UNBREAKABLE
un·break·a·ble (ŭn-brā'kə-bəl) adj.
1. Impossible to break; able to withstand rough usage: unbreakable plates.
2. Able to withstand an attempt to break. Used of a horse.
n. An article or object that is not easily broken
un·break'a·ble·ness n., un·break'a·bly adv.
That is who I am going to be.
Wait--no. That is who I am. I am
unbreakable! (This will be a running post soon--I promise). Nothing that's happened so far in my life has broken me. Sure, I'm human and some things get me 'down' more than others, but guess how I am going to view them now? As
"technical difficulties!". There's a song I just found by Alicia Keys, called 'unbreakable' and it's my new power song. I'm not a very big blues-y person, but I really like this one. For the first time in about 4 months, I (almost)left work not feeling good about my day at work. I know, everyone has those days once in a blue moon and it was apparently a blue moon for me. We chatted it out and all is well. And I'm still unbreakable. I did, however, realize that I can't call myself the girl that never cries anymore. Cause I cry now. And i'm
still unbreakable! Looking at it from an 'athletic standpoint', injuries are just technical difficulties. The breathing I've been struggling with for awhile is just a technical difficulty. The pneumonia that I got immediately following the marathon is just a technical difficulty. The fact that for the 3 weeks following the marathon I had no desire to move--another technical difficulty. You see where I'm going with this. I'm just unbreakable!
I'm pretty confident that I'm back into this now. Looking for a trainer still. One that fits the budget. I think I might've found a Cyclops MAG Trainer for 95$, which is a wicked deal, I think. And I've asked my parents for gift cards to get cycling shoes, and clipless pedals for my bike for Christmas. This sport is getting expensive. Yesterday I went for a run. It was about 6km, and I didn't wear a watch or time it. Cause that's how I'm going to roll for awhile. No focus on my watch, just focus on feeling.
I definately don't have running legs anymore. Seriously. It felt like I was climbing mountains. But that's okay, cause running legs will come back after about 3 weeks so I'm not too worried. I won't be worried until 3 Sunday's from now. If they're not back after some consistent running, there is going to be a problem. But we're not going to worry about that yet. I do need new Running Shoes as well. My old runners have a round of marathon training on them, so they need to be replaced. It'll have to wait until Friday though.
And guess what I did today?
I went swimming. I swam 1200m. In a long time. And it hurt. Well actually it felt pretty good. I'm sure it's going to hurt tomorrow though. I've also been reading 'going long' and am going to start doing some of the core strengthening exercises in it. I've also convinced Rick to do the 100 pushup challenge with me. So, months behind everyone else, I will be participating in it. Cause that's how I roll. Starting tomorrow though. Just for the record--I can't do one pushup.
I'm now in the process of making a trip plan for Lake placid this year so I can start to save. Anyone going to be going down to Lake Placid this year? Is there an Airport in Lake Placid? Should I really get my lisence so I can drive there? Any locals want to carpool? I'll be volunteering. Any volunteers got a position they can recommend for me?
I think 2010 will be easier to plan, cause I've got the parents coming too. They can take care of all the details. :)
I think that's all I wanted to say.
I'll catch up with you guys tomorrow. Or tonight if I can't sleep.
CALLING ALL CYCLISTS: Immediate help required!!!
TRAINERS: FLUID OR MAGNETIC? DOES IT MATTER? I'm looking on Craigslist to see if I can't find one.
You get a real post when I come back from my run.
The Fragility of Life
A Note From Tiger: I was fully intending on this being a blog post about my lack of running, about ironman training (or thinking about it), about inspiring people, about the stuff that Tiger usually talks about. Of course, life happens, and you get what I like to call another "Debbie Downer" post. But it might not really be that "Debbie Downer" like...perhaps it's just a little...Philisophical. :) There ya go, Marci!Ever look at an older person struggling to walk across the street?
Ever wonder what their niche used to be? There passion? Perhaps they used to be runners, or cyclists or swimmers just as we are. Perhaps they had some other passion. Maybe they have children and families, or maybe they are happily alone.
Ever look at those with impairments? They may have a challenge that most of us don't have. Ever notice that these people are generally happier and appreciate the littler things in life? Waking up each day is honestly a gift.
It's amazing how quickly things can change. One second a person is healthy, and running around and loving life, the next thing they're down with the flu or a cold or something. Normally these things aren't important, and you get over them within a few day. My brother's 16 y/o friend wasn't so lucky. He went into the hospital on the Canadian Thanksgiving with pneumonia, and passed away yesterday. He had some challenges before the pneumonia, but he was apparently a great person. Appreciated life, had a great personality and my brother took to him. It sucks that he lost his friend, and it sucks that he has to have this 'life experience' so early in life.
Ironically, one of my friends sent this to me today on facebook, before I knew any of this happened.
Just read it, and take from it what you will. I think it says about all I need to say. I'll be around again tomorrow.
A Dog's Purpose.
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolf hound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion.
We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, 'I know why.'Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.
He said, 'People are born so that they can learn how to live a good Life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?' The Six-year-old continued, 'Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.
'Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy..
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.
ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY
Go tell someone you love them.
Tigrrr
Some daysss....
So, this post isn't going to include your happy, excited Tiger for the first little bit. It's my blog and I need to vent a little. And I love you for reading, but if you don't want to, you can certainly skip to the part where i act like me!
You've been warned.
So, I had a rough week. But I'm getting myself moving and going again. Ran once this week so far. Slept til 1:15pm on Tuesday--and went to bed at 11pm. So that's a lot of sleep. Wednesday I slept from 11-10am, went out for 5hrs, then went back to sleep. Today I had to work early, so I got up bright and early and had a reasonably good way.
My seminar on Monday didn't sit right with me. Like I said, I spent a lot of time sleeping and crying. Tuesday night was rough, I dunno. it's just been weird. But I"m being authentic with you. I promise you a philisophical running post soon.
Grumpy part over.
Tomorrow I'm going to my best friends event!:) It's gonna be rockin'! She's spent the last 3 months planning it and we're going to 'A Night at the Oscars!" Which means I get to dress up. I'm going to school with her in the morning, then we're going to get our hair done, and then we're off to the event! Amazing;) I might even wear high heels.
Today I talked to one of my managers and asked her if she wanted to run a half, and got her pumped up and got me pumped up, so now I'm going to seee how many people we can get! Seriously. I can be the coach:) I'll take a picture of one of my running plans. They're awesome. In a duotang, and they have a personalized letter and cut and paste picture!
I figure if I put my heart and soul into it, they'll give a little too!:)
Another cool thing is that someone at work said that they think I'm good at goals and wants me to goal coach them. For me, that's pretty exciting.
So yeah, I fail at being a blogger buddy. Miss me? I'll do my best to catch up over the next few days. Even if I just read 10 posts a day:)
Talk to you soon!!
Tiger
Labels: Coaching, Goals, Life isn't always easy, running
Quickie
Hey Guys!
This has gotta be a quickie cause I gotta get on the bus in 15 minutes, cause I picked up some more shifts this week. After work tonight is my seminar on Excellence (which I'm incredibly excited about), so theres not going to be any blog reading or working out until tomorrow. I might even write you a better one tomorrow:)
Here's where I'm at with working out:
- Run 3 days: 50 min, 35 min, 64 minutes. First one felt effortless, wasn't feeling the second one and the last one was hit and miss, but I was exhausted and had trouble breathing the rest of the day.
- Swimming: Uhm...yeah. Not so much. Although that is my key limiter so I gotta get on that (That's from the book "Going Long") that I'm reading.
Now, I gotta 'run' but here's a quote from my new book (which I'm loving)
"Unless you test yourself, you stagnate. Unless you try to go way beyond what
you've been able to do before, you won't develop and grow. When you go for it
100%, when you don't have the fear of "what if I fail," that's when you learn.
That's when you're really living--Mark Allen (World Champion Triathlete)
Okay friends,
See you on the flip side!
Tigrrr
Labels: Great Quotes, Lack of working out, Not breathing, Working out
Time For A Change
Things around this blog are changing. I would like to make my own template and one of those cool personalized headers, and since my school is on strike, I'm working on it. You can watch the butterfly for now though.
I could get all philisphical and tell you that the butterfly represents who I am, but reallyyy the butterfly is who I want to be. Free and confident and beautiful. We'll have one of those philisophical conversations later...
On the life front, I am now attending the Landmark Excellence Seminar. During the last seminar we were asked to create things that we are committed to creating for ourselves in the seminar. Then, they asked 16 people to step up and be group leaders for the seminar. This will help
me with my leadership skills. How cool. That's only been holding me back for 5 and a half years.
Since I can't tell you guys in person, I will tell you on my blog.
- I am committed to becoming the person that can walk into a room and light it up.
- I am committed to being confident in everything I do. I'm sure this will help with the leadership stuff too.
- I am committed to being persistant in everything. Push the envelope I guess. One of my downfalls is if something (running aside) I just kind of let it be.
On the running/tri-ing front, I have run twice. One
wicked 8km run with Super Dano, and a 3k run/walk with G.
I have had some good breathing days and some bad breathing days. It's pretty much hit and miss, but this is another set-back, and its not gonna get me down! (Look at that new attitude already!:) I plan on getting my bum in the water tomorrow. I'll even take a picture. I got a swim cap and goggles too!
So, since I'm tired, I'll leave you with a quote:
"There is no limit to what you can imagine. And with commitment, with
effort, what you can imagine you can become. Put your mind to work for you.
Believe that you can do it. The world will tell you that you can't. Yet, in your
belief you'll find the strength, you'll find the ability, to do it anyway."
Ralph Marston
Let Me Tell You About My Day~
It was fantastic.
It started out rough. I was exhausted, despite the one hour of extra sleep we get.
Still, I got up and went down to the Port Credit running room, to visit the people I had missed for so long. Turns out a lot of them weren't there. I didn't recognize many people, which was a little disappointed.
It only got worse from there--since I'm still not in any shape to run (YAY For uncontrolled asthma, and inhalers about 6 times a day!), I went for a walk with my mom. Now, it was a nice little walk we had, and we had Second Cup muffins for breakfast afterwards, but having to walk when many many people around me are running was really rough. I came home and napped for an hour or so before I had to go to work, and was feeling really sluggish, and low energy. However, as soon as I went into work (cause I have the best job in the world, remember?) I perked up a little bit.
As my day at work went on, despite my energy levels shrinking, I met some wickedly cool people. I would just like to tell you about one wicked person I met today. She asked for help finding a running jacket. My obvious next question is: How far do you run? I find out she's doing the Around the Bay, and the
Muskoka Half Ironman all leading up to
Lake Placid 2010!
How freaking cool. She then tells me that if you want to volunteer (so you can line up and sign up), you need to do so in January, because the spots apparently fill up very quickly. I feel like this is all just meant to be. She lives in my general area, so she gave me her card so we can keep in touch. This realllyyyy lifted my spirits. I thought it was the neatest thing in the world, and pretty much smiled the rest of the day. (which is good cause I haven't smiled in awhile--like that atleast).
So I had a pretty wicked day. And I'm excited about getting into this new lifestyle. I'm getting up and hoping to do some form of exercise (sit-ups and pushups maybe?), but the type of exercise is to be determined based on how well I can breathe in the morning.
My week at a glance:
Landmark Seminar Series Starts tomorrow and is on Monday nights for awhile (from 7-10). My seminars are on Excellence and I'm pretty much excited about it:)
Tuesday I work
Wednesday I have a walk/run date with my best running buddy super Danielle. I'm also hoping to go to hot yoga afterwards, but again, that determines on the situation of my health. :) (Sorry Wes, I can't hang out under my blanket by the fire anymore!:P)
Thursday I have an anatomy exam on the cat. Providing my school doesn't strike. Secretly (and not so secretly) i just want them to strike for a week. Thennn I can' catch up.
Friday: Another written anatomy exam. Woohoo.
Since anatomy is hard, I'll only be lurking (as best I can) until Thursday or Friday (Depending on the situation).
NOWWWWW there are some people out there that need congratulations.WES finished his first Ironman on Saturday Evening.Marci: Shaved 6 minutes of her last marathon time, and became a marathon maniac all in the same weekend. Note: She ran another marathon last weekend.Marlene: Killed her Half Marathon PR on very little training since the full.Ryan: KILLLEDDD Ironman Florida this weekendand
Robin: Who finished more than two marathons at the same time (54 miles) in 11:25!You all deserve lots of rest, and recovery and to eat whatever you want!:o) You are my inspiration and my heros!
And now I leave you my blogger family with a quote:
Only as high as I reach can I grow,
Only as far as I seek can I go,
Only as deep as I look can I see,
Only as much as I dream can I be.
Karen Ravn
Think about it:)
Tiger
