I got a very wonderful surprise this weekend. I was named Athlete on the Month for March!
When I started working out with John the Trainer oh so long ago my main goal was to run again. Since I ran the 10K a week ago I accomplished my goal. So they named me Athlete of the Month.
You don't know what an honor this is for me. I have seen the accomplishments of the people that have had this title in the past and they are doing a whole lot more than me. But then I thought about it and realized that I have come a long way. A year ago I could barely walk and running was completely out of the question. But here I am and I learned how to ski, went back to Yoga, ran a 10K and am planning a half marathon and a 3-day bike race.
So hooray to me. The GrassIron Athlete of the Month - March 2011. Woohoo!!!!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Cap10K 2011
We did it!!!!
TBO and I ran the Cap10K in Austin. It was an awesome day! The weather was perfect. Cool and overcast.
We ran faster than we thought by about 10 minutes. So overall we are declaring victory.
This whole race day was one big adventure. The first adventure was riding the bus. We decided to ride the bus instead of trying to park downtown. This was TBO's first bus ride. I had ridden a couple of weeks before. We figured out the best route to get us as close as possible that didn't require a transfer.
We got to the bus stop early and the ride was perfect. Other than TBO not letting the blind man sit down. LOL it wasn't completely her fault but it was funny.
Got downtown with enough time to stand in line for the potty ran.
We find our place in line. Way, way back in line. We are in the last group way in the back. And now we wait. And wait, and wait, and wait. They started the race and we didn't even move. They announced we were 10 minutes into the race and we still hadn't moved. The race had been going for 26 minutes before we got to the starting line. The winners were almost done before we started.
Everything was slow going when we got started. We got into a groove about .5 mile in. The rolling hills started at mile 1. Then we hit a great down hill stretch on San Jacinto. I decide to let it rip and let gravity pull me down the hill as fast as it wanted. For a little while it was kind of like flying. Poor TBO, she had a time keeping up with me. It was great. I got a chance to stretch out my hamstrings gliding down the hill.
We weaved around to Proud Mary Hill. It's really 15th but will always be considered Proud Mary to me and TBO. This time we were on the down hill side of Proud Mary.
What goes down must come up. The next piece was a rolling uphill and then a good piece straight up. Uphill is always hard but we made it through.
We crossed around Lake Austin Blvd and past Austin High School. At this point it was basically alll over except the shouting. We crossed the bridge and ran to the finish.
We made it through with no real injuries. There were moments when my calves were a little tight and I felt my hips a bit right at the end of the race.
All in all it was the best race ever.
Now a brief moment to recognize my sponsor. Thanks so much John the Trainer for keeping me whole while believing in me enough to help me follow my dreams. We should talk. I already committed to running the Flying Pig half in 2012!
Here is the link to our race route. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/75706263
TBO and I about half way into the race. Yes we stopped and took a picture.
After the race we had to get back to the car. That's when the real adventure started. It's a story for another day. The good news is we finally made it back to the cars. The we were off to the best lunch ever.
TBO and I ran the Cap10K in Austin. It was an awesome day! The weather was perfect. Cool and overcast.
We ran faster than we thought by about 10 minutes. So overall we are declaring victory.
This whole race day was one big adventure. The first adventure was riding the bus. We decided to ride the bus instead of trying to park downtown. This was TBO's first bus ride. I had ridden a couple of weeks before. We figured out the best route to get us as close as possible that didn't require a transfer.
We got to the bus stop early and the ride was perfect. Other than TBO not letting the blind man sit down. LOL it wasn't completely her fault but it was funny.
Got downtown with enough time to stand in line for the potty ran.
We find our place in line. Way, way back in line. We are in the last group way in the back. And now we wait. And wait, and wait, and wait. They started the race and we didn't even move. They announced we were 10 minutes into the race and we still hadn't moved. The race had been going for 26 minutes before we got to the starting line. The winners were almost done before we started.
Everything was slow going when we got started. We got into a groove about .5 mile in. The rolling hills started at mile 1. Then we hit a great down hill stretch on San Jacinto. I decide to let it rip and let gravity pull me down the hill as fast as it wanted. For a little while it was kind of like flying. Poor TBO, she had a time keeping up with me. It was great. I got a chance to stretch out my hamstrings gliding down the hill.
We weaved around to Proud Mary Hill. It's really 15th but will always be considered Proud Mary to me and TBO. This time we were on the down hill side of Proud Mary.
What goes down must come up. The next piece was a rolling uphill and then a good piece straight up. Uphill is always hard but we made it through.
We crossed around Lake Austin Blvd and past Austin High School. At this point it was basically alll over except the shouting. We crossed the bridge and ran to the finish.
We made it through with no real injuries. There were moments when my calves were a little tight and I felt my hips a bit right at the end of the race.
All in all it was the best race ever.
Now a brief moment to recognize my sponsor. Thanks so much John the Trainer for keeping me whole while believing in me enough to help me follow my dreams. We should talk. I already committed to running the Flying Pig half in 2012!
Here is the link to our race route. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/75706263
After the race we had to get back to the car. That's when the real adventure started. It's a story for another day. The good news is we finally made it back to the cars. The we were off to the best lunch ever.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Countdown to Sunday.....Cap10K here I come!
The race is next Sunday. With all my travel I had a sketchy 3 week workout period in Feb. But I rallied a few weeks ago so I think the race should go OK.
I did my finally long run yesterday. Ran 6.1 miles of hills and it hurt. Actually it wasn't too too bad but the last 2 miles weren't much fun either. I worked real hard to keep my form and I think for the most part I was able to keep it pretty well.
After the run I soaked in the very cold pool. It was really cold to start but I got used to it. I distracted myself by calling my long lost cousin. Technically she knew were she was so she wasn't lost but I hadn't talked to her in about 12 years. I saw her at a conference in Orlando. Imagine my surprise to see my cousin coming up to the booth while I was doing booth duty. It was surreal. But anyway, I talked to her and that distracted the pain from the cold.
I'm looking forward to the race. This will he the first time I've run with TBO in over a month, Between my travel and Spring Break we have been missing each other. I hope she has kept up with her running.
This will be a pretty quiet week. I'm running a light run on Tuesday and stretching most of the week. I might take a Yoga class but nothing strenuous as I wait for race day.
It should be a lot of fun. My time will be pretty slow but I'm determined to have a good time and not worry about the rest of it.
I did my finally long run yesterday. Ran 6.1 miles of hills and it hurt. Actually it wasn't too too bad but the last 2 miles weren't much fun either. I worked real hard to keep my form and I think for the most part I was able to keep it pretty well.
After the run I soaked in the very cold pool. It was really cold to start but I got used to it. I distracted myself by calling my long lost cousin. Technically she knew were she was so she wasn't lost but I hadn't talked to her in about 12 years. I saw her at a conference in Orlando. Imagine my surprise to see my cousin coming up to the booth while I was doing booth duty. It was surreal. But anyway, I talked to her and that distracted the pain from the cold.
I'm looking forward to the race. This will he the first time I've run with TBO in over a month, Between my travel and Spring Break we have been missing each other. I hope she has kept up with her running.
This will be a pretty quiet week. I'm running a light run on Tuesday and stretching most of the week. I might take a Yoga class but nothing strenuous as I wait for race day.
It should be a lot of fun. My time will be pretty slow but I'm determined to have a good time and not worry about the rest of it.
Friday, December 10, 2010
I am a Skier.
Today is Day 6. This has been a crazy week.
Days 2 & 3 were spent in Ski School. We rode the magic carpet and learned how to turn and the pizza wedge. We left the bowl and went up Chickadee. It's not bad for a bunny slope. Supposedly the steepest beginner slope in the nation. I was doing well with the turns but I didn't have any control. So I picked up speed a lot because my traverse was more of a downhill than an angle. I'm directionally challenged sometimes. I knew it was going to get me in trouble at some point.
After lunch I was doing great, my other 2 classmates got spooked or something. When we got back all of a sudden they couldn't do anything. They couldn't turn correctly, they were afraid of falling and of course all they did was fall. We regrouped on Day 3 and for the most part they figured turning out and stopped freaking out over the lose of control feelings they were having. I was getting bored but there were some things for me to work on. Boy did I ever find that out.
Day 4. This was a day of setbacks.
I had to give the Ski School equipment back and rent other stuff. The change in equipment was screwing with my confidence a bit. Then I couldn't get the feel going in the boots I had. I struggled down Chickadee a few times and nothing was working. I couldn't get a grip (literally) and was completely out of control. Ended up in powder a couple of times. Once it slowed me down enough to stop. The other I fell down because I still couldn't stop. I got the boots adjusted but that still didn't help. After about 2.5 hours of just fighting to hang on and not having any fun at all I gave up and called it a day. Decided it was better to punt while I was ahead because the way I was going I was definitely going to kill myself.
Day 5. Thanks God for Day 5.
I regrouped, got different boots and took an afternoon lesson. I was fortunate enough to get the same instructor that taught me the in the first place. As I explained my dilemma from the day before, he stopped me and told me Don't worry about about it,I know what you can do and you can do this. So we started up Chickadee once more. After he checked my boots of course.
This day was so much better. I found the flex I needed and we went to work on building my confidence. By the end of the day, I was in much better control and could follow him through almost any turn. There were a few times that I had to bail but I was able to find my balance and get back into the groove.
Supposedly, I am now ready for another trail. More on that later.
Days 2 & 3 were spent in Ski School. We rode the magic carpet and learned how to turn and the pizza wedge. We left the bowl and went up Chickadee. It's not bad for a bunny slope. Supposedly the steepest beginner slope in the nation. I was doing well with the turns but I didn't have any control. So I picked up speed a lot because my traverse was more of a downhill than an angle. I'm directionally challenged sometimes. I knew it was going to get me in trouble at some point.
After lunch I was doing great, my other 2 classmates got spooked or something. When we got back all of a sudden they couldn't do anything. They couldn't turn correctly, they were afraid of falling and of course all they did was fall. We regrouped on Day 3 and for the most part they figured turning out and stopped freaking out over the lose of control feelings they were having. I was getting bored but there were some things for me to work on. Boy did I ever find that out.
Day 4. This was a day of setbacks.
I had to give the Ski School equipment back and rent other stuff. The change in equipment was screwing with my confidence a bit. Then I couldn't get the feel going in the boots I had. I struggled down Chickadee a few times and nothing was working. I couldn't get a grip (literally) and was completely out of control. Ended up in powder a couple of times. Once it slowed me down enough to stop. The other I fell down because I still couldn't stop. I got the boots adjusted but that still didn't help. After about 2.5 hours of just fighting to hang on and not having any fun at all I gave up and called it a day. Decided it was better to punt while I was ahead because the way I was going I was definitely going to kill myself.
Day 5. Thanks God for Day 5.
I regrouped, got different boots and took an afternoon lesson. I was fortunate enough to get the same instructor that taught me the in the first place. As I explained my dilemma from the day before, he stopped me and told me Don't worry about about it,I know what you can do and you can do this. So we started up Chickadee once more. After he checked my boots of course.
This day was so much better. I found the flex I needed and we went to work on building my confidence. By the end of the day, I was in much better control and could follow him through almost any turn. There were a few times that I had to bail but I was able to find my balance and get back into the groove.
Supposedly, I am now ready for another trail. More on that later.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Skiing - Day 1
Before I get started I have to send a shout out to John the Trainer. Dude thank you so much for the months of strange exercises you put me through so that I would be "ready" for skiing. Without you my body would not of held up at all. Thanks so much for encouraging and supporting me through all of my adventures.
So I decided to go skiing. You might as well say this was my first time. The last time I tried to ski was 25 years ago.
This woman I know was going and she needed a roommate and I guess I needed something to look forward to so I told her if John the Trainer said it was OK I'd go. When I asked him I was half expecting him to so look at me and ask me if I lost my mind. It hadn't been that long since he told me I could try to play tennis. But no all he said was he was going to have fun getting my body ready for skiing.
Little did I know what was really in store for me. John the trainer had me doing a lot of squats and balancing exercises. Then there were the Hip Airplanes. Basically you balance on one leg, kind of lay yourself flat like you are trying to fly while still balancing on one leg and rotate your hip to move your body open and closed. OUCH.
Well now I so understand the benefits of moving your lower body while keeping the upper body stable.
I am in Snowbird, Utah and there is snow everywhere. It's the first day of "Never Ever" class. Never Ever is 3 days of ski instruction for people who have never ever done this before.
You can take skiing or snowboarding lessons. My instructors name is Dwayne and I'm in class with 5 women from Charlotte.
We start in what they call the bowl. It's this isolated area where all of the ski lessons begin. So on the first day they start you out in small groups and take a part of the bowl. There are people everywhere. Skiers ( or want to be skiers) and snow boarders take up space.
We start with the wedge and understanding how to move our weight between the skis. We progress to trying to walk and then move a bit. You learn that you hate walking in ski boots really early on. Finally you get to the point on sliding down a very small incline. You think you are all that because you went less than 5 feet and you didn't fall down. By the end of day one you have made it to the magic carpet. This is major because it means you don't have to walk up the little hill to slide down. The conveyor belt glides you up the incline. This is suppose to help you with getting off the ski lift (it really doesn't but I get why they try). I'm just happy that I no longer have to walk.
Once we get up the hill we are suppose to be in control and go slowly down the incline. Yeah not so much. I can do the turn thing. I figured out turning before we were taught because I was going to fast and if I didn't do something I was going to mow down a 3 year old. I managed to move out of the way and not fall down thank you very much. The rest of the day was more of the same. Ski school is about 4.5 hours.
By the end of the day I was exhausted but grinning my ass off. It felt like I was rode hard and put up wet. I knew the training was paying off because people in my class were complaining about there legs and hips were hurting really bad. Nothing hurt on me, I was just tired.
Nice shower and stretching and I was oh so ready for a good nap or sleep for a week. The only thing that hurt on me was my shins. All no amount of exercise would have prepared me for that.
This was a great day. Next is Day 2 - The Ski Lift.
So I decided to go skiing. You might as well say this was my first time. The last time I tried to ski was 25 years ago.
This woman I know was going and she needed a roommate and I guess I needed something to look forward to so I told her if John the Trainer said it was OK I'd go. When I asked him I was half expecting him to so look at me and ask me if I lost my mind. It hadn't been that long since he told me I could try to play tennis. But no all he said was he was going to have fun getting my body ready for skiing.
Little did I know what was really in store for me. John the trainer had me doing a lot of squats and balancing exercises. Then there were the Hip Airplanes. Basically you balance on one leg, kind of lay yourself flat like you are trying to fly while still balancing on one leg and rotate your hip to move your body open and closed. OUCH.
Well now I so understand the benefits of moving your lower body while keeping the upper body stable.
I am in Snowbird, Utah and there is snow everywhere. It's the first day of "Never Ever" class. Never Ever is 3 days of ski instruction for people who have never ever done this before.
You can take skiing or snowboarding lessons. My instructors name is Dwayne and I'm in class with 5 women from Charlotte.
We start in what they call the bowl. It's this isolated area where all of the ski lessons begin. So on the first day they start you out in small groups and take a part of the bowl. There are people everywhere. Skiers ( or want to be skiers) and snow boarders take up space.
We start with the wedge and understanding how to move our weight between the skis. We progress to trying to walk and then move a bit. You learn that you hate walking in ski boots really early on. Finally you get to the point on sliding down a very small incline. You think you are all that because you went less than 5 feet and you didn't fall down. By the end of day one you have made it to the magic carpet. This is major because it means you don't have to walk up the little hill to slide down. The conveyor belt glides you up the incline. This is suppose to help you with getting off the ski lift (it really doesn't but I get why they try). I'm just happy that I no longer have to walk.
Once we get up the hill we are suppose to be in control and go slowly down the incline. Yeah not so much. I can do the turn thing. I figured out turning before we were taught because I was going to fast and if I didn't do something I was going to mow down a 3 year old. I managed to move out of the way and not fall down thank you very much. The rest of the day was more of the same. Ski school is about 4.5 hours.
By the end of the day I was exhausted but grinning my ass off. It felt like I was rode hard and put up wet. I knew the training was paying off because people in my class were complaining about there legs and hips were hurting really bad. Nothing hurt on me, I was just tired.
Nice shower and stretching and I was oh so ready for a good nap or sleep for a week. The only thing that hurt on me was my shins. All no amount of exercise would have prepared me for that.
This was a great day. Next is Day 2 - The Ski Lift.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Life goes on, back to exercise
This week has been very eventful so far.
I ran with TBO on Sunday. We went further than the plan said but we were feeling pretty good so we kept going. I know this isn't what I'm suppose to say but since I have already confessed my sins to John the Trainer all is good and I can post it. Ran about 1.5 miles and did about half a mile of rolling hills. All together we went 2.5 miles. I think the time was 43 minutes but I had some watch issues so I'm not sure. User error does happen every now and then.
Monday I had a special treat and took a Yoga class with 60sChild. That was extra special for me. First because I hadn't spent any quality time with her in over 6 months and second because this was my first Yoga class in about 8 or 9 months. It's been a long time.
We had an instructor that I've never had before. Her name was Molly. I like her style a lot and during the corpse pose portion of the class she played a guitar. Corpse portion is the last 15 minutes where you lay like a dead corpse and absorb all that you have done to your body. It's a restorative moment you give yourself for surviving class. The main objective is to not snore if you fall asleep. No this class was pretty mild. Mild is what I needed since it was like starting over. At the beginning of class we discussed what injuries we had and how we were feeling. Molly would then remind you of alignment and suggest alternatives when you did poses that might effect your condition. My knee held up pretty good. I only had problems with Child's Pose. She gave me modifications and that helped a lot. Towards the end we did Bow Pose. You are lying on your stomach and bend your knees, reach behind and grab your ankles. Then pull up your upper body and your lower body all from you center. It's a great stretch for the quads but you have to really listen to your body and not over do it. I didn't pull to far up with the legs since it's been a while. I had forgotten the stretch your body gets from a good Yoga class. I really enjoyed it.
On to Tuesday and time with John the Trainer.
He found a new use for the torture ball - shoulders! Yes I said shoulders. You know that spot in the back just outside of your shoulder blade that dips in a little bit at the joint. Yeah that one. Well stick the torture ball right there and roll around on it. OMG is the only thing I have to say. So after you've numb it to death. Yeah that's the feeling when you hit the right spot, your arm goes numb. You now get to try exercises with it. I say try because some of the stuff hurt so bad and all I was doing was lifting my arms. It's not suppose to hurt when you lift your arms.
It seems there are more areas of my body that have issues. He tells me that he has always wanted to do something with my shoulders but my legs were such a mess he had to wait. Now the wait it over. Lucky me.
If you see me in the next few days and I can't move my arms you will know why.
I ran with TBO on Sunday. We went further than the plan said but we were feeling pretty good so we kept going. I know this isn't what I'm suppose to say but since I have already confessed my sins to John the Trainer all is good and I can post it. Ran about 1.5 miles and did about half a mile of rolling hills. All together we went 2.5 miles. I think the time was 43 minutes but I had some watch issues so I'm not sure. User error does happen every now and then.
Monday I had a special treat and took a Yoga class with 60sChild. That was extra special for me. First because I hadn't spent any quality time with her in over 6 months and second because this was my first Yoga class in about 8 or 9 months. It's been a long time.
We had an instructor that I've never had before. Her name was Molly. I like her style a lot and during the corpse pose portion of the class she played a guitar. Corpse portion is the last 15 minutes where you lay like a dead corpse and absorb all that you have done to your body. It's a restorative moment you give yourself for surviving class. The main objective is to not snore if you fall asleep. No this class was pretty mild. Mild is what I needed since it was like starting over. At the beginning of class we discussed what injuries we had and how we were feeling. Molly would then remind you of alignment and suggest alternatives when you did poses that might effect your condition. My knee held up pretty good. I only had problems with Child's Pose. She gave me modifications and that helped a lot. Towards the end we did Bow Pose. You are lying on your stomach and bend your knees, reach behind and grab your ankles. Then pull up your upper body and your lower body all from you center. It's a great stretch for the quads but you have to really listen to your body and not over do it. I didn't pull to far up with the legs since it's been a while. I had forgotten the stretch your body gets from a good Yoga class. I really enjoyed it.
On to Tuesday and time with John the Trainer.
He found a new use for the torture ball - shoulders! Yes I said shoulders. You know that spot in the back just outside of your shoulder blade that dips in a little bit at the joint. Yeah that one. Well stick the torture ball right there and roll around on it. OMG is the only thing I have to say. So after you've numb it to death. Yeah that's the feeling when you hit the right spot, your arm goes numb. You now get to try exercises with it. I say try because some of the stuff hurt so bad and all I was doing was lifting my arms. It's not suppose to hurt when you lift your arms.
It seems there are more areas of my body that have issues. He tells me that he has always wanted to do something with my shoulders but my legs were such a mess he had to wait. Now the wait it over. Lucky me.
If you see me in the next few days and I can't move my arms you will know why.
...Now for a word from our sponsors
I want to thank all of you for the amazing encouragement you have provided me since I started this journey. This is the time of year to think about all you are thankful for and reflect on the year or years. Last week I had a pretty major birthday and it's got me to thinking.
I have known some of you for short time (like John the Trainer) and known others for more than half my life. Half is starting to become a significant number all be itself (like DC Man who tells me how much he likes my writing). The thing you all share is that I can't imagine my life without you being a part of it. Thanks so much for the friendship and the kind kicks in the butt when I need them.
You guys mean a lot to me. Thanks for being there.
I have known some of you for short time (like John the Trainer) and known others for more than half my life. Half is starting to become a significant number all be itself (like DC Man who tells me how much he likes my writing). The thing you all share is that I can't imagine my life without you being a part of it. Thanks so much for the friendship and the kind kicks in the butt when I need them.
You guys mean a lot to me. Thanks for being there.
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