Gift for my hubby

My husband sent me this picture earlier this week saying he needed this shirt.

I think I'm going to buy it for him.....

And then make him wear it to the Tremont Education Foundation meeting, softball practices and church trustee meetings. Maybe even when he works the A/V booth at church. 

Then maybe he will slow his schedule down since he will be kicked off of every administrative group he's a part of.

So, yes, dear heart, buy the shirt. Let's how that works for you.  😈

Let's Dream

Forget LOU, MOO, LP or CO...... 

IRONMAN NEW ZEALAND is now at the top of my list. 

One can dream about what might be, right? 

Tremont Triathlon 2013

Yesterday was the 6th year of the re-incarnated Tremont Triathlon. The 5th time I've completed it. As of yesterday morning, it was also going to be the ONLY triathlon on my schedule for the year. 2013 is the year of the run. Or so I thought.

Jeff & I at Body Marking

Jeff & I arrived at the pavilion about 5:15 am to do some body marking. I had visions of my artistic detailing on all of the triathletes, but Jeff felt that was inappropriate and I should stick to bib number and age. Bummer.

We finally decided it was time to get my bike set up in transition. I prepared my transition area but suddenly came to a dead stop. I couldn't remember how to secure my aero bottle on my bike. I haven't used the dang thing since August of last year. I even asked Ed, a fellow IMLOU triathlete. Yah, he was no help. Along came my hero, Jeff, to the rescue. It's a good thing I married a man who 1) is mechanically inclined and can put things together for me, 2) has a good memory. After setting up my transition, I walked up to the pool deck to field some questions from triathlon newbies and suddenly heard the race start. I had absolutely no idea it was 7 am and time for the race to start!

Transition area all set up

I went to change into my tri suit and waited with friends while the first few waves of swimmers went off. For the first time ever, I decided to warm up for the swim. Spooky, huh. Kind of like a Twilight Zone. Two laps in the 3 foot pool and before I knew it, my number was being called to enter the pool. 

The swim for the Tremont Triathlon is 8 laps on one side of the pool so you don't have to change lanes. I jumped into the water...and had two thoughts simultaneously. ONE: I forgot to start my Garmin watch. TWO: My left google started to leak. Ugh. After my first 25 yards, I had to stop and drain my goggles. Off I went again...still slowly leaking. After 200 yards, I emptied again. I wasn't too stressed though. I mean how much time does it take to drain a goggle, right? 

My transition to the bike went smoothly. Dried legs. Feet in socks and off on the bike. After the first mile, I looked at my Garmin and realized I hadn't hit my Multi-sport option correctly. Damn it! So I slowed to change the settings on my Garmin to BIKE so I could watch my cadence. 15.45 of relatively good, flat road with wind at my back on the way out. I felt like a rock star! As I neared the turn around, I spied my rabbit. It was a blonde chic in a T3 uniform. I had no idea who she was, but I was going to chase her down. The turn around at Allentown surprised me though. I miscalculated my speed going into the turn around and almost bit it much to Kinsey's laughter. Oh brother...now that would have been a story to tell. Luckily, I was able to stay on my bike and get back on the road. 

After the turn around, someone finally passed me...like I was standing still. Man, if that doesn't annoy me. I've never claimed to be a speedster. The only comforting thought was seeing the IM Tattoo on his calf as he passed me. OK, I'll let another Ironman pass me. Before turning back into town, I caught my rabbit. With a little smile of glee, I cheered her on and kept on moving. Time to find a new rabbit. I passed a woman walking her bike and checked on her. Unfortunately, she had a flat. Bummer. 

I made it back into town and my legs were feeling pretty good. My inner thighs were saying HELLO, but other than that I felt ready for the run. I debated taping my knee quickly before taking off, but decided to go without since my knee had been behaving fairly well lately. 

Out on the run, I felt comfortable. NOTE: Comfortable. UGH. I got Gatorade at the first aid station since I was still paranoid about cramps. Yes, I have to walk with Gatorade because otherwise I'd end up a sloppy, sticky mess. I made it to the turn around where Nick Kinsey gave me encouragement. (Gosh, this is why I love triathlons. Everyone is always so supportive.) On the way back, I hit the aid station again and chose to walk for 15 seconds while I took in water. 

A glance at my Garmin told me my pace was OK, not great, but again I felt comfortable. I had a little nagging thought of "Don't let up. You don't want to regret it." And picked up my pace slightly, but I tend to drift. As my thoughts change, so does my pace. 

I crossed the line with a little kick and felt pretty happy crossing the finish line. No cramps. I felt like my triathlon, at least for me, was fairly solid considering I haven't made triathlon training a priority. As soon as I grabbed my water, I ran back to the transition area wondering if I would be able to catch Jeff. Because of the way the swim is formatted, he had to wait about another hour after I started. In transition, I found that Jeff was already out on the bike, but my friend, Cindy, was just leaving the pool. She was excited for her first triathlon and heading out on the bike course on her MOUNTAIN BIKE!!!! Oh my. We've got to get that girl a new bike.

I waited at transition for about 20 minutes chatting it up with my buddy, Mike Dillard, while waiting for Jeff to come back in. He made it in and in typical Leber fashion chatted his whole way through transition before heading out on the run. Once I saw him out on the run, I grabbed my gear and took a quick shower in the pool house. It felt great to get the sweat off of my body.

As I waited for Jeff to finish his race, James decided to insert the knife and twist. Apparently, a local triathlon newbie beat me by 20 SECONDS. As if that wasn't enough, I didn't realize it until they announced the awards that she beat me by 20 seconds and took me out of the medals for my age group. I wound up in G.D. 4th place!!!! No, I'm not bitter. OK, maybe I am a little. Here is what I posted on Cheryl's Facebook wall:

GRRRGRRRGRRRR Whatever James tells you it's fine. I'm not mad. I'm not hitting hyper-competitive mode. 20 seconds. What's 20 seconds out of 3rd place??? Well....it's the 2 times I had to drain my goggles. Or the time I slowed on the bike to reset my Garmin because I couldn't remember to set it right for multisport. Or it could be walking at the aid station for Gatorade to avoid cramps. GRRRRR. yes, 20 seconds!

My bitterness is over. It's now motivation. I spent all evening looking at more races to do this year, planning my calendar like a drill sergeant.

4th place....by 20 seconds....Motha' ...............

Rides with Wolves

Back in the 80s they probably called me "Girl with no fashion sense".

Today you can call me "Rides with Wolves". I went for a quick bike ride on the morning of Father's Day since I'm supposed to be training for the Tremont Triathlon which is this weekend. I was squeezing in a ride before heading to Bloomington to watch my nephew's baseball game and see my father-in-law. 

A fast 12 mile ride over the hills south of town made for interesting lesson in agriculture. As I rode down one road I heard a horn blast three times and suddenly the herd of cows shifted in the pasture. (Note: ask my favorite ag girl, Kelsey, about this.) Further into my ride I came across a small critter trotting along the side of the road. I say it was a small wolf. My dear husband says it was probably a coyote because we don't have wolves in the area. I say I don't care what you call it it was wildlife that one doesn't normally see. 

The triathlon is 2 days away....and I just realized last night that I haven't done a single brick workout. Oops. Guess it isn't going to happen now.

Signing off "Rides with Wolves"

Running in the rain

I think the conversation went something like this.

Me: I'm going for a run.

Jeff: That's stupid. 

It may have been stupid but my shoes were laced and I was determined to get out on the road and leave my worries behind.

After not running since the Indy half on May 4th, I needed to stretch my legs, to test my knee and just enjoy the pounding of my feet on the pavement. In the month of April, I ran a whole whopping 16 miles because I started experiencing runners knee more and more. I almost walked the Indy half but instead I visited my dear doctor friend and his PT department taped my knee. As a result, I finished the half with a personal best! Not bad for a lazy slough who barely trained for the event. 

After the half, I tried to go for a short recovery run but my calves were so tight from all of the cramping I could barely run 2 miles. I started a new job as a Les Mills Club Coach and work began to take over my available time. I wake up at 5:45 and shower, work, teach a class, work some more, teach another class, chase my kids around Central Illinois and then come home and work some more. 

Finally after a long boring weekend of rained out softball games, I decided to get back on the road again on monday. I wanted to build my base slowly and only ran 3 miles. Since my knee was taped, the run felt good, rejuvenating. A nice release from the weekend's stalled plans. 

Tonight after teaching my 2nd BodyFlow class of the day, I decided it was time for another short run. I could see the storm clouds rolling in but it didn't matter.  Nothing was going to stop me. I stepped out on the road, heard the thunder and I smiled. Nothing soothes the soul more than a thunderstorm and I loved the idea of running through one. The rain poured down on me and in a matter of seconds I was soaked all the way through. At a little over a mile, I saw this van slowly approaching me. Alarm bells went off. 

Jeff rolled down the can window: "Are you doing ok?" I may be stupid, but he still loves me. He came out to see if I changed my mind and wanted a ride back home. Nope. I just wanted to get two short miles in and I was already soaked. I figured I might as well go with it. 

My clothes were completely soaked as well as my shoes but the job was done. The clouds may have been gray, but my spirit was lifted. 

And I came home and found this on Facebook. It seemed to fit my mood and my reasons to run to a tee.

A New Perspective

During day 1 of traveling home, 14 hours of pure joy let me tell you, I decided to go through my “Notes” app on my phone and clean up old notes I’ve left for myself. It’s amazing what you can find when you look through a couple of years of memories.

I found old messages with data about treadmill runs, notes from podcasts, body measurements and most interesting of all was my “ARC” card from when I read Dr. Judith Beck’s “Beck Diet Solution”. Dr. Beck is a cognitive behavioral therapist who has a number of suggestions or steps to follow to change your cognitive responses to food and your food behaviors. I found her book interesting and decided to implement some of her suggestions.

One suggestion was to create a “Advantages Response Card” (ARC) in order to help you stay motivated  and stick to your diet. I created my first ARC after my mom passed away in 2004. I was determined not to follow in her footsteps and find my way to an early grave due to complications of diabetes, which I didn’t think I had to worry about until my 60s or so. Yes, let’s laugh now. In the fall of 2011, I was planning my 2012 race season. I knew in order to be at my best I needed to lose a few more pounds so I went back to Dr. Beck’s Diet Solution and updated my ARC.  While I had 14 reasons why I wanted to lose weight and get in shape, the one that struck me the most this weekend was #10:

I may not do it, but I would like to feel as if I could wear a bikini.

When I wrote that in October of 2011, I never thought it would become a reality. In January 2012, I registered for IMLOU and began the long months of training. In June 2012, we went to Vero Beach, FL with Jeff’s entire family.  My suitcase was packed with 2 new tankini bathing suits I had purchased from Athleta. When we got home from vacation, my darling husband said, “You know you really could have worn a bikini.” I thought how sweet of you, dear, but no. These abs are never going to see the light of day again.

By the time IMLOU rolled around, I was down to my college weight, the weight when I thought I was in the best shape of my life and I still could not imagine wearing a bikini.

When I was in high school, I owned a bikini - one. I wore it rarely, and only at a friend’s private pool. Seriously. At the age of 17? 18? What did I have to be self-conscious about? Absolutely nothing. I had a serious lack of understanding of my own body as well as self esteem issues which most teenage girls go through, only at the time I did not realize that every teenage girl felt the same way that I did. Even though I was young and in good shape, I still did not feel I could compare myself to the models we all see in magazines. You know…the 108 pound waif of a woman-child who could be blown away in the wind.

In comparison, I was about 130 pounds with shoulders like a linebacker and calves the size of Mt. Everest, at least in my mind. In my youth, my strength and athleticism was something I had to learn to control. My strong body was something I needed to hide.

Fast forward through the years of marriage and giving birth to three children via c-section and suddenly now I had a reason to say I’d never wear a bikini again. When I was pregnant with our 2^nd child, I had a dear friend come over and ask if her teenage daughter could feel my belly. I believe the quote was “The skin is tight. It’s like a balloon and if you touch it, it will pop.” Yes, giving birth to a 10 pound 9 ounce baby will definitely stretch the skin as it’s never been stretched before. Between the road map of stretch marks and c-section scars which create a fold in the abdominal skin, I was convinced you would never see me in a bikini again.

And then as vacation approached, I started to consider it. I mean why not? I am 44 years, in relatively good shape and I really do feel good in my skin. So, why not? Remember that road map of stretch marks? The skin which was stretched to the max and will never return to a flat state? Those were still two good reasons why I should not wear a bikini.

In good humor, I went bikini shopping. The first few I tried on were quite laughable, actually quite horrifying. Note to self, you are not 17 anymore.  The top needs to be the size of the Bermuda triangle to hide all that you’ve got going on up there, you know what I mean? I started to think it was not going to happen. Shopping for a bikini in the junior department does not work for a 44-year old mother of three; however, low and behold, I found a bikini which provided coverage for the major problem areas and still allowed me to feel like I was not trying to relive my teenage years.

Now to find the nerves of steel to wear it on the beach.

But again, why not? For the first time since 2007, we were going on a beach vacation completely by ourselves. No one else had to see my flaws with the exception of my family and you know what? They can just deal with it. I called a family meeting and announced to everyone that there would be no published photos of this momma in her bikini without permission first. I reserved the right to review and delete any and all pictures which may reveal parts of my body I was not quite comfortable with.

Day 1 on the beach, you know what? No one laughed. No one said, “Look at that old hag wearing a bikini. What was she thinking?” OK, so maybe they thought it, but by that time I didn’t really care. My linebacker shoulders? They are defined and sleek. A symbol of my strength and the result of years of tumbling. My Mt. Everest Calves? They are strong muscles which helped push me through 140.6 miles on a hot, humid day in Louisville. My stretch marks? Those are the ones I am most proud of. I have given birth to three wonderful and yet extremely different daughters. They are the road map to the story of my children and their start in life.

You don’t want to see my stretched out skin? Don’t look. I don’t care. Get over it. It’s taken 44 years to get to this point. To realize all of flaws I see in myself are just that. I am not perfect and neither is my body. Those “flaws”, they are just that. Flaws, but they also tell the story of my life, the things that make me ME.

So will you see me flouncing around the Tremont pool in my new bikini? Probably not. But will you see me stand a little taller? Will you see me embrace my “Flaws”? Yes. They are now the things that I am most proud of. All of these things add up to me and I like me. What’s not to like? 

The Meaning of Being Fit

On the way to Florida, I spent some of the incredibly, awesome 22 hours reading ACSM's Resources for the Personal Trainer.

Yes, I know. Snoozeville at times, but I found a couple of topics which really made me think.

Tell me about a time when you felt you were the fittest

That used to be an easy question to answer. I used to say I was in the best shape of my life when I played volleyball at Western Illinois University. That's when my coach, Julie Kartel, emphasized good nutrition and introduced me to weight lifting for athletes. In college, I dated a P.E. major who did triathlons and enjoyed running races, but no, not me. I was not a runner. I didn't want to "train". I just wanted to play volleyball. I ran when Coach Kartel required it of me. I didn't enjoy it. Are you kidding me? Running is painful. I just wanted to play volleyball.

I graduated from college, got a job, got married and had kids. During that time, I struggled through my 30s with my parents' failing health and eventual demise. I swore after my mom died that I was going to get in shape and not follow in her footsteps.

Before I turned 40, I decided I wanted to be Fit, Fabulous & 40. How was I going to achieve that? I decided I wanted to try and do a triathlon. Yah, I know, Mr. P.E. Major. "I'm not a runner. I don't want to do triathlons. I don't want to train." Blah, blah, blah. But I also don't believe in failing. So to prove that I could do it, I had to train. I had to put in the sweat and the hours of work. And, suddenly, before you know it, I'm at the finish line of IMLOU screaming to my family, "I am an Ironman!" Running has not only become a requirement for my training plan, but it's become my therapy time. My time to think about life...or forget about it. My time to solve the world's problems. My time. MY TIME.

So naturally, the answer to my question has changed. I would now say that I am in the best shape of my life. I can swim 2.4 miles, bike 112, and run 26.2 all in less than a single day. I weigh just a few pounds more than I did in college. Of course, some of the body parts look a little different than they did when I was in college, but Hey! I've given birth to three babies. Leave me alone!

Jeff & I at Wyndham Palm-Aire

AND...for the first time truly ever that I can recall I am wearing a bikini. Yes, at the age of 44, I purchased a bikini and I've worn it on vacation ALL WEEK. Mainly, because I will never see these people again, but I am wearing it.

I feel fabulous. I know I am the fittest I have ever been in my life and probably in the best shape I ever will be again. I love the way I feel in my own skin and want everyone around me to feel the same way. So, what is the meaning of FIT to me? The feeling which comes from inside, the feeling which says I am happy with who I am, and where I am in my life. I am FIT, FABULOUS and in my 40s.

BOOYAH!