"Publish Post" in 4,3,2,1

Dear Blogger World, I have decided on my next fitness goal! I will be running in the 2010 Southeastern Colorado Race for the Cure 5k on September 12th at Garden of the Gods. I am so excited to commit to this new goal and start working towards it. This will be my workout schedule for the next 4 weeks starting on Monday.

Week 1 [August 16- August 22] Workout at least 3 days Week 2 [August 23- August 29] Workout at least 4 days Week 3 [August 30- September 5] Workout at least 5 days Week 4 [September 6- September 12] Workout 3 days of race week

Initially I wanted to take August off and enjoy the rest of the summer. But once I found out there was another race taking place at the Garden of the Gods I knew I had to do it. In my very new and early stages of my running career the Garden of the Gods is #1 on my Favorite Courses. I love the challenge of running up the hills and then the ecstasy of running down. I also enjoy the undeniably beautiful scenery and the welcome distraction it offers. Plus The Cure is a great cause to support. For for information CLICK HERE. 

As soon as I hit "Publish Post" there is no backing out... So here's to smooth sailing until Monday, August 16th! 

AND NOW I'M COMMITTED.

Into the Wilderness

This past weekend Preston and I went camping behind the Peak with some friends and our dogs. Camping has surprisingly become one of our favorite weekend activities. [Harley enjoying the ride.] I didn't figure out what my next workout goal should be, but I did go on a little run with the dogs while in the woods. I was surprised at how much harder it was to run in the higher altitude. I was panting and breathless for most of the run. Preston, Danielle and I went into Cripple Creek Friday night and played craps for a couple of hours. Poor Preston somehow forgot his wallet and had to sit out for awhile until the dealers forgot that they hadn't carded him. He sneaked in and ended up winning the most money out of all of us. Yes in case you are wondering, I wore the same cloths the entire camping trip and I have no idea why. [Check out my iPhoto-shopping abilities! Can you tell the difference?] On day two, we were informed by the Park Ranger that we were camping on a non-designated camping area. Even thought the Park Ranger clearly enjoyed the power he held over us, we all somehow walked away without multiple $450 fines. [Augusta wanting to run and play with (or annoy and jump on) the other dogs.]

What Next

I have been obsessively thinking about this question every waking second of every day since the Triathlon. I am frustrated that I still have not found the answer...

I know and feel like I am in great shape and I am worried that if I don't write "on paper, on purpose" another fitness goal it might all slip away. I also know that the last thing I want to do is get burnt out (this is sounding more and more like an excuse than a reason).

So do I start a structured Beachbody workout program like Insanity, ChaLEAN Extreme or Turbo Fire or train for a couple of 5ks coming up (Race for the Cure at Garden of the Gods on September 12th and The Great Pumpkin Race at Venetucci Farms on October 2nd) or set my goals even higher and do another triathlon this year...?

Hello Indecisiveness!

My worst fear is making the wrong decision which is stupid, I know, because the decision that I make will only affect me and probably Preston (but he is so easy going I don't have to worry about that). Will someone just PLEASE tell me what I should do!!!!!!

Here are some other hobbies I would like to find time for (I think...)

1. Photography Class (found one that starts September 16 and runs until November 4th. Mind you this involves buying a camera.)

2. Finish Scrap booking our wedding

3. Read, read, read

4. Knit a couple of wash cloths

5. Work on decorating the house to give it more of a homey feeling

6. Go boating/camping as much as possible before the season is over

7. Get the house clean, clean, clean

8. Drink and fall in love with wine

Okay honestly my To Do Hobby List isn't all that time consuming. I just need to find balance between working out and doing other fun things.

Maybe I will find some answers in the wilderness this weekend or... feel free to tell me what I should do in the comment box below.

Funny Story

Here is a funny story for ya. Everyone who came to watch Ashley and I compete in the Tri for the Cure were convinced that I did not compete in the bike portion of the race. My mom actually had Preston call my cell phone to see if I was having problems at the transition area. Most everyone saw me come out of the water, but never saw me run by with my bike. Not only did they not see me start the bike portion of the race, but they also did not see me get off my bike. They were very surprised and relieved when they saw me starting the run with Ashley.

HERE IS PROOF THAT I DID IN FACT RIDE MY BIKE!

A Little Office Competition

I was so nervous for this morning I woke up at 6am barley able to stay in bed and sleep. Today is Wednesday... weight-in day. At work a couple of us gals started a little office weight loss competition. We each set a goal of how much we each wanted to lose in 5 weeks, put some money in the pot and weigh-in every Wednesday. To add a little excitement to the game we decided that at each weigh-in you must be equal or less in weight than your previous weigh-in. If you are over you pay $5 into the pot. At the end of the 5 weeks whoever reaches their goal wins the money. Monday morning I was up 1.4lbs from my previous weigh-in. By Tuesday I had lost 2.4lbs and this morning I was down a total of 3lbs from Monday! How in the world did I do this? I have no idea! Here is what I ate Monday and Tuesday.


MONDAY
- Banana Chocolate Shakeology and cup of Coffee for Breakfast
- Water, Luna Bar for Snack
- Famous Dave's with Preston for Lunch (Pulled Pork NO Bun, Green Beans, Iced Tea)
- Gum, Grapes for Snack
- Banana Chocolate Shakeology for Dinner
- McDonald's Banana Strawberry Smoothie for Snack

TUESDAY
- Banana Chocolate Shakeology and cup of Coffee for Breakfast
- Subway Veggie Sandwich, Bakes Lays and Diet Coke for Lunch
- Luna Bar for Snack Gum Couple pieces of Milk Chocolate (couldn't resist)
- Whole Wheat Pasta with Veggies and Spaghetti Sauce for Dinner
- Mixed Nuts (NO Salt) for Snack A couple bites of Preston's Graham Crackers with Chocolate goodness to stay sane
- Luna Bar for Snack


Shakeology is my "go to" meal replacement drink. I can always count on Shakeology to satisfy my chocolate fix and fill me up. Luna Bars and gum are what I rely on to keep me away from candy bars and other crap that can be found in my office in between meals. For example, just a couple of cubes outside of my office is this GINORMOUS glass jar filled with all types of candy including the my favorite M&M's. Next Wednesday I have to be equal to or less than 132.4lbs. Week by week this competition is getting harder!

This weekend we are going camping near Cripple Creek. I love this camping site (I should probably say I have only camped here once before). We are always in great company and our dogs love to roam free. I am a little worried about my diet, but as long as I can stay away from the Oreos I think I will do fine. Did you know that Preston and I absolutely despised camping until this summer? I can't really put my finger on what changed, but it is by far possibly the very best way to spend a weekend besides boating of course. It's kinda like a mini vacation.

A Refreshed Outlook on Life

I am not sure how to explain this, but I seem to have a new outlook. It's like I hit the refresh button on life. I think accomplishing something as big as the triathlon made me believe I can do anything I set my mind to. I know this is cliche, but it's true. As a result, I decided to change the theme and layout of my blog a bit. I want to make it about me; not just a blog about my fitness goals and Beachbody products (don't get me wrong I still think they are amazing). I want to be able to write about my flavor of the month obsession. I don't want to be pigeonholed into feeling like I can only write about one topic. Who knows, this new blog might be the current flavor of the month. You see, the thing about me is I change passions and hobbies like panties. Some months I obsess about working out and dieting and other months I spend all of my time reading, decorating the house and even cleaning. In order to stick with something I usually have to rely on the people around me to keep me interested and accountable. Kinda sad, but all too true. Just ask Ashley!!

So what's the newest flavor of the month since I no longer have to spend every waking second training for a triathlon? Right now it's reading. I am obsessed with The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Yes, I am aware that these books are classified as teen fiction. But OMG the plot is captivating. In fact right now I am a little sad that I am blogging instead of reading. I have also been wanting to look into photography. Maybe take a class or something. I am still pondering this one. I wonder if picture taking requires mad skills or if it is something that can be learned. I am hoping to find a killer deal on Craigs List for a new camera. The ironic part is Preston and I are always the last ones to take a picture of anything! We never have a camera with us!!! Anyways, here's to a refreshed outlook on life!

I AM A TRIATHLETE

Sunday was the triathlon that Ashley and I have been training for, for 7 long grueling months. This is the race that motivated us to many firsts. We started and completed P90X. We learned that we could actually run 1 mile and even competed in multiple 5k races around Colorado Springs. Ashley learned to swim 1/2 mile without stopping or feeling like she was going to drown. We bought road bikes and learned how to change a flat tire. Ashley committed to eating healthy from day 1 and lost around 13-15 pounds. We become strong enough to do doubles: swim and then bike or bike and then run. Since January we put training for this triathlon top priority over everything else in our lives.

WITHOUT A DOUBT, IT WAS WORTH IT! 

Tri for the Cure is a "swim, bike and run to benefit the Denver Metropolitan Affiliate for Susan G. Komen for the Cure and to end breast cancer forever." So much effort went into the race to make all of the women of different shapes and sizes and of different athletic abilities feel and believe that they could finish the race. An overwhelming number of volunteers, friends and family supported and rooted for each and everyone of us along the course. Because of the support and the great cause that this race benefits, I will most definitely participate in this event again next year. If you are thinking about doing a triathlon this is the perfect race for a beginner.

Ashley and I entered the race as Buddies, which meant we were guaranteed to be in the same heat. We got to Cherry Creek Reservoir around 5:30am, scoped out the perfect transition spot and set-up camp. The transition spot is very important. This is your home away from home where you run to and from multiple times. We were lucky to be on the outer rail only 3 bike racks down from the port-a-potties. Our transition area looked like this (thanks Dan for all of the great tips): our bike was on the rack facing in the direction of the bike start. On our bikes we had our water bottle and pouch with our tire changing tools. We taped an opened package of Shock Blocks near the handle bars. We had our bike/run shirt with our number already pinned on draped over the handle bars and our bike helmet and sunglasses ready. On the ground lay our hand towel with another water bottle to wash off our feet and a larger towel to dry them with. Our socks were rolled up ready to be put on. We put the no-tie shoelaces in our shoes so we didn't have to worry about tying them. We had our running hat and gum ready for the run. We also left flip flops near the exit of the swimming area to put on to make the run back to our bikes easier. I was very pleased with the layout of the transition area and the ease of it all. What added time to the transition was the distance from the transition area to the next timing chip mat at the start of the bike and run course. Because we were in the Buddie category we were the last heat to go out so we had about 1 1/2 hours to wait. We were able to watch the other heats go first and see what they did. But it also added to the anticipation and nervousness of it all. For those of you who know Ashley and I know that we are best friends and very close. We hold hands when we get scared and cling onto each other for support. We have always had this close relationship and I am very lucky to have a best friend that is truly like a sister. As you can imagine we were extremely nervous in the holding area waiting for our heat to enter the swim. We were holding hands and one girl said to another, "see I told you some of them would be here." This made Ashley and I laugh out loud! [Ashley and I waiting to enter the water] [Starting the swim]

  Anyways, they finally called our heat and we stepped into the water waiting for the horn to go off. We took the outer edge hoping to get away from the mass. For the most part it worked. But everyone seemed to stop at all 3 of the buoys. This was the most difficult area to navigate around. My goggles didn't help either. They fogged up and for the most part I couldn't see my surroundings very well. I should have listened to Ashley and got the slightly larger triathlon specific ones. Other than that the swim went pretty well. I finished it in 18:26.
[Me putting on my flip flops] 

I then ran out of the water put on my flip flops, took off my cap and goggles and ran to my transition area. I put on my shirt, helmet, sunglasses and grabbed my bike and ran. The hard part is you have to run your bike to the bike entrance which adds extra time to your transition time. the bike course was actually not that bad. There was really only one big hill. I was very grateful to be on a road bike. It allowed me to speed past so many people. I was a little worried about making sure I had enough legs left for the run. If I could go back and do it all over again I would push myself a little harder in this event. I think I had a little more in me. I finished the bike in 41:27. I jumped off my bike and ran it back to my home away from home. I put on my hat and Ashley was right there behind me ready to go. We jogged to the run start and took off. Our legs felt like concrete, but we pushed ourselves the entire way. We didn't stop once to walk. The way up the damn was slightly uphill. Obviously the best part was the way down and I even had some kick left in the end. The run was grueling, but thinking back I really don't remember it being that bad! I finished the run in 30:21 with a pace of 9:47.
[Ashley and I after the race]  

My overall time was 1:39:01!!

Before the race day, I questioned if I would become addicted to triathlons like so many claim to become after their first. A day later, I now see why. I have thought about the race many, many times. The memories I have is not how hard the swim was or how my legs felt like concrete in the run, but how much fun it was. I truly had a great time and it felt great to accomplish something as big as this.

I am proud to say that I am a triathlete!