Hammerman & Inspiration

Inspiration can come from many places.  Some get it from professional athletes, things on TV.  I'm lucky to be able to get my inspiration from the awesome people I am surrounded by.  I guess I'll recap the Xterra Hammerman race first.  Since my shoulder injury I went from a solo triathlete to a team.  Todd was our swimmer, a friend from work Nate Eastman was our biker and I did the run portion.  We did awesome.  Todd swam well, Nate knocked the bike out and I ran just ok.  We ended up 3rd in our division.  My highest finish ever.  Kikkan Randall ( yes the olympic skier) was on the first place team, The bikers from the Trek store were on the second place team.  So with those teams finishing in front of us I'm considering it a victory!

Team Nateapodd!  3rd place coed team Hammerman 2015

My good friend and coworker Sarah Moore won our age group!  I say our because it's the age group I would have been in had I raced as a single.  I'm coming for you next year Sarah!  I'm so proud of her I know how hard she's been training.  Our other friends did great also.   It was so nice to have such a great turnout of folks from our team.

The ANMC Crew

Another great happening is my friend Sara Sayre ran the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 miler.  This is a 100 mile trail race.  What an accomplishment.  It's truly an achievement as not too many folks attempt this much less finish it!  She'll now be sporting a new belt buckle that not many other people in the world have.  Great Job Sara!  This young chick has quite an athletic resume and is a great example to young runners everywhere.  Oh and she's a pretty good little nurse too!

Sara Rockin 100 miles!

This was a great weekend.  It is the first weekend I have not worked in a long time.  Racing with my husband on a weekend I'm off is such a bonus.  He's such an awesome husband, racer, coach, and my biggest inspiration and supporter.  I can't say enough how great it is to have someone who truly believes in you.

Post Race hugs

Well, there ya have it.  A recap of a lone weekend off! Quite eventful.  It's back to the work grind next weekend. 

70.3 Training and Fishing Fun

Sometimes it's hard to balance life when you have a big race in mind.  I feel this even more than normal this go around because it's a bigger race than I've ever done and I'm starting off with an injury.  I think it's important to remain positive about the situation and continue to move forward with what you CAN do.  What you can't do, you'll eventually be able to. It's all about having fun, pushing yourself and learning on the journey!


FISHING KENAI

Days off from training are important mentally and physically!  After all, I do live in Alaska and there's a lot of fun to be had.  This week was week 4 of my training plan which is a recovery week.  So I had a little bit of reduced workouts and a couple days off completely.  As an Alaska resident I am able to dip net for salmon on the Kenai river.  I had never taken advantage of this Alaskan privilege and  since I had a day off and a couple great friends who asked us to go fishing it was time.  It was a little rainy (ok a lot rainy) at first, but it ended up being a great day.  Not too much sun, not too much rain.  Warm enough and super fun.  Fishing was a little slow, but we still got a few fish to put in the freezer.  Not only was it good to get fish to eat all winter, it was a great experience.  As I was sitting on the boat waiting for the next fish to come aboard I was looking out at the beautiful scenery and thinking to myself that I'm so lucky to live here and be able to have these kinds of experiences.  Some people wait their whole lives for a trip to Alaska and I get to wake up to her beauty and experiences every day.  It was a long day on the river, but such an awesome day.  Thanks so much to our friends Brad and Mary who asked us to go along.  Here are pics from the day on the river!

Me fishing standing in the Kenai River

Captain Brad

Mary and Todd working hard

Look at that beautiful meat.  Thank you mother nature for what you provide

The boys working hard at cleaning fish

Todd Being Todd

Last catch of the day.  Mary's Baby Flounder...who was returned to the river to grow!

TRAINING NOTES

On a positive training note for the week today I tried swimming for the first time since my injury.  It went very well.  I wouldn't say I'm able to fully extend and really pull a lot of water, but going through the motions isn't painful so I'm going to call it a success!  Thanks to my friend DeAnn for asking Todd and I to go out there with her.  Who knew it would be such a positive for all of us.  Tomorrow will be DeAnn's first open water swim race.  She's going to do great.  A natural swimmer!  Here are a few pics of us from the day.  Fun times.

Todd, Myself and DeAnn Entering the water

Me and DeAnn Post Swim trial

Situations are what you make of them

An update handwritten at the cabin and now transferred here.  A few thoughts...

It's been about a week since my shoulder injury.  It's such a nagging thing.  It aches, then sometimes is sharp.  It reminds me every minute that I'm not much good with my left hand.  I was able to do a brick workout on Tuesday normally though before we left for the cabin.  It was my first attempt at running since the bike crash.  It was really OK so I'm quite excited that the only thing I'll be falling behind in is swimming.  What's the point of all this?  Situations are what you make of them.

It's Wednesday and we're out at the cabin since yesterday 6/30/15.  Last time we were here it was 80 degrees, not a cloud in the sky.  We swam, built the deck, etc.  Probably one of my favorite times at the cabin and in Alaska period.  This trip, it was really windy leaving lake hood.  Let's just say Todd got to swim in Lake hood again.  His favorite thing!  He was right though, once we were airborne we were good to go.  Yesterday was good.  Overcast and 60 degrees.  Just did some relaxing since we got here in the afternoon.  Had a nice steak dinner.  I mean steak perfection...it was good!  Today it's overcast and about 50 degrees.  Todd went for a swim, started to cut the grass and noticed one of the tires was pointing in the wrong direction.  Short mowing session turned into a pain in the butt.  Thank God Todd is so handy with things and is good at almost everything!  Now it's 40 degrees and raining.  So we decided to nap, sleep in, and read books.  Gotta adapt! :)  The nap was so awesome and much needed for me at least.  Then, we put on our rain gear and went fishing.  My hands got cold, but we caught some fish for dinner.  We came back and while Todd filleted the fish I cleaned the kitchen up and made some peanut butter cookies for dessert.  Ok so many details, but again, what's the point?  Situations are what you make of them.  For instance...

Injury
Yes, it happened on day 2 of my training plan.  After having to drop out of this very same race before.  I haven't been able to go about training as I'd like, but I'm doing what I can.  Yes, it hurts, but it's going to hurt anyway, so what...go to work, work out, and do what I can.  Focus on everything I can do vs. what I can't do. 

The Cabin
Last time was amazing, this time it was cold, rainy, etc.  It's STILL GOOD!  I'm here with my dogs and a man that loves me more than I could ever imagine...it's not all bad people.  Plus, sometimes it's nice to just relax, catch some fish in the rain and nap.  Things changing keeps things interesting.  It's what life is all about.  It constantly changes.  I think you have to make a conscious effort to decide to be happy no matter what's going on .  Don't get me wrong, it's ok to be sad, mad, frustrated at times in certain situations, bad things will happen.  I think it's when you start living like that is where it's toxic.  Not only to you, but everyone around you.  Make a choice to always make the best of things and you'll be happier for it. 

At one point in my life, for quite a while someone in my life made me think my positivity was a negative thing.  I'm so glad I didn't let that person completely drag me down. Although they did succeed for a while!  It can happen to anyone!  Now, I'm amazingly happy, back to who I really am and who I've wanted to be and that person is probably still searching for some sort of utopian life that doesn't really exist.  My life is not perfect, but I'm pretty darn content. 

Once again, what's the point??  Be happy!  Quit waiting for certain things in your life to happen, or a certain date, to marry someone, divorce someone, etc.  Choose to be happy where you are now.  We only get this one life.  It's too short to spend it any other way. 

A few pics from this cabin trip.

ranger and bree headed out for an open water swim..chasing Todd who's way in front.

ranger helping me fish