That's it-I'm joinin' the gym..

Yep-I am so joining Del Norte S&W again. What sold me? The little TV's on the dreadmills (treadmill). I know-how shallow and yuppie of me. I can watch Oprah and workout at the same time come winter. Also they have a yoga class every Tuesday morning..What can I say? I love upscale gyms and this seems to be the best choice in ABQ at the moment. If I had millions of dollars, I would open an exclusive expensive gym with all the amenities and then some in this town. Like warm towels when you get out of the pool (that would be a HUGE Olympic size pool), massage therapists waiting for you as you finish your weight routine and oh yes, handsome pool boys to hand you water during the swim. This is only the beginning of my dream. Any other thoughts?

Oprah-pick me..PLEASE?!?!?!

This is no joke! I shamelessly sent in a photo of myself when they put out a call for "people who look 10 years younger than themselves". What can I say? I have always loved the stage and REALLY want to go to the Oprah show. If this is the only way I can get there, what the heck? Then I wrote a blurb on what keeps me young..
This is what I wrote:

I am a 53 year old woman who looks at least 10 years younger than I am. People are constantly shocked that I am 53, have 4 grown children and 2 grandchildren. I have had folks tell me I look like I am anywhere between my 30s and 40s. I use to be offended when I was in my 20s that I looked so young (I was carded until my late 30s) but NOW I feel so blessed and fortunate to have such youthful genes. However, it feels like a double-edged sword at times because I don’t really look or feel like someone in their 50s. Nonetheless, I work HARD for my youthful body! I am a triathlete who took up the sport 6 years ago. I did my first Ironman Triathlon the year I turned 50. I run, bike, weight train and swim several times a week. Competing in triathlons (12 this season) keeps me positively focused and young. I am training for another Ironman next June. Eating high protein, low fat, whole foods helps to keep my weight down. I keep my mind active playing soduko. Preventative medicine such as massage and seeing my chiropractor once a month keeps my body aligned. I love being with my childrens’ families and my husband. I have been in an amazing relationship with my husband for 18 years, who also looks 15 years younger than his 60 years. Last year, we both left very demanding jobs (I was a counselor in private practice, he an attorney). I believe that loving each other and being each other’s best friend keeps me young. We play, travel, workout, and in general love each other’s company. We raised 4 daughters (2 his, 2 mine) in a loving blended family. The satisfaction of surviving some difficult circumstances makes me feel successful and I suppose that reflects on my youthful nature. Though I have many friends that are my age, I also like spending time with younger people. I train with athletes who are for the most part 10-20 years younger than me.

Is this narcissistic or what? I am pulling out all the stops..

The advantage of bike cleaning...

is that you might find surprises! Like before we did our 65 mile ride yesterday I, for the first time ever, cleaned my own chain and gears on my bike. Surprise, surprise! They were full of TAR!! That would be from the newly surfaced road in Elephant Butte..No wonder I was so slow! (I told myself). I am no longer a bike cleaning virgin-it really wasn't so hard after all! I used gasoline on parts that would NOT come clean from the tar. Of course i was paranoid I would blow my garage, home and whole neighborhood up as i was getting into this process but alas we are all still alive. The ride yesterday was MUCH easier. We did 65 miles in about 4 hours and I felt really good about that. Then today we ran 10+ miles in 2 hours and that is a record for me in training this year! i partially attribute my success to Josh's weight workout, which once and for all helped me lose that "stubborn 7 pounds". I think running with less weight (or "lugging" as Hartley says), really does make a difference..Also bought some ice to do the Ice bath thing both days. It is R_E_A_L_L_Y hard to get into a bath of cold water, then dump ice into it. I managed to stay sitting for about 15 minutes, shivering in the frigid water then jump into a HOT shower.The legs seem pleased with that routine today. I am immensely hungry all the time with all this training. Then eating healthy really sucks cause you can only eat so many yogurts, veges, fruits, before you want the real thing-ICE CREAM!! But I have been pretty good besides the big honkin' bagel I had for breakfast. The GPS said I burned 1600 calories this morning so what the heck? Well, this week will be a mini taper for the Elephant on Sunday. My "race strategy" is yet to be determined..