Tuesday, January 4, 2011
What Makes a Triathlete
A little triathlon motivation to kick start the 2011 training program!!!! Gettin chills just thinking about it!!!
Sing Off
Wanna know how you can tell when you've fully embraced a carefree and no fear kind of life? When you sing in public!
It's true! Think about it! In my opinion, nothing puts us out there more or makes us more vulnerable to criticism by others than singing. Why else would programs like American Idol be so successful?!?!
Myself, I don't sing! I just don't! I'm terrible...actually, I'm worse than terrible if that's even possible. I LOVE LOVE LOVE music (obviously!) but as for me singing anywhere other than in my shower or my car (alone in both cases) FOR-GET-IT!!!! No way in hell!!! Not happening! If my life depended on it, the answer would still be NO! (My child even tells me not to sing in front of him, and I NEVER sang in front of my ex either, and we were married for 13 years!)
I've just never really been comfortable putting myself out there like that...way too self conscious I guess, go figure! (Remember, I have issues. LOL :)). Only a weird (and by weird I mean embarrassing!) thing happened yesterday, and I guess looking back, I would have to consider it pretty significant on the personal growth spectrum. It took me (and everyone with me I'm sure!) completely by surprise...I started singing without even thinking about it in a car full of coworkers! UGH!!! EMBARRASSED...oh hell yes!!! But, then again...eh...so what?!?!
So I suck, this is nothing new to these guys I'm sure (Dear Coworkers: if you are reading this, then zip it!!...no comments necessary from the peanut gallery :)). LOL. And, what do I care, really?? The world did not end or come to a screeching halt (it probably should have!) and I was having fun...hey, it was Jimmy Buffet in the middle of winter in Iowa, how could I not be drawn in by the tropics?!
What was more surprising to me than the fact that I was actually singing in front of people for the first time in my life, was the fact that I was doing so without even thinking about it. It happened subconsciously and without warning, and in the process I think it made me realize I'm finally coming into a place of total acceptance of myself. I guess maybe I just really don't care anymore what people think of me. This is who I am and I'm embracing it, bad voice and all.
I think going forward I'm going to keep on singing in public (in small amounts...don't expect me to get up and sing karaoke anytime soon though, no matter how many shots of Templeton are involved!), and maybe even out on the bike course, or while we are running...why not?!?! If you don't like it or it offends you, then I suggest you get some earplugs my friends, cuz now that my voice is out...I'm not putting it back, no matter how badly it sounds! (Sorry in advance!!!) :)
Mark Twain said it best...
It's true! Think about it! In my opinion, nothing puts us out there more or makes us more vulnerable to criticism by others than singing. Why else would programs like American Idol be so successful?!?!
Myself, I don't sing! I just don't! I'm terrible...actually, I'm worse than terrible if that's even possible. I LOVE LOVE LOVE music (obviously!) but as for me singing anywhere other than in my shower or my car (alone in both cases) FOR-GET-IT!!!! No way in hell!!! Not happening! If my life depended on it, the answer would still be NO! (My child even tells me not to sing in front of him, and I NEVER sang in front of my ex either, and we were married for 13 years!)
I've just never really been comfortable putting myself out there like that...way too self conscious I guess, go figure! (Remember, I have issues. LOL :)). Only a weird (and by weird I mean embarrassing!) thing happened yesterday, and I guess looking back, I would have to consider it pretty significant on the personal growth spectrum. It took me (and everyone with me I'm sure!) completely by surprise...I started singing without even thinking about it in a car full of coworkers! UGH!!! EMBARRASSED...oh hell yes!!! But, then again...eh...so what?!?!
So I suck, this is nothing new to these guys I'm sure (Dear Coworkers: if you are reading this, then zip it!!...no comments necessary from the peanut gallery :)). LOL. And, what do I care, really?? The world did not end or come to a screeching halt (it probably should have!) and I was having fun...hey, it was Jimmy Buffet in the middle of winter in Iowa, how could I not be drawn in by the tropics?!
What was more surprising to me than the fact that I was actually singing in front of people for the first time in my life, was the fact that I was doing so without even thinking about it. It happened subconsciously and without warning, and in the process I think it made me realize I'm finally coming into a place of total acceptance of myself. I guess maybe I just really don't care anymore what people think of me. This is who I am and I'm embracing it, bad voice and all.
I think going forward I'm going to keep on singing in public (in small amounts...don't expect me to get up and sing karaoke anytime soon though, no matter how many shots of Templeton are involved!), and maybe even out on the bike course, or while we are running...why not?!?! If you don't like it or it offends you, then I suggest you get some earplugs my friends, cuz now that my voice is out...I'm not putting it back, no matter how badly it sounds! (Sorry in advance!!!) :)
Mark Twain said it best...
“Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.”
No Pain-No Gain
Ok, I read recently a few different places (Runner's World, USAT website, Facebook) that "it doesn't matter what you eat between Thanksgiving and New Years, only what you eat between New Years and Thanksgiving". (Yay for Christmas cookies!...however, I never did get my hands on any Christmas cookies this year *sad face*.) I guess I was sort of hoping that this applies to training too, however I'm pretty sure now that it does not. OUCH!!!
Since it's after the first of the year, it is officially time for the serious training to begin. I'm talking SERIOUS training. Like my friends who are not crazy ass running/triathlete mother phuckers like me, will probably not see much of me now until next November. Sorry all, I'm not out to ignore anyone and it doesn't mean that I don't care, but between 3 jobs and being a single parent...all my "free" time will be spent in the gym, in the pool, on the bike(s) or pounding the pavement. I've got some pretty huge (phucking ENORMOUS!) race goals this summer, and I'm going beyond all out this year. (Can you say half IM? XTERRA anyone? RAGBRAI?...oh hellz yes!!!)
No pain, no gain this year and absolutely NO excuses!!!! (Ok, I may still have some time for beers and chillin out every now and again...I've never been able to say no to dollar pint night before, so why start now?...and if a cute boy were to actually ask me out, I would probably still consider giving up a night of training to actually go on a date :)).
Sunday was my first day back in the gym for some serious weights and running in lets say "a while"...and it probably didn't help that I was working out a few personal demons in the process so my intensity was turned up two notches higher than it should have been for my current fitness level (yeah, I attacked the gym like it was the middle of tri season!). I lifted weights like I hadn't taken 3 weeks off and I ran until I literally puked (I know it's wrong, but I LOVE that feeling...yes, I'm not normal, only when you hang with the friends I do, this is actually completely normal :))! It was a great workout, only now...ooo, OUCH! (I'm not kidding...OUCH!! :))
If pain is weakness leaving the body then come June I'm going to be one strong woman!!!! Watch out! (If you find yourself in my age group and in front of me in a race, consider yourself warned...I am coming after you...I am going to hunt you down and I will pass you!...why else would they sharpie our ages on our calves?, it's so we know who our competition is! LOL. :)) Now however, I'm off to find some ice and Advil! OUCH, I say!!! :)
Since it's after the first of the year, it is officially time for the serious training to begin. I'm talking SERIOUS training. Like my friends who are not crazy ass running/triathlete mother phuckers like me, will probably not see much of me now until next November. Sorry all, I'm not out to ignore anyone and it doesn't mean that I don't care, but between 3 jobs and being a single parent...all my "free" time will be spent in the gym, in the pool, on the bike(s) or pounding the pavement. I've got some pretty huge (phucking ENORMOUS!) race goals this summer, and I'm going beyond all out this year. (Can you say half IM? XTERRA anyone? RAGBRAI?...oh hellz yes!!!)
No pain, no gain this year and absolutely NO excuses!!!! (Ok, I may still have some time for beers and chillin out every now and again...I've never been able to say no to dollar pint night before, so why start now?...and if a cute boy were to actually ask me out, I would probably still consider giving up a night of training to actually go on a date :)).
Sunday was my first day back in the gym for some serious weights and running in lets say "a while"...and it probably didn't help that I was working out a few personal demons in the process so my intensity was turned up two notches higher than it should have been for my current fitness level (yeah, I attacked the gym like it was the middle of tri season!). I lifted weights like I hadn't taken 3 weeks off and I ran until I literally puked (I know it's wrong, but I LOVE that feeling...yes, I'm not normal, only when you hang with the friends I do, this is actually completely normal :))! It was a great workout, only now...ooo, OUCH! (I'm not kidding...OUCH!! :))
If pain is weakness leaving the body then come June I'm going to be one strong woman!!!! Watch out! (If you find yourself in my age group and in front of me in a race, consider yourself warned...I am coming after you...I am going to hunt you down and I will pass you!...why else would they sharpie our ages on our calves?, it's so we know who our competition is! LOL. :)) Now however, I'm off to find some ice and Advil! OUCH, I say!!! :)
Monday, January 3, 2011
Kid Rock - Care
Care! It's the very least we can all do!!
I can't change the world, and I'm not going to even pretend that I can, but I can care. I can open my heart wide to the world and I can care...about everyone and everything. It's simple, it's free and it's one thing I'm actually very good at. (I have a heart the size of Texas, that I wear on my sleeve, and is crammed into a little 5'2" body...most of the time I'm bursting with love, compassion and care!) Will you all help me care just a little more in 2011?
I can't make a difference all by myself, but maybe if we all work together... *shrug*. It's worth a try!
Ok, I know I post a lot of music links on here. What can I say?...music is a big part of my life. I love and appreciate all sorts of music (I especially LOVE my unhealthy obsessions #1 and #2...Dave Grohl and Kid Rock :)). Music has the ability to speak for us when we can't seem to find just the right words to say what we really mean. I think music is a wonderful gift that we can all share, and why should I try to rewrite something that's already been expressed so perfectly. I just picked up the new Kid Rock Born Free CD (yes, they still exist!!!...shocking I know!) this weekend and this song immediately stood out. The lyrics are incredible (actually, the whole CD is fricken amazing!). Please listen and enjoy! (...and then, maybe if you have some time, think about what you can do to show the world you care today...I know, I ask a lot sometimes!! LOL) :)
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Eminem - Not Afraid
This is what I'm talking about!!!
WARNING AGAIN!!!!...If you're easily offended by foul language, then don't click this link!!!! I personally LOVE Em! (Unhealthy obsession #3?...I'll have to get back to you on that one :))
Ok, I promise I'm done posting for the day and this New Year event...this hot momma is going to continue the celebrating of 2011 with some of my best buddies and I'm pretty sure the restaurant requires patrons to NOT wear pajamas :). (Random side thought: my kid gets to have pajama day at his school and day camp...wouldn't it be cool if adults could have pajama days in the real world too??? Yeah, high five for awesomeness I say! :))
Welcome 2011
I don't want to sound cliche, but have you ever just woken up in the morning and felt different? Like there was a great shift in the cosmic universe at some point while you were asleep and the world looks completely different now? Yeah, well...it's kind of like that! (I've had a few of these moments the past couple of months, but this felt like maybe it was the big one...the grand tsunami of cosmic shifts in my universe.)
Hell if I know exactly what happened, or what's different. I can't quite put my finger on it...maybe it's just the New Year settling in around me, but whatever it is, it's a good thing. It feels right!
After surviving two years of absolute personal hell (at times...I had some good shit in there too, and for as crappy as they were, I probably wouldn't trade the past two years if given the opportunity) and saying every New Year's "at least things can't get worse this year", at which point they did!...today feels different. I have no expectations, no intentions and no agenda for 2011. Just complete and honest openness.
I read a great quote the other day (kind of goes along with the one I already posted today...and yes, I like quotes, so what?...life is filled with insightful and deeply meaningful quotes so why not enjoy them and the wisdom they can offer us)..."pure love is the willingness to give without a thought of receiving anything in return." Taken literally, this of course could apply to a romantic relationship (or any relationship really), but I also think it can apply to life in general. It doesn't have to be pure love for another person specifically. It can just be the giving of pure love to anyone and anything we encounter along the way. (I'm realizing that I have pure love for a lot of things in my life...my son, my ever expanding family, my amazing friends, riding the trails behind Carr Pool on the Green Machine, the feeling at mile 10 of a training run, mile 1 of the run in a triathlon, being out on the water, dogs...)
I think maybe the shift that I'm feeling today is the gates to my soul opening, and the wall of safety I've built around myself to keep me from getting hurt over the years crumbling. A sort of pure love for the world around me?...*shrug* perhaps! I've opened my heart to this new year...completely and honestly wide open...to all people, places and things. Yeah, it makes me vulnerable to getting hurt, but remember I'm a no fear kind of girl. LOL. I think I would rather give myself completely in all that I do, and leave everything on the table, than to say I held back because I was afraid of what might happen. It's 2011 and for the first New Year in a long time, I'm not afraid. :)
Hell if I know exactly what happened, or what's different. I can't quite put my finger on it...maybe it's just the New Year settling in around me, but whatever it is, it's a good thing. It feels right!
After surviving two years of absolute personal hell (at times...I had some good shit in there too, and for as crappy as they were, I probably wouldn't trade the past two years if given the opportunity) and saying every New Year's "at least things can't get worse this year", at which point they did!...today feels different. I have no expectations, no intentions and no agenda for 2011. Just complete and honest openness.
I read a great quote the other day (kind of goes along with the one I already posted today...and yes, I like quotes, so what?...life is filled with insightful and deeply meaningful quotes so why not enjoy them and the wisdom they can offer us)..."pure love is the willingness to give without a thought of receiving anything in return." Taken literally, this of course could apply to a romantic relationship (or any relationship really), but I also think it can apply to life in general. It doesn't have to be pure love for another person specifically. It can just be the giving of pure love to anyone and anything we encounter along the way. (I'm realizing that I have pure love for a lot of things in my life...my son, my ever expanding family, my amazing friends, riding the trails behind Carr Pool on the Green Machine, the feeling at mile 10 of a training run, mile 1 of the run in a triathlon, being out on the water, dogs...)
I think maybe the shift that I'm feeling today is the gates to my soul opening, and the wall of safety I've built around myself to keep me from getting hurt over the years crumbling. A sort of pure love for the world around me?...*shrug* perhaps! I've opened my heart to this new year...completely and honestly wide open...to all people, places and things. Yeah, it makes me vulnerable to getting hurt, but remember I'm a no fear kind of girl. LOL. I think I would rather give myself completely in all that I do, and leave everything on the table, than to say I held back because I was afraid of what might happen. It's 2011 and for the first New Year in a long time, I'm not afraid. :)
Quote of the Day
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." -Dalai Lama
Wishing you all nothing but happiness and compassion in 2011!
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