North Star

I’ve been quiet here for far too long. I love to write and express myself, but this year has been SO challenging. I felt like I started 2020 in a good place mentally as I was making huge progress in processing and moving forward with my childhood trauma (and I still am…yay for positive light). I had plans in place for 2020 to be an epic year. Then came COVID-19 and 2020 came to a screeching halt.

When the pandemic started, we had vacations lined up, I had races on my calendar that REALLY excited me, I was motivated, and I had hope that it would be short lived so we could return to “normal” relatively quickly. As the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months, the races began to cancel, my motivation began to decrease, and my hope began to waiver. Hugs were banned. Visiting family and friends was not recommended. Social media took a nose dive as people judged and shamed others for not doing what they felt was best (having never walked one second in their shoes). Rioting turned the Nation on its head. Wildfires, hurricanes, and Derecho are just a few curve balls Mother Nature has thrown at us. So much chaos and uncertainty. The uncomfortable only got even more uncomfortable. 2020 began to feel like a dumpster fire that is going to burn on forever.

In the middle of June, I COMPLETELY fell apart. I sank the lowest I’ve ever been and my mental health was at an all time low. It took everything I had (and loads of help from my husband and mother) to keep moving forward and not stay stuck in the quick sand pulling me under. I had lost sight of who I am. I lost sight of my North Star and veered WAY too far off course. I let fear of what others think dictate my decisions, actions, and focus. I allowed them to chew me up, swallow me down, and shit me out a different, broken, and damaged version of myself.

As the dumpster fire of 2020 continues to burn bright with the addition of more and more fuel, I am choosing to reconnect and realign with my North Star. It is time to stop being guided WAY off course by fear and superficial bullshit. No more chasing some meaningless, random number of bike miles. No more feeling pressured, shamed, or judged to do and be someone I’m not. No more feeling small. No more feeling broken. It is time to let my North Star guide me. I need and want to live my truth! More joy! More freedom! More balance! More integrity! More truth! More ME!

Letting my North Star guide me!

It is time to fill my heart and soul with more joy, freedom, fun, balance, life, and TRUTH!

If you’ve ever lost sight of your North Star, how did you reconnect/realign with it?

Transitions…in Life and Training

“Transition: a change from one state or condition to another”  ~Merriam Webster

Life is full of transitions…transitioning from baby to child to adolescent to adult.  Transitioning from grade level to grade level and possibly school to school.  Transitioning from living at home, to living on your own.  Transitioning from attending school to the working world.  Transitioning from renting to owning a home.  Transitioning from job to job.  Transitioning from single to in a relationship and maybe even to marriage.  Transitioning from season to season.  Transitioning from hobby to hobby.  Transitioning from young to older and eventually “old.”  The list goes on and on and on.

The end of the school year brings transitions to our household and this year will be no different.  I transition from the role of school teacher to the role of house wife.  When I am in the role of school teacher, we have to find/make time on the weekends to run errands, clean house, do laundry and make/prep meals for the coming week.  When I am in the role of the house wife, I can do all of these chores during the week while the Iron Hippie is at work so we can enjoy our weekends more freely.  The role of house wife also gives me the flexibility to take on a few more personal training clients and make a little extra money at my part time job.

Training is also full of transitions…transitioning from goal to goal.  Transitioning from swimming to cycling to running during triathlon.  Transitioning from season to season.  Transitioning from race to race.  Transitioning from indoor trainer rides to outdoor road rides.  Transitioning from indoor pool swimming to outdoor pool swimming and/or open water swimming.   Transitioning from treadmill running to running outdoors.  Transitioning from working out solo vs. with others.  This list also goes on and on and on.

Transition area at the 2013 USAT Olympic Distance National Championships in Milwaukee, WI.

Having a more flexible schedule during the summer months allows me to train at different times of the day…acclimating to different temperatures, training with different people and juggling my workouts around variable weather if necessary.

This year, we are experiencing an additional transition…going from training with a coach, to training without a coach.  While both the Iron Hippie and I LOVE Coach Julie, we have decided to discontinue her coaching services.  Julie is moving to the Chicagoland area and we feel that we are knowledgable enough, motivated enough and dedicated enough to get ourselves to the start line and finish line of Ironman Wisconsin 2014.   As a science teacher, I’m looking at this as our own little science experiment…what can we do to successfully get us to the start and finish lines of IMWI?!?!?!?!

Discontinuing our coaching services will allow us to have some extra money that we can save for upcoming races, vacations, home/yard renovations, etc.  We will have the flexibility to incorporate more social activities into our weekly regimen and it will encourage the Iron Hippie and I to communicate more with each other regarding our training and home schedules.

Transitions can sometimes be uncomfortable and scary…especially when we don’t know what to expect, what the outcomes will be, or how they will impact our daily lives.  The Iron Hippie and I are embracing these transitions and looking forward to the positive impacts they will have on our household.

Do you embrace transitions?  What transitions do you experience / have you experienced in your life?

Nutrition Part 1 – Osmo Review

As you may recall, I had nutrition troubles at IRONMAN Wisconsin 2011.  These troubles have lead me to practice a variety of different nutrition options.

I am thankful that Erin has referred me to Osmo Nutrition.  I decided to try Osmo for Women after doing some research, reading some reviews from other athletes and asking a friend/nutritionist his valued opinion.

The longest workout I’ve had so far this year was Saturday’s 4 hour brick…20 min run, 3:10 bike, 30 min run.  Osmo nutrition has been my go to for hydration during my bike and run workouts since late February.  When I have long or taxing workouts, I use the preload before my workout (both the night before and the morning of) and the active hydration during the workout.  I have not used the recovery formula due to the caffeine…my body is SUPER sensitive to caffeine and doesn’t respond well to it.

During Saturday’s 4 hour brick workout, I noticed the following:

• It was 84F and humid during the last run portion.
• It was mostly sunny for the duration of the workout.
• There were strong winds from the SSW at 20+ mph.
• While on the bike, I consumed 4 bottles of water, 1 bottle of Osmo Active Hydration (3 scoops), 2 Kind granola bars, 2 packages of Honey Stinger Chews.
• On the 2nd run, I got very hungry.  Next time I need to take in calories closer to the run while on the bike.
• I sweat out a LOT of salt…my blue Coeur tri kit was covered in white salt when I was done working out.
• I was not dehydrated or hyponatremic at any point during the workout or post workout. 🙂

So far, I am a HUGE fan of Osmo Nutrition and I am definitely looking forward to testing it during races and longer workouts as this summer progresses…the heat and humidity in central Iowa will be the true test 😉

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Week #14 Totals:

Swim:  4500 yards

Bike:  79.1 miles

Run:  34.5 miles

Strength Training:  2 hours & 15 minutes

Hot Yoga:  1 hour

Week #14 in the green 😉

What Motivates You?

Since my most recent post was about excuses for not completing workouts, I decided the next step is to be more uplifting and motivating. With the Holidays and fewer hours of daylight upon us, I feel as though November should really be Nomotivationember and December should be Didnotgetoffthecouchember.  Stress levels are typically higher and motivation is typically diminished…sometimes obsolete.  Runner’s World recently posted their top “101 Kicks in the Butt” to motivate a person.  The following are things that I do to help motivate me:

1. Sign up for races and set goals…I find that when I have signed up for my “A race” and set challenging, yet achievable goals, I do a much better job of completing my scheduled workouts.

   

   Registration confirmation for IRONMAN Wisconsin 2014

2. Blogging…I enjoy sharing my journey with others.  The highs, the lows and everything in between.  Knowledge is power…I enjoy learning from others and if others can learn from me, we are all empowered.
3. Social Media…to stay motivated through the Holidays, I posted on Facebook that, “I will not miss a scheduled workout between Thanksgiving and Christmas.”  By the time Christmas comes around, I’ll be back into a routine and ready to start training for IRONMAN Wisconsin again.  This means early morning workouts as well as workouts after work most days of the week.  Getting back into this routine now will be a good launching point for IRONMAN training 🙂
4. Posting motivational photos and quotes around the house…I’m not sure what the Iron Hippie thinks of this when he wakes up and sees one posted on the bathroom mirror or refrigerator, but I change them out weekly to mix things up and keep us motivated.      
5. Books…I enjoy reading books about triathlon, running, mental training, personal autobiographies as they relate to training and racing, etc.  They are inspirational, motivational and help keep me focused (both during training and racing).

   

   Some of my motivational and inspiring reads…

6. Motivational Money Jar…My husband and I each have a motivational money jar.  How does it work?  If I complete my scheduled workouts for the day, I put a dollar in my jar for each scheduled workout I complete (extra workouts don’t count).  If I miss a workout, the dollar that was supposed to go in my jar goes into the Iron Hippie’s jar.  I would much rather pay myself than him, so let’s get that workout done!!

   

   Here are our two motivational $ jars. Our names are on the tops of the jars.

The Journey

Every destination is different, but they all start the same…with the first step.

Q:  Why do you participate in races?

A:  When I sign up for each race, I am at the beginning of a new journey.

I am currently on a long-term journey to Ironman Wisconsin 2014 that will include a few short-term journeys along the way.  While I have finished Ironman Wisconsin before, I started it with the goal of “just to finish”…and finish I did…though I was hyponatremic and don’t actually remember the last 8 hours of the event.  For this reason, it is time to go back and do what I am capable of with proper race execution!!

I sign up for races to take me on another journey.  My Ironman journey will include multiple journeys (races) between now and September 7, 2014.  The first of which is coming up in just 2 weeks…Ironman Kansas 70.3 on June 9, 2013.  I have been mentally focused and my training has probably been the best it has ever been!!  I have been VERY happy with both my physical and mental training lately!! I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that my current momentum will continue to carry me forward through Ironman Wisconsin 2014!! With Ironman Kansas 70.3 only 2 weeks away, this short-term journey is nearing the taper.  I have created many posts about various workouts I have completed on this journey that you can find at pushmylimits.wordpress.com.  With only a few more “big” workouts left before the taper, I am finding myself more ready than ever to properly execute my race and PR!!  I am in the best shape, both physically and mentally, that I have ever been before…Let’s do this thing!!

I decided to ask Coach Julie where she thinks I can and should be for Ironman Kansas 70.3 in 2 weeks…Here is her response:

“Swim: You had a great swim at Chisago last year – that time would really please me again, maybe a minute or two faster (if the races have properly measured swim courses). GOAL: 42-43 min.

“Bike: Kansas and Chisago have different bike courses, and I think the times you put up there were great for where you were then. We’ve worked a lot on cycling this season, and you’ve really improved. With the right mental approach (and staying focused throughout the bike leg – plus nutrition, etc), you should be able to average 16.5-16.7mph for the Kansas bike and closer to 17+ on a less challenging course. GOAL: 3:20-3:25 (for Kansas). 3:12-3:20 for other courses.

“Run: There is no reason that you can’t run a 2 hour run split. You’ve become a much more mentally strong runner in the past two years (all that experience is starting to pay off!). If you can keep that mental focus going throughout the bike AND through the run, you’ll be golden. GOAL: 2 hours

“If you do the math, that will set you up for that elusive sub-6 hour half IM – I know you’ve been shooting for that, and I’ve been shooting for that for you. Kansas may/may not be where it happens, BUT the mental training from that tough of a half is going to be what sets you up to make it happen this year. You’ve already overcome some hurdles in your training (many of them mental), but you’re finally on the right track. Let’s keep that going for the next three weeks!”

I am focusing my training (both physically and mentally) on doing my absolute best and pushing myself to a PR!!  I am very excited to see the results of the journey I am on and shattering my previous PR (6:32:44)!!  I am anxiously awaiting my new PR of 5:59:59…or faster!!