We don't rise to the level of our expectations...

“We don’t rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training.” Archilochus, Greek Soldier, Poet, c. 650 BC

I love this quote, not only for training for an athletic event, but for anything I work for. It could be a speech that I want to deliver well, or a new yoga pose. I can want it, but it doesn’t happen unless I train for it and practice, and work to achieve it. It reminds me that I will only do as well as the effort and work I’m willing to put in to it to get the results I want.

I gave my 3rd speech at my Toastmaster’s meeting today. (If you are interested in improving your speaking skills and learning from some terrific speakers, join us! (www.pikespeaktoasmasters.com). My speech is titled “What is your Ironman” and the message of the speech was to inspire others to think about a really big goal they have, and challenge themselves to make a plan and then do it. I am a terribly nervous speaker and expended plenty of energy the week before the speech thinking of any excuse I could use to bow out of my speech. I exposed myself to anyone with swine flu, ate rotten foods to see if I could get food poisoning, and wore extra high heels in hopes of spraining my ankle. All to no avail, and I was healthy when I woke up on the morning of my speech. So, despite my fear of looking and sounding like a failure in front of an audience, I did it anyway. I have no idea what I said, because as soon as I start speaking, I go to a place where I detach from my body, go into auto pilot and can hear the words I’m speaking, but once I finish, I can’t remember what I just said. It’s like a black out from drinking without the fun. I know I forgot many of my profound points and my humorous stories and I unintentionally re-organized it as I went along, but I somehow made it to the end and made it back to my chair without assistance. So, why do I put myself through this?? That’s a topic for another day…. What I wanted to share today was what strategies I use to get through a fearful experience. I have been doing a lot of yoga lately and it’s cool how the things you learn in one part of your life flow into another part. I can’t stand in mountain pose at the front of the room and lay down for Shavasana when I finished, but when I sat in the room waiting for my turn and I felt like throwing up, and started hyperventilating, I remembered the breathing. I could hear my yoga teachers “just breathe. Deep cleansing breathes. Be present, focus on your breath” and that got me through the moments leading up to the point in time when I have to stand up and walk to the front of the room. With knees shaking, and hands trembling, I brought to mind the grounding techniques I’ve learned in yoga. Breathe, and feel my feet planted firmly on the floor. Stand tall, drop my shoulders, expand my chest and press my shoulder blades together. Oh, yeah, don’t hold my breath. Breathe again. Now, I’m in the front of the room and I began to talk. My hands are still shaking and I didn’t know what to do with them; my natural stance is to fold my arms in front of me or hold them in the prayer position. But remembering the strong mountain pose, I can let my arms hang naturally at my side as I get going. As the speech starts to flow, I can feel the flow of energy through my body as the tension releases from my body. I finish my speech and sit back in my chair and enjoy that great wash of relief when you work hard at something, feel the fear and do it anyway.

Fridays

I love Fridays. Fridays are the present of weekdays. I feel a little less rushed to get to work as Fridays are not as jammed packed with meetings. Fridays are for rising early again doing a swim workout and a run on the treadmill. The icing on the cake is a Friday morning 75 minute yoga class at the YMCA. The teacher has a great energy about her, and does a nice job educating us on proper technique to ensure we are safe yet getting the most out of the class. I leave the YMCA on Friday mornings calm and ready to finish out the work week and start the weekend. I wonder why yoga isn’t a required activity for all of us?

Winter Trail Running

Tracker and I hit the Cheyenne Mountain Trails today. While we may not have nice warm weather here all year, we have some of the most beautiful trail running around!

Is it coincidence?

I don’t want to claim victory yet (and Dylan reminds me it’s just a coincidence) but I haven’t had wheat in 2 days, and I feel better than I have in 2 years! Brain fog: gone. Energy: I almost forgot what it feels like to have this much energy! Enthusiasm: I’m ready to take on the world! If there is a connection between my health and wheat, it’s asta la vista to French bread, pasta, bagels and cinnamon rolls. I love you all, but I can’t believe how good I feel without you!

No Gluten??

I’m still looking for clues in the health puzzle. Since a low stress, relaxing 2 week vacation didn’t restore my vibrancy I decided to try a recommendation from a friend I saw in Tucson: cut out gluten. I’ve never had food allergies or sensitivities that I’ve been aware of, so I have my doubts. But I’m willing to experiment with any alternative to medications, so good bye gluten! No more bagels. Out goes the French bread. Pasta for dinner? No more. I hope I don’t die during this little experiment.

2010 Training Begins in Tucson

It’s the new year and that means it’s time to get focused on the tri training! August to November were cycling focused to prepare for the Tour de Tucson, and post Tour de Tucson, training was haphazard, incorporating more hiking and walking and whatever I felt like doing. Steve signed me up for the Boulder Tri series and I signed up for the Bike MS as soon as it opened, so some serious training needs to commence! I love being in Tucson in the winter because you can still run and bike outside. I hooked up with the Cactus Cycling Club and enjoyed one of their group rides. Had a couple great solo bike rides, including a couple rides through Saguaro National Park. Hiked/ran in Sabino Canyon and swam outdoors at the OTT YMCA.

New Year, New View

Good-bye 2009 – I am shedding you like a rattlesnake sheds his skin. It’s time to shed the ill fitting skin, and make room for new growth. 2010 is the year for new skin, new opportunities and change. I am thankful for the lessons I got to learn in 2009 but am ready for some easier homework in 2010. I am still not feeling great health wise; in fact, I am still battling the fatigue, exhaustion, brain fog, and general low energy and low enthusiasm. My big test was a 2 week holiday over Christmas and New Years. Connor and I took a road trip, first stopping at Kay and Richard’s for a relaxing couple of days. Then on to mom’s in Tucson where mom took care of me, I had no pressure, no obligations and time to spend doing whatever I wanted. Then on to dad and Julia’s for a visit before heading home. The test was if I didn’t get my groove back in this low stress, no demand environment, then the health issues aren’t work related, or stress related. The results: I felt terrible. No energy. No enthusiasm. Foggy brain. Wiped out.

I made some changes while on holiday that felt right and helped center me though. The first change was I committed to giving myself about an hour before bed to do yoga, meditation, breathing exercises and time to wind down and bring peace and balance to my mind and body. I downloaded some yoga and meditation podcasts (the iphone is the greatest toy in history!) and before my normal drop into bed, read 10 minutes and fall asleep routine, I isolated myself in my room and did my yoga and meditation. While I’d like to say I committed to and stuck to one hour, some nights it was 10 minutes, some nights it was 45 minutes. No matter how long though, it did bring a sense of the day ending, a sense of internal reflection and relaxation.

My dear friend Kay (you want stories about me? Ask Kay – she’s known me since we were in 7th grade) gave me a set of beautiful journals and a pen which inspired me to make the 2nd change. Each night when I finished yoga, I pulled out the journal and wrote 3 things that happened during the day that I was thankful for. This focused my thoughts on the gifts in my life and steered me away from my tendency to dwell on all that is wrong.