Pre race routine..

I have come to develop this pre-race routine over the years. Well, esp this past year. The day before the race (today-Milkman is tomorrow). I eat carbs like crazy, no fiber past noon, no veges, fruit just carbs and a little protein. Then at dinner I have pasta & spaghetti sauce,usually around 5:00. Lots of gatorade today, lot of water. Then in the morning, I have a bagel with cream cheese and then another half bagel plan. One more gatorade and water. My usual FRS supplement (Lance uses this so I will be fast as Lance-:)), then I am off to the races. I have my lucky transition rug, my lucky Lance bracelet always with me. I swim 15 minutes before the start so I don't freak out at the start swimming..Sometimes a goo before the race if I feel in the least bit hungry.

I was suppose to do transition practice Wed but i was a slug. Then (I would not recommend this), I went to the dentist yesterday to have some chipped teeth worked on but he also removed a fatty growth from my cheek. Ouch! That hurt last night, think it is Ok today.. So now I need to get off my butt and go to the pool to swim and transition practice. The reward for this is a massage at 11:00 with Stephanie, the goddess of sports massage touch. Then off to Roswell, beautiful window to the world of UFOs. The weather looks like it may not cooperate for this evening practice swim and T-showers all nite but sunny in the AM until 11:00. Perfect!! Well i hope I am done by 11:00 !! :)

Thoughts on transition..

A year ago today I closed my business. You know I had no idea a year ago what to expect when I closed my busy counseling practice. All I knew is I was completely physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted. I had planned to work for 5 years at least in the field but only lasted 3 and 1/2. It was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made. I felt I was letting alot of people down. People who "needed" me. I came to realize this was pretty arrogant of me. I mean they could only get help from me? It came down to choosing my well being over taking care of others. Now this is a life long lesson for me. I came from a long lineage of women who are care-takers. I had 4 sisters, I raised 4 daughters, now have 2 grandaughters and even the dogs were female (don't think they had much of the care-taking gene though-the dogs). I spent 17 years in my nursing career, raised 4 kids, then was a therapist. So what legacy do I want to pass on? There is a balance of giving to others and taking care of self. Have I figured this out yet? Probably not..I have spent the last year doing pretty much what I want to do, well within reason. Shifting the pendulum completely the other way. So what have I learned? I definitely have become less structured, more in the moment. My daughters think I changed the day I gave all my work clothes away. That was a big deal, believe me. We are talking banana republic kind of clothes. Very symbolic-clothes have always been important to me...i have become not quite a bum yet, but much less needing a "plan" all the time. this puzzles my family. I was really tired of constraints of always feeling like i needed to "do" something. Now I live more in day..that I know..So maybe eventually the pendulum will swing to the middle..I am a work in progress...

Training/Racing..babbling..

I have a new lease on life with my training this year. Maybe cause work isn't in the way anymore! Our days revolve around when we are going to train and when to walk the dog. And you would be surprised how much of the days are taken up with other "stuff". For instance, I could spend literally 5 hours on the Internet alone a day. I get lost and that is it. I try to limit my time because afterall, once in awhile we need clean clothes and clean dishes. Those are my "chores". Hartley cooks, I clean. Which is a great deal for me-I stopped liking to cook after all those nights of cooking for 6. Four daughters and hartley and I. What a trip those days were! Will need to share on that sometime..

Getting the hang of it I think..

Still not sure how I feel about the whole sharing online thing. Seems like a diary of sorts but I like to read others so what the heck!