that may be stretching the distance. In the end it was an adventure with Shaun. It was fun and I remember laughing a lot and feeling really powerful and like I was a good mom. My connection to the desert formed during these adventures with Shaun. My connection with Shaun grew as well as he was my sidekick. Imagine having a kid at 19 years old. I was still a kid myself.
From the California desert I made the move to Rochester Minnesota. Here there are rails to trails galore. I upgraded my bike to a red Raleigh and Shaun had some random kid bike. We would ride the Douglas Trail, which was a 13 mile stretch from Rochester to Pine Island. Keep in mind Shaun was 4 and 5 years old. One day I bought him a Pearl Izumi vest-I still have this vest and use it for riding now. When I bought him this vest we saw a flyer for a “bike ride”. To this day I don’t remember what the ride was but I do know we signed up for the 25 mile ride. So we “trained” on the Douglas Trail. Day of the ride we showed up at the fairground knowing ZERO about Century rides. We headed out knowing they told us there would be food and drink out there for us and when we were finished there would be lunch back at the fairgrounds. Well, off we went with our waterbottles. Not one aid station was open by the time we got there. In fact, we did not see one single person this entire ride. We made it back to the fairgrounds and scrounged for some food and went home and played in the pool. What I remember most about this was that it was all I could do to get Shaun through 25 miles of rolling midwest hills in the middle of the summer. Somehow we made it and continued having adventures on all of the trails in Minnesota.
It was around this time I started “running” around the block. Yes the block. Maybe it was a 1/2 mile long-I really have no idea-hold on I am going to map it just so I can see how far it really was. Alright better than I thought 1.65 miles. I would go run this and come home and do sit ups in the drive way! Too funny. Then another baby enters the picture-welcome Baby Kai! And we decide to move to Colorado. By the time Kai is one the move is in the works and we are on our way. My sister comes to visit and tells me flat out that I am fat. She had done a triathlon so she thought I should do the Danskin. So, I signed up for a triathlon class with my red Raleigh mountain bike and the rest is history. This was the beginning. And now that I find myself at the beginning of a new adventure I must remember that every great adventure, story, journey or whatever has a beginning.
What I have to remember is that I did not go out and start running 50 miles or marathons. It all started with a 1.67 mile run around the block and sit ups. It was getting Shaun out on the bike to have fun. There was no epic loop. There was no High Grade. No Kerr Gulch. No half ironmans. No Ironman. It was a block. From the block it was 3 miles. From 3 miles it was 6 miles. And it stayed there for a long time. It started with a POS mountain bike. And so here I am full circle. I am back to the block, but my mind is suffering. I have let my fitness slip away. So here is the beginning of a new journey with exercise. An adventure to the next place. There is no Ironman. There is no marathon. There is a block. And I have to get around that block. Repeatedly. Consistency. I am back to the building blocks.
So stay tuned to see how the adventure unfolds. My friend at work found some KettleBell classes and I signed 6.0 and myself up for 10 weeks of classes. I am really excited about them and cannot wait. For now…I am off for a lunch time run on the High Line.
May11
Wednesday on the way to work, another great reason to not go work out of the house, I was rear ended. When I pulled over I looked at the back of my car and there was really nothing more than a dimple in my bumper. The other guy was alright and I was alright, so about my day I went. I went for a light run Wednesday and was fine. Thursday morning I woke up with sharp, shooting pain in my neck and lower traps. Whiplash! I took some muscle relaxers and had some folks at work do some cranial sacral work-after all I work at a massage therapy school! It was better on Friday, not totally gone, but definitely better. Saturday morning I woke up for the race and was feeling a little stiff and a little bit of muscle tightness. I was turning my whole upper body to talk to folks, but I figured I would loosen up and feel fine for the run. Not so much. The plan was to walk/ run until I loosened up a bit. However, running down hill hurt like a banshee. (I’m not really sure what a banshee feels like but it sounds applicable.) I got to the 5 mile aid station and was doing alright, but thinking I wasn’t sure about 20 more miles. I decided to keep trudging along-I was definitely walking more that running because it just felt better. At about mile 8 I decided it was stupid to push through. So I turned my fanny around and started walking back to the start. 17 more miles just seemed unmanageable and really not smart being that I was in real pain. Breathing hard hurt my ribs and my shoulder, my neck ached with each jostle down the hills and made going downhill not fun like it should be. I walked all the way back to the start. If I look at my previous post Collegiate Peaks was to get me back in shape and focused on training. In the end, I have accomplished just that. I think I have lost 5 pounds and am motivated to do my best once again.
I made it back to the start in time to see Steve take off on his 2nd lap to finish the 50 mile course. Overall, I think he would describe the day as a sufferfest. Multiple times he found himself excited to be out on a trail run on a beautiful day. The weather was beautiful and essentially a non issue. The views of the snow capped mountains were stunning. He was definitely nervous about the distance, which he feels was legitimate. He was unsure about making the turn to go on to the second lap until he was within a mile of it but is glad he decided to go for it. He may have been less sore, but he wouldn’t have been satisfied with a 25 mile day or a DNF. Steve is just one of those guys.
Collegiate Peaks is a challenging, exposed course. Being held in May leaves open the opportunity for all kinds of weather. Even last year at Buena Vista Bike Fest the weather cancelled the ride-and it is held 2 weeks later. There have been many stories of variable weather-but on that note, we are Colorado runners and we run in all types of weather all fall, winter, and spring. So I definitely wouldn’t eliminate the opportunity to run this race based on chance of in-climate weather. The winner this year 6:37. Insane.
Tomorrow a run with Stephanie-my work running buddy. Although I am bored with the High Line Canal in Aurora.
March29
Wow! Things are spectacular. Work at the office is amazing and challenging me in ways that are helping me grow in the corporate world-who woulda thunk? Cheyenne Mountain Trail Race is going crazy! I miss my lifestyle of training, traveling, and racing. But I am definitely working my way back towards that. There has not been much swimming or biking in the cards lately, but lots of running! I am signed up for the 25 miler at Collegiate Peaks in May. More exciting is that Steve signed up for the 50 miler! Who would have ever thought?
It is because of Jane that I decided to sign up for Collegiate Peaks. She invited Steve and me to stay with her in Buena Vista for her 1st 50 miler. Initially I was going to go hang out for the weekend and simply support her. Steve, however, has been inspired to run like a crazy man lately. Moab 55K showed him the beauty of ultra running. So he decided to sign up for the 50 with Jane which lead me to sign up for the 25! Which means: I have a goal!! Yeah me. Training is going well. I am especially loving my new Cascadias that Brooks sent me, thanks to Scott Jurek. Run Happy is their slogan-well I am Running Happy! Running is so pure and organic. It is great to have running on my plate. It makes the skies seem sunnier, the air seem cleaner, and my step a little lighter!
The climate at work has also taken a turn towards sunny skies. I never knew how uncomfortable it could be to work with people who operate from fear and have no confidence in themselves. People I have “worked” with in the past have been brilliant, gifted, and kind. People are amazing when they are confident, secure, smart, and enlightened! Great teams, I am sure, have been built on these traits. I have never worked with people who operate out of fear and lack of confidence. The people I have surrounded myself with enjoy building others up and giving to one another and helping one another-and just plain enjoy creating a better world. I feel this starting to happen at work. It lessens the stress felt during those 8 long hours of sitting behind a desk working for the man!
Speaking of working for the man-Cheyenne Mountain Trail Race is plugging along and is definitely going where it needs to go. My one goal for the race is: to create an experience that keeps runners wanting to come back again and again. It is something I am continually working on. With this first race my focus is on the simple things. Things like having a smooth, flawless packet pick up. Making sure the race starts on time. Having the trails marked to keep people on course and keep the aid stations fully stocked for the first and last person on the course. Creating a fun atmosphere outside of the race so people will want to hang around after they are finished racing-great food and a great announcer. Good swag and good prizes. The idea is to have this event build the Epic Endurance brand and our reputation. I never want to be commercialized, but I also don’t ever want a ho hum race either. It is top secret what my vision is-so you will have to come the race if you want be a part of that!
Anyhow, I am off to bed after a long day of working for the man and working for myself! A run is in the cards for tomorrow along with finalizing the t-shirt design for the race. Good night!
February18
I am leaving for Moab this morning-in an hour exactly. I am not packed and I haven’t eaten, but I’m excited to share about my special dinner last night. My haiku eluded to what was going on but here are 3 of my favorite pics from the night to give a little teaser. Tony and Scott were super nice and so willing to chat about life as well as their accomplishments. And Chris McDougall-OMG-he is my favorite! That is us eating fried pickles together! Ha. More to come after the Moab adventure!
