Leap into a WISH

 Happy Leap Year, Friends!

Even though I battled a heck of a tender back today and wasn't feeling strong enough to run, I still got to the gym for my plank a day and time on the mill. I walked 3.5 miles at an incline between 3-4%. Incline training is like taking my vitamins. I don't like to do it,  but I know they are good for me.

Making my day even better, I'm so happy to be raising funds for this summer's 3-day 300 mile bike tour to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I love this organization and the good work it brings to children battling life-threatening medical conditions.  Not only do the children realize a dream come true during a difficult time, but families too step away from doctor visits, medical bills and the stress that comes with having a sick child/sibling.

As a former staff member I know that each wish is as unique and special as the child doing the wishing. I'm so excited to ride for these kids this summer and am determined to raise enough money to sponsor ONE FULL WISH. 

That's $7,500 as a minimum. (I think I can, I think I can, I think I can....)

Yesterday, my dear friends and business partners made a wonderful donation of $1,000 (WOW!) getting me well on my way.

Every little bit helps. I'm so grateful for any sized donation, so if you're inspired to join me in helping to grant a wish, I would love your support!  You can donate easily on line:

www.wishamile.org/stephanie

 If you're thinking you'd like to join me as a cyclist - and raise funds too (YAY!!!!) there is a 3-day 300 mile option and a 1-day 50 mile option as well. 

My team ROCKS and we'd love to add new people to it. Last year, this team "Tour de Wishes" placed 5th in their division for Small Team Fundraising totals. This year, we are determined to raise even more and send more kids on their wish. With many, many kids waiting for their wish - we can't do this fast enough. In some cases, time is not on their side.

 Here is a pic of me (middle) last year as Co-Tour Director along with 2 of my buddies Mrs Mac(left) and Twa (right).

Don't they look like nice people to ride with?


Let me know if you have any questions! I could talk about the Wish-A-Mile Bike Tour all day :)
Until then....

Huddle Up...

1. What is the farthest you have ever ridden?
2. Do you know anyone who has had a wish?
3. What would you have wished for when you were 10?

High five,

Steph

Pull-ups: My Nemesis

I've been working on a couple fitness goals since early January. While I am building my strength and cardio base for my Tough Mudder event in 6 week (insert silent prayer here), I am also keeping an eye on two little goals.

1. Plank for 3:00 minutes by June 30.
2. Do 1 single solitary unassisted pull-up (and then build to 2) by April 15.

Let me tell you. If this were baseball, I'd be batting .500 right now. 

Bummer for me, this isn't baseball.

My plank-a-day goal has seen dramatic improvement. My first plank lasted exactly :20 and I was fairly certain my back had broken. My arms shook the entire time and I felt punched in the stomach during & after. But little by little, each day I've seen a small improvement. 

One second at a time I have been able to build my plank hold and today had my new world record of 2:20. I don't feel punched during or after, my back isn't breaking and I actually feel strong.

I look forward to my plank every day and feel confident that I'll be able to  reach my 3:00 minute goal ahead of schedule, although I have already enlisted support since I know I'll need a cheering section to talk me through it.

The beast that is the "Pull Up" and "Chin Up" are another matter entirely. 

You wouldn't think it would be so hard. 

But, alas.

 It is.

 At least for me.  

I found this picture via google and I love it because it shows exactly what I am able to do at this point  (see caption below). Keep in mind the the image on the left is the starting position and the image on the right is the completion of the "up".

Today I dangled 10 seconds x 3. It's not pretty. But it's the first step.

What I can do now (left). What I am striving toward (right)

So instead of being frustrated by my dismal progress with the pull/chin up, I'm going to celebrate my plank record and try again tomorrow.

I'll also find happiness in knowing my pal, MrsJack, sent me the nicest little piece of encouragement via facebook. Here is part of what she shared: "...When I imagined the change you've made in doing the plank (20 seconds the first time!) I thought, I can do that, I should start! So I did! Today I have the sore glutes to show for it which makes me happy! Thank you!!! "

Thank you, MrsJack. Friends encouraging one another is my favorite.
(As is smiling. Nod to Buddy The Elf)

via Pinterest

Huddle Up....

1. What are your micro goals and how are you doing on them?
2. Can you do a pull up/chin up? What's the trick?
3. Did you know today is National Pankcake Day? I found out too late..dinner is already cooking.

High five,

Steph

A GOOD time or a Good TIME?

My pal Atlanta found a nifty article about this from the good people at Disney and it got me pondering.  This weekend was the annual running of the Disney Princess Half Marathon. I met three of my virtual training buds in Florida last year to run this race. 

It was definitely a unique event.

Since it's encouraged, the girls and I took full advantage of yucking it up and donned our favorite Princess gear.

Denver, Gaston, Chicago, Belle, Atlanta, Beast, Me.

With Disney characters at every mile marker, it was definitely hard not to stop for photo ops. Which, of course we did. Which of course gave us a time that would leave supporters to assume we had been injured.

The course was pretty crowded in several areas and the walk to the start was seriously the most ridiculous pre-race walk I could imagine (cold pre-dawn hours from a parking lot to the corral area like 2 miles away!)  In the end, we had a good time (FUN) - not a good TIME (finish line time) and we walked away with one of the prettiest medals out there.

Lovely

 Huddle Up...

1. How often do you run for FUN vs TIME?
2. What did you do for training today?
3. What event gave you your favorite medal?
4. Anyone run this event? What did you think?

High five,

Steph

Outdoor Adventures

"Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." - Helen Keller

This weekend was a glorious winter wonderland in The Mitten. Our winter has been eerily mild, with nothing more than a few inches of accumulation from November - now. 

 

It ain't right. 

So RocketMan and I were unsure what this "Ski Weekend" would hold. 

We had planned a  get-a-way with two other families. Last week's 40+ degree weather had us all worried . But then on Thursday evening, the Snow Angel's blessed us with an amazing gift - 2 days of the white stuff! 

I decided long ago never to walk in anyone's shadow to embrace the suck that is living in a cold climate.  If I'm  going to live here, I may as well learn to enjoy the natural beauty of it, right? RocketMan and I have taken the kids skiing only a couple times before this weekend and are committed to getting  them out on the slopes at least 1x per year from here on. They all LOVED it.

We had the best possible skiing conditions we could ever have hoped for. Lots of fresh snow and beautiful, sunny blue skis. No wind. 6 adults and 8 kids and about 1,000 laughs thanks to MrsMac, Good Golly and their fun families. 

 

Ski Bunnies - MrsMac & Good Golly

 

 

 

 

Aside from fantastic family time and a ton of great memories, I came home with one giant take-away.

 

Skiing can teach you a lot.

MissE on the Chair Lift

1. You have to be at minimum, a mild risk-taker to even put your skis on. I'm proud to teach my kids that taking risks is what life's about. Nod to Hellen Keller who conveyed that sentiment beautifully.
2. Riding a chair lift is serious business. For the love of the world kids, hold still and don't look down.
3. A solid cardio base is helpful as a skier. Not just to get one down the mountain, but to help one with breathing exercises on the nightmare that is the chairlift.
4. Success really is getting up just one more time after you've fallen.
5. Good friends will be there to help you up. REALLY good friends with be there to take a picture of you while you're struggling to get up and your snow pants have fallen down. 

Photo Compliments of MrsMac

 The finale to our full day of skiing was an hour of snow tubing. Since RocketMan "forgot" his boots, I took one for the team and served as parental guardian to my trio.  Along with the other kids and their awesome parental guardians, we hit the tubing hill.

On the second to last run of the night the kids had the idea to have us all go down the fast and curvy tubing course together, by way of connecting our individual tubes. Eleven of us tied together and set off.

The first bank was awesome and we almost got some air, but not quite. Then as we approached the second embankment and gathered speed it seemed to happen in slow motion. First my oldest, then my middle and finally my baby were airborne. Up and OVER. YES O-V-E-R the 12 foot snow wall.

My heart stopped for a second as I looked to the other parents, our eyes wide and mouths frozen open. The other kids that remained were hooting and hollering at how AWESOME it was their friends were just launched over the snow wall. To the other side of who-knows-what. My first instinct was to jump out, but I knew I couldn't. We rode down the rest of the course straining for the first glimpse of the trio. 

What a relief to find 2 of them still in their tubes barreling to the finish with my baby sprinting behind them with her overturned tube dragging in front of her. I then could breathe again. They were all ok and though a wee bit shaken were ready for one more run down the hill. This time though, the hill manager decided that "connecting tubes" would no longer be permitted.  

My family minus our Ski School Star!

I'm proud of all my travel companions this weekend. Whether they braved their first double black diamond, rode solo in a chair lift, launched over a tubing wall or just got up one more time than they fell. 

They got outside this weekend and embraced it. 

The cold, the fear, the adventure,  the risk.

So...huddle up!

1. What is your favorite winter activity? 

2. What do you love about winter?

3. What would you do if you weren't afraid?

 

High five,

Steph

Good to Great & Hedgehogging

"Good" is the enemy of "great". - Jim Collins

Jim Collins provides this insight in his 2001 book "Good to Great" , a gem of a book I read in a class at the University of Chicago (where fun comes to die).

Tonight, I had the good fortune of co-leading a national training call with leaders in my field (field of business, not track and field). Even though this "business" book is archaic my today's business terms, it still holds up.

It also applies to just about anything. 

For me, I see it through the lens of Triathlon... (which might be a sign I need to relax?)

So, why do we get complacent once we're "Good"? Why not PUSH PUSH PUSH and DECIDE to become "GREAT"? 

Why do we stop?

I hope you have some answers for me, because I've got nothin'.

Well, next to nothin'.

Maybe we stop at "good" because just getting to that point was helluva climb?

Or perhaps it's because we are afraid of the pain/injury/FAILURE that we are destined to encounter on the road of trying to become "great"?

I suppose that it's at least a mix of both.  As one friend recently said to me

"I'd like to try a triathlon and if I knew it wouldn't hurt so much, I would." 

Another excellent point made tonight referred to "Hedge-hogging" 

Let me explain. Apparently, the hedgehog (seen here)  is a pretty useless animal in the grand scheme of things. A lion, he's not. 

But what makes him successful (by that I mean he continues to live and not get eaten by said Lion) is that this little guy does ONE thing really, really, REALLY well.

He has an awesome defense mechanism that allows him to curl into a tiny ball of armory spikes when confronted by a predator. That's all he can do. Good thing for the Hedgehog, that's all he NEEDS to do. The fine tuning evolution of this skill helped this little guy move from good to great. So why not us, right?

In bidness business terms it looks like this:

So I am asking myself (and of course, you too) to channel your inner hedgehog.

What are you really, really, really good at? In the world of your training/sport or in your 'real' lives. What is your secret weapon?

For me, I know this: in sport,  I'm prime time hedgehogging the mental game.  

I am locked and loaded and fully understand how important the mental game is for a race. If I *HAD* to run a marathon or rock a tri tomorrow, I could do it. Not because I am physically as prepared as I should be, but because I have the head game already won.

 (note: no way in hell, I am going to run a marathon tomorrow, so thank you in advance for not offering it up to me).

In triathlon, I am NOT the hedgehog  in the transition. 

It's true that I have been offered a cup of coffee in T1.  I take my time. Don't get me started on T2.

In running, I am not hedgehogging the skill of not crying at the starting line when they sing the national anthem. I need to fine tune that and/or learn to suck it up a bit.

Riddle me this...

1. How did you go from "good" to "great" and if you haven't (yet) WHY?
2. What's your hedgehog? In training and/or in life?

I am skiing this weekend. Heaven help me. Amen.

High five,

Stephanie
 

 

Chobani Giveaway - Nothing But Good

After swimming, ice skating & planking my way through today's workout, I was THRILLED to see this wonderful package on my doorstep!

Nothing But Good!

It's no secret that I am a Chobani fan addict. The nice people there sent me some free coupons for myself and this CASE for me to share. 

Isn't that nice?

My favorite flavors are pineapple and the strawberry/banana combo. 

Low/no fat and packed with protein, I find one serving of Chobani is a great addition to m training meal plan. I eat 1 per day (minimum) and even find it doubles as an extra delicious dessert/treat when I mix in a teaspoon of chocolate chips. Mmmmmm......

There is a selection of flavors too - check it out:

Love the variety!

So, if you are local (preferably close enough my kids can run it over to you), leave me a message and let me know what 2 flavors I can send your way. The first 6 with their preferences can expect a delivery asap. If you're in driving distance, that's cool too - I'll get it to you.

Tell me.....

1. What 2 Chobani flavors are your favorite?
2. What do you mix in?

High five,

Steph

< Perfect

There was nothing "perfect" about today. I struggled to get the kids out the door (thanks "Winter Break") so I could get my 90-minute run in at the gym. Once to the gym 

(45 minutes later in what should be a 20- minute commute - Thanks, "Snow"), we sat parked  in the gym lot another 15-minutes while I reamed my kids for horrible behavior taught my trio about productive conflict resolution.

Finally IN the gym, my regular training buddies were MIA (which just means they weren't were I expected them to be) so I would have to go this round solo. 

Admittedly, I was already exhausted and slightly grumpy when I finally got on a machine and got to work. This morning was NOT what I had planned. 

Normally, I'm easy to adapt and a go-with-the-flow kind of gal. But today, that wasn't the case. 

I was thoroughly annoyed things weren't going my way. Thanks to my delays, I wouldn't have the time to do the training run I had planned (again). If you know me, you'll know that me hitting the gym floor without a plan is a recipe for disaster. 

I jumped on a bike and rode for 20 miles, then hopped off and ran 2 miles on the treadmill. I finished with 20 minutes of arm lifting. Feeling semi-accomplished to get an hour in under less than optional conditions, I knocked out my #plankaday with a new world record!! 

(at least a World Record for me) 2:02!

When I started using a plank position to build more core strength last month, I could muster :20 and that was it. Each day, I've tried to go a little longer.  To hit 2:02 today was a victory.  I HIGHLY recommend it for EVERYONE!

There is certainly something to be said for plowing through and getting it done. Regardless of "imperfect" conditions, lots of good came out of today and I was once again reminded that there are much bigger problems in life than not getting a long run in! And of course...there's rarely a "perfect" time for ANYTHING
Don't wait for "perfect"-she's an illusive beast - Just get 'er done!

Shout out:

1. Do you plank? What's YOUR world record?
2. How was your training today?
3. Anything else fun to chat about?
   

High five,

Steph

Weight Weight... Don't Tell Me!

I haven't weighed myself in over 2 months.

Given that I used to weigh myself several times a week -okay every day,  this is a big change for me. 

 I realized that just like PW's knock you naked brownies and any give day at a Target store, the scale just holds too much power over me. I itch for it. I obsess.

Just this past November, I used a nifty calorie counter religiously for the entire month. 

I logged every exercise and noted each morsel of food I consumed for 30 days. I was so.very.proud. of myself for the diligence. I rarely went over my daily calorie allowance but when I did, I worked hard to make up for the extra intake through more exercise output. 

I weighed in every day (admittedly too much) waiting to see my efforts reflected back at me in the form of a lower number.

This is how I felt/looked. Thanks Google, for the image.

Days turned into weeks and NOTHING happened. The scale didn't budge.

(Of course, I was certain it was broken until Rocketman informed me he had dropped 10 pounds that month. Sigh.)

During those 30 days I noted how much my emotion was tied to my morning weigh-in. 

It was demotivating to see the scale stuck while I busted chops the day week before. I noticed I began to dread my swim/bike/run  instead of looking forward to it.  I felt defeated before 9am.

By Thanksgiving,  I had a devil-may-care attitude and soon after, had my way with those tasty treats that start appearing on my doorstep in December. 

Who cares? Was my attitude.

I may as well eat what I want.

Of course, I knew this was a bad attitude and the wrong way to approach my fitness goals.

I decided to ditch the nifty calorie app and haven't logged my calories since. Instead I joined "The Daily Mile" website. Love it. As a way to log my training. I also started this blog as a way to keep myself accountable. In December, I also told that scale what I thought of it and haven't weight myself since December 1.

I've since started gauging my progress in other ways. 

Here are a few:

1. Clothing - How are my clothes fitting? (much looser) Can I fit into my 2 sizes too small jeans? (Not yet)
2. How much protein & how little bread can I consume in a day? (1/2 bagel today - no bread at all a few days ago)
3. Average heart rate during a run (today I was at 150 for 4 miles)
4. Hours of sleep I gift myself (I'm DVR'ing Jimmy Fallon and hitting the hay by 11:00 most nights)
5. How long I can plank (started at :20 seconds. Now 2 minutes!)
6. Can I run 3 consecutive 8 minute miles? (No, but I'm 1/2 way there)

I've gotten nice nods from family and even peeps who have noticed a difference

 (Thanks, Good Golly for noting I am less fat than before)!

I love this approach. I have no idea what I weigh and that is a-ok with me.

I've decided I'll take a look at The Scale when I feel great about all of my metrics listed above. At that time, I'll be curious to see what number relates to how great I feel. 

As long as I FEEL good, run faster, bike longer and can comfortably wear the jeans retired atop my clothes closet since 2009, I'll have scored a big "W" in my battle. 

I'm confident that whatever that number is, it will be ok with me.

Shout out:

1.  How do you measure your progress? 
2. Do you have a love/hate relationship with your scale?
3. Please tell me I'm not the only person holding on to clothing I can't fit into in hopes of one day being able to fit into them again!

High five,

Steph

Small Victories

Today, I am celebrating small victories. 

I didn't break any personal records today. 

Not as an athlete on the treadmill or the bike or in the pool.

Not as a wife or mother, either. I offer my mountainous disaster of a laundry room and my culinary offering of an "upside down" dinner as an example.

Nonetheless, today I celebrated not just one, but several small victories. Once I started looking for them, I found that they were everywhere. Not just in myself either. I could see the small victories in my friends and family too.

I knocked out a solid (omg it was hard) 60-minute spin class in a room that I swear was 155 degrees.  (or at least 75)

I worked my hardest the entire time and can still feel the effort in my legs some 9 hours later. 

Ouch. 

After that session, here are some things I noticed throughout the day and feel really good about:

( reminder - you may not be impressed: these are really are SMALL victories here)

1. I resisted an evil bag of delicious tortilla chips that were calling for me by name and opted for a cheese stick and water instead
2.  My pants are much looser than they were last week
3. I have a happy new customer in my bidness business
4. My blog giveaway from yesterday is already packaged and awaiting mailing to both winners
5. I increased my resistance every single time my spin instructor suggested
6. I spent less than $100 at Target

While I certainly didn't *win* anything today, I see improvements. For that, I am grateful and more motivated to continue toward my goals. That feels pretty good. What was even better, is that I shared some of these with a couple pals today and they responded in kind - with THEIR small victories as well. (ie: pant size shrinking, a mile farther than before on the treadmill, a brick workout, no soda today, even one pal feeling "ok" after brain surgery. Yes, brain surgery.)

I love celebrating along with them. High five, small victory friends.

As my pal Montana says-ish, "you can't go out and expect to score a touchdown on every possession....but what you can do, is move the ball down the field an inch every day. Eventually, you'll find yourself dancing in the end zone."

Apply it to whatever your working toward and it fits. Right?

Huddle Up:

1.  What small victory(s) did you celebrate today/this week?
2.  What's on tap for the weekend?

High five,

Steph

 -

Winner Winner

Thanks to those who commented on my post yesterday for a chance to win one of two awesome Sweaty Bands. 


Thanks to SuperSister's suggestion, I used random.org to select the winners. There were 15 comments after I took out one double comment and didn't count "replies" to comments.

Here are the actual pics of the random numbers chosen (note to self -  clean laptop screen stat) :
 

Who says it doesn't pay to be first? Congratulations to the very first person to comment -  number 1 - Molly!

Molly says her crazy head of hair needs taming. One Sweaty Band on the way to you, Molly!

 Enjoy!

The second lucky winner also defies conventional wisdom.

Who says 13 is bad luck? Comment #13 on this giveaway just scored a Sweaty Band!

Congrats to Christine who says she'll be using her Sweaty Band to build her core strength through Plank A Day.

To both winners: please privately send me your mailing address and I'll get these in the mail to you ASAP 

(Which on "Stephanie" time, means withing the next 2-10 days)

Thanks for playing, everyone  - that was fun. Thanks to the nice folks at Sweaty Bands for the chance. If you didn't win, don't worry, you can pick up a Sweaty Band by going on line at www.sweatybands.com. You'll love it, I swear! 

To the winners, I'd love a pic of you and your new BFF, Sweaty Band, please shoot me a shot when you can so I can share.

I ran 4.5 miles today and felt good. Lots going on today, so I'm signing off until tomorrow.

Until then, tell me......

1. What are your favorite pieces of training/work out gear?
2. How was your training today? What did you do?
3. Have you ever won a contest or giveaway?

High five,

Steph

Sweaty Band Give Away!

Happy Valentine's Day, gang!

Today is all about love, so I hopped out of bed, got the trio to school and then hit the g-y-m like it was my j-o-b. I found Rocketman on a stationary bike cranking out an hour, so I saddled up to the neighboring steed and joined him for a 45 minute ride. He even snapped a pic of me knowing about today's cool **PRODUCT GIVEAWAY** 

(sorry to the man next to me)

Hint: Product Giveaway is seen in this photo ;)

Our date ended when he hopped off to head into work and I hit the treadmill. Today, I LOVED the treadmill. I apologize for calling the treadmill horrible, disrespectful names in the past. Today, the treadmill was my best friend and I am sure she always will be.

I only ran 3 miles, 2 of which were nice and easy 10:54's. But as I approached that last mile, I felt itchy to get 'er done and knocked out the last 1600m in 8minutes flat. Woo-hoo!
 The last 8 minute mile I ran was as a teenager, and that friends, was a long time ago.

So, with a happy heart and feeling great on this glorious yet totally over rated 'holiday', I've got one of my FAVORITE pieces of gear to share with TWO lucky readers.

If you have yet to discover SWEATY BANDS, prepare to be amazed. I found these little pieces of love in 2010 and have been hooked ever since. Yes, it may appear to be a simple headband, BUT the fancy fabric on the underside keeps these bad boys on your head with no SLIPPAGE. I've even worn mind under my bike helmet with no problem-o.

I've purchased many of these as gifts for my daughters and friends (see example below) and have recommended them happily to many more. If these pieces of goodness can stay on board with no issues for 26.2 miles, you know they're good stuff, kid. 

Disney Princess 1/2 - 2011 & Asa-Bration 5k 2012 - Finishers

Here's MrsMac and I overwhelmed with emotion for our Sweaty Bands after the 

Chicago Marathon in 2010. (and also because we just ran a marathon in 85 degree heat)

I'm saying "OMG these DON'T SLIP!"

So, the nice people at Sweaty Bands wants you to have them too! I've got not one BUT TWO freebies they sent over for me to share.

Aren't they lovely?

Here's what you need to do:

1. If you aren't already a "follower", please follow this here blog. I know it can be fussy, but be patient and do what the computer says and you'll soon be a "follower". This just means that you will be able to leave comments for me :)
2. Now that you can leave a comment, please do. Tell me what you would do with your Sweaty Band (use it while you clean, walk, run, joust, wash your face??....whatever!)

I'll pick 2 comments at random tomorrow and pop your Sweaty Band in the mail this week.

How easy is that?

High five,

Steph

Asa-bration 5k

I'm in Georiga this weekend celebrating a milestone in Asa's life. He's 18 months cancer-free. An almost 14- year old pound rescue, Asa is loyal companion to one of my best friends, Atlanta. He was supposed to have "retired to the farm" (as Atlanta says) a long time ago, but this pooch just keeps defying the odds. Oncologists are writing case studies about Asa, now referred to as Asa the "super dawg". They were present last night as guests of honor at Asa's Life Celebration bash.  

Atlanta hosted a beautiful event at her fantastic home to celebrate Asa. I think if he could, Asa would have thrown a party in honor of her too. Their love for one another is obvious. It was a wonderful evening. I think it's fair to say everyone in the room loves friends of the four-legged persuasion.  We were all happy to be part of such a special friendship.

Atlanta & Asa - photo by Alecia Lauren Photography

So today the festivities continued with the 1st Annual Asa-bration 5k. The four of us are pals from grad school and all have a love for  tolerate running. Given we all wanted to get a run in this weekend, Atlanta served as Race Director and formed an actual "race" around our visit. 

You may be asking "What kind of people form a race around a couple friends getting together?"  The answer:  My kind of people. 

It was fun and we had a great time!

Here's the race swag:

Denver, Chicago, Me, Atlanta

T-shirts -  complete with Asa's mug on the back! Also, gotta love/hate us all sporting our fab Sweaty Bands from the 2010 Chicago Marathon. I swear, these things do.not.slip!

Any legitimate 5k offers hardware to the top finishers, right? Good thing is, we are all different ages, so we all took top honors in our age categories. I scored the top spot for 37-year old division (even though, I swear I had to stop and count hold old I am!)

Me & Atlanta with our medals!

It was a chilly 35 degrees, but with a blue sky, we had a nice out and back course (my favorite) in a great residential neighborhood in Atlanta. 

I finished in 28:55, which I'm happy with considering there was a helluva sidewind the entire time! My first mile was 8:30 and I felt great - but my pace slowed from there and I finished at a 9:19 pace average. 

Now as any good friends do, we are off to enjoy dinner. As a nod to our Chicago roots we hit up the nearest deep dish pizza place whenever we're together. We'll spend the entire dinner comparing said local, unimpressive pizza to "REAL" Chicago deep dish. We'll cover important topics like environmental policy, local and federal elections, favorite running gear, movies and of course...annoying celebrities. 

Before the weekend is through, we'll plan our next get together and undoubtedly our next race. It's a great motivator to put it on the calendar and something to look forward! 

Even though we are only together 1-2 times a year (for the past 10 years), we're proof that training buddies take all different forms and inspiration comes in all varieties.  Fighting cancer, whether your a 2 or 4 legged pal, is life-changing. Taking part in Asa's victory lap this weekend, was validation of that. 

Chit chat....

1. How was your weekend training? What did you do?
2. Do you have 4-legged pal that melts your heart or inspires you? 
3. Have you ever created a race for the fun of it?? 

High five,

Steph

RocketMan - My Other Half

You know you're sick when you are coveting another bloggers Vick's Vap-o inhaler. This is day #2 of being benched and I.Am.So.Over.It.

I actually did hit the gym, but only to take full advantage of the eucalyptus steam room. I also got my money's worth by soaking my aching bones in the hot tub while chatting with Jill-N-Shine and Mrs Mac about how being sick stinks. We did not feel like Tough Mudders today, but soon enough my friends, soon enough.

So today I was forced to live vicariously through my husband. Lovingly referred to as "Rocketman", my Ironman husband is focusing his training on lowering his shorter distance times. Think a smoking fast 10k run and sprint-distance/Oly distance triathlons. (note: an OLY tri is short distance only relative to an Ironman)

As an aside, I've been asked recently why/how/where my darling husband has gotten the nickname "Rocketman". I wish I could take credit, because it's awesome, but alas the credit goes to our friends who trained with  Rocketman on the bike this past summer.

He bought white sunglasses to wear for his Ironman training. Yes, white. Apparently one wants every advantage possible when swim/bike/running 140.6 miles in a day. White reflects the sun, thereby making all things white ideal for would-be IronFolk.

Are you still with me?

His white sunglassess (pictured below) reminded our friends of another famous white-sunglass wearing bad-ass. (also pictured below)

The glasses that started it all

The original 'Rocketman' via google.

 

Get it? White sunglasses = Elton John = Rocketman. And so it stuck.

It's a good thing he's fast.

So, earning his name, today he knocked out 8x800m repeats at 10.2 on the treadmill. That's a 5:53 pace for those keeping score at home. I've run 5:53 once, but it was in my dreams.

He's keeping his mileage quasi-up with a daily-ish 9 mile run. This is his insurance, just in case he lotteries into the  Kona IronMan in October. He'll know in April when the lottery takes place and the triathlon Gods anoint the chosen ones. He has roughly a 1.5% chance, but a chance nonetheless.

Of course, IF he got a spot, the entire fam would be packing up their game to head out west! (way west). We were in Hawaii sans kids in 2009 and planning to return with the trio when they are a bit older. Here we are in Maui then. Doesn't it suit us? The sun, the water, the air... ahhh.....

Ahhhhh

Until we find out, I take comfort knowing that in Rocketman, I've got a solid training partner, full-time cheerleader, sometimes coach and all around great support crew as I work toward my own health and wellness goals.  I'm super proud and consistently impressed by my handsome husband and his amazing dedication to all things he puts his mind to.  

Work, family, training...he's all in. 

I'm one lucky girl. 

What more can I ask for?

Shout out...

1.  How was your training today? Please tell me, I won't be mad.
2. Who inspires you in your daily training or all around life goals?
3. Ever been to Hawaii? What was your favorite spot?

High five,

Steph

Benched

Coming down with a bug is no fun, but it's even worse when you have 6 1,000 things on your "to-do" list, right?  Today, I am benched (err, couched?) due to a horrible head cold that hit me out of no where last night. I knew as soon as the alarm went off that I would be canceling all of my appointments today, including my scheduled 90-minutes in the gym.

Even though I realize I need to allow my body the time to heal, it's frustrating to know I am letting a day go by without getting my miles in. I didn't always feel this way, but now I do. And it bugs me. When I miss my training, it feels like I've missed a major daily requirement like drinking coffee or brushing my teeth (not necessarily in that order). 

To boot, my laptop fell apart (literally) yesterday and I'm freeloading off RocketMan's (who so kindly handled the morning rush/ getting the trio off to school so I could sleep). 

The silver lining to being benched was this wonderful package I received from the good people at ZipFizz! This healthy energy drink has a slight effervescence to it as well, which is nice for 'ole head cold. They sent me a month + supply of their delicious drink mix and good news for my blog-reader peeps, I LOVE to share.

Look at all of those sweet little tubes of goodness!

If you're a local friend who helped me receive this promotion, be sure to become a "follower" of this blog by end of day Wednesday and comment on your favorite flavor -  I'll get you a tube or 2.  The flavors are great and they even sent coupons too!

I'm mixing up an orange cream and then will be climbing back into bed. 
Hoping tomorrow is a better day!

Tell me....

1. What do you do when you're "benched" ?
2. How was your training today? (please tell me in detail, so I can live vicariously through you)
3. Have you tried ZipFizz? What's your fave flave?

High five,

Steph