Happy. Healthy. Heathen.

Today’s event was a nice, leisurely 30 minute jog about the farm.  This is one of my favorite places to run – it has to do with the familiarity,  the ownership, the terrain, having the dogs with me, and the spontanaety of being able to just walk out the door and run.  On the trail today I saw an enormous owl swoop across the TVA easement right over the top of my head – what a thrill.

I want to spend a paragraph in review so that as we do this journey together you will know the background of  my training:

Several years ago with a posse of girlfriends I made a drunken vow that I would celebrate my 50th birthday by completing an Ironman triathlon (at the time I had never done any distance triathlon).  These women have been relentless in holding me to this, so over the past few years I have progressively trained and completed a Sprint distance triathlon, an Olympic distance triathlon, a Long distance triathlon (also known as a Half-Iron), and intend, in the spring of this year, 2010, to compete in an Ironman.  I won’t bore you with the distances of all those races; the full Iron is 2.5 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, 26.2 mile run, and each shorter distance is about half of the one before it.  My 50th birthday is November of 2010, but I don’t like to train in the summer, so I look to choose a race in March, April, or May; that gives me little wiggle room if I hit a glitch and have to compete through the end of the year.

My grown kids are all over the world, quite literally, so my choice of race locations is wide open, as are the shorter distance races I’ll schedule in leading up to Iron.  Tennessee has no Ironman event, so that’s not an option.  You may have read in yesterday’s blog I’d prefer a non-ocean swim, but that’s not written in Sharpie, it’s simply a preference.

My running companions here at the farm are:  Boo, the golden retriever; Nala, her daughter who lives with the college boys who rent a house on the farm; and Uga, the English Bulldog who thinks she’s a golden retriever.  The three of them ran with me today, the golden girls bounding over weeds and through thickets, and Uga, snorting and huffing her way to 3 miles.  It’s not that she’s fat; quite the contrary, she’s very muscular and thick, it’s just that her build leaves a little to be desired for a running physique.  The 4 of us jog merrily over rocks and sticks and roots, up and down hills, through a little mud from this morning’s rain, til 3 of us splash through the pond just before the finish line.  Today I was iPod-free because it was sprinkling when I started out, but I like those runs just as well.

My nutrition is high-protein/low carbohydrate except for long-duration events when I add in a little simple carbohydrate mid-effort.  Over the course of the blogging, I’ll post more about that.  My weight this morning was 152, which is a little high for racing, but I’ll get it down to about 138 to compete.  My training usually consists of: 2 days per week strength training, one day per week each for a run, a swim, and a ride, and one day per week of a two-event effort, which is called a Brick.  (always swimming/riding or riding/running since that’s the sequence of triathlons).

I’ll close today’s entry with my first attempt to answer the question:  Why would I do this?  I’ll spend many hours thinking about that in the days and weeks to come, but here’s the quick response:

I love the training.  I love the planning and scheduling, I love the competing on the way to the goal, I love watching my times improve, or not depending on the day.  I love the companionship of other athletes, and the camaraderie of recounting races and training experiences.  I love pushing my body to its limits and seeing and feeling it respond.  I love the challenge and the distraction when the personal and professional components of my life are awry, unsettled, or frustrating.  I love that my kids and friends are so proud of me.  I love setting an example for other women, of all ages, to set lofty goals and go about accomplishing them.

Ok, that was easier than I thought, but I reserve the right to amend that list as time goes on.

Thank you for following my progress.  It does me good to hear about your goals, projects, dreams, hopes, desires, ambitions; drop me a comment, and most certainly direct me to your blog if you are doing that.

Don’t just seize that carpe; grasp, wrestle, choke, manhandle, and strangle that bad boy until he lies gasping for breath, crying “Uncle, uncle!”

Well, it was bound to come.  Time has a funny way of rolling around. 

Today is September 1.  September 1 is the first day of training for the Ironman.  Oh yeah.

I started off this 210-270 days of training with a wimper.  I had a good strength training session, and attempted a bike ride, but my brother-in-law who is temporarily living with us had already taken it for a spin just when I needed it, so that was a bust.  The strength training session was not out of the ordinary, but it became special because it fell on the first official day of training.

I have not selected my race yet, but I think I’ve defined these parameters: 

Race must be in Mar/Apr/May of 2010.  (50th bday is November 2010, don’t wanna train in summer, so…)

Non-ocean swim.  (see blog of ocean swim, May 2009)

Non-mountainous course.

And I feel the need to issue this caveat:  Ironman Int’l gives you 17 hours in which to complete the race.  I completed all three shorter distance races (Sprint, Olympic, Long/Half) in times which multiplied would allow for that; HOWEVER, I will allow myself an official finish even if it takes longer than that.  My restriction:  it all must be in one effort (no napping, resting, returning the next day, etc).  If you don’t like it, you may comment here, and I will email you privately a very special expression I use for these certain situations.  (Sounds a little like “Muck My Wick”)

I promise that this blog will become more interesting.  I only blogged today because it’s the first official day.  I haven’t written my schedule, picked my race, planned my strategy – all of this will be revealed in time, and this will be the place to find it!

Thanks for beginning this long  journey with me – I’ll need all the support and encouragement I can get!

Wow, kinda weird to be back here…haven’t written since the day after the race.

I’ve had 2 weeks to recover, think, ponder, ruminate, chill, contemplate, and believe you me, that’s all I’ve BEEN doing…

I’m going to issue this disclaimer first and foremost:  I will make the Final Decision on this matter in the fall, after the kids are dispersed to their appropriate places for the next year, and I am more centered and stabilized myself.  Having said that, let me say that I think I have every intention of training for, and competing in, an Ironman Triathlon.  That may seem surprising after having read the Half-Iron blog, but in spite of everything that happened in that event, I’m still driven to attempt the Big One.

I’ve got to do a lot of soul-searching and web-surfing to find just the right race…New Zealand in Jan 2010?  Napa?  Vegas?  The year must be 2010 (the year I turn 50), and I’m seeking a non-ocean race (see Half-Iron blog, non-gill H20 aspiration), and I’m shooting for any possibility of one of the kids being able to be there.  (Again, see Half-Iron blog for Importance of Children Present). 

I will continue to minimally train through the summer, such as it is.  Daughter Amy is participating in her first triathlon a week from Saturday, the sprint Tri in Tullahoma, and I’ll do that one as well.  Then there’s the Olympic in Chattanooga in July, and I think I’ll do Tennessee’s Half-Iron in September (at Oak Ridge…maybe I’ll develop gills in the lake by the nuclear reactor before the swim’s end).  I’d like to Iron by May, since summer is busy with kids, etc., but that may not work…I’ve got all of 2010 to get it done.

I swam, ran, and biked with Amy this past week, as well as strength-trained with Sam (is there anything better than training with your kids?).  We’re headed to California for a week to see her school (Humboldt State University), and we’ll bring our running/swimming gear.  We’ll also swing through Napa and Sonoma counties on the way, and the Redwoods too.  Life is good.

Thanks for reading…I know this has been a long ordeal, and it looks to continue…let me know your own goals, dreams, aspirations, desires, hopes…you inspire me with your journey.   Life is an adventure, and every moment counts (brought to you by Trite Expressions and Accepted Dogma…I’ll do better next time).  Too much Blue Moon at the pizza place to think more deeply than that.

Looking forward breathlessly to the future…..

Back in January, I decided to begin this blog purely to document my training, have a log to refer back to in order to assess the training, and to put down my thoughts about the process.  As time went on, clients and friends expressed such an interest in how it was going, I made the blog public to anyone who wanted to see what training for a Half-Ironman Triathlon involved.  It has become such a source of support and encourage to me when folks comment on, either online or in person, how the training was proceeding.  I feel absolutely compelled to write this post as my feeble attempt to thank those people who have been so enthusiastically supportive of this undertaking.  As any athlete knows, when it’s time for the event, it appears that it’s just you and the ocean, you and the bike, you and the mat, you and the road, you and the mountain, you and the hoop; but the reality of it is, it’s an accumulation of all of those people who have lifted you up, told you You Could Do It, told you how proud they were of you.  I contend that there is no way I would have or could have done this thing without the love and support of so many people.  Words are weak for expressing this, and when I see you in person, I’ll try to tell you again.

Clients:  thank to each of you for your interest in, and kind words about, this journey I’m on.  I know you come to me to have your kinks and knots worked out, and when you take the time to ask questions about my progress, and to offer words of encouragement, it makes me again realize what a special group of clients I have.  You inspire me with the stories of your own lives, your efforts to function at your optimal best in spite of aches, pains, injuries, surgeries, and setbacks.

My staff:  thank you to the best group of massage therapists EVER.  You girls lift my spirits every time I see you with your smiles and compassion and concern, for not only me, but for each of your clients and each other.  You make me and the business look so good, and you do it with such grace and patience, even when your boss FORGETS TO PAY YOU when she leaves town!

Posse from MBI:  You have no idea how often I think of you and our time together in Massage Therapy school.  You are my sisters and I love you so much.  You give me a place to gripe and complain, share concerns about work/clients/life and I miss our daily contact.  I’m never drinking too much with you again, because the last time I did, I made this silly vow about  “doing an Ironman the year I turn 50”.

Posse from MAC:  I work in an environment where, with the exception of the gym manager and a couple of the trainers, I could age-wise be the mother of every person on staff.  You are a joy to work with – the trials and lives of my twenty-somethings delight, inspire, frustrate, uplift, and tickle me.  I love your spirit and energy, I love your drive and drama, I love your egocentricity and generosity.  You make it a pleasure to come to work, and you keep me laughing and entertained.  Thank you for every smile and sweet gesture you send my way.

Friends:  To every person who ever posted a comment on the blog, posted on my Facebook wall, texted me, left me a voicemail, THANK YOU for your precious words of encouragement and support.  On the long 9.5 hours of this event, I reviewed in my mind every single word that I had read and heard, I remembered every hug and attagirl, I drew upon your faith in me and your confidence that I would do my best.  I am not trying to flatter you when I say that every single word meant something to me, and the cumulative effect of those words pushed me on to the finish line.

Parents:  Anyone who knows my parents knows that my dad is the force behind my Sense of Adventure.  He himself logged thousands of mile on his own bicycle over the years, and never once shut me down on any adventure I wanted to take of my own.  When I was nineteen and wanted to go to Europe for the summer with my backpack and Eurail pass, he bought the maps.  When I was sixteen and wanted to go on a cross-country bike ride, he helped me pack.  When I was sixteen and about to begin my senior year, he bought me a t-shirt that said “Go to hell, world, I’m a senior”.  My mom, on the other hand, worries if I don’t have enough cover to sleep under in my own bed in my own house.  She’s the sweetest, most compassionate, most gentle, caring, thoughtful soul I have ever met, and she has suffered because of my primal need for, and ensuing fulfillment of,  adventure and achievement.  I love these two people with all my heart, and I thank them both for everything they do for me, past, present, and future.

Brother:  Besides the very obvious gratitude to brother for my crew of 9 to have crashed in his beautiful condo on race weekend, and the additional use of it for vacation/recreation/training purposes the last two years, I owe my brother a huge thank you for being my go-to guy for guidance, comfort, and inspiration.  This man is everything a big brother should be, and then some.  When I was struggling in the water, I thought of brother doing his own triathlon without the use of legs.  When I was struggling on the bike, I thought of brother doing the Detroit Marathon in a wheelchair when his water bottles were frozen solid on the course.  When I was struggling on the run course, I thought of my brother maintaining his farm, his house, his business, his friends, and all of us, from his chair.  I love you bubba, and I am grateful every moment of every day you are my brother.

Kids:  This list has gotten more and more difficult as I’ve gone on, because there just aren’t enough words, even for an English major, to describe how I feel about each of you.  My precious children, each of you is the source of my greatest joy and pleasure.  I cannot get enough of you, and just being in your presence fulfills and sustains me.  I am so unbelievably proud of who each of you is becoming, and the gift of your presence at this significant event in my life is the best Mother’s Day present I have ever known.  I cannot possibly seek to be my own best self without reminding you to listen to your heart, know yourself, seek out your dreams and hopes and goals, and to seize the carp every single diem.  And to the special and significant people in YOUR lives, thank you for appreciating and loving my kids the way you do, and for putting up with everything you put up with to be connected to a Jordan.

Jesse:  For the millionth event in my life, I could not have done this without you.  You have been my biggest and best supporter, cheerleader, mechanic, driver, logistics captain, picture-taker, and cat herder.  Everyone knows how high-maintenance I am, and you have been patient and giving and accomodating at every turn.  Everyone may not know you walked the last 11 miles with me with a torn groin muscle and blisters on the bottoms of both feet.  Thank you for every mile you logged on the bikes with me in training, and every meal you ate alone because I was swimming or running or training in some fashion.

The title of this post is You’ll Never Know How Grateful, and you simply won’t.  I require my personal training clients to keep a journal of their progress, one page of which I ask them to title:  Gratitude Page.  I think when we live our lives with a sense of gratitude for every single day, every single person, every single moment we draw breath, we come closer to maximizing our health and happiness than through almost any other avenue.  I am so humbled and moved by the people surrounding me, and I am overwhelmed by the amount of support and love you have all shown.  Thank you. Thank you.  Thank you.

With today’s 12 mile, 45 minute ride on the bike, I have finished training for this triathlon.

I took a short, 3 mile jog on Sunday, I went for a short, 1200 yard swim yesterday, and pedalled the short bike ride today.  At the conclusion of each of these, I’ve let myself absorb the magnitude of ths series of training.  I have been in official training since January, unofficially returning to a swim/bike/run regimen since October.  I haven’t done the calcuations of the miles logged doing all of this; that might be an interesting statistic. 

My reflections on that include knowing that this has been the most successful training I have ever done, for any race.  By successful, I mean that I have been more injury-free, more consistent with workouts, less encumbered by modifications to the training plan.  It has also been maybe the most enjoyable (with the caveat that most runner/swimmers/cyclists have about the love/hate nature of training).  The weather was not too cooperative – in reviewing the blog, I find that I was able to cycle without a headwind approximately…twice.  Most of the training took place in the winter/spring, so there was lots of Being Cold involved. 

Logistically, now, the plan is:  Leave tomorrow for my brother’s home in Atlanta, spend Wednesday with him, travel to Panama City Beach Thursday, attend the Expo/group swim/pasta meal Friday (no, I’m not wavering from my high protein/low carb lifestyle), 6am start Saturday.  Did I mention my whole family plus some are coming??  I think I’m driving our motor home with 2 daughters and 2 friends, my sons and husband are coming together at some point, and my brother as well….nothing like an audience.

I am so grateful for the support of friends and family throughout this whole adventure.  Thank you for your kind words, your confidence in me, your encouragement.  It means more than I could possibly begin to say.  It sustains me when I’m struggling, and I see your smiling faces in my mind.

I will try to blog again after getting settled Thursday or Friday, but no promises.  I am committed to blogging Saturday night (pre-tequila) and posting any pics.

Until Saturday…

Thanks for reading.