I LOVE my bike!

I was able to get out and ride this week...last day of winter SV and I did our first outdoor ride of 2012...such a great treat, especially when our first outdoor ride of 2011 was on April 9th...crazy to have such amazing weather in Muskoka at this time of year!  

It was awesome to come back from CA and get out and ride! I have done 3 rides so far,  today we were able to get in 90km and other than some sore bits, my legs felt good...really good...the winter trainer riding must be paying off.  I know it is still early and we are going to get some more unpleasant weather, but I am going to take advantage of every moment I have to spend some quality time with my bike and love the fact that I was able to wear shorts/jerseys in March!

My favourite view!

 Smile says it all...Love being on 2 wheels!

 Drafting SV

Shorts and Snow....Awesome!

Swim and Run (wishing we could bike!)

Day 4 in Laguna Beach...we have been enjoying some gorgeous weather and some amazing food.  The kidlets are loving the area and we have been keeping busy every day!
SV and I have hit up the Laguna Beach High School Pool and have done some great runs...after running here for  9 days, I am going to be strong on hills...or dead...one of the two!  Lots of cyclists out riding, it would be a fabulous area to ride (maybe one day)

Little Voices

It seems that spring is slowly arriving... We had 2 days of bitter cold followed by a sunny gorgeous day that lifted spirits. I love this time of year, everything is beginning to wake up and come alive. I am excited for training, awaiting that first outdoor ride, running outside in shorts and being able to sit on a deck and enjoy a morning coffee or an evening glass of wine!
Race season is quickly approaching and the warmer temperatures help get my butt in motion, knowing that each day is one day closer to a starting line.  I'm excited to race again this spring/summer...my 2011 season was pretty light, but it is looking like this summer is going to be a busier one...which excites me but  also causes the little voice deep inside to say "Oh crap"...that little part of me that dreads the hurting, the part that doesn't want to do the hill repeats/ speed work, go on the fast pace times for the swim workouts or do the killer brick workout that SV loves to do.  That is the part that makes those tough workouts even more challenging, a constant struggle with my mind to keep my body moving and to move harder/stronger/faster!  Luckily, I am more stubborn then that little voice in my head...I don't give up easily and I love to make myself hurt....I find comfort in putting on my "good" workout gear, putting on my socks and shoes (left foot first of course!) and blasting my angry music to help block that little voice...that voice  doesn't stand a chance with the likes of Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Korn, Godsmack, Nirvana and Foo Fighters!
So while we wait for the warm weather to finally stick at home, we are off for a week to the Golden State, a great hilly area, which means we are in for some killer runs and some great outdoor swimming....all my good workout gear is packed, angry music at the ready because although we are there to have some fun with the kids and have a fun vacation...it wouldn't be a great vacation if SV and I didn't kick our own asses with some insane workouts and I am hoping that the beautiful scenery and pounding surf can help quiet that little voice while my lungs threaten to burst!

Suffering

Legs burning, lungs ready to burst...contents in your stomach dangerously close to staining your shoes...This week SV and I brought the speed/threshold/hill workouts back into our program... those workouts that you hate with a passion while doing them, but  end up calling a "great" workout  a few hours after they are over!

We are beginning to think about the upcoming race season and which races we want to toe the line at, other than Worlds of course... and what better way to get motivated than to kick our own asses on the trainer and treadmill....suffering together is what helps get me through these tough ones!

“Look at life through the windshield, not the rear-view mirror”

The best of life is what is still to come....I love looking forward to each day and things to come in the future.  I am not one of those people who dreads getting older...you could not pay me to be a 20-something again.  I love that with each day I am that much stronger, that much wiser... and that much more comfortable in my own skin.  

I know it is easy to get caught up in the "what-ifs" or the sadness of the "endings" in life...but other than making you feel a little worse about yourself, I am not sure what looking back at those moments with desire or regret can bring.  I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.  I have had dreams that were unfulfilled... my Olympic dream never became a reality, but that doesn't mean that all those years of hard training weren't worth it in the end, medal or no medal!  

Everything that we have done in our lives has brought us to this moment right now...and if you are too busy looking back with regret, you are going to miss out on the beauty of the moment you are in!

Remembering the past and learning from those experiences, good or bad, are what makes us more successful now and in the future.  If you spend all of your "now" stuck in the past...what kind of future can you have? 

I am so happy to be at a point in my life that all those bad moments no longer drag me down...but energize me because I pulled through.  I am able to file them...to be used in moments when I want to quit but won't ... to help propel me forward...almost as if I use them as fuel when my tank is nearing empty.  

The past is just that...and I am happily living in the present, both eyes forward....excited to see what is around the next bend!

Motivation

What Motivates you?   Simple question right....until you try to put together all the things that make you get off the couch and lace up those shoes...or sit for hours on end on a small bicycle seat...or push yourself to the point of exhaustion in a workout...or climb out of a warm bed in the middle of winter to dive into a pool and stare at a black line for an hour and half.
When I asked my soon to be 12 year old, who is turning into quite the little swimmer (12:24 in her 800m free this past weekend!) her answer was simple "I am good at it and it's a lot of fun."

Not sure I can put it much better than that...I love the training that I do and it is so fun...maybe not every workout is great, some hurt like hell...but there is a moment when it all stops being terrible/hurting, just cruising along (or counting each km as being one km closer to the end!) those are the moments that get my ass out the door even when I would rather be lazy.

I love motivating the people I coach and I try to lead by example. I love suffering through a workout with them and watching as they realize they are stronger than they think...they can push themselves farther or do something that hurts...I gain such energy from their enthusiasm and I like showing them that anything is possible as long as you work hard.  I have met some great people through training and I love having such healthy people in my life!

I am motivated by the goals that I set for myself...I have been an athlete for many years now...and I learned at a young age how to set goals (Thanks AndrewC)...I always knew why I was swimming all those endless hours in the pool, going to bed early on Friday nights, etc...and I have kept that way of thinking to this day.  I need to have a goal...I do love the everyday training and the exercise that I do, but I am not the type of person who can "just exercise"...I need to have something that keeps me pushing....In the past those goals were big ones, Ironman, Ultraman...such fun but huge goals time wise and training wise....these days I make my race goals shorter but I am able to fit in a few more each year...always something to be looking forward to doing and to challenge myself.  Many opportunities to put my training to use!

Wanting to see how good I can be....I do not compete to be better than anyone or to beat another person...I look at my goals as how hard I can make myself go.  I set my goals around my ability...push myself to try to swim, bike and run at a certain pace and if on that day I am able to do those times and that earns me a top placing in my age category, that is a bonus. I never set out to win my age category...it would be great if it happened, but ultimately that is not something I look at as being a good enough goal...You never know who else is going to be there and you can't control what they are going to do, so it really isn't something I focus on..When I am racing,  I am trying to race the clock and if I do my best that day, giving all that I have...I am happy (regardless of if my placing is 1st or 101st!)

Finally, my biggest  motivation is my training partner, SV... he is someone who inspires me, he works harder than anyone else I know, but he never takes it too seriously...he does it because he loves it...  He knows when I need to get my butt going, knows when to push me to go harder and tells me it's ok, when I need to take a day and be a lazy blob!  We suffer through some crazy workouts together...pushing as hard as I can to keep up with him on the bike...trying to get him to stay on my feet when we are swimming and running side by side through countless miles... he looks at all this crazy training stuff the same way as I do...we love to train and race hard...because it is fun and we are good at it (and it justifies having a burger and a beer!!)...he is not only my training partner, he's my best friend and being able to do something we both love with each other makes it that much more enjoyable!

So now tell me....what motivates you??

Another Pedicure Ruined...

 I love to treat myself to a pedicure...there is nothing better than having fresh "new feet"...soft, smooth and  all shiny with fresh polish....I especially love going for a pedicure after a long/tough run.. a great treat after all the abuse I put them through...unfortunately, I never get the full effect out of my pedicures...

Yep, 5 days after my last pedi and this is what my toes looked like...no idea how other ladies out there are able to keep their toes looking perfect weeks after a pedi...(I even had to have my foot tattoo redone a second time).... I guess that's what I get for making them do 60km of running, countless walks on the beach and 11, 000 m of swimming in Mex...not sure I am willing to give up all that I do for nail polish that lasts longer but I will try to get in a little more often to enjoy some shiny new feet!