End-of-Year Review

Doing a year-end review is eye-opening. Loads of wonderful things happened in 2012:

The toddler was successfully potty trained.

We took a fun family vacation to Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona for spring break.

My best friend from childhood visited me and we spent a weekend at Snowbird, including a day at the Cliff Spa.

Our family travelled to Chicago for two weeks.

I started running and triathlon training again and competed in my first triathlon after adrenal fatigue.

I painted a lot more and started sharing my art with people on this blog.

My sweet daughter was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I ran my first 10K and half marathon.

My parents celebrated 50 years of marriage and I celebrated 19 years of marriage. 

Oh, and I was fired from my job on April 9, 2012.

Of all the things that happened in 2012, getting fired has been the biggest catalyst. 

I haven't written about getting fired because I was so upset and frustrated. I didn't want to write in anger and appear bitter or vindictive. But, I was both of those things for a long time. The crazy thing about getting let go is that it completely minimizes you. In my case I had no warning and was completely blindsided when I had worked so hard to show my employers how much I wanted to help the company succeed. In the end, though, I wasn't enough...and that's what devastated me. 

Now, though, I can look back and see all the beautiful things getting fired taught me. 

• Getting close to your kids and husband is fulfilling and joyful
• Nurturing talents feeds your soul in a lasting way 
• Personal value is deeper than your career or job
• Meetings are overrated and more often than not—unnecessary
• Focusing on your blessings and helping others will always help you feel happy

Although I wouldn't wish that on anyone, I am grateful for the lessons I've learned about life, about human nature and about what's really important. I'm ready now and looking forward to the lessons of 2013.

I'm a Triathamom

All set up in transition area and ready to go!

This last weekend I participated and completed Triathamom, a women-only triathlon in Utah. I think there were nearly 350 participants and it was packed with all ages of women from 13 to well over 60. Amazing and inspiring!

Here are some of the highlights: 

Plenty of room to set up my bike and transition area. 

Lots of cheering on among participants. You don't get that so much in the coed tri's.

Running into old friends (like Jenny Eckton, who blogs here) and meeting new ones. I ran nearly the entire 3.1 miles with a 13-year-old girl named Tilda. She was really sweet and I also had one of my better 5K times as a result. Yay for youth!

Finally met one of the rock star organizers of Triathamom in person, Aly Brooks. 

Jenny Eckton and me. We ate a lot of watermelon and other tasty things after the race.

I didn't finish dead last. After a year off, I wasn't expecting much. But, out of 69 participants in my age group, I finished 19th. 

Tri, Tri Again Triathlon

If you are wondering if you could do a triathlon, I'm here to tell you that you can. If you know how to swim, bike, and run, you can do a triathlon. If you don't know how to do those things, there are ways to learn. In fact, I helped my neighbor learn to swim so she could do her first triathlon, with an open-water swim, with me. She was amazing...but, that's a story for another post.

I've done about seven sprint triathlons in my life and I'm by no means super fit. I love the thrill of pushing my body to new personal records and the energy of race day is addictive.

Right before the very last tri I did in 2010. It was the hardest tri I've ever done and, clearly, I had no idea what I was in for at the point this photo was taken. 

Last year, though, my doctor advised me to take some time off from any sort of physically strenuous activity. He told me I had adrenal fatigue and I ended up taking nearly a year off. If you want to know more about how I got better, read this post.

Now that my health has returned, I'm itchin' and ready to get back into triathlon training. In many ways I feel like a novice. Slowly, over the summer, I have been conditioning to get back into running, swimming, and biking shape. Now I remember why I don't like taking too much time off from working out (especially from running). The pain of getting back in shape has been daunting and I still have a ways to go. But, I love the feeling I get when I accomplish a goal.

My current goal is to complete Triathamom, a sprint triathlon on August 18, 2012 at the Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center. The event is called a sprint triathlon because each event is a short distance, not because you sprint the whole thing. Egads! Can you imagine? Sprint triathlons are completely manageable for the novice. This one has a 300 meter swim, a 12 mile bike, and a 5K (which is 3.1 miles). I'm not worried about my time, I just want to finish knowing I did my best.

Here are some of the things I've learned as I've been training that might be helpful if you're planning on doing a triathlon any time soon. (I'd love to see you on race day if you're doing Triathamom!) If you have any other tips to add to this brief list, I'd love to read them.

1. Balance between training and resting. If you think that the harder you push yourself, the better you'll get, you're wrong. Rest is just as important as training. Make sure you give yourself at least two days off each week from hard workouts. If you're too exhausted to work out hard, take a break. 
2. Practice two events back to back. This is called a brick. I'm guessing that they call it that because your body might feel like a brick when you get off your bike and start to run or get out of the pool and start running. Oof! Take it slow at first. 
3. Eat! When you're burning loads of calories, you need to fuel up with good food. Get a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat. Plus, drink plenty of water. I keep track of the food I'm eating and the exercise I get with apps on my iPhone. My favorites are My Fitness Pal and a calories burned app. The best thing about working out hard is all the food you can eat! 
4. Avoid injury by stretching out. Warmed muscles are ideal for stretching. I find that doing yoga several times a week helps me stay loose, injury free and happy. Stretching your muscles after a hard workout is absolutely necessary if you want to prevent injuries.

I'll post more about my training as the weeks go by...right now, I need to change my inner tube on my bike so I can ride it. 

Good luck and stay healthy!

Is Busy-ness the New Addiction?

Even professional athletes have to take breaks from their workouts to recover. I wouldn't put myself in the  category of a professional athlete, but I can attest to the need for recovery. For the past four months, I've been trying to recover and it's the toughest thing I've done in a while.

That sounds lame when I read it out loud. But, it's true. I have adrenal fatigue and I'm learning that means I have to slow down and recover from my need to be busy.


I used to say these things on a fairly regular basis:

"I've got a million things to do."
"There just isn't enough time in the day!"
"I don't have time to do that."

Have you heard yourself saying similar things? Does saying those things make us seem more important or more valuable? You know the saying that if you want something done you should give it to a busy person. Is it because busy people can't say "no" or just that they have an addiction to being everything to everyone. I think I fell into that trap. In the past four months, I've been trying to make a shift away from saying those all-to-familiar phrases. The shift has been difficult, but liberating.

Why does our society look down on resting? Do we fear being called lazy? Do we feel we have evolved and now have the capability to do it all? I think our technology is so prevalent, we might feel we have to adapt to it, not the other way around. Maybe some part of us has a really hard time doing nothing. We don't want to be labeled as lazy. One of my friends said she thinks our society places far too much emphasis on the importance of being busy. Like somehow busy people are more important.

Here's what I'm not doing:

• blogging at a high frequency (or even a regular schedule).
• checking my email every five minutes (including while sitting at stoplights — c'mon, I think a lot of us do this!)
• training for a triathlon or running or visiting the gym. 
• trying to increase my followers on Twitter or on my blog.
• actively pursuing any major accomplishments...like writing a book, or planning a trip to Europe.
• cleaning my house regularly.
• going to every event I'm invited to.
• pushing myself to put a lot of things on my to-do list.
• scheduling myself or my kids to a lot of activities.

This holiday season is the time that most over achievers go overboard. This year, I'm going to go underboard.  This year I'm committing to slowing down, doing less and under achieving. 

What are you not going to do this season? 

The Stress Test

This is a post I wrote a little over a year ago while training for triathlon season. It originally appeared on my blog at WasatchWoman.com.

The day after my last blog post I had a bike accident. The dumbest thing happened. I put my foot in the cage (it’s literally a cage for your foot) and pushed my body weight onto the pedal. The pedal didn’t budge, I lost my balance and toppled over landing on my right elbow.

I passed out. For the next two and a half hours, I passed out about seven more times. Waiting for my husband to come check on my condition — I passed out. My neighbor and training partner loaded me in her car.  I passed out. Checking into the ER — out. Blood drawn in the ER — out. X-rays on my injured elbow — out. And on and on.

The doctor was so worried about my passing out, the elbow was almost a secondary concern. My heart rate was low and my blood pressure nearly imperceptible.

The next day, I had to take a stress test. The doctor mentioned “sudden death.” With that sort of thing to "rule out," I agreed to go have the test done, even though I knew my heart was fine. Have you taken a stress test? You’re basically disrobed from the waist up, lying on a table with a removable leaf at breast level while your heart is monitored both with sticky tape all over your body and a probing ultrasound wand that looks like a scanner at Wal-Mart.

[To those of you who have had more than three children and have breastfed each one until your breasts resemble something like a tube sock with a tennis ball at the end — you know the fear of forgetting a bra. Imagine you’re topless in a loose fitting hospital gown with the opening in the front. Did I mention the table with the removable leaf at breast level? Try to keep your heart rate normal under that kind of stress!]

I lay there on my side while the technician (who also happened to be a rather handsome lad around 23) chatted me up and ran the ultrasound all around my left breast – as it pointed to the floor below me. I wished I could will myself to pass out at that moment. Nope…didn’t work.

I was then asked to get on the treadmill and walk. When my heart rate wasn’t high enough to register on their thing-a-ma-bob, the other technician — a smug older woman who must have derived some sort of demented pleasure seeing me clutching my sagging breasts to me as if they were the last two loaves of bread during a famine — cranked up the speed and the incline until I was jogging , bra-less, and panting.

My heart is just fine. My arm still hurts (looks like a hairline fracture). My ego will never recover.

Note: After a second set of x-rays, it was determined that my arm wasn't broken and, most importantly, my status as the world's biggest wuss was established.

Getting Back Into Running Shape

Battling a head and chest cold for the last two weeks hasn't helped my training. In fact, it felt like I had fallen off the wagon until recently. This morning I did a 30 minute run. I made the daunting realization I have a ways to go before I'm in tri shape.

My coach said that I'd be surprised by how much I'll improve if I work on my weakest event the most. I'm shooting for better times on my run portion of my triathlons, so I've been working mostly on my running through the winter.  I'm excited (and working towards) for a four to seven minute overall improvement.  That would be a nice surprise (and get me on the podium, too).

If you've been out of the loop in your running for more than a month, start slow. Here's how I've done it the first week:

1. Day 1: Run for 10-15 minutes, keeping good form (leaning from the hips, keeping arms consistently bent at a 90 degree angle, or less, by your sides, pushing both your elbows and heels back). Speed walk one minute and run one minute after the initial push for another 15 minutes. Cool down by speed walking and gradually slowing down. Stretch.
2. Day 2: This should be at least a day or two after your first run/walk. Run for 15-20 minutes with good form. Speed walk one minute and run one minute after the initial push for another 10 minutes. Cool down by speed walking and gradually slowing down. Stretch.
3. Day 3: This should be at least a day or two after your second run/walk.  Run for 15-20 minutes with good form. Speed walk one minute and run one minute after the initial push for another 10 minutes. Cool down by speed walking and gradually slowing down. Stretch.

I try this on a course where I know the distance. A outdoor track would be good, or use MapMyRun, so you know your distance. If you have a fancy GPS/watch combo (I'd love the Forerunner 310XT from Garmin because it can be used in the water and on your bike), you can track your distance and pace for work on later. I find it very beneficial to write down how fast you're able to run your route, so you can work on improving that time.

In between days, I do a yoga. It's the perfect complement to running because it stretches all those muscles you use during running. It also helps you with concentration through discomfort...which is a big part of why running is tough. You'll see fewer injuries if you can work in yoga into the mix of your training. 

Extra Running Tips:

• I like running without anything plugged into my ears. The sound of my feet hitting the ground, my breathing and nature or my neighborhood helps me get into a meditative zone that makes running more bearable.
• While running, I talk to myself — in my head. If a muscle gets cranky, or my knee/shin/hip starts to complain a little, I'll tell that knee/shin/hip that it's doing a great job and working hard and how much I appreciate it. I got that idea from an old running partner who was a Scientologist. It always works for me.

May Cause Extended Discomfort

I love my bike. My sister Amy gave her to me almost two years ago. I named her Louise. She's yellow and black like a hornet and flies like one, too.

Since we've been together,  Louise and I have been through a 54-miler (Little Red Riding Hood ride — in 2009, when I was 4 months preggo with Jane), two sprint tri's last year (I did XTERRA, my third tri of the season, on my brother-in-law's mountain bike. I think Louise was jealous.), and a 42-miler two weekends ago (Goldilocks  ride). I'm pretty sure we've done more than 200 hundred miles over the past two years. But, I can't imagine doing a century with her all in one, er, sitting. At that point, I don't think Louise and I would be on speaking terms.

Before the Goldilocks ride began. We're smiling because our butts are not yet sore. (from left to right): Emily Hill, me, Camille Langston, Sari Olschewski

I was reminded of how much my lady parts don't like being glued to Louise's teeny little bike seat for more than 40 miles at once after I recovered from the Goldilocks ride. I know of women who can last for longer than that, though, and I'm in awe of them. How do they do 80-mile and 100-mile rides? Do they wear three to four pairs of bike shorts? I haven't notice excessive padding on these women. In fact, most of them are stick thin, which means they have bony butts. Ouch.

I would sob if I had to do more than 28 miles without a much needed, drawn out crotch break (which is what I've decided to call the rest stops on these long rides). So, what gives? If you've done more than a 50 mile ride at once, let me know the secret. If it involves getting a different bike, I won't tell Louise.

Just Keep Going: Mantra for a Mom Who Does Triathlons

I love yoga. And bouldering. And sleep. So, as the reality of competing in triathlons this season looms closer, the reality of time limits and my desire to be a well-rounded woman take a up a big space in my head. Those two polar opposites strap on boxing gloves and go head to head in the boxing ring of my brain.

If I weren't a mom of four spunky girls who need all of me. If I didn't work an awesome job — which I love. If I didn't have a house that keeps insisting new projects be done on it. If I didn't have the drive to get creative with paint and pencil. If I didn't own a brand new sewing machine begging for me to make new stuff. If I didn't relish making healthy meals from scratch. If I didn't adore talking to my friends and family on the phone or internet or at fun gatherings. I'd be free to do whatever I wanted with my triathlon training. But, I do have all those things. And I feel blessed to have so much.

So, here's what I do to get ready for triathlons. I schedule out everything ahead of time. I write down when I'll go swimming, running, and biking. I use a great coach who sends me workouts (we start next month) nearly every day. I don't agonize over a missed workout. I don't try to make up the workout I missed every time. I just keep going. I log it all into the tracking system my trainer uses and I keep going. Did I already say, I keep going? That's what I do. I keep going. That's how triathlons are, too. Push for the finish and don't worry about the missteps, slow-ups, falls, sore muscles, and mind-numbing exhaustion along the way.

Go. Fight. Win...or just finish what you started.

Fountain of Youth — Swimming

I fell in love with swimming from the moment I learned. I can still remember standing on the diving board at the community pool with my dad treading water in the deep end, waiting for me to jump to him. The color of the water was the same color as the sky during a full moon. Deep blue. That was a bit scary, but I recall wishing I was able to swim without my dad having to catch me.

My family moved to Maine the summer when I was seven. We didn't have a community pool. We had the river, nearby ponds and lakes, and, of course, the ocean. My love for swimming grew by leaps and bounds from that point forward. We swam as frequently as we possibly could in the summer. Sometimes my siblings and I would stay at the river from mid-morning until dinner time (when we were famished and sun toasted.) We'd swim down river and then swim back up, against the current. We had a zip line and rope that overhung the river and we'd play on them for hours.

I never grew tired of swimming. Ever. 

Since my summers in Maine, going to college, getting married and having kids, I've taught myself how to swim laps and even started attending masters swim classes. I've enjoyed competing in triathlons and strongly considered trying out swim race this coming summer. I love it so much, I get giddy just thinking of jumping in the water. I'm like a kid all over again.

I recently found this video of a 90-year-old woman named Betty Kendall, she still competes in swim races. And wins! She's young and swimming has helped her stay that way.

I want to be swimming into my old age. I don't care that my body will be saggy and wrinkly. I love swimming that much — I won't care what my body looks like in a swimsuit.

Is there something  you love to do that you'll still be doing when you're old and wrinkly — something that will keep you young?

Winter (Outdoor) Running Made Easy

Here in Utah, it's chilly for about half the year. That makes continued training for triathlons kind of sketchy. I'm too much of a wuss to ride my bike in the snow and ice. Low temperatures and disgusting inversion smog make running outdoors somewhat daunting, too.

My coach Wes Johnson told me if I train through the winter, I'd be surprised how much time I'd take off when the triathlon season comes around again. He also told me to work on my weakest event during the winter. My weakest event is running. As much as I struggle with loving to run, I struggle even more when it involves a treadmill. The best part of running is moving through a neighborhood or on a quiet mountain path. Treadmill running doesn't lead you anywhere but on a sweaty, pounding monotonous journey to the check mark on your to-do list.

Here are two things I've found to make running outdoors in winter a bit easier:

PodRunner

This is a free download from iTunes that makes you run faster and maintain a consistent cadence. Each mix has about two minutes of the creator, Steve Boyett, talking about the mix —how fast it is (bpm) and why he chose it, but once you get past that, you'll be running at a good clip for up to an hour. I usually cut out at about 30-40 minutes because I'm typically strapped for time. Some mixes are better than others, so you kind of have to experiment. On the site you'll find  both great interval training podcasts and steady state podcasts.  Overall, it's a great way to train if you run by yourself. Make sure you pay attention and don't turn it up too load if you're running on city streets.

Cuddl Duds

Although the company touts these leggings and long sleeve shirts as a great base layer, I like them for running. If it's not too cold, you can wear them alone. The shirts have thumb holes which help to keep your hands toasty whether you wear gloves or not. Plus, the neck is cut higher than most running shirts, so your neck stays warm, too. The leggings are soft, breathable and uber-comfy.

Shirts and Legging: $28

Where to buy: Available at JC Penney, Kohl’s or online at www.cuddlduds.com


Disclaimer: Cuddl Duds has not paid me to endorse their product.


Other things that help? A goal to work towards. On my vision board, I have the words, "take 15 minutes off final time" for my sprint triathlons this season. The only way I'll be able to do that is by working on getting better and faster at running. I've got to learn how to work around the snow/smog/rain to get better.

Success = Doing things that scare the @#&! out of you

Visibly scared, pre-race at XTERRA

This summer I competed in three triathlons. I'm hooked. But, that's no surprise. I'm fiercely competitive. Sometimes I wish I weren't so competitive. I have to beat my own time when I run, swim, or bike...but, I also have to not let too many people pass me.

I learned, however, when you're too competitive, you make dumb mistakes because you're too focused on the end result and not the experience. You also can thwart your own success because you're not being patient enough to master the particular skill in which you're competing.

Learning how to mountain bike, a new skill for me, only a month before my last triathlon of the season (an off-road tri called XTERRA), taught me how to slow down, take the competition out of the experience, and enjoy. The first time I tried mountain biking, I was terrified. Going downhill was the scariest thing I've done in a long time. That fear resulted in a barely controlled descent down a rocky mountain trail and a skidding sideways crash which taught me to grip my brakes more gently. A scraped up knee and arm and a dinner-plate-size bruise on my keister were sharp reminders that becoming competitive in a new sport is more patience and hard work than dumb luck and speed.

I wasn't dumb enough to think I'd never get hurt again as I worked on getting better at mountain biking. In fact, part of me (the bruised part) wanted nothing more than to do the sports I knew I was good at over the ones that could maim or potentially kill me. I didn't die, though. I forged on. Still scared, moving deliberately.

XTERRA race day came. I was ready. I knew I had to go slow and I knew I wasn't skilled enough yet to navigate the wooden steps on the trail. So, I stopped and lifted my bike over and around the large obstacles in the path. It took so much longer to finish that race than any other race I've ever done. But, I finished. And I didn't get hurt.

Next on my list of things that scare me: climbing. I'm terrified of heights.

Better with age

Although this was the 12th year for TriUtah’s Jordanelle triathlon, this was my first year as a participant. I showed up the week before the event to check out the course — although I came early and left before all the preview festivities began, I still got a good feel for the swim and the bike.

The morning of the race was clear and temperate. After getting my bike set up in the transition area and making sure the women around me had their bikes set up the right way (with the front tire pointing towards you, so you can still read your name/number tag on the bar while standing in front of your bike), I slipped into my wetsuit and wondered out loud if I should have remembered sunscreen.

I warmed up in the water while the three waves started and the sun rose higher in the sky. The women treading water at the start line around me were visibly nervous. I knew if I could get out of the washing machine of arms and legs soon, I’d be fine. That seemed daunting at first, though. I had to muster my courage, count my strokes and push hard past, over and through, the other swimmers. Someone must have not liked that too much because my ankle was grabbed. I wasn’t deterred and worked hard to finish strong. The steep boat ramp climb upon exiting the water didn’t encourage more than a fast plod into the transition area.

At T1 I realized I hadn’t started my timer on my watch. I knew I had to speed up as I stripped off my wetsuit, started my timer and ran my bike to the start line. Zipping out of the Rock Cliff area into the sleepy ranching town of Francis, I gazed down at my feet. Where was my timing chip anklet? I yelled out to every volunteer along the route that I had lost my timing chip. What a let down — I ran through every possibility in my mind. Then, I decided it was out of my control and to enjoy the race.  I knew I’d have my T1 time through to the end of bike time on my watch anyway, so it wasn’t a total loss. I pumped my legs as hard as I could on the hills, past cows and horses, around big trucks with gun racks and trailers, and other agricultural scenes. I didn’t let up even on the steep downhill near the end of the rural ride.

Back at transition, I shook out my wetsuit. There was my timing chip! I put it back on and set off on the run with a big smile on my face. I was going to get my final time after all. I wasn’t too worried about the run because I had heard it was fairly flat. Lies. They say “what you don’t know won’t kill you,” but I think “they” are full of beans. The hills on the course were tough. I saw at least a dozen people walking. Not me. A friend with whom I’ve trained told me she works harder on the hills. I thought of her as I forced myself to keep my pace.

Clambering over rocks, sagebrush, deep crevices in the trail, boardwalks over marshes and sidewalks near the finish, those TriUtah people kept me guessing through the whole run. As I rounded the corner to get to the finish line, the panting woman behind me picked up speed and passed. I still felt I had done my best and was gratified to find out I had placed 5th in my age group. Best of all, I was faster than the whippersnapper 20-24 female winner. Who says you can’t get better with age?

Next year, I’ll change three things: 1. I’ll be ready for those hills on the run. 2. I’ll make sure my timing chip stays put through T1. 3. I’ll remember sunscreen — my shoulders are still as bright red as a boiled lobster.