Love...

LOVE

Valentine’s Day is a few short days away and it got me thinking about love and all the things I love…

1.        My best friend…Lee.  We started dating in high school and now 19 years later and 5 wonderful boys we are still having the time of our lives.  Whenever I think of someplace I want to travel to or something I want to do I think of Lee being right there with me.   We have so much fun together and he believes in me more than anyone.  He is an amazing Dad to our boys.   I love him.

2.       My boys…there is a reason I have no girls.  I was meant to be a mom of 5 boys.  They keep each and every day exciting and never stop amazing me with their humor, kindness, and work ethic.  They will do amazing things and I’m one proud mom.

3.       Good Coffee, Dark chocolate, Jams/Jellies….I love a good cup of coffee.  I have been known to drink more than a pot of coffee is a day all on my own.  The first thing I do every single morning is walk downstairs to start the coffee pot.  I don’t even think my eyes are open.  Real dark chocolate is my weakness and homemade jams and jellies I just love!

4.       Sweating and working hard….training my mind like I train my body…I love getting to that place…where I’m able to block everything out and focus on my breathe and do what I know I’m capable of…our bodies want to quit way before our minds will…we can train our minds to focus and push on. 

5.       Sunshine… I love the sunshine. It makes me want to smile.  When it’s a beautiful day I think about getting outside for a run on the trails or riding my bike. 

6.       Naps…In my opinion, naps are the key of a successful IM training plan.  Doing two a day workouts with a nap in the middle of the day was a daily ritual for me last summer and most days now that my training has stepped up a notch. 

7.       Massages… every Friday at 3:45 I have a reoccurring massage appointment.  It is the end of the week for me.  The majority of my training is done M-F with my weekends open for family activities.  The Friday massage is a perfect way to end my training week.

8.       Yoga…there is no way I would have the speed I’ve gained over the last few years without yoga.  Through yoga I have built a strong foundation to stack my training miles.  Through yoga I have built a strong mind where I’m able to breathe and push on.

9.       Travel…when I’m not training I love to travel.  Well, actually I love to train and travel together.   My swim training camp at the end of March to Hawaii and my tri training camp at the end of May are right up my alley.   

10.   Shoes….I love a good pair of shoes.  I think I have over 25 pairs of different tennis shoes in my closet right now and I do pass on my old ones.  Also, my boys have now come to realize the UPS truck is actually a delivery truck which delivers more than just shoes. (the 27 is only my tennis shoes…not counting boots and heels…just don’t tell Lee;)

11.   Being in my kitchen…I love cooking and baking in my kitchen and having my boys all around doing their homework, playing knee hockey, or just chatting. 

12.   Pedicures…my feet are nothing pretty.  They have some serious miles on them and the miles all show.  I’m proud of my feet for all they have done for me and carried me over the years.  They will carry me over many more miles.  I love to sit in a massaging chair and have a pedicure…usually on a Friday afternoon right before a massage. 

13.   Long bike rides like the Triple Crown series and someday I want to do the RAAM (Ride Across America).  I love being on my bike.

14.   Long Runs…as much as I love long bike rides I think I love long runs even more.  One of my favorite runs I have ever done was the Voyager 50 mile Ultra marathon.  I never trained for it except I added an hour of trail running each week.  I had no goals but to just finish.  If it worked a little better with my triathlon training this year I would definitely do it again.  Someday soon I will do another one of those ultra trail races.  I just have to cross the IM World championships off my bucket list first.

15.   Training equipment I love…my trainer, my treadmill, Nike shoes, compression socks, foam roller, EMS(Electric Muscle Stimulator), PR bars, Vitamixer, Extreme Endurance

16.   My body…It takes care of me …it is my vessel to carry me to my goals.  I will respect and honor and take care of myself through good nutrition, sleep, and making a conscious decision to be happy and be a good person. 

Happy Valentine’s Day!