My 2015 Year in Review via Photos

January:

Running with the family

#solesistasweat

Getting some #runlove with my favorite four-legged baby girl!

One of my favorite trainer workouts

February:

#solesistasweat

Getting my Coeur Sports Ambassador gear 🙂

Swim clinic…love to learn

#solesistasweat

#heartandcourage strong

Conquering Mountains

March:

#Yogalove

Fun times with my #solesista

Birthday funday!

Bike fit love

Spring break with my #solesister

Fun with my nieces at the park

Playing tag with the family

Running a 5K with my sister

April:

Our own 70.3 workout day

Teaching women how to do bike maintenance

#runlove with the family

Drake 1/2 Marathon fun!

Drake 1/2 Marathon fun

Niece #5 was born!

May:

Outdoor training 🙂

I love to ride my bicycle!

Oops…learning lessons

Visiting the Aerospace Engineering Department at Iowa State University

Changing a flat while the Iron Hippie watches…I’m sure many people who passed us had some thoughts about his “supervision” duties 😉

Last day of school!!

Getting my Undress in the mail and loving it!!

June:

First outdoor swim in 2015

Finishing the Legend 100 hand-in-hand with the Iron Hippie. Photo courtesy of Legend Endurance

Who’s ready to race?!?!?!

Dad (blue) and Tom (gray) figuring out how to get into their kayaks to escort me on an open water swim

We are ready to ride the Tour de Cure Cedar Rapids!!

July:

30 miles into our 115 mile bike ride. Last big ride before Ironman Boulder

Last big swim before Ironman Boulder

Last long run before Ironman Boulder

Meeting my blog friend, Kelli, and her family 🙂

The view off of the deck overlooking the lake in Red Feather Lakes, CO.

The morning sunrise on the mountains at Red Feather Lakes, CO.

Taking a boat ride in Red Feather Lakes, CO

Sunset with a double rainbow in the background (this photo does not do the real beauty justice) in Red Feather Lakes, CO

We made it to Estes Park, CO!!

The view of Longs Peak from our patio in Estes Park, CO.

Happy Anniversary to the Iron Hippie…what a great way to celebrate 5 years in Grand Lakes, CO 😉

We made it to Adam’s Falls…with Allen and the Iron Hippie.

We all survived our first run at altitude 🙂

Three athletes ready to ride in Boulder, CO!

The view from the path around Lake Estes, CO.

Ward, Colorado was our turn around point for the Peak to Peak Highway ride.

People lining the shore getting ready for the BAM OWS in Boulder, CO.

BAM OWS in Boulder, CO complete…I felt GREAT!!

Stand-up paddle boarding in Lake Estes, CO 🙂

Taking a break from the riding and doing a little core work in Ward!!

#bikelove on the Peak to Peak Highway in Colorado

We found a “sign” of back home in downtown Denver!!

Loch Lake, CO…Loving the hike!

Having a little fun throwing snowballs in July on our way up to Loch Vale.

“Riding” tandem in Estes Park, CO

Ironman Boulder…here I come!

Ready to race IMBoulder 🙂

Getting Registered for Ironman Boulder

I’m so lucky to have my family at IMBoulder to cheer me on!

August:

Mojo is all racked and getting a good night’s rest at her temporary home so we can have fun at IMBoulder!!

My aunt, cousins and Dad came out to the Rez for the IMBoulder swim

Whizzing through Hygiene on the first loop…Serious #bikelove on this course!!

Mom and the twins are cheering me on to the run!

This smile sums up my race day experience!!

Erin…one of my Coeur Sports teammates and my angel on race day!!

My cheer squad…Love them all!!

Dad and Sam cheering me on down the finish shoot…yes, that blur is me 🙂

Coming into the finish shoot all smiles…it was a daylight finish, but these photos don’t represent that.

Visiting my sister and nieces in California

Sister time in Cali!

Running up Mt. Diablo in California

#solesistasweat

#bikelove with friends

September:

Team Kecia crossed the finish line at the Des Moines Triathlon…job complete.

Holy Crap! I think this is a sign that I left it all out on the bike course.

Volunteering at Ironman Wisconsin…Race morning in front of the Capitol.

Ironman Wisconsin Race morning…who is ready to swim?!?!?!

The women volunteers in T1 at Ironman Wisconsin

Getting my Sound Probiotics Ambassador gear

Basil walking toward the Supermoon on a rural gravel road.

October:

Signed up for Ironman Wisconsin 2016!

300+ 8th grade students ready for the AMS Spirit Run!

Fall #bikelove is the best 🙂

Date night with the Iron Hippie as we work on our strength training

Finding some motivation with my #IMWI finisher medal and race bib on the wall next to me as I ride

Lots of #heartandcourage as I heal up from bursitis of the my left knee

Taking the dogs for a swim

Nailing my intervals on the trainer! #bikelove

Dry needling to assist my healing…thanks to Dr. Chris at Team Chiropractic

Getting our #solesista tattoos 🙂

This ink will be my constant reminder while training and racing to #believe in myself, my abilities and my training!!

November:

Enjoying some outdoor #bikelove in November in Iowa…short sleeves and shorts! WHAT?!?!?!

Century ride in November in Iowa…this amazing weather is unheard of!!

I found out that I made the Coeur Sports 2016 Ambassador Team…Such a badass group of women that I’m overjoyed to be a part of!!

My fitness article on “Giving thanks in an active lifestyle” was a big hit this month in our local magazine 😉

Girl’s night out with some running friends…so much fun 🙂

Outdoor #bikelove lasted through November 14 this year!!

Pleasantly surprised with a Passion Planner from one of my colleagues.

Winter greeted us with a LOT of snow (7.6 inches) for the first snow fall of the season.

Romping and snowshoeing with friends

Riding a motorized animal just because I can 🙂

Spending an afternoon with Mom and Grandma.

December:

Thank you to Simone for my wonderful bracelet!! “Believe, Endure, Achieve” will be my mantra for 2016. It will remind me to #believe in all that I am and to #endure and overcome challenges throughout my journey so I can #achieve big dreams! #dreambig #meaningfulmantras

Looking back at 2015 to move forward in 2016 #goalsetting

Yahoo!! So pumped for my new Roka Sports wetsuit!!

Taking part in Rising Tide Triathlon Coaching’s #rttc10dayroutine Challenge and developing a routine that has helped me #believe in myself deep underneath the surface at the very core of my being.
1. Start my “Believe” playlist…time to get down and jam!
2. Take a couple of swigs of Karma Kombucha Orange Ginger…”I #believe I can fly”
3. Listen to my pep talk (previously recorded) while I pull on my workout gear…”Don’t stop believing”
4. Grab my lucky charm from Tonja and head out the door…”In a world of ordinary mortals, you are a Wonder Woman!”
5. Stand on the front step in power pose for 30 seconds because…I am Wonder Woman!

Finally reconnecting with my mat after 9 months off…#yogalove

Running on a beautiful cold morning with 2 of my faves!

Grandma Annie continues to show up at Christmas and surprise us all with her awesomeness…Our hideous pajama pants were a family favorite this year!

Snowshoeing in the offseason!!

Basil loves playing in the snow!! #happyheart

Love my sole sister!!

Girls night out!! Lots of laughs!! 🙂

My new Cobb Cycling V-Flow saddle 🙂

Fun times with family!!

Happy New Year!! Cheers to an awesome 2016!! 

xoxo

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Are 4500 Calories Worth It?

Thanksgiving is a time for family, traditions, indulgences and for some people, extra pounds.  😦

The average Thanksgiving meal rings in at a whopping 4500 calories.  That is more than 2 days worth of calories for me in ONE meal.  Lucky for me, my waist and my clothes, I am not a big fan of the traditional Thanksgiving meal.  Turkey is boring, white potatoes aren’t really my thing, I can live without gravy, green bean casserole should just be fresh green beans (nothing from the can), stuffing is ok…although loaded with unnecessary calories, candied yams should not be candied at all, cranberry sauce should just be homemade dried cranberries without all of the extra sugar, pumpkin pie should just be steamed pumpkin…I’m not a fan of the crust anyway…basically, there’s NOT a single thing about the Thanksgiving meal that I truly LOVE.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE food, but just not the traditional Thanksgiving meal.  I would rather spend these calories on sushi…YUMMY!!

We can spend quality time with family on Thanksgiving doing a variety of other things that are not consuming mass quantities of food loaded in fat and unnecessary calories.  Here are just a few things I would rather do than sit around a buffet table all day long and gorge myself:

1. Go for a walk
2. Play a game of flag football
3. Play a game of Twister
4. Play a board game
5. Put together a puzzle
6. Play cards together
7. Volunteer at the local community kitchen serving a meal to those who don’t have any place else to go for the Holiday
8. Sledding with my nieces (if there is snow on the ground)
9. Making homemade Christmas ornaments
10. Go snowshoeing with the Iron Hippie and the dogs (if there is enough snow on the ground)

Are 4500 calories worth it to you?  What fun activities do you participate in on Thanksgiving Day?