Thursday, October 10, 2013

Three Things Thursday ...

My Little Artist - For as long as I can remember, Dizzle has been artistically inclined. She loves to sing and dance and be the center of attention. I am kind of at a loss with all of this. Although, I sang in the church choir as a child and my high school chorus years later, it was never a passion of mine. I never thought, for even a second, that it was anything I would continue into adulthood.

But, Dizzle, well she's a different story. If you ask her what she wants to be when she grows up, she might say a ballet teacher. Or a ballerina. Maybe she'll answer, a singer. And sometimes, it's a songwriter. But regardless, it's always something related to performing arts.

Last year, when she was seven, she wrote her first song with real lyrics. You know, not the conversational singing that usually fills our days. It went like this:

We tried to find a vocal coach for her, but we weren't able to find anyone who would work with her on a one-on-one basis until she's 10. She was bummed, but a few months later, we found out that her old music teacher had started a group called, Uke 'N Roll, where she could learn to play the ukulele, sing and music theory.

Four weeks ago, she started lessons. On Sunday, she'll be part of a larger ensemble of 25 ukulele players who will perform at the Richmond Folk Festival. Last night, I recorded her practicing so my sister could see. I think she did awesome. Especially considering she's been at it for less than a month.


Pretty epic, right? It makes me excited to see what she'll be like at the end of 4 months. And 4 years ...

Off-Season Successes - Since I have officially entered my off-season (something I've not done in the past), I'm finding I can get into this whole "low-key" training thing. My workouts are shorter (5-6 hours of cardio per week). I'm strength training consistently (3 days a week) and I'm not obsessing about my eating (huge for me). For the first time in probably a decade, I'm not food journaling. I'm just eating (mostly) clean. I'm not freaking out about pace or heart rate or mileage. It's kind of refreshing, which I now realize is probably the reason for an off-season in the first place.

Hawaii - We leave for Oahu in 9 days! I don't think I've been excited this much for anything in a long time. But, I do kind of wish that someone else would pack for me ...

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

September Rewind ...

Miles Run: 42.8 miles. One day I will show my run dominance again. Just not today ...

Bike Miles Rode: 143.8 miles
 
Swim Meters Completed: 13881 meters or 8.62 miles.
 
Rest Days Taken: 10, including an entire week off after Rev3 Cedar Point
 
Highest Run Mileage Week: 9/2-9/8: 19.2 miles
 
Highest Bike Mileage Week: 9/29/8: 69.8 miles
 
Highest Swim Volume Week: 9/2-9/8: 6437 meters or 4 miles
 
Long Runs Completed (1 hr+ miles): 1
 
Current Book: Right now, I am reading Unwholly by Shusterman. But I also finished a few other books in September. (Note: For those of you who have asked, if it's on this or any of my lists, I would recommend the book. If I don't like the story or the book doesn't grasp my attention, I don't bother finishing it, thus it wouldn't be listed here.) 
  • BZRK by Grant
  • Mortal Instruments: City of Glass by Clare
  • Mortal Instruments: City of Fallen Angels by Clare
  • Mortal Instruments: City of Lost Souls by Clare
  • Where She Went by Forman
  • Clockwork Angel by Clare
  • Clockwork Prince by Clare
  • Clockwork Princess by Clare
Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: Rice cakes with honey and cinnamon. So delicious.

Current Colors: Orange and Pink.
   
Current Drink: Tea. Hot tea. And the weather is finally appropriate for it.
 
Current Song: Roar - Katy Perry
 
Current Triumph: I am back to strength training and crushing it. Off-season is kind of epic that way.
 
Current Goal: Be a better me. Each and every day. And tackle my 2013 To Do List head on.
 
Current Blessing: Health, happiness and love. I've got all three.
 
Current Excitement: We are going to Hawaii in 17 days! So freaking excited.
 
2013 To Do List:
 
Fitness:
  • 140.6. That is all. - Yeah, not going to happen this year.
  • Make time for strength training. Don't let training loads eliminate strength workouts completely. And stick to strength training in a group, it keeps you accountable. - Getting back to this.
  • Switch to time-based/HR training. Despite my knowledge of training paces, I have a hard time sticking to them. I'm hoping this will help me train more effectively. - I'm kind of over the HR aspect of this. Summer temps alone make this suck. 
  • Log 4,500 cumulative run, bike and swim miles. Up 485 from 2012. - As of October 2nd, 2390.17 miles logged. Not looking good at this point.
  • Race a 10K with a finish time much faster than your very dated current PR of 53:17. I never managed to register for a 10K in 2012 and I'm not sure where it will fit in this year, but it's on my radar. - No progress on this one. But, it does look like I will run one in 2014.
  • Set a new PR in the Half Marathon, currently 1:57:06. I totally blew this one in 2012 and will likely only have one good shot at it in 2013.- Fail. Epic fail.
  • Run a 5K with Dizzle and Doodle, even if that means tricking them into it. - We really need to get on this.
Nutrition:
  • Eat like a gluten-free athlete. After struggling with health issues much of 2012, removing the gluten has been key in alleviating the symptoms. Don't be swayed by the lure of wheat. Or cake.- On point, like usual.
  • Find the race day (and training) nutrition plan that works for me.- Ding, ding, ding!
  • Consume no more than 18 desserts from Shyndigz. This number worked well in 2012 and helped me cut back on my serious cake addiction. Plus, their gluten-free menu is limited, so I shouldn't be tempted as often. - As of October 2nd, 14 desserts consumed.
  • Drink at least 100oz of water per day.- Oh, heck yeah!
Personal:
  • Only say yes to the projects you REALLY want to work on. An honest no is much better than a halfhearted yes. - Check.
  • Stick to our budget. We've lived credit card (and credit card debt) free for 11 months. No reason to go back now. - Double Check.
  • Ignore your impulses. Take time to process the true value of the things you are filling your space/life with. - Yes and no. Lots of pondering this one recently ...
  • Figure out what to do with my hair. Keep the mohawk or grow it out. I'm taking opinions on this one.- Nothing but trims to help my hair grow in a normal pattern since May!
  • Continue to balance family life, training and now, work.- Check.
  • Prioritize and be a good example for the people in your life. - Like quadruple check!
  • Help and support J and the kids in reaching their goals. We are a team and that must always be the primary focus of our lives. No one should have to sacrifice so that someone else can reach their goal. If a balance can't be found, it's not worth pursuing.- I would never waiver on this one!