So the summer has flown by. I have been through summer swim team, an Olympic Tri (which completely kicked my ass), quarter end, and now back to school.
My goal for the fall is not to be completely crushed/humiliated by the half iron man on September 11th. I will do my best to hang tough with my swim/bike/run regime for the next 30 days. I am kicking around the idea of writing the names of some people who lost their lives on 9/11/2001 in remembrance during the tri to help keep me motivated and focused on what I am able to accomplish.
I had someone ask about my blog last week. One of my (5) followers (wow I rock) and I realized have been completely neglecting my accountability factor in my training from what I did last year and blogging and FB updates as I trained for my marathon.
Here is my commitment to the world out there. I will at least post once a day until 9/11/2011 on how my training is going.
Here is a quick recap for this week. Sunday, I did a swim/spin brick- 30 minutes spin (with sprints) on my own + 30 minutes in the outdoor pool. I felt lazy on Sunday. But that is because on Saturday I did a 90 minute outdoor ride and then ran 6 miles and I felt GREAT during the workout, but needed nap in the afternoon to recover.
Monday, was the first day of school. I was very too focused on my girls in the morning and did not work out. However, I did a quick outdoor bike (45 min) for lunch. It was freakin hot! It over 85 degrees and a sh**load of traffic at 11am, which completely freaks me out. I completely smoked Alan-( my husband) small personal victory, but I think that is b/c he had worked out earlier that day and was riding an antiquated bike. But, hell it felt really good to be faster than him for a change. Sorry hunny, love you though.
Today (Tuesday) I got a late wake up call so I worked out for 17 minutes, exactly. I ran sprints. I am in San Diego and I have to say I friggin love running at sea level! I should have worked out when I came back from meetings today, but I elected to drink wine and catch up on email. My bad.
I do have an early wake up call and plan on running BEFORE I get on the plane tomorrow. The flip side is to see if I can squeeze a bike or swim tomorrow after I get home after work. Really need to squeeze in some type of double/brick.
I have to admit I hate working out in the afternoon, in fact my brain is way happier working before 3pm. So an afternoon workout is almost like brain damage.
Here are the best excuses for not working out that I have found personally and/or posted on line:
1. I don't have the time. Well, no one does. Therefore you must make the time. So wake up 30 minutes earlier and go a for a walk/run, bike,etc , its that simple. Get your ass out of bed and just get it done. You will not die by waking up 30 minutes earlier. Or exercise in 10 minute intervals in between calls or meetings. I know you can find 30 minutes.
2. I don't have anyone to work out with . Ya know what you are your best company. Hanging with just you, yourself, and I is not a bad thing for 30- 60 minutes. Enjoy the solitude and time to hash out all of those self discussions. You might just decide you really like yourself and want to kick some ass.
3. I would rather spend 30 more minutes sleeping. This one is hard one for me to argue. I am a huge advocate for sleep, BUT the upside on exercising is so monumental that the benefits for exercise, even just a walk far out weigh the extra 30 minutes of sleep. So, put your work out clothes and tennis shoes RIGHT NEXT to the bed. Let the alarm go off, change clothes in a blur and head out the door with some rockin tunes. By the time you get back you will be awake and in a kickin mood to make a positive difference in your life and the lives of others.
off to bed now, I have an early wake up call to run then FLY!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
the next 30 days
It has been almost 30 days since I posted. A combination of laziness and poor use of time resulted in not getting a post up. As my job has transitioned into a higher gear (which I had not realized was possible) and I have found the balancing act I had in place went completely into the shitter.
There are a couple of positives out of the last 30 days though. I set a PR in my first half marathon of the season by 5 minutes, yeah me! Negative split training worked well. I also managed to shed 7 of the extra 17 pounds I have been toting around with me. Again, yeah me! This was primarily done through portion control and calorie counting. I have to admit I am a completely emotional eater. Stress equals hand me a bag of chips and a glass of wine and let the serotonin do its job.
I think the next 30 days will be pretty interesting. I will be on the road between 50%-75% of the time. Being away from my family will completely suck. However, the upside is the potential impact I can have on my team who is a truly amazing group of people. My role now is to focus on execution, strategy, and empowerment. I will have to figure out how to squelch the need to be in control and exude implicit trust...... OMG that will be hard.
So in closing my mantra will be about karma. Lets pray I'm not a bitch.
There are a couple of positives out of the last 30 days though. I set a PR in my first half marathon of the season by 5 minutes, yeah me! Negative split training worked well. I also managed to shed 7 of the extra 17 pounds I have been toting around with me. Again, yeah me! This was primarily done through portion control and calorie counting. I have to admit I am a completely emotional eater. Stress equals hand me a bag of chips and a glass of wine and let the serotonin do its job.
I think the next 30 days will be pretty interesting. I will be on the road between 50%-75% of the time. Being away from my family will completely suck. However, the upside is the potential impact I can have on my team who is a truly amazing group of people. My role now is to focus on execution, strategy, and empowerment. I will have to figure out how to squelch the need to be in control and exude implicit trust...... OMG that will be hard.
So in closing my mantra will be about karma. Lets pray I'm not a bitch.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Top 10 things running has taught me
As I went for a late afternoon run yesterday I pondered the top 10 things I have learned as I have embraced running. Here's my list:
I have learned....
10. to spit while running. The art of spitting properly is not taught to most girls. So to learn how to do this effectively while running I think is pretty damn cool. I know this one is silly in relevance to the other items, but this one made me laugh the hardest.
9. to let go of "what I think I look like" while running. I think most women have a hard time with exercising because we don't want to look bad or stupid doing it. At this point I don't really give a crap how much my boobs bounce or what my hair looks like.
8. to breathe. I mean really breathe. Running, especially long distances requires you to be attuned to your breathing. If you can't control your breathing you are screwed.
7. to be in the moment. I will say that a lot of the time while I am running I am processing all sorts of stuff, work, family, what I should be eating, etc. But, I have also found that I am taking more time to really be present, notice my surroundings and the beauty, enjoying the time and spirit of my dog as she runs with me, or showing gratitude to my fellow runners, especially those that pass me and I wish them luck. (Someday I hope to be faster and be the one doing more passing.)
6. to listen to my body. I think most people have huge disconnect between their head, their heart, and their body. I will say running has taught me to pay attention even to the slightest of sensations. That being said a lot of those sensations are my legs, glutes, traps asking me (screaming at me) to stop. I definitely acknowledge that they are not totally digging going out for 13.1+ miles, but instead tell myself it will be okay and that my body can handle this.
5. that time does matter. Most people just roll through their days without a true concept of time or its value. From running I have really come to value my time. The time I spend away from my family to go for a long 18 mile run, all the way down to the 3 seconds I save and set a PR. Every second it precious.
4. goals cannot be accomplished without a plan, and that plan needs to be worked on a daily basis. This one really hit home when I completed my first full marathon last year. This was a BHAG of a goal, but I broke it down (with the help of my trainer, Jen), and came up with a plan that I worked at everyday to achieve it.
3. it's okay to give myself a break. This is a tough one for me. People are much more critical of ourselves than anyone else. I have found that I have to accept the days when I am not really feeling it and running fast, and just let myself walk. And more over appreciate the fact that I can walk. Showing self kindness is a lost art, again one that is not taught to most women.
2. that I am strong. Strong is powerful adjective that I think for the most part people (specially women) do not apply to themselves. I am proud to say that I have great physical power; have moral or intellectual power
1. to tell self doubt to take flying leap. You know that nagging voice in your head that tells you all the shit that you can't do, or that you suck, yadda yadda yadda. Well I finally had a come to Jesus conversation with that voice and told it no longer could run around wreaking havoc on me. I have found faith in myself that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to.
I have learned....
10. to spit while running. The art of spitting properly is not taught to most girls. So to learn how to do this effectively while running I think is pretty damn cool. I know this one is silly in relevance to the other items, but this one made me laugh the hardest.
9. to let go of "what I think I look like" while running. I think most women have a hard time with exercising because we don't want to look bad or stupid doing it. At this point I don't really give a crap how much my boobs bounce or what my hair looks like.
8. to breathe. I mean really breathe. Running, especially long distances requires you to be attuned to your breathing. If you can't control your breathing you are screwed.
7. to be in the moment. I will say that a lot of the time while I am running I am processing all sorts of stuff, work, family, what I should be eating, etc. But, I have also found that I am taking more time to really be present, notice my surroundings and the beauty, enjoying the time and spirit of my dog as she runs with me, or showing gratitude to my fellow runners, especially those that pass me and I wish them luck. (Someday I hope to be faster and be the one doing more passing.)
6. to listen to my body. I think most people have huge disconnect between their head, their heart, and their body. I will say running has taught me to pay attention even to the slightest of sensations. That being said a lot of those sensations are my legs, glutes, traps asking me (screaming at me) to stop. I definitely acknowledge that they are not totally digging going out for 13.1+ miles, but instead tell myself it will be okay and that my body can handle this.
5. that time does matter. Most people just roll through their days without a true concept of time or its value. From running I have really come to value my time. The time I spend away from my family to go for a long 18 mile run, all the way down to the 3 seconds I save and set a PR. Every second it precious.
4. goals cannot be accomplished without a plan, and that plan needs to be worked on a daily basis. This one really hit home when I completed my first full marathon last year. This was a BHAG of a goal, but I broke it down (with the help of my trainer, Jen), and came up with a plan that I worked at everyday to achieve it.
3. it's okay to give myself a break. This is a tough one for me. People are much more critical of ourselves than anyone else. I have found that I have to accept the days when I am not really feeling it and running fast, and just let myself walk. And more over appreciate the fact that I can walk. Showing self kindness is a lost art, again one that is not taught to most women.
2. that I am strong. Strong is powerful adjective that I think for the most part people (specially women) do not apply to themselves. I am proud to say that I have great physical power; have moral or intellectual power
1. to tell self doubt to take flying leap. You know that nagging voice in your head that tells you all the shit that you can't do, or that you suck, yadda yadda yadda. Well I finally had a come to Jesus conversation with that voice and told it no longer could run around wreaking havoc on me. I have found faith in myself that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
off the deep end
Its been since Oct 2010 since I last posted and I will admit that work and life in general seemed to be going so fast that I couldn't keep up. Its now 4 months later and I am sitting here thinking the excuses have to stop and I need to get serious and get committed again to making time to run ( or any form of exercise) and find some better balance in life.
With that in mind I have signed up for my first half marathon of the year, Boulder Spring Half Marathon, and will push myself to work toward a PR. I have found especially when money and my pride is on the line I tend to behave a little differently. Image that, me being motivated by $$$ and my ego?! I guess its a good thing I am sales.
I do also have plans for some goals for this spring, summer and a BHAG to complete a half Ironman this fall.
Here is the plan for the next few months:
May - must have six pack abs by the SilkRoad users conference. No way I can be seen in a bathing suit by co-workers and clients unless I drop some serious body fat. That means no more carbs and focus on consistent cardio and weights, and the all dreaded core workout. There is something really sick about sit ups and push ups.
June- Have massive upper body strength to be able to rock my first surfing lesson on the Big Island. Learning to surf is one of my bucket list items, and God knows that not only do I really want to be able to do it well, but I better look damn good doing it too. Good thing the goal for May is to look good in a bathing suit.
July - Have a really fun birthday party. And surprisingly enough, it will not be all about me. We decided in the Tapley household that any birthday that ends in a 9 will be philanthropy type of party. Since I am turning 39 I have decided to have a party where I ask everyone to bring at least one item to donate to to Dress for Success. It would be great to be able to have my own little "suit drive"!
August - Have a team ride with me in the Venus de Miles ride. I road in this event last year for the first time and it was well done. I am not sure I will commit to the 100 or even 67 mile course, but I will commit to getting more people together to go out and enjoy being on the road and supporting an amazing cause the Greenhouse Scholars. This is a women's only ride, but if any of my male friends want to ride you can do so, you just have to do it in drag.
September - Complete without injury my first half Ironman triathlon. The Harvest Moon has been recommended, so that is the plan for now. And I have put the money down on the race so I am committed. Lord help me.
I am sure there will be other halfs sprinkled in there.....
October - go on a girls only vacation to Disney World with my lovely girls and sister. The goal will be to hide my blackberry from me during business hours and ride as many roller coasters as possible.
I think that covers me for the next few months. Now I only need to commit to updating my blog more frequently with my progress. I think for the first update I may have to post before picture of my abs and then in May post after picture. Maybe that is not what the public needs to see, but it would keep me accountable.
With that in mind I have signed up for my first half marathon of the year, Boulder Spring Half Marathon, and will push myself to work toward a PR. I have found especially when money and my pride is on the line I tend to behave a little differently. Image that, me being motivated by $$$ and my ego?! I guess its a good thing I am sales.
I do also have plans for some goals for this spring, summer and a BHAG to complete a half Ironman this fall.
Here is the plan for the next few months:
May - must have six pack abs by the SilkRoad users conference. No way I can be seen in a bathing suit by co-workers and clients unless I drop some serious body fat. That means no more carbs and focus on consistent cardio and weights, and the all dreaded core workout. There is something really sick about sit ups and push ups.
June- Have massive upper body strength to be able to rock my first surfing lesson on the Big Island. Learning to surf is one of my bucket list items, and God knows that not only do I really want to be able to do it well, but I better look damn good doing it too. Good thing the goal for May is to look good in a bathing suit.
July - Have a really fun birthday party. And surprisingly enough, it will not be all about me. We decided in the Tapley household that any birthday that ends in a 9 will be philanthropy type of party. Since I am turning 39 I have decided to have a party where I ask everyone to bring at least one item to donate to to Dress for Success. It would be great to be able to have my own little "suit drive"!
August - Have a team ride with me in the Venus de Miles ride. I road in this event last year for the first time and it was well done. I am not sure I will commit to the 100 or even 67 mile course, but I will commit to getting more people together to go out and enjoy being on the road and supporting an amazing cause the Greenhouse Scholars. This is a women's only ride, but if any of my male friends want to ride you can do so, you just have to do it in drag.
September - Complete without injury my first half Ironman triathlon. The Harvest Moon has been recommended, so that is the plan for now. And I have put the money down on the race so I am committed. Lord help me.
I am sure there will be other halfs sprinkled in there.....
October - go on a girls only vacation to Disney World with my lovely girls and sister. The goal will be to hide my blackberry from me during business hours and ride as many roller coasters as possible.
I think that covers me for the next few months. Now I only need to commit to updating my blog more frequently with my progress. I think for the first update I may have to post before picture of my abs and then in May post after picture. Maybe that is not what the public needs to see, but it would keep me accountable.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
watching and wishing
I watched the Elite athletes run and finish the Chicago marathon today, via an online webcast, thank you to NBC. And I got to see glimpses of the other runners through the streets packed with volunteers and other spectators cheering them on. All I could think of, "man I really want to be running with them". So I am putting it out there that someday before I die I will run the Chicago marathon and then a serious BHAG, qualify for Boston, that means I have to drop some significant time off of my current pace, but hell, if you don't put it out there, then the Universe cannot bring it to you. Note to self, I just double check the qualifying times and this is one hell of a nutso goal.
So bring it Universe.
In an effort to work toward my goal of improving time I am looking forward to the Denver Rock N Roll half on Sunday. As long as I am faster than my time in March I am good. If I am faster than my splits from the Missoula full marathon I will be super happy.
Let taper week begin!
So bring it Universe.
In an effort to work toward my goal of improving time I am looking forward to the Denver Rock N Roll half on Sunday. As long as I am faster than my time in March I am good. If I am faster than my splits from the Missoula full marathon I will be super happy.
Let taper week begin!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
in sickness and in health
Its been a while since I posted and this past week I hit a rough patch as I caught my first virus (of what I will assume will be several) this fall from my kids. I was throttled with a tremendous head cold which made it hard to breathe through my nose and hear out of my ears. I ran at the beginning of the week, but missed my workouts for tempo and speed on Wed and Friday, and my Thursday Bikram class. I did manage to get myself to yoga class on Saturday and then run my planned 10 miles today.
During Bikram all of the sinus issues went away, gotta love a room that is 104 degrees and 90% humidity! Bikram just makes you get all of the junk, including boogies, out of your body. Yet this morning as I ran, I felt with every step a real challenge to breathe. This got me thinking that I am really lucky to be healthy person. I cannot fathom trying to exercise and not being able to breathe properly. When I got home I pondered even further what would it be like to be an athlete with asthma? Then in research I find that Paula Radcliffe lives with asthma and is the current world record hold in the marathon and has won 7 races.
That just hammers home the sentiment that with commitment anyone can persevere to succeed.
I am optimistic this virus is on the way out and that in 2 weeks I will finish my 3rd half marathon of the year with a PR. Today I was faster than my past times for 10 miles. So even with booger fest 2010 raging in my head my mind pushed my body excel.
During Bikram all of the sinus issues went away, gotta love a room that is 104 degrees and 90% humidity! Bikram just makes you get all of the junk, including boogies, out of your body. Yet this morning as I ran, I felt with every step a real challenge to breathe. This got me thinking that I am really lucky to be healthy person. I cannot fathom trying to exercise and not being able to breathe properly. When I got home I pondered even further what would it be like to be an athlete with asthma? Then in research I find that Paula Radcliffe lives with asthma and is the current world record hold in the marathon and has won 7 races.
That just hammers home the sentiment that with commitment anyone can persevere to succeed.
I am optimistic this virus is on the way out and that in 2 weeks I will finish my 3rd half marathon of the year with a PR. Today I was faster than my past times for 10 miles. So even with booger fest 2010 raging in my head my mind pushed my body excel.
Monday, September 6, 2010
getting my sh** together- time to set some goals
Okay, I have been meandering through the last several weeks trying to figure out what to do with myself and making up every excuse in the book to avoid committing to "exercising" or training for anything. I kicked around doing a tri, but didn't seem uber motivated.
I should comment that I did do a 50 mile bike ride, http://www.venusdemiles.com/ about two weeks ago. I am glad I did the ride as I learned a lot. I learned that I am just not happy on my bike (specifically out on a road with cars whizzing by me at 60+MPH) in comparison to other forms of exercise. While I can bike fairly efficiently, I never, not even once, relaxed the way I do when I run or swim, or even more importantly, achieved the endorphin rush. I can see myself still doing short distance and maybe even Olympic distance tri's, but I know the bike really is the big deterrent to doing a half or full http://www.ironman.com/.
I was a complete SLOTH over this Labor Day holiday, eating and drinking, eating and drinking, sleeping, eating more and more....ugh. Today I spent the day reading http://www.facebook.com/ updates, http://www.runnersworld.com/ articles, and learning about the http://www.posetech.com/ running method. One of the facebook updates came from http://www.lululemon.com/ and put out a challenge to go out and set some goals, and even better to take a picture of yourself with a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal). And that is what prompted this post. Following is the list of my goals for the next 12 months, well at least 6 months, I will see how far I get at the end of the post with identifying 12 months out. I do plan to write up my BHAG and send it to Lululemon to see if they post it.
1. Sept 30 : I complete all of my outlined daily training plans, which includes strength training, stretching, and resting.
2. October 17: I have a personal best in the Denver Rock N Roll Half Marathon, http://denver.competitor.com/, with a time of 2:38:27. I know this is not super fast, but it is improvement over both of the half marathon times I have put down this season.
3. November 7: I lose 12 pounds from my starting weight from Sept 7, 2010. This loss will also include a 2 percent reduction in body fat.
4. December 30: I finish the year at 100% of quota - $750M while continuing to exercise a minimum of 4xtimes a week.
5. January 15: I learn to snow shoe and have gone 5x times, twice with Riley.
6. February 14 (or thereabouts): I complete my first 5K snowshoe race, the Screaming Snowman, http://www.racingunderground.com/sssnowman.html with Riley.
7. Mid March (date TBD): I compete in the Boulder Spring Half Marathon, http://www.bouldermarathon.com/27.html and improve my time by finishing at 2:35 or faster.
8, 9, 10, not really sure, there will be another marathon in there, with the goal to finish at 5:25, taking 14 minutes off of my time in 2010. I need to decide on a summer race, some place fun that I can bring the family so they can cheer me on and even see me finish!
Just the exercise of writing this post really makes me stop and think about what is possible and not, and again I remember that the only thing holding me back from anything is me.
I should comment that I did do a 50 mile bike ride, http://www.venusdemiles.com/ about two weeks ago. I am glad I did the ride as I learned a lot. I learned that I am just not happy on my bike (specifically out on a road with cars whizzing by me at 60+MPH) in comparison to other forms of exercise. While I can bike fairly efficiently, I never, not even once, relaxed the way I do when I run or swim, or even more importantly, achieved the endorphin rush. I can see myself still doing short distance and maybe even Olympic distance tri's, but I know the bike really is the big deterrent to doing a half or full http://www.ironman.com/.
I was a complete SLOTH over this Labor Day holiday, eating and drinking, eating and drinking, sleeping, eating more and more....ugh. Today I spent the day reading http://www.facebook.com/ updates, http://www.runnersworld.com/ articles, and learning about the http://www.posetech.com/ running method. One of the facebook updates came from http://www.lululemon.com/ and put out a challenge to go out and set some goals, and even better to take a picture of yourself with a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal). And that is what prompted this post. Following is the list of my goals for the next 12 months, well at least 6 months, I will see how far I get at the end of the post with identifying 12 months out. I do plan to write up my BHAG and send it to Lululemon to see if they post it.
1. Sept 30 : I complete all of my outlined daily training plans, which includes strength training, stretching, and resting.
2. October 17: I have a personal best in the Denver Rock N Roll Half Marathon, http://denver.competitor.com/, with a time of 2:38:27. I know this is not super fast, but it is improvement over both of the half marathon times I have put down this season.
3. November 7: I lose 12 pounds from my starting weight from Sept 7, 2010. This loss will also include a 2 percent reduction in body fat.
4. December 30: I finish the year at 100% of quota - $750M while continuing to exercise a minimum of 4xtimes a week.
5. January 15: I learn to snow shoe and have gone 5x times, twice with Riley.
6. February 14 (or thereabouts): I complete my first 5K snowshoe race, the Screaming Snowman, http://www.racingunderground.com/sssnowman.html with Riley.
7. Mid March (date TBD): I compete in the Boulder Spring Half Marathon, http://www.bouldermarathon.com/27.html and improve my time by finishing at 2:35 or faster.
8, 9, 10, not really sure, there will be another marathon in there, with the goal to finish at 5:25, taking 14 minutes off of my time in 2010. I need to decide on a summer race, some place fun that I can bring the family so they can cheer me on and even see me finish!
Just the exercise of writing this post really makes me stop and think about what is possible and not, and again I remember that the only thing holding me back from anything is me.
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