I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike.

Last week I had a baaad attitude about my training load, especially riding my bike for seemingly endless hours inside.  Just after I revamped my training schedule for the wiser, mother nature came and catapulted me into bike riding heaven.  The picture above is from my ride OUTSIDE yesterday afternoon!!!  I'm sure I grinned the whole time and my smile was bigger than my face. 

There really is no better way to rejuvinate and revive one's perspective about training besides a major change of scenery.  Happily, I was not more than ten minutes into my ride when I had to peel off a shirt layer and a pair of gloves.  Spokane can provide some of the most beautiful landscapes, especially between seasons = brilliant sunshine + snow covered fields. 

The hours I spent on my bike yesterday seemed like mere minutes.  Another surprising aspect of getting back outside to ride is the renewed enthusiasm for routes that seemed mundane by the end of the last race season.  Instead, I was in awe of all the little details.  I even grinned my way up a long, tough hill climb, seriously thankful for the opportunity to embrace the day's warmth on my bike.

  I sure hope you had a chance to get out there and ride too!

Half-way there.

This picture has absolutely nothing to do with this post; except that it's very close to Valentine's Day and I just love this happy picture of me and my sweetie.

Well, I'm half-way through my sweet, sugary, blissful, yummy goodness FAST.  100% success so far.  The major temptations I have had to overcome include: gooey brownies at Dinner Club night, a HUGE box of Dove chocolates for my birthday, my entire family ordered either chocolatey lava cake or creme brulee at my b-day dinner , a student gifted me red velvet cupcakes, chocolate/cream cheese cupcakes at my birthday party, Davenport's famous soft peanut brittle, donuts in the staff room 2x and a student brought me donuts in class today.  Still to overcome: Valentine's Day sweetness.  I will admit that I have definitely prayed more in the past 11 days than I have ever before.  And that's the whole point!

In other news, I'm training right along - but I am having a little trouble with my attitude lately.  Two weekdays I have very long training bricks to accomplish.  I may actually hate my life both of those days.  I tried to get up this morning at 4:00 to get one of my workouts done - but my bed was too warm and comfy to get out of so early.  I keep trying to think of ways to reorder my day's activities to fit in the workouts so they cause less stress.  Not happening!  If it was light earlier in the morning - I'd just get my run done.  My resolve for next week is to get my buns outta bed in the early AM and suffer a bit.  Also, I should remind myself that this is a life choice :).

Happy early Valentine's Day to all you sweethearts!!!

FAST

Today I will start fasting and will continue for 21 consequetive days.  My church is engaging in a congregational fast to pray for something specific.  I am too.  The idea is that I will give up a specific food, habit or activity and every time I miss/crave/think about that "thing," I will say a prayer for someone else. 

I choose to fast from all sweets for 21 days and pray for a person who is very precious to me.  This means that I will not eat chocolate, candy, cookies, (cup)cakes, pie, birthday goodies, Valentine's Day treats or anything that I would consider delicous, sugary bliss. 

So if you notice me acting forlorn, lethargic, mean, grumpy, moody, despondent, nervy, resentful, defeated or miserable - maybe you should start praying for ME!

A Fun Reprieve

I think it was about four years ago when Greg and I first attempted skate skiing.  We tried to learn by skiing in the dark, on frozen trails with a small beam of light coming from a head lamp.  I did not ski well and felt like it was entirely too challenging for my liking. 

Yesterday I got another go at it - and it was incredible!  Fitness Fanatics, our local (crack shop) triathlon store provided two instructors for our tri club to ski at Mt. Spokane.  Fourteen of us met with skate skiing gurus, Caroline and Brian, and received careful and fun instructions on the fundamentals of skate skiing.  Conditions were awesome...snowfall with huge, downy flakes, a bit of ambient fog and lots of enthusiastic teammates. 

Greg, Nate, Curt, Christine and I enjoyed our lessons so much that we skated around the mountain trails for another 1.5 hours afterward - increasing our skills and the fun factor by a big bunch.  I'm so glad we tried it again, and both Greg and I got a better taste of the sport.  Skate skiing is definitely an exciting cross training alternative that I will be enjoying again very soon.

What's up.

I realize I haven't posted anything new since Thanksgiving.  Honestly, it's not because nothing has happened in my life in the past 6 weeks, or because I have nothing to say.  It's just been busy, busy, busy.

Mom and dad on Christmas morning.

We had an amazing Christmas celebrating Christ's life with our family and friends!  Lyara has been home for two weeks, and we are absolutely loving her company. 

Skiing and snowboarding at Schweitzer with Lyara.

I'm happy to welcome the new year feeling energized and ready to embark on a more structured and focused training plan.  As a nice bonus, I've been sponsored by Brooks again for the upcoming tri season and I am so excited to represent the best running company in 2011!

Although I didn't officially take any time "off" from training, I did enjoy an unstructured training schedule from October through December.  I continued swim-bike-run workouts, but I also indulged in yoga, mountain biking, and snow shoeing.  In early October, I added in strength training for endurance.  Strength training is now a very regular and important part of my weekly plan, month after month.

We've also hosted several HLR's at our home that always prove to be spectacularly fun and social.

Virginia, Gingey, Mitch, Nate, Merissa, Kevin, Roger, Steve, Me, Matty, Jessie & Jessi.

Now I'm full swing into triathlon training again and trying to balance my life.  While swim-bike-run is important to me and a passion that my husband and I share, I remind myself NOT to let the numbers of training take over the other numbers of important people, and time shared with them, in my life.  Today, after I rode my bike for XX:XX and got ready to meet a friend to run for a while, I contemplated how much time I spend watching time go by, either in the water, on my bike or during a run.  Then I thought, what else would I be doing that is healthier, more entertaining or equally social, if not working out?  As long as I don't neglect my family or friends, work or domestic responsibilities - I'm glad this is what I put my extra energy and time into right now.

Do I have big triathlon plans this year?  No, not really - I just want to work super hard, stay healthy and do well.  After completing my first half-Ironman last year at Troika, I discovered (again) that endurance training and racing makes me really, really happy and satiated.  My first "A" race is at Oceanside, California 70.3, where I will get my ass handed to me by highly skilled and very tanned Californians!  Beyond that race in early April, I'd love to do the REV3 Half-Ironman in Oregon and a couple handfuls of local and other triathlons, along with a smattering of run races too. 

About fifteen months ago, me and two of my gorgeous friends, Jessi and Tiff, created our own "dinna club!"  We've been feeding each other's families week after week since last October with nothing but delicious, healthy, hearty recipes.  If you're interested in saving time and money and want to get creative plus enjoy the art of cooking...check out our blog at

I hope 2011 is filled with new memories made by family and friends, invigorating training sessions, delicious meals, and abundant love for you!

Thank-FULL

This is a pic of me and my AHMAZING daughter, Lyara.  She absolutely MADE Thanksgiving.  As my friend, Jessi would say, "I die."  BTW, those are not her glasses, nor do they contain lenses - that's just how she rollz.

Greg and I got up in the morning and ran our annual, traditional Turkey Trot at Manito Park with several other turkeys teammates in frigid 12 degree temps and also gobbled up a donut at Krispy Kreme (we had to, it's tradition ;). Then we cooked the green bean casserole, simmered the cranberries and baked the rolls.  But what I really cared about and obsessed over all day was the arrival of my daughter from Portland, where she moved two months ago.  Spokane was literally in the middle of a blizzard and I was nervous waiting and worrying that Lyara arrive safely to be with us for the holiday.

She arrived and I went into instant mom mode.  I cannot possibly explain how much a part of me Lyara is, but I feel as if I spent the long weekend with that "new mother glow."

Thanksgiving dinner with my husband, daughter and family was relaxing and cup-filling.  I don't see my sisters often enough, along with their five kids.  No matter, we fell into place with each other and picked up the jokes and hugs where we'd last left off.

My absolute favorite memory of Thanksgiving this year happened when I was in my mom's kitchen and I could hear the raw laughter from all the kids, and recognize the sheer and innocent joy they all felt just being together.  Gives me chills to think of it still.

We adults had some fun too, cooking and cleaning to the music - dancing with each other and embarrassing our babies by dancing with them.  Thanks, mom and dad for providing your home and hearts to share with us.  My family has an incredible gift of accepting and loving each other just the way we are.  This means the world to me because while I adore my sweet daughter and don't give a lick if she shaves her head or wears dreads, or conforms to the typical young adult norms, the rest of the world is not always so kind.  However, my people are a group of distinctly unique and wonderful humans, loving us unconditionally.

For the rest of the week, Lyara and I shopped (obvi), watched movies, went out to dinner, chatted endlessly, shared our favorite music with one another, decorated the house, talked about her future and I truly could not have felt any happier or more blessed.

There are SO, SO many people in my life to be thankful for - and the people are all that matter. I indulge in material "things" and I'm not denying it. I am simply acknowledging when it comes right down to the heart of gratefulness and Thanksgiving, it is only the people that make it so.  I hope your holiday was as memorable and lovely as mine.

Five Greats.

Recently I read a blog post about how this time of year can be really stressful.  You know when the tri season ends, The holiday rush begins ($ is spent), people get sick, days "grow?" shorter, motivation runs low.  The keys to remaining calm and sane are different for everyone.  What works for me, may not work to de-stress you.  But the blogger suggested that instead of focusing on stresses or negativity, focus on five greats.  Name five things that make your life great right now.  I liked this idea and making this list did make me feel better:
1)  Any correspondence with my daughter - texts, calls, emails, Facebook chats.
2)  Sunshine and warm afternoons; amazingly still making appearances daily.
3)  Espresso in the morning.  Now I'm making mine hot, with non-fat milk and caramel syrup, yum.
4)  Mountain biking...I said I'd never be into this, but since the first time... I am in love.
5)  Train's song, "Marry Me."  Sooooo sweet.  Seriously, I will listen to it at least one more time before I go tuck myself into bed.

(Sometimes, my greats combine and grow exponentially greater, as pictured above - sunshine, warmth and mountain biking :)

What are your five greats?