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!

My budget is pretty darn tight this year, who knew putting on races was so expensive!!  Because of this my personal racing travels are going to be light while getting ready for Ironman Louisville.  What is a girl to do????  Apparently the answer is:  STAY CLOSE TO HOME!

Because I have committed to staying close to home and working on a budget Kansas 70.3 seemed to be a great option for a half ironman race building up for Louisville.  It is close to home, it is a relatively inexpensive trip, and last year I raced there, so I am familiar with the course.  Also it fell the weekend after Elephant Rock Century Ride which worked well for me physically and mentally.  Elephant Rock was hilly, windy, and challenging.  The experience convinced me I should do it again going into Kansas this year.  Repeating some of the experiences that helped me get to Ironman Canada last year seems like a good idea.  Unfortunately ERock happens to be the day before Kansas this year.  Errr, well….hmmm…That throws a wrench in the planning program.  So because I am a good athlete, remember one of the things a great athlete is is FLEXIBLE, and not the kind of flexible where you can reach down and touch your toes without bending your knees; although this kind of flexibility is good too… but I am talking about being able to find solutions mid stream, mid stroke, or however you prefer to look at it, and still be not only happy but satisfied as well.  My alternative plan became this:  Bike the ERock course solo the weekend before Kansas.  Problem solved.  But then I was presented with THIS:  Boise 70.3 the weekend after ERock!

Here is what I think:

…about Kansas:

1. Been there done that
2. Kansas, again, really????  I have been to Kansas twice for Nationals and once for the 70.3.
3. 7:00am Start

Kansas….did you know:

• In Independence, Kansas kids are encouraged to celebrate “Neewollah” instead of Halloween.  The idea was hatched in 1918 to give kids a vandalism-free alternative to the sometimes destructive holiday. I have no idea what Neewollah is but when I was a kid all of my friends would have made fun of me for not being able to go smash pumpkins after getting as much trick or treat candy as we could carry.
• Chicago got the nickname, but the actual windiest city in the United States in Dodge City, Kansas which has an average wind speed of 13.9 miles per hour. Not sure about you but sometimes 13.9 miles per hour is all I got on the bike!
• In October 2005 a world-record meteorite was dug up in rural Kiowa County, Kansas.  The giant meteorite, the largest pallasite ever found, weighed 1,400 pounds. Could you imagine racing and getting taken out by that bad boy??

…about Boise:

1. It’s Idaho.  I’ve never been.
2. I can drive or fly.  Flights are only $200 smackers right now.
3. I can do ERock the weekend before with Keith.
4. 2:00pm Start Have rocking awesome would that be?  And, have I told you how much I LOVE running in the evening?
5. Net Overall DOWNHILL.  This according to Justin Hurd’s Boise 70.3 Race Report. I love going downhill as much as I love running at night!

Boise….Did you know?

• Students who attend the university in Boise can kayak and canoe to school
• In Idaho, it’s against the law for anyone over the age of 88 to ride a motorcycle I think this means the officials will be able to see
• The deepest river gorge in the North American Continent is Idaho’s Hells Canyon-7,900 feet deep.  Yes it is deeper than the Grand Canyon. My question is:  Is it runnable?
• In Boise, residents may not fish from a giraffe’s back. WTF?  This alone makes me want to go to Boise just to find out how this came about and does it mean I cannot do the 13.1 mile run on my pet giraffe, Aerdna?
• The Statehouse in Boise and dozens of other buildings in the city are geothermally heated from underground hot springs.  In fact, Idaho is well sprinkled with public and private hot springs.

Which leads me to the following conclusions:

1. I am going to the Skinny Dipper Hot Springs after the race.  There are 2 springs I found close to Boise and this one appears to be the better of the two
2. I am doing Boise 70.3 on June 10,2010.
3. The more the merrier!  If you want to race and would like to connect, join the TriNutz Google Group where you will find all of the information you need to make the journey.