Another crazy idea done

Hello on this very rainy day.  Well I'm happy that I was inside on my bike versus my tri-buddies Mark & Kireran who showed their love for biking by getting out there today.  It was cold, rainy and windy.  A few degrees cooler and it may have been that S word.  They arrived dripping but with smiles and a little cold.  If the apple cider didn't warm them it might have given them a bit more sugar to complete their ride.

They came to support my fundraiser for Lifewater Canada.  This is the organization Faith supports during our Advent season and our outreach to people in other countries.  Our Church Work in Durham group does a fantastic job supporting over a dozen local agencies.  This is another reason I love my church.

The fundraiser introduced me to many local folks who cycle but also to a wee lass who loves paint ball.  She was explaining to me very passionately the different types of paint ball, the different clothing, the different moves and about PSP the big league for this sport.  I had no idea that paint ball was so big.  If this wee lass can channel that passion I think we will be hearing about here in the future. I'll be checking in with Gramma to see how she is making out for sure.  

So here I am going into hour 2.5 hour of 5 hours.  The legs are now jelly and the butt is happy to be off the seat.

Runners' High at Church ?

Although I love going to my second home in Texas there is nothing like crossing the boarder and being back in Canada.  As a 4th generation Canadian it is hard to comprehend what some people overcome to get to this country.  We are so very lucky to live here. 

Being back in Oshawa and being a Sunday it was off to church this morning.  You know that high we can get while running, swimming, biking or performing any aerobic exercise ? That sense we are one with the exercise, one with the universe and we can go on forever. I'm very lucky the church I belong to provides this high once a week without the need to sweat it out.  Every six weeks or so the service is dedicated to obtaining this runners' high.  At Faith we sum our faith journey as communion, compassion and connection or the 3Cs.  Communion is not about the act of communion rather its about how we commune with the universe.  For me church is one outlet I have to commune with the universe, with nature and without whatever is out there. We athletes are lucky as we have the opportunity to obtain this same sense of well being when we are training optimally. If running/biking/swimming etc isn't your thing try yoga or meditating.  The best part about this high is we can disconnect from the stress of the day and the challenges of life thus providing us balance for the rest of our day or week. Strange but hasn't yoga and meditating been around for eons and the goal is to get to that optimal place of well being.

My Dad is an awesome photographer as is my friend Dan, Susan & John.  It is not a skill I have developed as well but here are a few snaps from in and around Austin, Texas.

Cedar (Juniper) forest

A cactus that is taller then me

Pedernales Falls  1

Pedernales Falls 2

In the bird sanctuary @ Pedernales Falls

 

View from County Line BBQ (yum yum Texas BBQ)

A sea of prickly pear cactus

Texas Drought = Old time values

Hello from a rainy Austin, Texas.

It seems I brought the rain when I flew in the other day.  The rain is very much needed here in the "south".  The Austin area has been in drought conditions for three years now and every bit of rain helps.  The Colorado River has been dammed up to create several reservoirs (lakes) and they say these lakes are at their lowest levels since the 1950s.  Although the rain does dampen our outside activities I'm happy its raining.

The term drought seems to go well with the blog I had written the other day but did not post.  I was contemplating how little integrity, honesty and caring we have in society as of late.  I was thinking about the correlation between church attendance and the lack of these basic values.  A few generations back church was an integral part of our community for social connection and for teaching the ten commandments. If we consider one of the subtle ones - thou shalt not bear false witness. To me this means not to lie.  Hmm, if we did not lie or hide the truth would our society not be more honest and have more integrity ?   If we followed this basic principle we would not need the government to put rules/mandates in place to ensure our Government officials are open and transparent. 

If we move to the New Testament we are told to love one another.  I don't think there is anyway we will love let alone like everyone. I believe we are being told to be kind to each other.  Kindness can be shown in so many ways.  What I see as basic kindness once was custom in our society - saying hi to each other, smiling at each other, opening a door, helping someone carry out their groceries, putting a grocery cart away, holding the elevator door etc. etc.  Kindness should be shown to everyone even those who we maybe uncomfortable sharing it with.  As the news outlets seem to print more bad stories then good maybe we are just fearful to engage with each other for fear of something happening. And those we wish to show kindness to are fearful to accept it.  It just would be nice if these values we once held dear which seem to be considered "old" today were reintroduced in society.  Sad part is the best form of reintroduction is by example and we don't have many examples of this anymore. Maybe its time to go back to church to connect with a generation that believe in these values and along the way develop some sort of belief.  In today's world some churches are changing and the message is not about hell and brimstone rather about communion, compassion and connection. " Yes, Virginia there is a Santa " Yes, World there is something out there in our universe.  It might not mean the same to everyone but I believe all cultures and "religions" can believe in one thing there is something out there but we really don't know what it is we just have the faith to know there is something.

A little update on the Monster.  The Monster is enjoying Texas but trying not to enjoy it too much. 

Pay it forward with a little kindness this week. 

Post Ride for Refuge, next idea & the Monster

The 3C's

Hello on this rainy afternoon.  Better rain then snow but before we know it will be here.

Although cloudy we lucked out yesterday with no rain during Oshawa's first Ride for Refuge.  I was really impressed how this came together.  Although there were a few glitches it was well organized for the first attempt and the route markers were awesome.  Our team, the 3C's, raised $1,010.00 and when combined with the $475.00 from my personal fundraising page we helped Gate 3:16 in Oshawa a wee bit.  This is us before the ride.  We had riders of every distance 10K, 25K and 50K.  Thank you for your support.

Last year I tried to pull together a Christmas fundraiser but due to unforeseen complications had to cancel the event.  Today I received fantastic news the thumbs up to proceed with this idea from last year.  Every year during Advent our Minster gives a series of sermons, I really don't like that word because it appears to be something extremely formal which Faith is not, about leaving the consumerism behind and giving of ourselves at Christmas.  Its not about not buying presents for each other but more about giving our presence to our love ones, friends and helping others.  For the last three years Faith has supported Lifewater Canada a Canadian organization which helps builds wells and sanitary needs in places like Africa.  I'll let Lifewater explain what they do exactly - http://www.lifewater.ca/.  To support Faith I have decided to take my trainer & my bike to the church and spin for the day during our Christmas bazaar.  The current plan is to bike from 9 to 5 with a 10 minute break each hour.  Coach might suggest a different plan of action.  I really don't know if this will be possible.  I find sitting on my trainer for two hours, except in Coach Paul's class, near impossible.  Hoping all the hub bub of being at the bazaar will make the time go fast.  If this cause speaks to you please drop by on Oct 26th at Faith United at 1778 Nash Road in Courtice (just east of Courtice Road and Nash Road) and say hi.  Look around for a Christmas present too while giving a little presence helping others. By chance you can't make it I have created a Canada Helps fundraising page at http://tinyurl.com/spinningLizzy.  Yes I'll be spinning and yes I'm crazy for thinking this up.  My mascot for this adventure is:

Last week I spoke about the Monster.  I managed to eat better and lost 2 lbs.  This week has been a challenging week due to scheduling and it just seemed the food was off track again.  We will see what the scales say but I'm always hopeful.  With Thanksgiving around the corner and a trip to see my Dad I have a feeling the Monster will be around a bit more then it should be.  I still have a few days before I leave so I need to focus on better eats here.  Rev. Larry's sermon today was about we are what we eat.  Well this is so true in many ways.  We are not only what eat in terms of food consumption but what we take in spiritually.  Negativity in leads to negativity out so lets try and consume only good thoughts which will lead to good thoughts out and a better world for all.

A huge cheer out to my friend Kira for placing 3rd in the GreatLakes 100 mile triathlon yesterday.  Kira is coming off an injury and all I can say is I can't wait to see how she burns up the course in Tremblant in August. 

Another huge cheer out to my buddy Jeff's young lad Jeff junior.  JJ is in and around 10 (I'm so bad at remembering these things) and he's taking part in his first duathlon.  This fellow can run the socks off everyone and will do just awesome.  

Have a wonderful week.  

The Monster needs to be tamed

What a beautiful week.  It was an awesome day for a bike yesterday and an even better today for a run. I'm still on an active recovery schedule with limited distance and two rest days per week. With the training intensity decreased the other challenge comes to the forefront the little Monster and sometimes not so little Monster known as the "Cookie Monster".   

I rarely eat cookies but I do sure like to eat.  The challenge is getting that Monster under control.  Even those who do tons of exercise can over eat.  It’s even harder when we go from training many hours a day to only an hour or so.  Our stomach and mind still think we need to consume as much nutrition as before.  No matter whom you are eating right and eating the correct amount of food can be a challenge. 

I decided to seek out the help of my former trainer and self taught nutritionist on the matter.  Dan helped me five years back loose 30 pounds and hope he can help me get back on track to loose around 15 to 20 this winter.  It’s back to journaling my food, counting calories & eating healthy food.  Although I had two not so stellar days this past week it wasn't too bad.  It was better then the week before and that is all I can ask for. 

My biggest challenge is keeping the Cookie Monster at bay.  If I don't eat regularly I get over hungry and I binge eat.  Boy can I pack back the calories.  Intellectually I know to stop but it’s just not possible.  Today I was researching this phenomenon and found we have three hormones associated with hunger - Leptin, Ghrelin and Insulin.  Leptin is the one that helps us curb our cravings.

"People who are always hungry due to high levels of hunger hormones have very little chance of sticking to their healthy diets. The overwhelming desire to overeat due to high levels of hunger hormones is too powerful to resist. By controlling hunger hormones, you can avoid out-of-control eating and snacking. By avoiding overeating, you can finally start losing weight effectively and achieve lasting weight control."

So maybe there is something to be said about how genetics affect how we eat.  It isn’t just about will power.  Not say we don’t need will power but it sure explains what happens to me when I don’t control the Ghrelin Monster (Ghrelin is the hormone which stimulates hungry).

My goal this week eat healthy, reduce my intake of animal protein, increase my protein at breakfast (known to help sustain a decrease in appetite & caloric intake as it increase our sensitivity to the hunger-reducing leptin hormone), increase my vitamin regime & eat less refined grains/starches.

There is still time to enjoy the outdoors before Old Man Winter arrives.  It is a  great time to take a walk and to see Mother Nature in her glory.

If you are in the Oshawa area next week think about signing up for a 10K, 25K or 50K Ride for Refuge Charity Ride.  See www.rideforrefuge.org.  The funds go to our local outreach center Gate 3:16.    

Positive thoughts

This week I've been trying to post a positive quote to facebook (FB) everyday.  They do tend to be related to sport. This one is a bit long for FB

It is not the critic who counts,
nor the man who points out how the strong man stumbled,
or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
who strives valiantly;
who errs and comes short again and again;
who knows great enthusiasms, great devotions;
who spends himself in a worthy cause;
who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,
and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly,
so that his place shall never be with those timid souls
who know neither victory nor defeat.
       - TheodorRoosevelt 

President Roosevelt is saying no matter how you finish the person who has tried is the person who has won.  This reminds me of something a friend's uncle, maybe 10 years older then us, told me when I was a child,   "Don't worry about what others thing of you its more important what you think of yourself."  We should all try and remember this even though it is hard.

Have a wonderful week.  Try something new and yes you may fail but iyou tried therefore you have won.  

Off season, mind & faith

Well, its officially off season for me.  Actually its been off season for a while and I'm really enjoying it.  Currently my schedule is do something one day and do the next thing either three or four days later.  It could not have come at a better time as my mind and shoulder needed it.  

I explained the shoulder thing last week.  The mind is a very different problem.  It is harder to overcome then a physical aliment. The mind / spirit needs to be strong to overcome many of the discomforts and challenges this sport brings.  Although I love what I do it was getting to me and this rest has provided the rejuvenation I needed.   When I jumped back into the pool this week my spirits soared, I smiled and felt like I belonged there. While walking this week with my husband it was everything I could do not to run. I will be ready to reach deep to meet the training requirements for the Full when Coach decides its time to start that.

Not only do we need a strong mind we need faith. I'm not sure my tri buddies would call it faith maybe they would use the term self confidence or mental fortitude. "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen " Hebrews 11:1  It often happens while listening to Rev. Larry's sermon at Faith United the words can be incorporated into my crazy world of triathlon.  In the sermon Rev. Larry mentioned a song Michael Card wrote about faith -  “To hear with my heart, to see with my soul, to be guided by a hand I cannot hold, to trust in a way I cannot see, that’s what faith must be.”   I realized during this sermon triathletes need an overabundance of faith to sign up for a race.  We need to have faith in our coach(es), our training plans, our nutrition, our family to help and our own mental fortitude to push through whatever comes our way.  There is a lot of faith involved because when race days comes we have the assurance of hope we will cross that finish line but never know what challenges the race course will bring on that day.  To read Larry's sermon go to:   http://faithunited.ca/content/130804-faith-pt1-yes-lord

So while its off season I'm working on my mind/spirit and faith to hopefully get to that finish line.  I'm also working on another very hard demon which I'll call the cookie monster.  Yep, when it comes to food I can be like the cookie monster. In the off season we need reduce our calories and if required, like me, try to shed a few pounds before race season begins again. 

I'll leave it this week by saying have faith in yourself and try something new.  You never know where it will take you.  It could be triathlon.