Tri Talk Tuesday: Goals!

Pretty excited for this next season of triathlons for me.  Going into my 2nd season is quite a bit different than the first.  The first go around all I wanted to do was finish, which I wasn't even sure was possible.  This year, I still want to finish, but I want to finish strong!   Since I've had a few weeks to ponder my goals for this season, this link up party was the perfect opportunity to get them written down so I can stay accountable.

Short term goals:

*Improve my time for each of my triathlons.

*Get clipped in on the bike!  (SCARY!!)

*Enjoy the journey more this year.

*Feel more comfortable in the water.

*Incorporate weight training into my schedule.

Mid-term goals:

*Commit to run a half marathon.

*Run hills this year...not only flat!

*Olympic distance tri?

There I have it.  I am hoping for another great season of triathaloning this year!

--what are your short term goals?

--Do you have any long term, bucket list type goals?

An emotional journey part 3 ...

Part 1 and Part 2 of my emotional journey...

Did I mention I cried?  Well, I did to several people.  One of those people had a friend who had a story similar to mine and had finally found Ideal Protein and did that diet and lost a lot of weight.  I felt like this may be my answer, so I gave it a shot.  Well, it worked, I dropped a lot of weight.  I was amazed to see the scale go down, 5 pounds after only one week!  What? I had been trying for months just to lose 5 pounds.  This was my answer.  This was what was going to make me happy, right?  I guess it did for a while.  I loved going to weigh ins each week knowing I'd lost pounds and inches. BUT, I wasn't really happy.  It is hard to explain because I was happy, but I wasn't.  I was focusing only on the scale and not in other areas of my life to complete my happiness.  I only had a few months to do the diet because I had set a goal to complete a triathlon that summer and I needed to start training and on the Ideal Protein diet they encourage you not to workout hard, I had tried and my body didn't really respond well to it, so I knew I would have to phase off and do just my workouts for my triathlon, which was okay.  I had gotten close to my goal weight and I figured my working out for a triathlon would help me get to the rest.

Well, it didn't.  I completely enjoyed my triathlon training and the struggles and strengths I found while doing it!  I felt amazing.  I was over coming fears, I was doing something I didn't think was possible.  You can go HERE to check those out.  I actually didn't even weigh myself during the summer because I didn't care.  I felt great, I was doing fun things and I was happy.

Triathlon season stopped and so did I.  I was burnt out from the effort, both emotional, physical and mental.  I thought I'd give myself a break of about a month or so and then start back up so I could keep up my fitness level and hopefully eat good and lose more weight ... if only our best intentions always panned out.

My husband started traveling, he was gone for most of October and all of December and you know what those months do to you food wise anyway!  Ugg, it was a very emotional, very hard time for me.  I'd start to try to work out, get too tired, stop, try again ... all the while pretending I was eating well but sneaking things I knew were not going to help me get where I wanted.  But I was lonely and tired and frustrated all at the same time...it resulted in weight gain ... AGAIN!

An emotional journey part 2...

 Go HERE for part 1 of my emotional journey...

I have a friend who was probably the sickest person I know.  She could hardly eat anything and she was always sick too.  She had been going and doing some alternative medicine things and I felt like this might be my answer since Western Medicine wasn't helping me anymore.  They were telling me I was normal and that I would just have to function the way I was...or take anti-depressant pills.  No thanks!

So, I started to do some alternative medicine things.  My adrenal glands were not functioning, so I took pills to try to help them.  My iron was obviously still low so I took pills for them.  I took pills for my kidneys because they were not flushing all the toxins out of my body.  Yada, Yada, I took whatever my body tested that I needed.  I wasn't completely satisfied with this either, although I was starting to feel better.  But, I wanted more.  I didn't want to be tied to pills for the rest of my life so my same friend had started trying something new as well for allergy treatments.  Basically the idea is, that our body has reactions to all things that we put it in contact with, some good, some bad.  If you have 'allergies' to these things, your body will react negatively to them each time you come in contact with them.  This treatment is called NAET and it literally changed my life.  It is crazy and amazing all at the same time.  They 'treat' you for your allergy so that the next time you come in contact with that thing, your bodies energy says oh this stuff is okay, I'm not going to act crazy this time.  And it works.  I went through countless treatments and the brain fog I had disappeared, the tiredness diminished, my energy levels started to come up and most of all my iron levels finally stayed normal and I wasn't even supplementing it!  I was so happy!  But, I still had a ways to go for my to be completely satisfied.  I still had some headaches, jaw pain and I still could not drop weight which was frustrating.

My husband had started going to a new chiropractor who also used a muscle technique that he loved.  It helps get your muscles to fire correctly as sometimes they fatigue and will go into a secondary muscle to help the primary muscle.  Anyway, I decided I should go check him out and see if he could help me.  He helped me so much!  He helped my jaw, neck and head pain diminish!  What a miracle to not be in constant pain in my head.  Loved that!  Another answer to prayers, but I was still so frustrated with my weight.

I was working out, eating what I thought was right and I still could not drop weight, which is ultimately what I wanted.  I wanted my energy levels up. I wanted to feel great, but really, I wanted that scale to go down.  At one point, I figured if I worked out more I would lose more weight so I worked out twice a day for a whole month and still nothing.  I cried.  I cried a lot!

This is my TIME ...

This is my time.  I finally feel confident enough to get the body my soul desires.  I need to remember that this journey is for me.  This is a way for me to feel like I can shine the light that I am trying to shine to the world.  I want to feel completely confident with my body which helps me be confident in all the situations I am put in.  I want to be an example of joy, happiness and dedication to other people who may be struggling.

THIS IS MY TIME!!!

I will be following a program that I found done by the makers of fitnessblender.com.  It is 2 months, I can do anything for 2 months.  I will try to check in here several times a week, but for sure with a weigh in every week and progress pictures throughout the process.

I started yesterday, with my rest day today.  Yesterday was a physical fitness test.

1 mile run: 11 minutes

The rest is how many I could do in a 2 minute time frame

Push-ups: 3 full, 12 'girl'

Crunches: 60

Pull-ups: 20 second hold

I will succeed!  I will accomplish my goals.  I will do all that I can to get the body my soul desires!!!

starting weight: 76.8 kg

--What do you do to be an example?

--What do you desire most in your heart?

Can I? ...

Is it selfish to want to be a success story? Is it selfish to see people succeeding and having the body that I've always wanted and say I WANT THAT?  Is it selfish to take the time to obtain those goals and desires?

I've had a lot of thoughts run through my head lately...why can't I succeed when it comes to my body goals?  Why can't I stick with something long enough to see the desired outcome?  I know I want to be healthy.  I know I want to be fit.  I know I want to be an inspiration to others, especially my children.  But I wish I knew I COULD.  I wish I knew I could push my body to where I want it to go.  I wish I knew that I could do the things I once thought were impossible.

The funny thing about these thoughts that are swirling through my mind, is I KNOW THAT I CAN do amazing things.  I got through my teenage years (which were a challenge for me) without dying, I ran a half marathon with so much pain in my feet because of tarsal tunnel, but I still did it.   I learned how to swim and practiced it enough to complete 3 sprint triathlons last summer.  I lost weight when I was extremely focused and committed to a 'diet'.  So I've done things that I should be able to draw strength from, so why do I struggle to REALLY know that I CAN?

The conclusion I've come up with is because I've tried so many times, I've started over so many times, I've failed so many times, I've been rejected so many times and I'm sick of it.

I want to be a success story!  I want to inspire others to live a healthy lifestyle, emotional, spiritual and physical!  I WANT TO KNOW I CAN and BELIEVE IT!

--What are your biggest struggles?
--How do you believe in yourself?

Week 2, Day 1 ... P90X

I already made it through the first week of P90X!  Yea!  and guess what?  I LOVE it.  I love that it helps me feel strong. I love the goal I have made to do a unassisted pull-up by Christmas.  I love that when I make the decision to work out in the morning, my day goes smoothly and I have an easier time picking good choices for my food.  I love that it helps me stretch my neck so that I don't get headaches in the afternoon.  I am loving it so far!

I started last week with my chest and back workout just trying to go through the motions and could barely do some of the push-ups and only used 15 pounds on the pull-ups (on our Bowflex) and today, I could actually get my reps in quicker with a few extra on top of my push-ups and I did the weight at 35 pounds (70pounds total) for my pull-ups.  It is fun to see that I can already do more in just one week.

I still haven't taken my 'before' pictures .... I know, I know.  It is my goal to get those done today!

---What are you doing to LOVE your body?

---What is your one thing to be proud of today?

Stagnant ...

Well, it has happened.  The awesomeness of loosing weight, then doing all my triathlons wore off and now I am in a rut.  I took a break and now I am ready to go somewhere I have never gone!

Weight training/HIIT

P90X!!

I mentioned it to my hubby (Coach J.) that I wanted to try it and asked him if he wanted to do it with me.  I am already glad he said yes, because he has gotten me out of bed at 6AM both mornings because I had committed to him to do it.  I have enjoyed both work outs already and cannot wait to see the results!  I will post before pictures in the next few days so you can follow along on my journey.

I am really hoping it will help me tone up and actually hit my goal weight this time!  I stopped sort to start training hard for my triathlons.  I gained a few back but not many ... YEA!  And now want to go into weights that I do not ever remember being!

--- What are your goals lately?

--- What do you do to get out of  a rut?

Difficult becomes possible ...

Do you ever see something and think "oh that is just TOO hard to do?"  Do you think it is JUST too difficult for you to try and accomplish?  No?  I think you are lying :).

I know I HAVE.  After 5 years of trying, I never thought I would be able to release 30 pounds. I thought it would be too difficult to change my diet, eat enough vegetables and see my weight actually go down on a scale.  BUT do you know what?  I did it!  It took me 3 months once I found the right key to unlock my weight.  

Releasing weight became Possible!

I also thought doing a triathlon might be too difficult for me.  When Coach J first signed up for his sprint I couldn't believe how awesome it was.  I couldn't believe that he was going to do it.  Then, watching him accomplish it, I though, well maybe that is possible.  Maybe with some good training and with time, I could do that too.  Well, if you have been reading my blog or following me on facebook you know I have completed my goal of my 1st triathlon followed closely by a 2nd one, spur of the moment. 

Triathlons became Possible!!

It is amazing to me what becomes POSSIBLE when you put your mind to it.  When I first started training I wasn't even sure I would make it...heck when I first started in the water of my first triathlon I was still doubting if I could make it.  It was difficult, all my goals have been, but they are Possible!  I know they are possible and have become a part of who I am.  I am a triathlete.  I am at a healthy weight for my body.  

I am Possible! 

---what have you done that you thought was difficult?

---Are you doing something right now that you thought was Impossible?

Here I go again ...

The elusive half marathon :) ...  Oh how it haunts me.  My first experience was less than I was hoping for, I started training for one this spring and had to stop due to health issues, and now it is on the forefront of my mind again.

I wrote out a training plan yesterday, I 'start' my training today with a cross-train day and will run my long run this Saturday while in Logan.  I can only hope the hard work I have put in will be enough to start me off with only 7 weeks until RACE DAY.

Here goes nothing!  Hope to cross another goal off my list of things to do before I turn 30!  Wish me luck!

Enjoy a Beautiful Day!   

---Is there something on your list that you want to cross off?  What is it?

---Is there a distance of running that scares you?

Find a way ...

Find a way, NOT an excuse ...

I have been asked a lot of questions since I finished my triathlon, but the #1 question I get asked is how did I find the time to train?  Well, we all have the same 24 hours in the day but different obligations of what is required during those 24 hours a day; so if I can 'find' the time, so can you!  I have a lot of 'balls' I have to juggle with being a mother, wife, medical transcriptionist, friend and neighbor.  BUT I wanted to do a triathlon.  It was a very important goal in my life. I wanted to prove to myself that I could.

 How did I find the time?  I didn't find it, I MADE the time.  I got up at 5:30AM to be at the lake by 6AM, if I hadn't gotten a workout in before he got home my awesome husband sacrificed his time to watch the kids when he got home so I could go for a run or a bike ride, I pushed or pulled my kids with me, I stayed home from my other social 'obligations' to get my work out in.  I did all I could to cross off those days on my training plan.  Life got in the way some days, or I had to take an extra rest day to listen to my body, but I found a way.

It wasn't always easy, I sometimes felt guilty for going, but I went.  I had made a committement to myself (and told lots of people about it) and I wanted to succeed.  I didn't want to just finish, I wanted to really do well and I knew I would have to put in the work to do so!!!

If you REALLY want something, find EVERY way possible to get it.  Wake up early, say NO to a sweet treat, stay up late, but Find a way to get it, not an excuse to not make it happen!

**I have to give credit to my husband *Coach J* for this 'quote'.  He lives by this and is my example!

 Enjoy a Beautiful Day!!

---How do you accomplish your goals? 

 ---What is your mantra to help you get through something hard? 

I couldn't be more proud...

 This past weekend was one I will never forget.  My husband completed his first IRONMAN 70.3.  He accomplished every goal he set for himself and exceeded many that he had placed early on.  He is my inspiration to get fit, mentally and physically.  I can only imagine the mental barriers that he overcame while pushing his body as hard as he could for 6 hours and 17 minutes.  Every time I saw him on the course, I would tear up with pride and pure awe.  I couldn't be more happy, blessed and lucky to have him as my husband.  I cannot wait until we complete the sprint triathlon we are doing together in July.  I will be fun to be by his side(or behind him :)) in something he has inspired me to do.

Hit a chord...

I LOVE this post from Heather K. Jones.

If you repeat this over and over in your mind, you WILL change.  You will feel like its time.  You will feel like you are worth it.  So many times I have struggled with these exact thoughts, just opposite.  Now is the time to change your mind set.  Now is the time to make the changes in your life that will make it AMAZING!

I am willing to change.

I create my healthy and abundant life.

I prioritize of my health and well-being.

I deserve to be healthy and happy.

I love my body and honor it with a healthy lifestyle.

Opportunities to improve my health are everywhere.

I deserve to be healthy and I am worthy of a wonderful life.

Have a very happy Monday and an even better week!!

Just keep swimming...

Changing our goals to fit our needs can be a very difficult thing to accomplish, especially when you mentally get yourself into a goal whole heartedly.  I know I will still be able to obtain my goal of a half marathon, sprint triathlon and personal best 5K this year, but I want to be training so badly.  I just have to tell myself that the time will pass and as I am dropping weight, those goals will become easier. 

I really love what IP is doing for my body, but I am having a difficult time giving up the exercise thing while my body figures it out.  I hope to be back into a little light exercise next week, once my body adjusts to what I am doing to it. 

Right now, I know this is what my body needs and things will work out.  It is only March and I have never started training for something before May anyway, so I will just hang on for the ride and hope for the best at the end of this journey!

My why's of loosing weight...

I think it is important for me to figure out the reasons WHY I want to release this weight.  If I have some really good WHYs, I can come back to them when times are hard. So here is my list of WHY I want to release this extra 35 pounds once and for all!

***I want to keep up with my husband in the fitness department...running 1/2 marathons, doing sprint triathlons and backpacking in the mountains.

***I want to not have my thighs rub together when I walk.

***I want to have more energy to play ball with my kids, to run around when they want to, to ride our bikes together.

***I want to be an example to my children. Not only in eating nutritiously but knowing that we can accomplish hard things if we put our minds to it.

***I want to motivate those around me to not settle for the 'mommy' body that we so often have after having children and spending all of our energies on them and not us.

***I want to be as confident in my body as I pretend to be.

***I want to feel great in my clothes. To not look in the mirror and only see the things I don't like, but to take pride in what I have worked for.

***I want to feel strong, have muscles you can see and be able to do endurance sports easier.

***I want to feel confident and look hot naked ;).

***I want to feel good about my success and know that I CAN DO HARD THINGS!!!

Another cup of cream...

was added to my bucket to make into butter...AHHH.

My whole goal with eating well and exercising every day and most days twice is to lose some weight.  I know it shouldn't be my lifetime goal, but right now it is.  I know I am not at a healthy weight for my body and I know it needs to change but I cannot get it too.  The harder I try, the worse it gets when it doesn't happen.

I have been working out and eating healthy for over 6 weeks now. I was expecting to see SOME kind of loss when I decided to weight myself once a month.  Saturday was my day to weigh-in and BOY was I in for a shock.  Not only had I not lost weight, but I had gained a pound.  BAHHH!!  That made me so mad/frustrated/sad/angry...every emotion.  It makes me feel like somekind of failure to not even lose 1 pound...NOTHING.  It makes me think that all my efforts are not worth it. it takes a lot of time and dedication to work out as much as I have, to eat the foods I eat and for what?  To feel better?  Well I only feel a little better, not enough to keep it up.  So, after lots of tears and praying, I have decided to go to a nutritoinist.  Obviously there is something I am not getting, so made an appointment yesterday and will be going later today.  I will keep you posted on how things go!  

I will not give up!

I will not QUIT!!

I will KEEP trying!!!

A goal of mine...

When my running journey began, I started with the desire to run 5 miles, without stopping.  That was it, that was all I wanted.  A funny thing happens when you go after a goal like that, when you accomplish it, you aren't satisfied.  You want more.  You want to push yourself again.  

You want to know you can do HARD THINGS!  

So, what did I want this time?  A 1/2 marathon!  I signed up and started training.  The ride was crazy, fun, terrifying, exhilarating and pushed me beyond the limits that I had built up around myself.  I had foot problems with tarsal tunnel, and it was a painful way to train, but I had made the goal, I had to accomplish it.  I am happy to say even with some serious bathroom problems, a numb/painful foot and running with more weight than I would have liked, I FINISHED!  I crossed that finish line with tears in my eyes and not only from the pain. I was proud of the things I had worked through, I was happy to have my husband by my side knowing he was proud and loved me.  I was running with tears in my eyes because I had done something HARD that not very many people would expect from me!  That was in 2010 and I have had the desire since then to do another one and have a slightly better experience.  

Enter this year, 2013.  I wanted to, I REALLY wanted to, but I couldn't commit to run another 13.1.  Well guess what?  The decision was made for me.  I won an entry into the Salt Lake City Marathon 10th Anniversary run!  Oh boy, not only did I get into a 1/2 marathon, it was in APRIL.  I have never even begun training for anything before April and now I will have done a 1/2 marathon by then.  I am in week 3 of my training and only have 7 more.  I will go more into what I am doing each week in a seperate post, but cheer me on as I work up to an amazing 13.1 miles in April!

What is your favorite race distance?  What have you overcome to make your goals a reality?