Gentle Yoga!

My friend Maggie has been asking me for months to go to yoga with her. So I decided while the schedule is light maybe not a bad idea. So we rush into the class after swim to find of course that we are the youngest two there. The instructor asks if we are aware that it is gentle yoga! Maggie assures her that's just what I need! I am always on the go...never a chance to just relax...hence we started what was too be an hour of super relaxation and a little meditation. At first I found myself thinking that this was going to be the longest hour and contemplated the best escape route. Maggie refusing to acknowledge my pain. I kept thinking I could do this stretch in 5 seconds and be on to the next. Sadly I found myself competing with others in the class who were twice my age. The instructor told me not to worry about what my neighbors were doing and to focus on my own body....mmmm heard those words before. By the last stretch we were lying on our back, arms at our sides letting go all of our worries and pains. Body part by body part we had to focus on total relaxation. Until yes, I fell into a deep sleep. Out cold...possibly a little drool. A cell phone rang in the distance and I quickly came back to reality as everyone was sitting and uuuuhhhhmmming. Maybe this yoga is for me...I felt like a new person after :-)

I love the holidays!!!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Mine was spent at my brother in laws. I was happy about this as it meant no cooking ,cleaning or leftover turkey(which I don't like) But as we were leaving he insisted I take all these desserts home with me. Now my decision is, do I eat them slowly a little slice of each every day or do I just eat the whole cake in one day and then feel so sick that I don't want to see carrot cake again for a year. I could have friends over to share in the eating frenzy but they all have their own left overs. I hate to throw it out!!! What to do what to do??? Breakfast this morning was a slice of blueberry pie. It is blueberries... so how bad can it be? I like to use the excuse that the extra weight gained during this holiday period will be good for my winter training. A little extra fat may even keep me warmer! In a week I'll be crying that I can't fit into any of my clothes and then I'll throw the remainder out!

My Ironman Sunday..a very easy day!

Today was a good day to chill and I was excited to watch IM Louisville on TV and follow my friends racing in IM Arizona. We had had a busy weekend celebrating Tanner's 9th birthday. My son insisted my husband and I play laser tag and we were thrilled. So it was us against 16 nine year old boys. I had never played before...what fun! The party was a success and last night we went out with some friends. With these friends it always ends in the girls going out to dance! So after a late night and an early ride and a mountain bike it was good to take the rest of the day easy.
It was great reliving IMLV and it was fun to watch IM Arizona. With quite a big pro field it definitely made things interesting. It seemed like a very fast day out there all round. Well done to Jordan who made things very exciting with a 3rd place finish. Danny, Miranda,Marky V,Chris,Danielle and Kim also had great days out there!

Freeezzziinng!

This was a cold week in NJ and today I had the pleasure of riding in 24 degrees.With a light 5 to ten mile wind, it felt like in the teens. The good news was that it was sunny and did not feel too bad. The ice on the water was a reminder of how chilly it was! There are never too many takers on days like this. But Laura ,John and I headed up the coast for a good 40 mile ride. After doing two of the same workouts once on a mountain bike and once on the road....the road is much harder! I love mountain biking but need to get my hard workouts in.

I have decided in order to not feel like I am totally missing out on being in the woods. I have been going in with my son. This is a slow ride but very rewarding to see my son in action. Today after I had thawed out from my road ride I got warmly dressed again and headed into the woods with him. Our hour loop we have been doing took us 50 minutes today. He is getting faster and trying to get over logs and taking some risks. He did take a good wipe out on a downhill section. But I was thrilled when he took the next downhill like a champ. There is no greater feeling than turning your kids onto something you love!

Running High!

Tonight I met up with my old running group. I used to do all their runs...every Tuesday/Thursday evenings on the boards no matter what the weather was...we'd be running! These days I try get my workouts in while the kids are at school so I have taken a break from meeting these guys. But tonight I headed down there and it was perfect...33 degree's feeling like 25 by the water with a gentle north wind. It was brisk and very energizing. The group was tapering for Turkey Trot this weekend ,so my buddy Tommy and I picked up the pace and ran a solid 7 miles at a slightly faster pace than I've been running. It felt good to open up the stride and push a little!
Conversation was good and it reminded me why running has always been my passion.

It is good to be back on a schedule!

Blogging has been a little slow as I am getting back into a schedule of training and balancing/organizing life! I am preparing myself for 2009 and I am feeling like it is going to be a very exciting year filled with lots of good new relationships,great training and racing, and a visit back to my family and home town planned. I shall not race a triathlon until March/April which will give me plenty of time to rebuild myself and be fully prepared for Ironman South Africa. I have not raced there in 3 years. If training goes as planned I shall go there alot more prepared and with alot more confidence than in 2006. In the mean time I have a long winter ahead. This week is meant to be a cold one in NJ so time to bundle up. My Cervelo is a fixture in my living room now.

Today, after a few rainy days,I loaded my mountain bike up and went into the woods. It was a little muddy but alot of FUN! Due to an overnight trip to Atlantic City to see Brian Reagon,(a very funny comedian) I got a late start and headed into the woods in the early afternoon, happily missing the crowds. For some reason mountain biking has become so popular this year especially on the weekends. I enjoy it alot more when it is quiet in the woods. Today I zipped around there by myself just enjoying the fresh air and tried to get a good solid workout in while staying safe too.

I then rushed home to attend a fundraiser for a boy on my road who has Leukemia. Matt Brand has been in the Children Hospital of Philadelphia since February fighting a bone marrow transplant complication. It was so inspiring to see the community come together to help him and his family. Matt has always been a great kid and I wish him well and hope he gets out of the hospital soon.

Around seven I realised I had forgotten all about IMLP on TV today. I have set reminders everywhere for Mondays 5pm showing on Versus tomorrow!

Today I got my hands on the P4!

Finally after 4 days of rain the sun came out and it was a gorgeous day! I met up with some friends,the cool girls from Team EPS/CSS and the guys from Brielle Cyclery and we did a really nice ride! John and Jared from Cervelo joined us too. After the ride I got to chat too them and they had alot of good information about the new bikes. They were probably a little worried that I was going to steal their P4 as I couldn't stop touching it! For those that have not seen it up close I think it IS a good looking bike! Sure it is black but the details are amazing!
After a few days of feeling really lousy with a head cold this really brightened up my day!

Halloween Pictures

In the spirit of Halloween,we all dressed up for "trick or treating" and a party! I was chosen as class mom for my sons class this year so I was very busy last week trying to get organized to throw the coolest party ever! The kids loved it and I had a blast...very cute! As I never got to have Halloween in South Africa growing up this is a fun holiday for me!

Times almost up...get your vote in!

I miss Kona so much that yesterday I made my own lava!

Yes this was my lame attempt at making candy apples! Way too much time on my hands! Time to start training again before I burn the house down!






The vog even came down

Saw the guy in the orange shirt on IM Arizona today!

That's right I saw Coach Paulo yelling at Jordan Rapp to move it on IM Arizona today! Classic! I always love to see him on the course as I know he's going to make me dig deeper or feel guilty when I have nothing!