October was a roller coaster ride. It was full of some really high highs, and some pretty low lows. I’m happy to be moving into November, figuring out what “normal” is for us, planning for 2020, and preparing for winter.
Training:
This month I took part in the Coretober Challenge that Multisport Mastery + JHC Coaching put together. It was a good challenge for me. I have been doing 10 minutes of core strength daily for nearly 2 years (with the few exceptions around race days or when I have been sick), so the extra 5 minutes was a definite challenge for the first week or two, but I’m so glad I took part in this challenge!
15 miles for my Friday happy hour in 30+ mph winds. Some of my gratitude thoughts while running:
*I’m grateful for a strong body + mind.
*I’m grateful for warm temps + sunshine.
*I’m grateful for completely new running routes.
*I’m grateful for a job that I love.
*I’m grateful for Halloween decorations to keep me entertained.
*I’m grateful to have my long run done before the rain shows up this weekend.
*I’m grateful for the beautiful fall colors.
Swim: 13,850 yards (7.87 miles)
Bike: 90.7 miles
Run: 78.3 miles
Strength: 15 minutes of core daily + some yoga ❤
Meditation: 3 minutes daily since January 1
Monthly Totals: 31 hours & 52 minutes
#explore:
Explore is my focus word in 2019 and I’m happy to be incorporating it into all areas of my life…including being at my first IRONMAN race that I wasn’t racing or volunteering (aka working) on race day. This was WAY out of my comfort zone!! I struggled going to this event knowing that I wasn’t racing (when I originally was suppose to be toeing the start line). I wanted to race SO badly, but also knew that this race had to be different for me. I had to use this race to explore. Explore being involved in IRONMAN without racing. Explore being involved in IRONMAN without volunteering and “working” on race day. Explore what is deep in my heart. Explore living my truth. So many memories were made, perspective was gained, and laughter in Lou filled my heart. I’ll have more on what I learned down the road.
Listening to:
I am finding that I love to listen to podcasts while I set up and tear down labs at work, so if you have any suggestions, please send them my way! Here is what I listened to this month:
Coeur Sports Earsplitz
–Coeur at Kona 2019 (Chapter 1: Benedict, Donato, Colville, Simmons)
–Coeur at Kona 2019 (Chapter 2: Perkins, Sophiea, Flynn, Ritchie)
KonaKamps always has me inspired and motivated!! Some of this months faves were:
–Jon Morton, Ironman Wisconsin 2019
–Amanda Marek, Ironman Wisconsin 2019
–Evan Wetzel, Ironman Wisconsin 2019
–Michele Sorenson, Ironman Vichy 2019
–Jacob Barnes, Kona 2019 Preview
–Michelle Enslin, Kona 2019 Preview
–Daniel McParland, Kona 2019 Preview
–Jess Perry, Kona 2019 Preview
–Jana Richtrova, Kona 2019 Preview
–Ray Picard, Overall Champion, Ironman Canada 2019
–World Champion Aaron Tomasz, Ironman World Championships 2019
–World Champion Natia Van Heerden, Ironman World Championships 2019
–Overall World Champion Ruth Purbrook, Ironman World Championships 2019
–World Champion Kevin Fergusson, Ironman World Championships 2019
–World Champion Mary Mitchell, Ironman World Championships 2019
–World Champion Gill Fullen, Ironman World Championships 2019
–Liza Rachetto, Overall AG Champion, Ironman Louisville 2019
The Same 24 Hours:
–Notes on Nonsense: Rock Bottom is Bullsh*t
–Notes on Nonsense: Detoxing is Bullsh*t
–Notes on Nonsense: Weekends are Bullsh*t
–Notes on Nonsense: Numbers are Bullsh*t
–Notes on Nonsense: Subtitles are Bullsh*t
–Notes on Nonsense: Doing the Easy Thing is Bullsh*t
–Notes on Nonsense: Wagons are Bullsh*t
–Notes on Nonsense: Waiting is Bullsh*t
–Notes on Nonsense: FOMO is Bullsh*t
–Notes on Nonsense: People Pleasing is Bullsh*t
–Notes on Nonsense: Hard is Bullsh*t
–Notes on Nonsense: Other People are Bullsh*t
–Notes on Nonsense: Repetition is King (and also Bullsh*t)
–Notes on Nonsense: Someday Soon is Bullsh*t
–Notes on Nonsense: Being Stuck is Bullsh*t
–Notes on Nonsense: Motivation is Bullsh*t
–CrisMarie Campbell & Susan Clarke: The Beauty of Conflict for Couples
–Patrick Vellner: Cross Fit, Hard Work, and “We are Not Machines”
Endurance Planet:
–Julie Moss: The Crawl of Fame, and Finding Purpose and Personal Growth Through Sport
–Kona Special: Race Recap of the 2019 Ironman World Championships with Thorsten Radde
Clean Sport Collective interviewed Kara and Adam Goucher on the 4-year bans for Salazar/Brown for Doping Violations. If you want to support anti-doping in sport, you need to take a stand. Invest your money in brands that have taken the pledge to support the pursuit of clean sport and athletics through. Tyler Hamilton, Convicted Doper and Whistleblower in Cycling was also interviewed by Clean Sport Collective. Tyler is a former professional cyclist who received two doping bans while competing, gave back his Olympic gold medal, and eventually testified against Lance Armstrong in the federal case against him.
Kelsey Abbott brought CrisMarie Campbell and Susan Clarke onto the Find Your Awesome Podcast. Susan said something that really hit home with me, “Speaking up is more important than shutting up and dying.”
Ironwomen Podcast has so many amazing women on!
–Living the Dream – Kim Morrison
–The Kona Show – Ana Lidia Borba
–Follow Your Heart – Liz Baugher
Rich Roll brought on Amelia Boone. She is the most decorated and dominate female in obstacle course racing. She struggles with childhood trauma and an eating disorder. “I don’t want to be ‘the eating disorder recovery girl’, I don’t want to be ‘the athlete’. This is just me. I am super flawed, I’m super complex, just like everybody else out there.”
Michael Gervais has brought some amazing people on his Finding Mastery podcast:
–Apollo Ohno on Competition, Olympic Greatness, and Transitions
Lone Wolf – Motivational Video For All Those Fighting Battles Alone with Tony Robbins is very insightful. I was moved by this piece and am going to implement some of the rituals he was addressing in this video.
Reading:
“Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens is captivating. It was the perfect book to take me away into another world. “For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life – until the unthinkable happens.”
“Snap, Crackle, Pop: My Road to IRONMAN Kona 2019” by Barbara Perkins was highlighted by USA Triathlon this month. Barbara is one of my Coeur Sports teammates who qualified for the IRONMAN World Championships at IRONMAN Santa Rosa in May. She has overcome some obstacles to get to the start of the IRONMAN World Championships, but as Barb says, “Each of us deals with our own set of circumstances, injury, bike mishaps and more. You have to trust that you have done (mostly) everything in your power to get to that start line happy and healthy. Enjoy the day! Celebrate the moment! Because hey, this is actually happening.” This is a good reminder that I GET TO DO THIS SPORT! ❤
“Manage Your Personal Energy to Improve the Quality of Life” by Darius Foroux is a great reminder that when we do things that energize us (even if we don’t feel energized when doing it), we empower ourselves. We need to focus on the 20% of the activities that improve the quality of our lives and incorporate these activities into our lives at least 80% of the time. “What is one thing I can do today to improve my mood?”
“Triumph Over Heartbreak: My Kona 2019 Story” by Barbara Perkins was highlighted by USA Triathlon this month. As I mentioned above, Barbara is one of my Coeur Sports teammates who qualified for and competed in the IRONMAN World Championships. She is a fierce competitor and warrior. “You will find your true, innermost self out in the lava fields of the IRONMAN World Championship course. Some people will fall victim to the brutal conditions. They will give up, but others will conquer the course and everything inside them that doubted they could make it there. Most will come away with some itch left unscratched, drawn again to the island to discover its unique possibilities.”
Attitude of Gratitude:
8.5 miles with 4×4 minute Z4 interval paces of:
8:00/mile
7:53/mile
7:41/mile
7:30/mile
.
Grateful to be finding some speed again in these legs!
The goal was to start off easy + negative split the first 6 miles and run the last mile easy. I would say this was a success!! Grateful to my body for allowing me to push myself + the beautiful weather today!!
Grateful to my Courage flower from Fellow Flowers for the constant reminder to be courageous on this run!!
How was your month of October?! What were you grateful for last month?!
PushMyLimits 
I’m so sorry that October was a bit of a bumpy ride for you–it was for me too and I was very happy to turn the calendar page. I love those red leaves as we don’t get much red in Calgary and our fall is so short. I think it was about 9 days before the snow storms moved in! Cheers to a fun November 🙂
Thanks Amy!! I’m sorry October was a bumpy ride for you as well. The lows help us better appreciate the highs though. Our fall colors were a bit drab this year, but I’m grateful we got to experience them even if they weren’t as vibrant as some years. Cheers to an amazing November! 💙💛
Wow… uh, how do you fit all of that in?!
Sometimes it’s a challenge, but most of the time it’s pretty easy as I’m doing what I love!