The Minnow and the Piranhas

23 weeks to go until my first Half Ironman. A friend asked me today if I started a training plan for my Half. I sort of looked at her with a blank stare. I mean I pretty much haven't stopped training doesn't that count? But it has me thinking panicking that maybe I should start some sort of structured plan. To be honest I have never used training plans. I hate them, I hate the pressure. I feel like I would beat myself up over the plan if I didn't do what it instructed or if I missed a day. I feel like it would kill the fun and the sense of peace I get when I train. However, I wonder if maybe I will be swimming with the piranhas when I show up at the edge of the Russian River in July. Am I in over my head? Well, I can bank on the fact that the entire 70.3 miles I will hear the words "ON YOUR LEFT" over and over. In addition when I think about the folks who are racing with me, they are all seasoned athletes. Almost everyone I know doing the race has done Vineman before, done a Half or even a Full Ironman. I am scared...really scared. So yes I think I am in over my head. I started upping my training a little this week. I am trying to incorporate more bricks (bike/run workout combinations) into my workout. It has been tough. They have been total buzz kills to me. I only ran 2 miles today on the treadmill after Spin class today. And I couldn't help but think "OHHHH MY GOD I would still have 11 more miles to go if this were Vineman."  See total buzz kill.  My sweet friend (who is a trainer at the gym) said to me "Wow you just did Spin and you ran? You are an animal." However I felt far from being in animal-mode. Right now I feel like a minnow who is about plummet head-first into the piranha infested waters.

Yes that is true but if my ass and legs looked like that, then maybe I wouldn't be so worried about it.

Happy 7th.

Happy Birthday Big T! Has it really been seven years since you first came into this world? It was a fun day yesterday filled with all of your favorite things: pizza, cake, Angry Birds, best friends and presents. We love you big guy. Cheers!

Power of Play

Remember how important play used to be when we were younger? What happened and why did that go away?

There are so many days that I lay in bed thinking about my kids and what we did that day. I feel guilty about the fact that all my kids did that day was watch me clean, do laundry, cool meals, go grocery shopping and yell at them to stop fighting. My kids are always asking to play with me and yet I almost always answer "not now, I'm busy."

I am really trying hard now to play with them. It is the little things that make them smile so big. Just yesterday my three year old said "play Mommy." And so I did. I dropped what I was doing and we played a game. It wasn't long but the look on his face was pure joy as he was about to get him Mom's undivided attention at that very moment. A few days later my son asked if he could ride bikes with me. I was tired and had already gone on a long ride but instead I went, happily. He grinned from ear to ear as we raced down the street together.

It moments like this that I really need to stop and remember what it is like to play. Our lives just get so busy and in a regular routine that we forget about how happy play makes us feel. My playtime is a long bike ride, with a wide bike lane in warm weather. P's playtime is a steep and windy dirt trail on his mountain bike. What's yours?

Moment

Have you had your moment yet?

Life is short.

My heart is heavy tonight. I returned from camping to hear of a friend passing. Her 4 year battle with breast cancer came to an end this past weekend. While I only knew her a short time I find myself thinking of her often. She leaves behind a devoted husband and two small little girls. I cant even begin to imagine what they are feeling right now but I can only hope her memory will live on through her daughters.

Dina, I hope you are pain free, happy and strong again. There are many people surrounding your family with love tonight.

She kept a blog and if you would like to see what a strong, courageous, witty and humorous person she was-you can find the link at the bottom of my page. Her blog is called Dina's Boob Blog.

Rest in peace Dina.

Dreaming of a white sandy beach.

It's cold here. Apparently this is the coldest it has been in a long time. I can now say that I saw single digits on our little outdoor thermometer. Yikes.

The only thing keeping me from going completely stir-crazy is knowing that in less than 80 days I will be sitting here:

here?

or perhaps here?

Notice there is no Pack-n-Play or twin bed in this room? Oh yea that's right because it's a vacation sans kids. GOD BLESS BOTH SETS OF GRANDPARENTS!

Looking forward to celebrating 10 years of wedded bliss in style!

Now who would like to come over for dinner?

Swim Goggles Giveaway

Recently I came across a website called Aqua Gear. It is basically a one-stop shop for all your swimming needs. I found the site had a lot of major brands in the swimwear category. I was asked to review a pair of goggles for them and would be able to give away the same pair to one of my lucky readers. So here you go:

I found when searching for the goggles on AquaGear was really easy to use and their prices seem very competitive. The customer service on the site was very helpful as well. The goggles I selected were the same brand as the ones I have from last year. I love love love Aqua Sphere goggles! All my triathlon magazines were right, these really are the best goggles. So it was no surprise that out of all the brands listed on the AquaGear website that I went with those again. I have always hated wearing goggles in the past because of leakage or the awful rings I get around my eyes along with headaches. When I tried Aqua Sphere for the first time I was amazed. They were so incredibly comfortable and I never had any issues with them. The pair I chose this time around are the Kayenne's. However I picked the lady fit. I wanted to see if they made a difference. I have the regular fit on my other pair and they are on the tightest setting. With my new lady fit I have so room to adjust and I like that. So I feel that the lady fit is better for my face. And I also like the hot pink color.

One winner will be selected and they will receive the AquaSphere Kayenne's in either the regular fit, lady fit or Jr fit along with your choice of color or tint. 

To enter please follow the Rafflecopter prompts:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The opinions are my own. I received the products/samples for free and was not compensated for the review.

Riding For Cancer

I have decided to team up with Livestrong to help raise money for those affected by cancer. My Iron Horse Bicycle ride that I am doing in May will now be in honor of those fighting the horrible disease. Yes it's going to be a tough ride but not as tough as what others are having to battle right now. I hope to raise at least $500.00. If you could make a donation here is my personal page:

Amanda's Livestrong Page

Edited on 1/15/12: In light of the recent events I still feel very strongly about this foundation and the good it does for those affected by cancer. One guy doesn't make me change my mind about the millions the foundation has raised and has helped individuals who truly need it. Here is where the money will go if you choose to donate under my team page:

LIVESTRONG Iron Horse Fund Information:

Team LIVESTRONG Iron Horse Members fundraising will be split 50/50 between LIVESTRONG and the 

LIVESTRONG Iron Horse Fund. The funds raised for LIVESTRONG will support cancer survivors on a 

national and global level through a variety of programs and services. Funds raised for the LIVESTRONG

Iron Horse Cancer Fund will serve those affected by cancer in the Four Corners Region. 

Grants from the fund may be made:

to Qualifying Organizations for the purpose of serving people affected by cancer in the Four 

Corners Region

to  or on behalf of individuals who are affected by cancer for services related to their cancer 

experience, including (but not limited to):

financial, insurance and job concerns

counseling and local resources

access to clinical trials

fertility preservation 

It is not the intent of the fund to pay for direct medical treatment for individuals; rather, 

the Funds seeks to provide patient navigation and support services for those affected by 

cancer. 

Thank you for your support. Now excuse me while I go "RIDE ON!"

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I am pretty sure my Mom will have a heart attack when she reads this post. Tonight I made Brussel Sprouts and you know what?

They were good...so good I would make them again! However not good enough to get my kids to eat them but maybe with time they will. Right, who am I kidding? Shoot it's taken me this long to eat them.

Here is what I did to the Brussel Sprouts:

Cut the ends off 6 Brussel Sprouts and sliced them lengthwise.
Put them in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
Sprinkled a little salt, pepper and some dry Italian seasoning on them.
Tossed them in the bowl and put them in a glass baking dish.

Roasted them at 400 for about a half hour.

Blog Lessons

Is your New Year's Resolution to start a blog? Do it...everyone else is, so you should too!

Here are some things I have learned over my blogging years.

1) Just be yourself. I blog about what I darn well feel like rambling on about. And if they don't like it-then they can click that little x in the upper right corner.

2) I am not a doctor, coach, nutritionist, or certified trainer. Take my advice if you want but don't blame me if something bad happens. Don't forget this little important disclaimer in your blog.

3) You will lose touch with people. Everyone can read about you but I really want to know what is happening in other peoples' lives. So you have to make a better effort to reach out to people individually.

4) You can gain more attention to your blog when you giveaway free crap stuff!

5)  I used to hate Twitter but as a blogger, I feel you have to embrace Twitter. Still not ready to have that kind of relationship with Pinterest but we are working on it. Start becoming a social media junkie.

6)  I keep a Facebook page (for this blog) because I have really short random thoughts that clog my brain and are not quite long enough for an entire blog post. So if you want just the simple version of me-follow my Facebook page!

7)  Most of my posts come to me when I run. I almost always have a pen/paper close by, since they leave just as fast as they come.

8)  I read every comment on my blog. So please comment away. I even read the Spam and some of those comments are just jacked up!

9)  Lots of pictures make for a better blog. Humans are visual creatures so we want to "see" instead of "read."

10) I have found that in the blogging world it is good to have a niche. When you have a niche people can relate to you better. I started off just rambling on about the good things and my "happy" little family (ie rainbows & unicorns) Well to be honest that stuff gets old and disgusting and nobody cares about rainbows & unicorns. That is just not the real world and I have no problem sharing the times when my kids make me want to drink an entire bottle of wine in one night.

Speaking of...care to join me tonight?

The year with the 3.

I like years ending in 3. I like the odd years too. Why? I was born on an odd year. I graduated from high school ending in a 3 and got married ending in 3. And NO I did not get married in high school. Just sayin'.

 This is my year, I can feel it. This is the year I will do a half Ironman because I am only half crazy. I am going to stop thinking about all the negatives that used to come into my mind and replace them with the positives. I will do the half Ironman even if it takes me 12 hours. The good thing is a Full Ironman is going on at the same time as my race so honestly nobody would even notice. Then again my husband would be a little ticked if it took me that long.

So did I make a resolution this year like I have done in the past? Yes and it is to commit to more swimming. If I am going to swim over a mile in the Russian River then I better stop half-assing (is that a word) my swim stroke. I need to no longer just get by, I must learn to properly swim. I must. I must. I will work with a coach and I will show up to the pool on a regular basis.

Bring on 2013!