Lost Dutchman 8K LOVE

Last weekend we got to not only have a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Hill, but we also got to participate in one of my favorite race venues, the Lost Dutchman!  We all decided to tackle the 8k trail run which is an absolute BLAST.  Last year it was pouring rain, but this year was beautiful and a perfect morning for a race.

Bob was wonderful and watched the girls while the 3 of us ran.  I didn't have any personal goal except to go out and do my best.  I knew from past experience that it was critical to get to the front of the pack if you intended to run the whole thing.  Lots of walkers take on the scenic route, and I really wanted to get out and run!  I have been working so hard to get my strong back and through the help of my Doc, my Coach, and my husband, I am making HUGE strides.  I finally am feeling amazing.

I crawled my way to the front and hit it hard out of the gate.  8K is right under 5 miles so I wanted to run hard.  Right from the start I just had it.....that fire.  I started turning the legs over and knew without question that I had that extra gear.  One of my triathlon acquaintances flew by me at the start.  Definitely couldn't hold her.  Then another of my buddies came up behind me and I grabbed onto her 7:45 pace and held on.  There are a million thoughts that swirl through your mind when you determine that this race is one that you can "throw down" in.  Really?  Can I actually run this fast for 4 more miles?  Does it matter?  Should it matter?  Why? Seems like a lot to think about, but as I felt my body push hard I felt happy.  I can do this.....and I REALLY wanted to!  So she and I held each other.  We added a 3rd lady to the mix who was speedy to and the 3 of us paced together.

As I came to the end I knew that I was giving all that I had (or had trained for) and really felt fantastic.  I finished in the top 5 females and managed to claim the top spot in my age group.  It was an incredible feeling of accomplishment to feel strong from the inside out.  Grandma Jill rocked a 2nd in her age group, Grandpa nailed his goal of under 1 hour, and Evie threw up because she rode the merry go round too long.  All in all.....a very successful morning!  

This race was a huge win for me because I felt strong again.  I haven't felt that amazing for a long time.  Recovery is happening now that I am truly allowing it.  Its a good thing!

80s LOVE

What a great month it has been.  We have had so much going on this month and I have a lot of catch up to do.! Bob and I had an awesome chance to step back into the 80's for a night.  Our girlfriend and birthday girl Bridgit organized a fantastic party at one of our local bars and the only rule was that we all had to go full on Goodwill 80's style.  WOW did everyone deliver!  If you have time, Goodwill has got some GREAT treasures.  We each got to dress each other and had a blast!

I of course still have plenty of legwarmers, so all we needed was some neon and a bunch of chunky accessories.  Voila!  80's!  I found some hot pink pants for Bob and some great suspenders.  The best part about his outfit is that his pants are actually awesome golf pants!  Hes already worn them out on the course.  80's are not dead!

Before we got dressed, Lily asked us if "they had color back then."  I just about rolled over giggling.   

All of the party goers were perfect. We all stuck out like a sore thumb at the bar, but had a BLAST!

We danced and drank, and had such a great date night with some of our favorite people.  I think the general consensus at the end of the evening was, "the 80s were fun, but Lordy, lets not bring them ALL back!"

Tennis LOVE

Lily is playing tennis!  

Miss Lily was introduced to the fabulous sport by Grandma Lynn last summer and we had an opportunity for her to invest some time into it and she LOVES IT!  

Bob and I have learned that Lily Grace is definitely and individual sport kid.  While I hope she will participate in some sort of team at some point, tennis fits her little personality just perfectly.  

After last summer the idea of tennis has always been on my radar for Lily.  I was so grateful when a girlfriend of mine found a great program and shared the info with me.  Not only does Lily get to play, but she is doing it with one of her friends!

This little group is so great.  All 3 of her other classmates work together to catch balls, hit balls, pick up balls, and encourage each other.  

This kid loves to be active and I have to work to not over commit her.  I cannot wait to see her and Grandma play this coming Summer and hope that tennis becomes just another way that Lily Grace learns to shine.

Self LOVE

I Swear I am Not CRAZY!......

I would not have made that statement a month ago. Lordy.......some stuff happened guys, and I am gonna try to share in the hopes that maybe a tidbit of my story can help you with yours.

What a long and sometimes arduous journey this return to complete health has been! I have been on a hormone, internal health recovery road ever since I finished  IRONMAN and am learning how delicate our bodies truly are.  They can do INCREDIBLE things, they are capable, they are strong.......they are also very breakable and they will break if we push them too hard for too long.  Our bodies are also different and diverse and while one can push to high limits without big consequences, another cannot.  Welcome to the crap shoot of genetics.

Last time I talked about this part of my life and journey I was on natural progesterone and taking adrenal support, digestive support supplements, and drastically altering my diet to remove stuff that my body was "sensitive" to.   I was experiencing improvements, but still pushing my body to train for a marathon, and dealing with enormous personal stress.  Then in November when I bailed on the marathon and took a huge step away from all things racing I basically stopped all of the progesterone and supplements under the faulty assumption that I didn't need all that support anymore since I was not training........

HA.......

.....and I plummeted. I experienced the worst period/cycle that I have in a long time.  I was so foggy, irritable, depressed, angry, tired, wired, bloated and MISERABLE.  I have never felt so outside of my body and flat out CRAZY.  Everything was awful.  The world was dark.  I cried EVERY DAY.  I was weepy and insanely emotional.  I was a walking bomb......it was awful.  I was so lost in my misery I couldn't even make a decision about getting help.  Bob made me call my doc and make an appointment.

So I went and my Doctor reminded me that healing takes time and that it was critical that I stay faithful to the supplements and natural hormones that she had given me.

I have been on a roller coaster this past year and I am more and more convinced that my internal health and future ability to withstand training and racing depends greatly on educating myself and attentively and intentionally supporting my body.  I am NOT one of those people who can push and push without consequences and unfortunately, my inner workings are more delicate than I ever thought.  They are dramatically influenced by stress and impacted by sustained intensity.

So I am back on my supplements and natural hormones while also working with my coach and friend, Dawn, to get my nutrition on par to support all of my systems.  I am learning the dramatic effect protein has on hormones, brain function, and metabolism and realizing that I have never eaten enough protein.  I am re learning the idea of balanced eating and ensuring that carbohydrates are part of my fuel.  I am keeping my cardio to only a few days a week and incorporating yoga and structured strength training.  I am learning how to manage my stress and working to understand my body's limit between stress, training, nutrition, and life.

As women, our bodies are incredible, but they are complex, they are cyclical, and they are dramatically impacted by our lifestyle and the stresses we face. Trust me, I KNOW, and while I would never have thought I would deal with all of this, I am, and I am learning to embrace it, learn from it, and recognize that life is meant to be lived fully, and unfortunately, I am NOT invincible.

 If you are a woman, and feel out of control with your emotions, digestion and weight you are not alone.  If you have ever felt crazy......I mean seriously crazy, or been depressed when you aren't a depressed person, or have felt foggy and distracted and simply trapped inside of a body that doesn't feel like yours.....YOU are NOT alone......and you ARE NOT crazy.....Don't be afraid to ask the questions, and don't ever think that you are destined to be "miserable." Whether an athlete or not, women's lives are full of stress and logistics, throw in motherhood and WOWZA......life's version of a never ending IRONMAN.

Don't ever rest on your quest to be a healthier and wholer you.  Love yourself enough to fight for it. You are worth it.

Here's to your health and to mine!