July 12th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
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Tomorrow I head to Canada to spend a week in the wilderness with my mom, brother & cousin. Enlightened Warrior is an outdoor camp of ‘experiential’ learning. Everyone I know who has done it says it’s one of the seminal experiences of their lives. This is from their website:
This camp is highly experiential. You will not learn “how to” be an Enlightened Warrior, you will practice being one.
You will discover:
- The secrets to being strong and confident.
- How not to yearn for approval and recognition from others, but to approve of yourself.
- How to respond to circumstances from choice instead of reacting from past conditioning.
- How to live with integrity, so that your word is law.
- How to have the courage to take action in spite of fear, doubt and worry.
This course is an inner strengthening. It is an opportunity for you to see yourself in an entirely new light- - to meet the absolute best of yourself. The learning is truly transformational and can be applied to all aspects of your everyday life. If you believe there’s got to be more to life and are ready to experience a more empowered way of living, then commit to your “self” and do whatever it takes to be there!
WooHOOO! I’ll be off the grid until next weekend. If I don’t come back, send in Search & Rescue. :-)
I’m off to pack!
Workout:
- Type: Run
- Date: 07/12/2008
- Time: 13:20:13
- Total Time: 00:34:00.00
- Distance: 3.7 miles
- Average Pace: 9:11.3/mile
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July 12th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
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The eagle soaring along side the trail was the capper to the beautiful ride! WooHOO! I could have kept riding! 
Workout:
- Type: Cycle
- Date: 07/12/2008
- Time: 13:17:25
- Total Time: 1:45:00.00
- Distance: 27 miles
- Average Speed: 15.43 mph
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July 9th, 2008 at 7:07 am
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A quick run while in Cali this morning. Well, quick is not the appropriate word. I was sure dragging my butt… I conservatively estimated miles because I am certain I was running a slowwww pace. Could it be the air? The humidity? Who knows….. I’d rather be heading to Disneyland today, but alas, must go to work. Glad I snuck in a run though.
Workout:
- Type: Run
- Date: 07/09/2008
- Time: 07:07:23
- Total Time: 00:30:00.00
- Distance: 3 miles
- Average Pace: 10:00/mile
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July 7th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
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….and a VERY TOASTY Americano to finally warm up the fingers! Bought some beans too. Kona coffee has ruined us for life. Must find a local purveyor of equally yummy roasted beans. I love Caffe Ladro coffee at the shop so I’m hoping we can replicate the goods at home. Mmmm………..
Workout:
- Type: Run
- Date: 07/07/2008
- Time: 19:38:23
- Total Time: 00:25:00.00
- Distance: 2.6 miles
- Average Pace: 9:36.92/mile
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July 7th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
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Jeez Louise! It’s JULY for cryin’ out loud. I’ve put my winter wear away. Do I really have to break into it to find the magic mitts for morning rides? Brrrrr…………………..
Workout:
- Type: Cycle
- Date: 07/07/2008
- Time: 19:36:05
- Total Time: 00:59:00.00
- Distance: 15 miles
- Average Speed: 15.25 mph
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July 6th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
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I’ve posted about this in the past……but today was another day where I wish napping was a sport. If not a ’sport’, at least an official color on my Sweat365 pie chart. (For now, it’s the “Other” category, which I think is represented by a greyish pie color.) I was sooo sluggish today that I surrendered to my slumber and had an hour-long nap. Deeee-lish.
Workout:
- Type: Other
- Date: 07/06/2008
- Time: 17:13:04
- Total Time: 1:00:00.00
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July 5th, 2008 at 11:44 am
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24 more hours have passed and I’ve allowed my rational side to eek back into my world. I believe that the Universe has delt up this interesting situation to teach me something about myself, about my body - and particularly, how I relate to it and care for it. This is the start of something new. I’m not sure what that means yet ~ but I’m willing to explore.
Workout:
- Type: Run
- Date: 07/05/2008
- Time: 11:44:51
- Total Time: 00:31:00.00
- Distance: 3.4 miles
- Average Pace: 9:07.11/mile
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July 5th, 2008 at 11:41 am
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Rode with Joel and the TST group this morning. Good peeps!
Workout:
- Type: Cycle
- Date: 07/05/2008
- Time: 11:41:39
- Total Time: 1:30:00.00
- Distance: 20 miles
- Average Speed: 13.33 mph
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July 4th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
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So I finally bit the bullet & went to an orthopedist about my back. (It started hurting while training for IM-Canada in 07 & it has never quite healed.) After some xrays and a way-cool MRI, the verdict is in…..I do NOT have a bulging disc. I have a ‘congenital spina bifida deformity’ at L5-S1. (Huh? Yeah, that’s what I said. ) Spina Bifida is a scary word. I’m learning that it’s quite a catch-all diagnosis. Specifically, my ‘version’ means I do not have a left facet joint. Apparently, I was born without one. Or, it didn’t form normally when it was supposed to. Sooooo, to compensate the right facet joint has built up extra bone over time, closing the joint space - and the bone is irritating the nerves. My discs are healthy as a horse. (Did I mention, Huh?) Apparently there’s not a lot of research on this little ‘condition’ so there is no tried and true resolution. End game = fusion but the doc said that would be a mistake right now. Too much risk in cutting up all the other tissues to get to it. He said that I probably have gone this long without symptoms because I was so active in my lifetime. Blah. Blah. Blah. (In my 36 years of life, how did I never know this?)
Next steps: epidural steroid injections on live xray to see if we can conservatively settle the nerve irritation plus additional core stabilization exercises tossed in for good measure.
Long term prognosis….Now here is the kicker… basically, Doc said that I have to decide for myself about how important long distance (anything) is in my life. The problem is congenital and with fixed tissue (bone). (Dx, not a lot we can do.) And, if training for something like Ironman is ‘that’ important, be prepared to do it with pain. He said, “What would it take to decide that perhaps training at 40% or 50% is enough?” Hmmmph.
So, when I first got this news at 2:30pm yesterday, I felt totally screwed. (Okay, the word I used was much stronger and inappropriate for this family show). While the rational side of me was saying ‘don’t over-react’, the emotional side was kicking the rational side’s a$$. The emotional side was saying - ‘Give in now. It’s hopeless. You’ve just lost your only defense against gaining weight.’
Fast forward 20 hours…. I phoned my friend PB. PB, being the practical voice of reason that she is (and one of the many reasons I love her) said two things…..1) “You know why this is upsetting, don’t you? Answer: Because this is your only vice.”
Hmmm.. Vice? No, it’s not a ‘vice’….. Is it? Bottom line: She’s right. I do endurance sports so I have a structure for weight management, not for the accomplishment or even for the fun. (Although, those are good reasons too.)
Then she said: 2) “You know, you’ve been doing triathlon for 8 years, longer distance for the last 3. This is the Universe telling you that YOU ARE BORING. It is time to shake things up. It’s time to try NEW things.”
Hmmmph. Hmmmph….BORING?…… 20 hours later…….what if she’s right?
I also sent a note to my dear friend SW in BC. She’s been through IMC and all this back stuff with me from the start. Her response sobered me on the spot. As I can always count on, she was so patient and loving and sent me her love. AND….SW’s aunt is dying. She only has days. Their whole family is spending this precious time with her until she goes.
What a wake up call. I realize that my situation is such a small potato compared to what it could be. And I must be grateful for all I have. I STILL went on a pre-planned ride around Lake Washington with my friends this morning. Does my back hurt? Yep. But I was able to spend time catching up with people I love.
Next week I’ll start looking at other ways I can treat my body well……..and, maybe shake things up in other ways too.
Life is really all about perspective. And, for this I am grateful.
Workout:
- Type: Cycle
- Date: 07/04/2008
- Time: 14:43:00
- Total Time: 3:39:00.00
- Distance: 49.17 miles
- Average Speed: 13.47 mph
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July 4th, 2008 at 6:50 am
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Lots of folks on the St. Burke-Gilman ~ taking advantage of the rains breaking. Nice! (Makes for an interesting obstacle course though.)
Have a Safe & Happy Looooooong Weekend!
Workout:
- Type: Cycle
- Date: 07/04/2008
- Time: 06:50:39
- Total Time: 1:45:00.00
- Distance: 26 miles
- Average Speed: 14.86 mph
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