Smile!!!

Pleasure is spread through the earth

In stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find.

~William Wordsworth, 1806

My Mom sent me this picture, forwarded on to her from who-knows-where... But it made me smile, and reminded me of the above Wordsworth quotation. I hope it also makes you smile and inspires you to look for the simple joys in life-- I've found that they truly are hidden in plain sight most of the time.

Finding Balance

With Autumn comes change.

Truth be told, this is my absolute favorite time of year. I love everything about the fall. The change in temperature, the change of colors, the bringing in of the harvest... The past week has been a refreshing change for me after the go-go-go of this summer.

It has struck me how intensely the last few months passed by. In a quest to prove to myself that I could achieve my athletic goals, I became singularly minded.

In some ways, I'm grateful that I was-- because I learned a lot in the journey. But now, as the new chapter begins, I'm discovering that the real challenge will be finding balance.

There is so much depth and richness to be found in life's experiences. I find myself wanting to have a taste of everything, only to be frustrated when I cannot. What is the key to finding balance? In this world driven by competition and ruthless clamoring to be the best do we miss out on some of the best things in life? What if we just stepped back for a moment?

What if we didn't have to be the best at everything? What if we allowed ourselves a moment of reflection, and-- dare I say it-- contentment?

I like how Thomas Merton put it:

"We cannot be happy if we expect to live all the time at the highest peak of intensity. Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony. Let us, therefore, learn to pass from one imperfect activity to another without worrying too much about what we are missing."

Perhaps if we learned to relax a little and make peace with imperfection we would be better off. Which is not to say that we shouldn't give our best, or try our hardest. Certainly I believe that we should. But there is a fine line between the life well lived, and the life spent clawing to be at the top of the heap. And so this season I plan to try and live with balance. To continue to pursue my goals, yes. But also to savor the small moments; to not be so driven as to miss the more important things in life.

You Say Carrot, I Say... Hotdog?

Me: Taylor! Come and see what Mommy pulled out of the garden!!!

Taylor: A hotdog!!!!

Ah, remember that wonderful old fashioned Indian Summer weather when the leaves begin to turn and the hotdog harvest is in full force?

 I think Taylor knows the difference between a carrot and a hotdog now.

I think.

Brawling at Bear Lake

Over the weekend Bryson & I raced in the Bear Lake Brawl at the sprint triathlon distance. It was a fantastic day for a race.

We decided that we really needed to complete a full sprint triathlon (750 meter swim, 20K bike, 5K run) before the season ended, since Salem had been shortened up. We love Bear Lake, it is simply gorgeous country-- an oasis of turquoise in the Rockies. I trained really hard all summer long, and was excited to see how it would pay off.

The race got off to a near-shaky start... I almost missed my heat wave at the start of the swim. I thought they still had one wave to send before mine, and then I heard the announcement over the speaker that my age group should be ready in the water. Ack!!! Thankfully I made it out there fine, and in plenty of time. But my heart skipped a few beats in the process, I'm sure. One positive thing about that, though, was that the adrenaline pulsing through my veins made the cold alpine water a complete non-issue.

The swim went fairly well. I took it out pretty fast, and by the time I got half way through the 1/2 mile swim I had a pretty sizable lead. That's when things got difficult. I tried to spot the buoy to mark the next turn, and I could not find it. Anywhere. The glare of the sun off the water totally limited my vision, and since I was leading I couldn't just follow the pack. Finally, after doing breaststroke for what seemed like months, I saw a small pack of swimmers headed for--you guessed it-- the next buoy. Irritated at myself, I caught up to them and the rest of the swim went well. I was the first swimmer out of the water from my age group. My transition was SLOW, though. I definitely need to work on that for the next time around.

The bike was fantastic. For the first time, I actually felt competitive. (I guess that's what a new road bike in your life will do ya!) I averaged 18.2 mph, which was a PR for me.

Coming into T2, I felt pretty good, and the transition went fairly smoothly despite a slight hang up with one of my clip-ins. I expected to hit the wall a little as I began the run-- and sure enough, I did. The first 1/2 mile was pretty intense-- the urge to walk was really strong. But after I got through that, I found my rhythm, and felt really strong.

Race Splits:

750 meter swim - 14:01

T1 - 5:21.5 (Yikes!!!)

20K bike - 39:35.6

T2 & 5K run - 27:57.1

There was a major malfunction with the timing company at the race, and that's why I don't have separate splits for T2 & the run... It was also really frustrating, because the timing problems interfered with the results. The preliminary results had me winning my age group at first, however the final results place me at 5th. Talk about a little let down! I know I shouldn't let it bother me, because going into the race I just wanted to crack the top ten. But when you see your name at the top-- well, there's a little high associated with it! : )

(Just ask Bryson, he ended up winning his division!!! And yes, I'm a teensy bit jealous!)

Out of all the women that raced, I placed 17th. I was pretty pleased with that, when you consider the number of athletes competing.

Triathlon has become almost an addiction of sorts for me now. When I think of where I was just a few short months ago and where I am today, I am so grateful that I took the leap and registered for that first tri. The sport has brought so much fun and athleticism back into my life. And I'm sure that if I can do it, anyone can.

A Speedy Spaniard

After all the tri hullabaloo in our family, my fabulous sister-in-law Linda (Chris's wife) decided that she wanted to get in on some racing action herself. When she was younger, she cheered her father on in Spanish Fork's "Speedy Spaniard" 10K road race, and always wanted to follow in those footsteps, so to speak. In high school Linda ran track as a sprinter, so the 6.2 mile distance was a little daunting. I was looking for a way to step up my run, so I told her if she'd sign up, I'd do it with her.

So on July 24th, Linda & I officially became speedy Spaniards! It was a great race, and we both had great times-- both sub-hour, which was our goal.

In some ways, this race meant more to me than Salem. While I ran cross country in junior high, throughout high school I was plagued with knee problems and really learned to hate running. When I started running the beginning of this year, I could hardly run longer than 3 minutes on the treadmill without having to stop and rest. Running 6.2 miles seemed an absurd distance. But I guess it all just goes to show that if you have a dream, and put the work in, anything is possible.

The Creamsicle

Racing at Salem was eye-opening in many ways, but perhaps the greatest insight I had that day was, "Holy crap!!! I need a new road bike!"

Now, I have had the same 10-speed since I was twelve. It is the original blue Panasonic I used to ride to my friends' homes way before I had a driver's license. It has seen many good times, and frankly I am quite attached to it. But it does have its quirks. The handlebars are just ever-so skewed after a crash many years ago, the seat has a tear, and one of the wheels is also in less-than-desirable condition. My maximum speed on that bike was also a "scorching" 14 mph. But like I said, I am fond of it. When the mechanic at our bike shop told me that "there was just only so much they could do to help an old bike like mine," I was a little miffed. Just you watch who are you calling old, buddy! : ) However, after seeing the beautiful road bikes at Salem gleaming like jewels on the black asphalt, I had serious bike envy. I was a little relieved when they cancelled the bike!

After Salem, Bryson and I decided that if we were going to really delve into the world of triathlon we would need better wheels. And so the search began. We brought Chris along for his encyclopedic knowledge and experience. We spent the greater part of an afternoon looking at Specialized, Felt, Scott... and I was getting a little frustrated because nothing was feeling "just right" for me. The final stop of the day was at the Trek store. And this is where I found her:

At our house we call it the orange creamsicle. Technically, it is a Trek 2.1 WSD. After my poor little ten speed, it has been a revelation. It is amazing the difference a good pair of wheels makes. Bryson decided on the Trek 2.1 as well, so most Saturday mornings you can find us

around West Mountain... two blurs in orange and blue. ; )

We took our new aquisitions to Lake Tahoe recently and had a blast riding the trails and roads there. I am slowly gaining confidence on the bike... It is my weakest link of the three triathlon disciplines, but I am steadily improving. Of course, the creamsicle is helping. : ) Currently my average speed hovers around 16.5 mph. The greatest challenge for me is simply trying to find the time to ride. With two toddlers at home, it is fairly simple to take the jogging stroller out or go to the gym (they have a kids' club there.) But despite long hill climbs on the stationary, it doesn't quite replicate the experience of being out on the road. Cruising on the rural routes with the wind rushing by... it is a fantastic feeling. I highly recommend it! 

Reaching Salem

With the arrival of June, thoughts in our neck of the woods turn to the Salem Spring Triathlon. A sprint tri, it consists of a 750 meter swim (1/2 mile), 20K bike (~12.5 miles), and 5K run (3.1 miles). Since the new year I had been brainstorming various punishing ways to whack myself back into shape, and training for a triathlon seemed to be just the ticket. Back in the day I used to be a fairly decent swimmer, and when I was in high school I did a super sprint with a girlfriend of mine. But 15 years and two complicated pregnancies later, well, let's just call a spade a spade and say that I was seriously overweight and totally unhealthy.

This is a picture of Bryson (DH) and I at my worst back in 2006. I was two weeks post-partum, and still dealing with issues from toxemia (preclampsia). Pregnancy, so far, does not appear to agree with my body. I gain weight rapidly despite a controlled diet, my blood pressure increases, and I become a swollen monster. I am hoping if we decide to try for no. 3 here in the near-ish future that the cliché will hold true & it will be "the charm."

By the beginning of 2008 I had lost most of the weight, but still was feeling terribly unhealthy. I had always been athletic growing up, and wanted to regain that part of my life. I swam competitively for over ten years, and coached in the sport for another nine years after I had hung up my goggles. I wanted to get back in the water.

Now, to add to the mix, I have a great brother-in-law named Chris that is seriously hard core when it comes to athletics. He does triathlons, century rides, road races... a little bit of everything. At the time I was in the process of goal setting he was training for the Napa Valley Half Ironman. He was the one that finally convinced me that I could conquer Salem. And so the training began... and I fell in love with competitive sport again. This past weekend I crossed the finishline in style, even beating Bryson in the process! Although I don't expect that will happen again... I think I've ignited the competitor in him just a bit! ; )

This is our crew at the finishline at the Salem Spring Tri-- Matt, Bryson, me, & Chris. It was a great experience. Despite the cold and rain that shortened the event (bike was cancelled, swim changed to 500 meters) I was really proud of myself. I have found that by finding the time to doing this for myself that I have the strength and energy to give more to my family. In addition, I feel more balanced, more whole as a person. I have found a new passion, and I couldn't be more thrilled!!!!! ♥