Couch to ATHLETE!

This week has been pretty awesome. I have had solid workouts, and the sun has appeared on more than one occasion. Vitamin D anyone? I'd advise going out and getting some, while it lasts. Sue and I went out for a 4 mile race on Saturday morning. It was at a metropark that basically sucks the life out of me, every time I run there. People love it for the hills while I dislike it for the hills. I approached yesterday's race kind of like I do every run at Sharron woods, with dread... So, here is the thing about life in general. I preach that every morning, we wake up and make a choice. Our choice is to decide whether we are going to have a good or bad day. I would say 9 times out of 10, I make the choice that my day will be great. Well, OK, let's be honest here, once I come out of my morning fog, I make that decision. BUT, life may have very different plans for me. Again, I have to make another choice. Do I let the flat tire, bum breaks, long grocery store line, fall down ...

I know I use these pictures ALL the time, but they are perfect for this post!!! I found myself watching a documentary about happiness this weekend, called Happy. As I was watching this documentary, it made me reflect pretty significantly on my life and athleticism for so many reasons. I believe I am a very happy person. I have moments of sadness, but who doesn't? The movie confirmed why, although I have my moments, in my core, I am a truly happy person. Although, I think my mom wins the happiness prize!!! I have to admit, as I write this post, I am all 'doped' up on dopamine, from my 11 mile run yesterday and 36 mile bike ride today. Aerobic exercise is the best way to release dopamine. I'm sure you knew that... Anyway, back to the movie. In this movie, I basically relearned what I already knew. First, money and happiness do not have a correlation. Psychologists all agree that basic needs have to be met (food, shelter, etc.) to live with true happiness, but t...

What does my training plan look like for the summer? Quite frankly, it is terrifying... I thought training for the half iron man was tough, and it was, but I would say this schedule rivals the half marathon schedule I followed. Why you might ask? I'm only training for a 175 mile 2 day bike ride, right? Wrong... Sure, the bike ride is the highlight of the summer events, and what I am focusing most of my energies on, but I also want to stay 10k ready through the summer, and I'm doing the swimming leg of an Olympic distance triathlon with a couple of friends as a relay.  I'm not guaranteeing I'll be able to hit EVERY workout, but I plan to try! I have been accused of not sharing the training schedule with my friend/training buddy because I don't want her to see what she signed up for, and there might be some truth to that, but I'll tell you what, we are going to feel so accomplished at the end of this summer! You might ask, what is truly in a training sche...

So, people have asked me why I bother with this whole athletic thing! I sometimes wonder that myself especially when considering this: 1) Being athletic is NOT cheap. If you are a runner, you need a good pair of running shoes (unless you are a barefoot runner), insoles (if you have my feet), good socks, the right clothing, a good sports bra and nutrition if you are running long distances. And then there are the races, oh the cost of races! I have a rule, I will not pay more than 10 dollars per mile for a race... If you are a cyclist, there is the bike, bike clothes and shoes, helmet, nutrition, cost of rides, tubes, tools, and so on. Then swimming? Oh boy, the swim suit, gym membership, locks for your locker, towel, goggles. My guess is that my athletic wardrobe alone is worth a couple thousand dollars, and then the bikes and swim suits. It makes me want to get sick when I think about all of the money that went into this hobby... 2) Your heart only has so many beats. This is one o...