Everyone, please try...

Little did I know that the "Perfect Storm" I described in my last entry was a predictor of the real thing.  Oh, no, not about me personally.  The triathlon went very well.  I completed my second sprint triathlon in one year! I was happily greeted by my family at the Finish Line, and my son's girlfriend took a great picture of us.  Will I try this "tri" again? Maybe.  I think that it would be more fun to participate with family and friends in relay teams.  We're working on it...

Most attention right now is going to those on the East Coast who got hit hard by the true "perfect storm," Sandy.  Some we know and many we don't lost whole lives' worth of homes and household goods and memorabilia of family events.  We keep them in our thoughts and prayers; we send them physical resources through various organizations.  Please do the same, especially during this holiday season of giving.

Perfect Storm

A few days until the Tinfoilman Triathlon at the University of Arizona, and I feel only marginally prepared to undertake this challenge.  This summer was a difficult one to manage my health.  Nothing dramatic, thank goodness.  It's the inconsistency and unpredictability of my status that frustrates me at times.  No matter how carefully I plan my training schedule or take care of myself, there is rarely a week that passes without disruption.  I suppose I should embrace the suspense or at least develop a better sense of humor.

Right now, I am in a perfect storm.  This is a good thing.  Really, it is.  Everything is happening at once.  

I just completed the manuscript of my first book.  It is a nonfiction easy-read about this journey over the past ten years.  Now, I have the task of finding a literary agent who can sell this book to a publisher...

Of course, my online biology class is a constant companion of varied tasks.  The students provide all sorts of inspiration for persistence in attaining my goals!

I am hosting a special group of heart rehabilitation trainers and patients at the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center's educational luncheon on heart disease in women, "The Heart of the Matter."  The work of the Women's Heart Health Education Committee is significant for the research on heart disease that is conducted right here in Tucson at the UofA.


The triathlon completes my "run" of events.  It's a bit of recreation.  I look forward to seeing my tri-friends from last year.  I hope to pass on their kindness to this years "newbies."

These past weeks have been a bit of a storm, but I could not imagine a more perfect one.

Tri Again

I am very excited!  The announcement came across my email and I jumped at the prospect of another challenge.  I registered to again participate in the 2012 Holualoa Tinfoilman Triathlon at the Universiy of Arizona in Tucson.  It will be held on Sunday, October 14^th.  Start time is 6:30 AM.  This year is extra-special.  I have someone joining me in this year’s race. It’s a secret – I promised not to tell!

My New Hero

This morning I am riding along the river wash. It is the usual route I take when I cycle. On this day, I do not have the mountain bike. Instead, I am testing new road bikes. Yes, I feel guilty about ditching an old friend. Is this how I reward loyalty? It's not permanent. I won't remand it to a corner in the garage, never allowing it to feel sunshine again...really...

I am very excited because my favorite bike shop, adjacent to the river path, is loaning me two different Canondale models! The first I try is a CAAD 10. What a dream! It really moves, taking the hill of the bridge with minimal effort. Oops!...careful on the downside! Coming up the path is a woman I have seen before. She is walking toward me with her usual gait of the tinest baby steps, ever so slowly. It's almost as though she is walking on eggshells. Maybe she is... I feel guilty. Here I am having one heck of a time tearing on this bicycle, even against a strong wind, and this woman is doing all she can to move the slightest of distance. I've seen her before. I don't know if she is recovering from a medical event or if she is staving off the effects of a disease process. What I do know is that she is persistent.

I head back to the bike shop and change out models for the Synapse. Out again, I see my lady friend still making her way toward my starting point. She is a very attractive woman, probably in her 60's, with beautifully coiffed short blonde hair, fashionable white sunglasses, and up-to-date sport attire in pink, black and white.

On my way back, she is doing side-step exercises in a very slow and very deliberate manner, carefully placing her foot with each move.  You can tell that this is part of her regular routine. It is consistent, and she is diligent.

 
The bikes are returned safely to the store manager and I retrieve my keys. As I head to my car, I see the woman approach her own. It is a sporty little convertible! I smile and wave and she does the same in return and recognition. What she does not know is that she is my new hero.

Back in the Swim

Did you ever walk around just not right in your own skin?  Maybe you made some not-so-good food choices lately.  Maybe you are adjusting to a new schedule, especially if you are in a new time zone?  Maybe your exercise routine has fallen apart.

I have felt out of whack for a while – ever since that stomach flu back in February.  It really set me back, and somehow I got it in my head that I caught the bug in the pool. I have feared the water since then. Silly and senseless, isn’t it?  I’ve missed out on a good two months of one of my favorite sports and one that keeps me most fit.  It’s time to get unstuck and back into the swim of things.

This week I returned to the town pool.  Its crystal clear and cool water is inviting and refreshing.  The clearly marked lanes inspire the discipline of a good training session. 

Let’s go! 

I feel the loss of swim fitness when I must stop every fifty yards to recover my breath.  Hey, that’s what happens when you cut back and do not work on maintaining your endurance.  Within the half hour that I cover the 900 yards, I am back to the familiar 100-yard segments.  It’s great – and it’s comforting to know that I will be nice and sore the next day (an indicator of a total body workout)!

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of the summer season. Everyone back into the pool!  Join me.  Have a safe and happy holiday!

My Son, the Yoga Instructor

It was a very “Happy Mother’s Day”.  As always, my husband greeted me with assurances of a restful, pampered day. Honestly, he makes many like that. (Lucky me!)


My older son joined us for dinner and gifted me with a beautiful stone he had finished.  It is a chrysocolla.  It is valued among Native Americans as a stone of peace, wisdom, discretion and levelheadedness.  


The day ended with my participation – for the first time – as a student in my younger son’s yoga class.  As the instructor, he warned me that it is not a simple series of comfortable stretches but a truly sweat-inducing workout.  Great! That would be a perfect way to end a lazy weekend and begin a new week!


The class began with my teary eyes.  No not out of fear or a bad case of allergies… My son introduced me to the other students and described how I have been supportive through the years.  He went on to make the analogy how yoga supports our physical and spiritual health... I cannot agree more.  In fact, doesn’t all physical exercise do that for us?


Well, I discovered a match in intensity of training for my coach – my son.  He was not kidding.  The class moved fast with poses changing at a good clip.  Thank goodness his friend was beside me to model them for me – and lend me the immediate support I needed!  It looked like we were finally winding down when I heard Mike say,  “You all are doing a great job!  We have covered a lot already, and the class is only half over.” Oh, no.


What a workout!  I ache all over.  Even my hair hurts.  It doesn’t matter.  I am happy.  I am proud – not so much of my accomplishment in this yoga class but of the instructor.  He is the accomplished one.  Namaste.

Tucson Triathlon

Today is “tri day”  - the day of the Tucson Triathlon.  Start time is 6:30 AM.  I roll out of bed at 5:50 AM.  No I did not oversleep.. No worries, no rush…I calmly pad into the kitchen and put on the tea kettle.   In truth, I wish I was at the edge of the U of A pool pulling on my swim cap and goggles.  I had to withdraw from the race.  (Words like withdraw and retreat are rarely associated with my name.)

That virus knocked me for a loop. My energy level is just about approaching normal.  Todd, my coach, says that is expected and that it will probably take me a good 6 weeks to get back on course.  Dr. Tirrito was very encouraging, as always, when he related how the same happened to him on occasions.  Most importantly, I am in a healthy recovery and I am very grateful for that.

I will take a walk this morning, thinking of the participants in the triathlon.  I hope that they all have a very safe and exciting day!   Best wishes to all!

"The Godfather" has no answers...

What a week... It started with a visit to my physical therapist. Remember the fine finish on my first (and only) tri? Well, that hamstring/glut injury has been persistent these past months and has gotten worse with the increased training for the upcoming event. The PT was not encouraging. He said that I "had no business being in a triathlon." The thing is: he meant "ever" - declaring that after asking my age. Really? What would my girlfriends say to that? I keep thinking back to our exchange, wondering if he deserves a visit from a couple of my "friends" to set him straight.

To be honest, I am under the influence right now. No, it's not alcohol or drugs (prescriptive or otherwise). I am not even overdosing on Vitamin C. For the past 5 days I have been laid up with an ugly stomach flu. If anyone needs to find me, look under the pile of blankets and pillows on the family room sofa. Follow the moans. Approach at your own risk. It's not a pretty sight. I am so light-headed that I can barely sit upright for long. I am just about now getting around to reading and using my computer. For the most part I am entertained by a daily immersion into this week's presentation of "The Godfather" movies in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the first production.

How much have I watched? The tally reads: "The Godfather I, II, and III" twice each, and once through the 9-hour chronologically-ordered saga. I love it. Maybe it's my New York Italian roots. OK- the violence is disturbing, but there is a certain essence to the distinct culture of food and family and loyalty. I lie here struggling with the thought that the Tucson Triathlon is only 3 weeks away, and I am on a diet of rice and jello. Oh, Godfather, I don’t know what to do!  (Remember Johnny Fontaine's line?) The don does not stand for any wimpy attitude, but I do not find an answer because I am not really ready to withdraw from the race.

I decide that Clemenza is my favorite character. The man loves his food. He does not go to the San Rocco festival without picking up a sausage-and-peppers hero from a street cart, even in the middle of dealing with a problem like Fanucci. He cooks! He shows Michael how to make a sauce ("gravy") from scratch with the best of traditional ingredients. (There is always crispy Italian bread on hand to dip for a tasty snack.) The man has his priorities. My favorite line in the movie? Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

Back in the Pool

It’s 62 degrees out here with a breeze.  Balmy compared to the 39 degree wake-up temp this morning.  I stand at the edge of the pool, staring across the 25-yard blue length of the lane.  I feel cold and uncomfortable, but I pull on the silicone cap and goggles and enter the water.  The next triathlon is only 5 weeks away and I need to practice the swim segment.

Just figuring out where I can swim was an exercise.  You would think that in Tucson, Arizona one would have a wide choice of winter swimming.  Not really.  Let me tell you, it comes at a cost, especially if you need to practice in a pool that will provide a 25-yard lap that matches the one in the race.  I chose to join a local YMCA.  The outdoor not-so-heated pool is beautiful.  It was recently refinished and is sparkling clean.  It is a (bracingly) refreshing change-up in my winter training regimen.

After 3 laps I am warmed up.  I do not notice the cool air.  My focus is on the stroke and kick.  I measure my time for every 100 yards.  It feels good to move through the water again, to put into practice what I only did through imagery these past few months.  In the end my total time is not too shabby – for me.  850 yards in about 30 minutes.  I matched my practice time before the last tri.  Maybe I can improve that performance by the day the race rolls around.  I am just grateful that I can do this at all. 

Ha!  Whoever would have thought that I would be swimming in this kind of weather? Not long ago I would have said, “It’s a nice day for walk in the woods. Then, let’s bake some cookies…”  Where is that woman?  Go look in the pool…

Given from the Heart - Happy Valentine's!

Given From the Heart –

 Happy Valentine’s!

February 11, 2012

“Love Your Heart” was originally created in 2010 by Stanley Heap as a poster to be used on a display during the Ross Dress for Less’ fundraising campaign for the American Heart Association in honor of Heart Month.  Last year, an AHA volunteer requested of Mr. Heap, a store associate, to transfer his poster to a painting that would later be auctioned at the 2012 Tucson Heart Ball.  The painting is beautiful and on display at Loew's Ventana resort, ready for the big event!  It is truly a gift from the heart. Thanks, Stanley!

The message reads: “Love Your Heart: Eat Well – Stay Fit – Live Long.”

You may see the original poster at the Circle Plaza store on Broadway in Tucson (pictured with the artist).