Venting on Renting

My body is for rent for 40 weeks. And when that lease is up, I will get it back because I want to. Not because it will be easy or because I expect it but because I WILL WANT IT BACK that bad. ~ Elizabeth Waterstraat

These words resonate. I'm not talking a lean, fit body. I'm simply saying my OWN body. As in, a cute little boy on the outside, maybe even on daddy's knee, rather than on mommy's bladder. We can't wait to meet Matty. Good thing is that now we don't have to. He's 2 weeks from his scheduled cannonball into the world - staying breech, dancing a jig on various pelvic organs...

I'd abandoned this blog because I started a "real" wordpress blog on my own homepage. That had gone by the wayside as well. Business got busy, life got hectic. But, I want to write. I need to write. My stuff, not just TriTactics triathlon and nutrition tidbits. Posts create themselves in my head, but I don't make the time to put them to "paper". Therefore, here I am. Elizabeth Waterstraat's blog has inspired me to do a few things, not the least of which is to just hang it out there. Hopefully some of my roller coaster will help another, as her words helped me. I have so much to be grateful for, from my ability to be a doctor, to our upcoming family addition.

My last post here was New Year's Day 2012. Last year was a year of ups (getting pregnant in January) and downs (getting un-pregnant in March), and ups (Ironman Texas in May), and more ups (getting pregnant again in September). This year, the ups continued (opening a new business, my cortisol level, my "baby" weight). I did a Whole30 in April - LOVED that, and finally got my nausea under control. Then, there are things that happen and I have no idea if they're ups or downs. The first of which was realizing that the new business we started with 4 other partners, wasn't being run to its potential and it would be better served under new ownership and especially new management. This came to fruition in April, and the development? Definitely UP. I went from working two full time jobs to 1.5 in April, and then in May, back to one job (!!!! holy free time - to sleep, I AM pregnant, after all), and the business, which we stay involved with, is much more streamlined.

Then, this past weekend, The Woodlands was again host to Ironman Texas. Mostly an "up" - getting to see friends like Hailey, Jozsef & Lucy, and to watch our athletes KICK BUTT on the course! Sort of a "down". It was so very hard to not race - worse because I am not doing anything. This is partly because I am not motivated enough after the workload earlier, and partly because I have had a lot of pelvic dysfunction since week 10 or so due to "pregnasty" (thanks Meghan!) hormones. I feel like I have shin splints in the front of my pelvis every time I step. I can feel my SI joints open up in the back. I get tired of hurting, so my activity level is nil. Lifting requires pelvic stabilization - not happening. Swimming feels really crappy - before you suggest it ;-) So, at this point, 2 weeks out, I am crawling out of my skin. Ok, so the boy is too! He's fidgety. Reminds me of someone I know... But now the "up": Ironman weekend came with such mixed emotions that I was shown something invaluable. Somewhere along the line I became an athlete. I crossed a finish line, and there's no going back. I tried. I ate out of stress (with the business), cravings (can you say 14 weeks of grilled cheese???), and then because I was bummed - after running the Disney Half Marathon in January, I stopped running because the pain got too bad. I miss running. I miss my bike. I miss my toes!

So, as one of our athletes, Richard, said this weekend, I drew some lines in the sand. I committed to a few races, some larger than others. Because I can't wait to give Matty a good example, and let him see the real me! There's so much fun to be had!!! And, as my dad said "hey, the break doesn't last forever."

Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose. ~ Lyndon B. Johnson

Confessions of a Midnight Runner

Your present circumstances don't determine where you go; they merely determine where you start. ~ Nido Qubein

Perhaps this post should be entitled "confessions of a midnight writer". "Today" is January 1st, 2012. Technically after midnight, but I was on a night shift last night, so to me, it's still the day. THE DAY. The day of new beginnings, that just happen to be better than any other beginning I've had. I ran 18 miles today. Sunday always seems like a good day to do a long run, however I usually have trouble after coming off night shifts. But today, I slept a lot, woke up rested, and ran. Stopped in the middle for fueling and social time :-) but otherwise had a not-so-fast long run. My legs ached around mile 15, but it subsided with fueling, and I finished up fine. I wore a lot of lighted gear, with new batteries, and wasn't afraid a bit, even though 14 miles was in the dark. I am quite happy with the decision to run today, and the run itself. 

This blog isn't so much of an inspiration for others, but more of an outlet and perhaps to inspire myself. To write. To throw words out there. I don't know, maybe someone will catch it and say "wow, that's just what I needed to get off the couch" or the ledge, or some such thing. 

Here is to an amazing day, and an amazing start to 2012!

Quiet Strength

Much like how I am on Twitter, this blog isn't advertised much. It's hidden. It was born of a need to express some feelings, to build strength toward this Ironman in a few short weeks. This weekend is the Galveston 70.3 (half iron distance), which will be a practice for fueling and pacing for Ironman. It'll be really fun. Last year it was a great race and things are infinitely better this year!!! Oh, I am feeling a bit "carby" these days, though, so it's taking some dietary restructuring to clean myself up a bit.

Thanks for sharing my journey. May I help you along yours as well :-)


The journey between what you once were and who you are now becoming is where the dance of life really takes place. ~ Barbara DeAngelis 

Today

To be honest, I'd forgotten I had this blog; found it when I sat down to start another one, for an endeavor suggested to me by someone I care about a great deal, who knows my passion. I started this blog while I was training for Ironman Arizona last November (which was a fabulous success, by the way), and the last post was 6 months ago. A lot has changed in the last 6 months. A lot has been built in a relatively short time, including our home :-)

Currently, I train for the inaugural Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas to be held 2 months from now a mere 5k from home. My goal is to make it my most fun Ironman yet! That includes the training - although it is hard, it is not meant to be miserable. Well, maybe it is, lol, but I refuse to let it. For example, my 11 mile run today was a bit short of my intended distance, but it was a fantastic time! That is worth it. Plus, I felt like I could go for much longer.

And now I get to walk our goofy dog!

I love to use quotes, to stand on the shoulders of giants, as it were, as we build a great life. There are so many good things coming down the pike... Here is your inspiration for today:

Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it. ~ Julia Child

Hmmmm.....It just might be all about me

Nah, not really. But a lot has changed since my last blog post. Everything and nothing. Like a stately palm tree next to the ocean, a storm blew in and I am still standing. Today was a really good day to be me. There are more than a few people I wouldn't want to be today. I handled some adversity with more conviction than I thought I would ever have. To me, that is a victory. I was looking for a quote that says that life is mostly how we react to what happens to us, but found this one and it is extremely appropriate:


“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations." ~Charles Swindoll

Standing for Yourself

"The woman I was yesterday, introduced me to the woman I am today; which makes me very excited about meeting the woman I will become tomorrow. " ~Poetic Evolution

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If I can impart one thing in the young females I meet, it is this: You matter. You are a strong, capable, loving, caring, hard, soft woman-in-the-making. Even the seventy year-olds are still works in progress. We all are. But that does not mean that we are not good right now.

It is not just acceptable to believe in yourself, it is necessary. Believe in your innate goodness. The men, women, and children who choose to stand at your side will not hold on or tug at you. They will be there to bask in your warmth and light.

Come on, it's time to shine!

What's in a name?

Thanks to the boys at IMTalk, I have a new nickname, The Iron Warrior, "as in Xena, warrior princess" per Bevan. I decided to use that in a couple of ways, one of which is to remind myself of my own strength, and the other is to switch over to this site for a new blog. Take a look at John & Bevan's site - the new website is AWESOME!!!!! Be sure to listen to the podcasts, too. If you're new, there is plenty to catch up on.

IMTalk Podcast

The Iron Warrior, to me, symbolizes some things in my life. Triathlon is only a part of that. The strength I need to go outside my comfort zone, emotionally, physically, and relationally some days seems larger than life. But it isn't. And I vow to do just that, go beyond, into discomfort, into beauty, to create the life I envision.

Come along for the journey...