Thursday, November 29, 2012

#22: Make A Vision Board.

I'm sure most of you remember a few years ago when The Secret became so popular that it wasn't really a 'secret' anymore.  This was based on the law of attraction, which is said to work by attracting into a person's life the experiences, situations, events and people that 'match the frequency' of the person's thoughts and feelings.  What you think about becomes your reality, whether positive or negative.

I know when I'm sweating on the trainer and want to call it quits, most of those thoughts can quickly turn negative.  Knowing I'm a visual learner already, I wanted to create a vision board to focus on while I was on the bike trainer.  Mental cues and catch phrases have always worked well for me in the past.  With Ironman Lake Tahoe being my second Ironman, things this time around are much different and I want more than anything to mentally enter this Ironman stronger than before.  I want to be focused, strategic, and have my race be successfully visualized beforehand.



Making this was fun.  I've always loved arts and crafts as a kid and have felt like the right-brained side of myself has been stifled ever since college when the majority of my work was predominantly left-brained.  I had magazines open and cut out whatever images or phrases spoke to my heart.


Last week's retreat made me realize the importance of meditation and mindfulness in both sport and in life.


Can't get much clearer than that!


Nutrition is always part of the equation.  And this year I want to be able to handle any situation.
Especially if it involves flat tires.

My vision board this time around was strictly triathlon-based, but you can expand them to include all areas of your life.  What you believe, you can achieve.  The beauty of the vision board is that you are seeing your final product, your destination, your goal, and all you do is focus on that.  Don't worry so much about how you will get there.  Those details will work themselves out in due time.  The beauty is that you can allow your creativity and your spirit guide you as you merely piece together things that inspire you. 

I had the pleasure of meeting an incredibly special person a few weeks ago.  She is also preparing and doing her own Ironman, although not in the form of swimbikerun.  She has decided she is ready and willing to make small and doable changes in her life to regain back her health, and ultimately her life.  She is also working on her vision board.  Our journeys are very similar.  We will both learn the value of how our daily choices affect our long-term goals.  We will both have setbacks.  We will both pick ourselves up and keep moving forward, knowing we have a team of supporters on the sidelines and at the finish line for us.




If you're reading this, M, I'm so proud of you.  Not only am I excited to see your vision board, but also to witness and experience the inspiration in your life story.  Because vision boards aren't just for dreaming, they are meant for action.  





Sunday, November 25, 2012

#5: Attend a Yoga Retreat.

(This is an excerpt from my journal entry from Day 2 at the Depth and Stillness Yoga Retreat)

Finally finding silence.  Settling into it.
It's uncomfortable at first.
Like a new yoga pose.
At first you are aware- hyperaware- of the tightness,
the clamor, the discomfort.
This feels so...unnatural.
Breathe.
Exhale.
Allow yourself to be fully conscious.
For once, don't try to change anything.
Just accept the sensation, the thoughts
with kindness, compassion, non-judgement and
Gratitude.
There is a subtle shift.
The tightness dissipates and melts,
unveiling a clarity of mind.
Grounded.
In silence.


The sacred space I shared with 11 beautiful women who demonstrated their strength and vulnerability
in both their yoga practice and their journeys in life. 
Legs on the wall = a good night's sleep

Hike in the Enchanted Forest.  With a disenchanted map.
Operation BeYOUtiful in full-effect.

SImple truths even at tea time.
The Redwood trees and mountains did offer a sense of refuge for me, but I found the true refuge rested in the sense of shared community with my fellow yogis.  Within the room was a warm, raw energy of strength, grace and vitality which created a tapestry of interwoven desires to become our best true selves both on and off the mat.  

Friday, November 23, 2012

Refuge.

Refuge: 1) Protection or shelter, as from danger or hardship.  2) A place providing protection or shelter.  3) A source of help, relief, or comfort in times of trouble.

Refuge for this run = my car. The dark shape in above middle picture is the mountain lion.
Yesterday's run-in with the mountain lion at Coyote Hills made me thankful for those 'safe havens' that we have in life- whether they are places or people.  I am grateful for those people in my life who I find refuge in- you know who you are.  With life and all that it throws at you, it is important to have a support team that you can feel safe being your raw, transparent self with.  

I also treasure those places that give me peace and reinvigorate me, all at the same time.  It used to be in the water, but lately I've found those places to be deep in the trails with a canopy of Redwood trees and the sound of the wind whispering in my ears.

Skipped Happy Hour for happy trail time.
Change is beautiful, especially on the trails.
Banana slugs after the rain also found solace in the Redwoods.
I'm looking forward to these next few days and the opportunity I will have to unplug, meditate, re-center and re-focus.  And to enjoy the refuge that the mountains and Redwood trees will provide me with. 



Wednesday, November 21, 2012

#1: Grow Some Sprouts

I'll preface this post by saying that I almost killed a succulent plant once, so clearly my thumb isn't green.

A few years ago, I attempted to grown sprouts the 'old-fashioned' way in mason jars and cheesecloth.  I'm sure many people have successfully done this, but I didn't.  I was so disgusted by the final product.  What appeared to be a confused mess of half-grown broccoli sprouts actually confused me and I wasn't sure if they were moldy or edible, so I ended up chucking the entire thing into the trash.  

Lately I've been obsessed with putting sprouts in my meals.  Aside from the added nutritional benefits, I love the zesty flavor they add to my salads.  I realized how much money I was spending on microgreens and spicy sprouts and thought it would be fun to grow my own.  


Making the transition from store-bought to home-grown.
However, this time around I needed a more fool-proof method.  Like a kit.  Enter Hometown Seeds, a company that profits from wannabe spouters like me.  They also have a wide selection of organic seeds.

Sprouting kit.  I ordered organic daikon, radish and broccoli sprouts.
 It came with alfalfa sprouts (the iceburg lettuce equivalent of sprouts)

Soak your seeds 8-12 hours prior to placing them into the trays.

The four layer dish design gives you the option of sprouting a variety of seeds that allows for adequate drainage.


Daikon sprouts are on top, beet sprouts are underneath...
Just rinse the seeds with 2 cups of water twice a day.  I like this tray because it's easy and convenient and doesn't take up much counter space.

It's like "set it and forget it."  Kind of.  


Trying out the fresh daikon sprouts on my bed of beets, arugula, cucumber, tofu, red onions and avo
Sprouts topping and enhancing the flavor of tri-color quinoa with shiitake, edamame and wild salmon.
I'm on a sprouting craze right now, so let me know if you'd like to sample some.  $2.00 a bag.  Kidding. 

Sunday, November 18, 2012

#8: Figure Out My Strengths Using Strengths Finder 2.0

"People who have the opportunity to focus on their strengths every day are six times as likely to be engaged in their jobs and more than three times as likely to report having an excellent quality of life in general.  You cannot be anything you want to be- but you can be a lot more of who you already are."  -Tom Rath, author of Strengths Finder 2.0


After 30 days of working on my weakness in sport, I was ready to figure out my strengths in life.
I'll admit, I've grown up learning that the way to success is to work on my weaknesses.  In piano, I would repeatedly drill passages until my fingers gained muscle memory and I no longer made mistakes in that part of the piece.  In basketball, I practiced dribbling with my left hand so much that now when I go towards the basket, I drive to the left side.  Ironically, my weak hand became my dominant dribbling hand. 

When I first heard about this book, it intrigued me.  Of course!  Why haven't we been working on our natural strengths all along?  Why have we focused so much on improving upon our weaknesses that we are left so tired and unmotivated?

The book comes with a unique access code that allows you to take an online assessment.  You have 20 seconds to answer each question in order to capture the instinctual, top-of-mind responses, and based upon your answers, you will be given your top 5 strengths (out of a database of 34 talent themes).  By investing time and energy into your natural strengths, you can achieve many more things in a more enjoyable way. 

Here are my top 5 in order:
1. Maximizer

2. Empathy

3. Futuristic

4. Achiever

5. Activator

I encourage all of you to check out this book and take the assessment test.  Included in the book are ways to build and hone each other's strengths once they have been recognized.  Once you've established your top 5, let me know what yours are...so this way we can grow stronger together and fill in each other's gaps- allowing everyone to live deeper and more fulfilling lives. 


I guess it really is that simple after all.

Friday, November 16, 2012

#10: Hire an Ironman Coach

The foundation that Coaches Marv and Jo gave me for Ironman training was solid.  I finished Ironman Florida mentally and physically intact- my nutrition was spot-on, my pacing plan was flawlessly written and executed, and I gained so much personally and athletically through their coaching and friendship.  The solid principles they taught me will always remain in my blood.

This past year, the self-coached plan didn't work out so well.  I realized that alone I can be pretty disciplined, but underneath the guidance of a coach, the added accountability motivates me to work twice as hard.  

And I love to learn.  As the years go by, I have witnessed my own growth and can see my own potential as an athlete.  At first I thought as I got older, I'd get slower.  But I'm seeing splits in the pool now that I would have never been able to pull off in high school.  I want to learn from the best, from those who have experienced this journey themselves and who have a rich treasure of knowledge and understand me and my kind of crazy.

Within the triathlon community and even amongst friends, the name Greg Lynch kept coming up.  Then I met him on a bike ride, and after riding with me for a few minutes, he was able to provide me with feedback on how to improve my pedal efficiency.  I was immediately drawn to his coaching style, his cheeky humor (gotta love those Australians!) and his genuine love for this sport.  I knew I wanted to be coached by him.  I wanted to be one of his athletes; to soak up his knowledge and to learn from his program that is so differently designed from the typical triathlon programs common in the US.  It's time to ditch the heartrate monitor and get to know my own body, my own limits, my own mind.

Tonight I was introduced to his coaching methodology and was given a sneak-peek at the basic training plan layout from April to September.  I was trying to absorb it all and contain my excitement of how privileged I feel to train underneath him. Some of the big training weekends were a lot to wrap my head around (I spotted a 10-hour training day and a 21 miler), but when it's good butterflies in my stomach, it's a good thing.  

After our meeting, I told Coach Greg, "I will work hard for you and hard for myself."  Immediately he corrected me.  "No, I don't want you to work hard, I want you to work smart."  Lesson 1 is already in the books.

For some, after completing their first Ironman, they're done.  It's out of their system and they can hang up their wetsuit and retire their bike to the storage.  For me, I'm not done yet- there's so much more to learn, to question, to discover not only about this fabulous sport of triathlon, but about myself.

2.4 mile swim
112 mile bike

26.2 mile run

The distance remains the same- 140.6 miles.  But this time around, the terrain of the Ironman course and my support team are different.  And most certainly, I am different.  

Let's do this, mate!

Sunday, November 11, 2012

11/11: The End and Beginning of Something Great

30x30.  Check.
Today marked the completion of my 30 Runs in 30 Days challenge.  I've done more laundry and worn more compression in the last month than I have in a long while.   Have I gotten faster with my running? Judging from my splits, probably not.  I'm no Slater Fletcher or Jim Walsh for sure.  Do I love running?  Umm, no.  But I have learned to enjoy it more.  Backing it up day after day and thinking creatively of new places to run has allowed me to explore more trails and check out some amazing areas that I would have never known existed if it wasn't for this challenge.  Running on the dreadmill for 30 days isn't exactly my kind of adventure, so it forced me to run in different cities and adopt some new trail buddies along the way.

Some lessons I've gained from this:

1. Accountability is key.
I'm thankful for my fellow 30x30 partner.  If it wasn't for him, I'd still be riding my bike like a maniac and swimming 2 miles a day without actually embracing each session.  And I am thankful for Instagram.  Logging daily pictures and seeking out visual inspiration for every run was key.  No one wants to be the loser who doesn't upload a picture.  That would be an epic FAIL.  Knowing that someone was equally invested in this journey helped me stay motivated and consistent.


Coastal Trail run near Half Moon Bay.
Solo discovery of new trails at Redwood Regional before the rain...

2.  It gets easier with time.
The running?  Sadly, no, my friends.  I'm referring to the schedule adjustments.  The first week was a challenge, trying to coordinate when I'd fit the 30 minute run into my day.  It was dark before work.  There were happy hours after work.  Hmmm.  What to do, what to do.  Some days the weatherman predicted rain.  After a week I started to find my rhythm.  I also found my headlamp.  And my winter compression running tights.  


Learning to love mornings again.

3.  Hard things are more bearable with good company.
Running hills alone are really really crappy.  Running hills with a buddy are just...crappy.  Having someone else hear your labored breathing is well, just a reminder that you're alive and well, still breathing.


Misty Blair Witch runs = less creepy with company
Don't drink and drive.  Drink and ride.
Good friends drink with you.  And pack clothes to run with you afterwards to support your 30x30.

Fitting in the run after 50 miles of biking with 14 wineries is more fun with buzzed buddies.
Yes, this did happen in the time span of a single run.  Hello, Daylight Savings.  Hello, headlamp.  Thankful for PIC during this run (sorry, I'll never do this to you again).

4.  If you care about your friends, you will allow slight modifications to ensure their success.
In the beginning, there were hard rules.  As in, "If I break my 30 days, I will buy you a Garmin 910XT."  Yes.  I did say that.  But let's just say that there were days that I felt like my left heel was more bruised than Rihanna's face after a C.B. attack.  I had to listen to my body and was graciously granted an active recovery day.  No questions asked.  And soon again, I was back in the game, feeling good, still with $450 in my hot little pocket.  

A make-shift active recovery day of yoga.

Outside of running, for me, 11/11 is a pretty symbolic day.  I was once told that 11/11 symbolized the union of twin souls.  Whether that is true or not, I've yet to discover.  Just like this 30x30 challenge, this year has been a delicate balance between my heart and legs.  Meaning that some days were definitely easier than others, but I still managed to try my very best to capture the beauty of each day.  Like the 30x30, it took awhile to get used to, but with the support of friends and family, I made it through this year.

And I've learned that no adventure, in running or in life, should ever be contained in a mere 30 days, or yet experienced alone.




So, what's next? Time has yet to tell.  But for now, PIC and I are registered for the Coyote Trails 1/2 marathon in December as preparation for something epic in the future...

Thursday, November 8, 2012

#2: Go Flyfishing With My Dad

Last year on my birthday, my dad and I had an early 4:30 am wake-up call to board a Florida-bound plane together.  The experience of traveling together to complete a huge milestone in my life (Ironman Florida) was unique and special because he was there.  In life, it's these experiences that stand the test of time.  For my birthday this year, I wanted to spend my day with him, in his element, not mine.  It was still a 4:30 am wake-up call, except this time there were no bikes or wetsuits.  Just flyrods and float tubes.

Growing up, I had fond memories of fishing with my dad at San Pablo Reservoir, Lake Chabot, and Mammoth Lakes.  I think Trace Adkins got it right...

 

We headed up to Lake Amador and made our way through the fog, arriving just in time to witness the sunrise over the lake.

Mother Nature's way of saying, "Good morning."

To watch someone work or play in their true element is a beautiful thing.  It all seems so smooth, so seamless.  I am always in awe of those who have truly mastered a craft.  He threaded our rods, pumped up our float tubes and carefully chose our bait.  Once on the water, he gave me directions for trolling the lake in my fins, lifting my rod and moving at a steady pace to make my bait look realistic.  He kept directing me to stay in a straight line, but if you've ever witnessed my inability to swim straight in the open water, you know that I love to zigzag.  So with huge fins and kicking backwards on a tube, this was nearly impossible.  After catching my first 2 fish, I told my dad that the irregular line pattern must have intrigued them enough to bite.

The set-up. With fins that are 5x the normal size I'm used to swimming with.

The limit per person is 5 fish.  We left the water with 8 fish, ate, packed up the tubes, and returned to the dock, where we caught one more and called it a day.  The sun was starting to set.

My first catch of the day.  Dad getting his fishin' on.  With a fish on.

I'm lucky that my dad knows what he's doing.  When we weren't getting bites using a certain bait, he would change it and try a different tactic.  It was a constant adventure of assessing, adjusting, and experimenting.  He also had a 'secret sauce' that we dabbed on the bait to attract the fish.  We ended the day with 9 fish; there were some people who unfortunately went home with nothing. 

My contributions for the day.  I ended up catching the biggest one at 18".

As he was cleaning the fish, my dad commented that one fish probably had been in the lake for a long while.  "How do you know?" I asked.  He explained that when the fish are planted and come from the hatchery, their fins are normally torn and shredded from the tight space they were contained in.  Once they are released, the fins have a chance to grow back and repair.  It was an appropriate analogy of my life and the reparation process of my own fins this past year.  Some things just need time and space to grow.


And some things just need to be filleted and smoked.  The final product- homemade smoked trout!

Days like these are the ones that will always remain ingrained in my heart...being with my father, on the water, on a crisp and sunny November day.  

Driving home with lots of love and lots of fish in the truck.

It was a beautiful reminder that life itself is a constant adventure of trying new things, readjusting and making changes when those things don't quite work out, and being patient enough to trust that the bait you have in the water is the best choice for you at that moment.  And how a dab of 'secret sauce' never hurts.