Domo Arigato: Tomoko!

In my Choprah-meditation experience, I have been learning to think about some pretty awesome ideas. 

1. Life is not hard. It is not a struggle. Things come easily.

2. Wherever or on whatever you focus your attention expands.

Both, I am finding to be true. In my day-to-day life I am finding that I have more time than I used to. I will accomplish a task, look at the clock, and find that I have an extra 20 or 30 minutes. And, once I stopped thinking about life as a struggle, things seem to be clicking into place, with ease, like electronic shifting.

And that is how I found Tomoko.

I have blogged about Tomoko before. She is the spin-class instructor who got me excited about spin classes. Since I have met her, we have bumped lives at the YMCA and at Back Country and on bike rides. Since I have known her she has started teaching yoga, TRX, done RAINSTORM, and climbed Kilamonjaro with Above and Beyond Cancer, and done a marathon relay across the country.

She is also the spin instructor who, when teaching the Thanksgiving day classes, yells "Sweet potatoes!" "Stuffing!" and "pie!" as she sends you through a series of killer sprints.  She loves to taunt the men who come to her classes. One in particular yells, "hurt me!" as she cranks up his gearing.

She is an incredibly buff, 4'9 Japanese lady who loves to ride bikes.

I love her.

And, after class on Monday night, I found myself, drawn, with ease, over to her after class. I wanted to know if she was a trainer, and if she could help me with the Copper Triangle.

Yes, to everything, sort of. She is taking the trainer-test in December. But she was very excited for my Copper Triangle challenge. In our brief conversation she mentioned climbing in Iowa, endurance, and finding a nutritionist. She took my information and I got this email the other night.

From Tomoko

My favorite line is "Oh, what fun we are going to have!"

Because I know that means the fun that comes from pain and suffering. Which, is, of course, fun, in its own weird way.

Then, I sent her back my goals.

Writing those goals make them seem so manageable!

Here's what I got in return.

Kind of hard to read. Sorry.

My first favorite thing about this is Tomoko's super positive attitude: she immediately said, "I know you can do this."

My second favorite thing is that she is making me her training buddy. We are going to do this together. Cycling, nutrition, etc. It's nice to know I am not in it alone.

So, I put it out there to the universe, and the universe responded.

I needed a "how the hell to do you train to ride up a bunch of mountains in Colorado when you live in Iowa?" and the universe provided.

Domo Arigato: Tomoko!

Back in the Day Friday: Pieathon Race Report, May 11th, 2013

In my busy some things got neglected, including important blog business, like reporting on the triathlon I did way back on May 11th. Here's how it went.

First, it was f-ing freezing out. Like 40-50 degrees with a powerful, mean, furious wind blowing off the prairie out west of the Waukee YMCA. It was nothing like the sweet, calm May weekend one dreams of.

Two, I sort of fell apart in my training, but I did enjoy a lot of fun Saturday mornings with Goldie swimming laps and then going to spin class.

I arrived at the YMCA and began unloading all my stuff. Triathlons require a lot of stuff. I had a new swim suit for the occasion, but as I had bought it online it was untested.

I found Goldie setting up in the bike transition area.

Not even a cold Western wind can stifle Goldie.

I enjoyed checking out some of the other competitor's rigs.

Super fast for pie.

Goldie was there. She and I were doing this together, sort of. I knew she'd smoke me, but it was nice to see her smiling face pre-race.

We got ready in the locker room and I met Goldie's friend, Nicole, who is a minister or some sort of super minister at the Unitarian Church. Father Nicole is awesome. She's lost like more than a hundred pounds and is really into long distance swimming. She attempted the cross Okoboji swim, even! Bad Ass Unicorn.

We all sat together and lined up to get in the pool. We were supposed to self assign based on how fast we thought we'd be in the pool. We had to swim up and down each lane of the 8 lane pool. Goldie went up to the slightly faster group. Fr. Nicole and I stayed closer to the back.

I let Fr. Nicole go ahead of me. Then, soon, I was in the water and ready to take off. Swimming felt pretty good, until I realized my new swim suit didn't fit right, exactly. While the bottom was fine, the top was way too big. It proceeded to fill up like a jelly fish. Thank goodness there weren't underwater cameras.

I guess I was swimming pretty well because soon I was on Fr. Nicole's heels. I attempted to pass, but passing is tricky. You really have to put on the turbo boosters if you don't want to head on collision with the racer coming the other direction. For a long time, I was stuck, kind of treading water behind Fr. Nicole.

Finally, I saw my opening and I went for it. I was swimming with all my might, but so was Fr. Nicole! Without realizing what was happening, I sort of punched her, not sure where, as I passed. I did manage to get ahead with a water apology and a prayer for forgiveness. Yes, I punched a priest, or priest-like-person.

Then, transition. I asked a nice lady to keep my eye on my glasses while I swam (not seeing might have been a factor in the punching). I don't have fancy tri-gear, so I changed into bike shorts and a jersey and ran out into the cold wind to put on my shoes and grab my bike.

I hopped on and headed towards Hickman. We'd be riding 5 miles out into the wind along the road and then 5 miles back on the trail. The wind was insane. I was going like, 7. Okay, not 7, but like 10, in a race. It was massive. People were getting blown all over the place. My bike was sort of tilting under me, like it needed a V-8 and I secretly wished for one of those heavy hybrids with a bike chain still on it.

I passed a few people and tried to make jokes about the wind. Or I just chuckled to myself, and I kept one watery eye on the horizon for the stand of trees that meant the turn around and Goldie.

Soon after she turned around I heard Goldie whooping to me and yelling, "it's easier on the way back!" Then, I turned around and ahhhhhh so much better. I put the hammer down and rode as fast as I could to make up for the wind and what I knew was going to a crawl rather than a run.

Before long I was back at the YMCA and swapping out shoes for the run. I walked to the transition area and then tried to start running, jogging, really.

Imagine what an old beat up car does in the winter, ga-ga-gahhh. ga-ga-gahhh, that is what my legs were doing. They just would not move. They felt like gravy. So, I walked. Which is mortifying because there are cheerleading volunteers all along the route and they can see you coming for days! And you have to get cheered for so long even when you are walking. My embarrassment encouraged me to shuffle at least.

We had to do one long loop and one short loop of a neighborhood which was, thank goodness, flat. It was a bit chilly in the wind, but not as bad as the head wind or being wet.

I did make one observation. Triathletes don't say, "on your left" when they pass. They say, "good job." Which I thought was really nice.

Finally I crested the last micro hill and ran/walked/shuffled/juffled(???) to the finish line, where I attempted a Fat Cyclist-style toe click. It went so-so. But a few viewers laughed.

Just imagine me, rather than this fit guy, who must have been chilly.

Inside the Y I found Goldie, picked up my medal and went to change clothes. We were going to meet the boys at the Library for a celebration breakfast. We both put our bikes in our cars and were about to leave when I said, "I forgot my pie!" Goldie didn't want pie, so I went back and found a nice slice of peach with ice cream with my name on it and ate it while driving to the Library.

Drive Pie

There we had brunch, discussed the race, and a good time was had by all.

Oh, here are my results:

Which I have to say, I am pretty impressed! I hadn't looked at them until I wrote this blog.

Okay, the 400 yard swim in 11:06. Not too shabby, though I don't have anything to compare it to. I wonder what it would have been in an empty pool. I was putting on the brakes because of the traffic. Though without competitors, I probably would have just ambled along.

Bike: 41:11:7, including headwind.

Run: 41:43.6 might actually be a PR for me in the 5k. Because of my hatred of running, I don't like to keep track, but I am usually in the 15 minute mile range, so this is an improvement.

Goldie rocked this race too:

I'd love to gloat about being her on the bike, but seeing that she put 14 minutes into me on the run, I had better not. Though, it does make me feel pretty good, because Goldie is one of my Kenyans.

Beavers! Check out the non-plussed guy behind me.

I think I look cuter in the other picture, but I know Sam will be pleased that he is now famous!

And there you have it. My first semi-outdoor triathlon (and it only took me six months to write about). And probably my last. I watched Goldie do the Hy-Vee this September (which she rocked) and I have to say it did not look fun. And, honestly, where can you go after you've had the pie?

Om, Commuting, and Oprah

It seems like many of my stories start with "so, I don't have speakers in my car" as an explanation. This one is no exception. I don't have speakers in my car. They blew out last March on a road trip to Arkansas to visit my parents. This wouldn't be exceptional except that I have a 45-minute commute 5 days a week.

Typically, I listen to books on Audible or Pandora with my phone tucked under the seat belt on my shoulder so I can hear. Then, I started getting worried I was hurting my hearing. Something about the frequency of the phone-speakers. I don't know where that idea came from, but I had it.

So, I have been driving in silence, which, I honestly don't mind. I know it would freak some people out, but it is actually quite nice. My thoughts wander hither and yon as I traverse the landscape between home and work. I did start to notice, though, on arriving at home, how random and varied my thoughts had been during each trip. It is a little mind-adventure.

I know that a person can get better at controlling her thoughts, and mindfulness has been a theme of discussion with my Life Coach. For the longest time I just couldn't understand how a person would stop what they were doing and say to themselves and say, "I am choosing to eat this." Usually, I run through my life frantic and deranged and barely remember the previous five minutes, let alone my pre-consumption thought process.

All of this led me to the idea that I need a "thought of the day." I mentioned this to my Life Coach. She told me that she had just started a 21-Day Meditation Challenge with Oprah and Deepak Chopra. Something about "Desire and something," she said. "It is easy to use on your smartphone, or whatever."

I decided to check it out.

Photoshop makes them even more epic!

It wasn't what I expected, but I gave it a shot.

Now, I am about a week into the 21-Day Meditation Challenge. I am behind the rest of the meditaters, but as Deepak says, "however you meditate today is exactly how you are supposed to meditate." And, I LOVE IT.

I never thought I would dig meditation. The Tiger refers to all this stuff as "cosmic" and I never gave it a lot of credit, but I full-on love, love, LOVE it. You guys should try it. (I also love the word combination of Oprah and Chopra = Choprah).

Not only do you get a bit of Oprah's thoughts of the day, but you also get some insight from Deepak, and, a nice long meditation time (he minds the time), and a "centering thought of the day" like "I choose abundance," and "I am a powerful creator."

Of course, I also never thought I would fall into anything in the Oprah Industrial Complex, but I have to admit, the lady's got her sh!t together. And, to be honest, she seems about as close to divinity as I have seen on television.

Look how enlightened they are!

My Life Coach (see how far down this path of yuppie-cosmic-whathaveyou-path I have gone. Life coach! Meditation!) says that you really just need to do four things to live a healthy life:

• Eat whole foods
• Get lots of sleep
• Drink a lot of water
• Love yourself

I don't think she'd mind me adding:

• Move your body around sometimes. 

Meditating, I am hoping, will help me with 1, 3, 4 and 5 by giving me more control over my thoughts. Even if it doesn't help, it gives me something to think about in the Mazda.

Steven, I Issue a Challenge: 30 Day Plank Challenge

Dear Steven,

[Imagine me slapping you with a leather glove, okay.]*

Both our lower backs and our blogs need a little something-something. I think I have the solution. 

***

Think about it:

• Me: back injury.
• You: baby production and distribution. 

Both of us need some of this action...

...If we are going to conquer our mountains in 256 days.

And, our blogs could use a little action too. Between injuries/birthing and going back to school/finishing up the semester, our blogs have been a bit neglected. 

So, here's the challenge. Don't worry, it's an easy one. 

• Start the 30-Day Plank Challenge anytime between today and next Monday. 
• Record and/or reflect on your actions and results at least once a week in your blog. 
• Continue being awesome. 

If you agree to this challenge, post a short acceptance in your blog. 

Carry on. 

* This blog idea is inspired by Goldie! Who is on day 22 today and is planking for 3 whole minutes. Yowza. Go Goldie, go!

**I thought about making a video, but the amount of time I would have to invest in production nearly stopped me from writing this blog. 

***I will not be doing my planks from a bench. Elbows and toes on the floor for me. 

Not Doing and Doing: Life as Homework

I haven't been blogging, as you can see. But, I haven't been doing a lot of things.

One of those things is my Life-Coaching-homework. Sara gives me a great assignment each week, and I vow to do it, then, all of a sudden it is Wednesday and I haven't done my homework yet. 

The cynical way of looking at this problem is that I just don't make time to do the things I set out to do. The more positive way of looking at it is that I did make time to do the things I set out to do: Wednesdays from 4:30-5:30 when I meet with my Life Coach. 

Of course it makes it hard for Sara when I don't do anything. What can she coach? And, it makes it painful for me to go to our meetings. At the beginning of every meeting she asks me "what's good in your world." How I dread that question. It is not that things are bad, per say. It just they are neither good nor bad. They are just the usual.

The homework is piling up. Literally. Sara gives me an awesome print out every week, and then I put it in the nifty folder she gave me and never look at it again. 

Here's the print outs. 

These are the titles of the documents that I have been "filing."

• "Get to Know Your Greens"
• The Circle of Life"
• "Top 10 Tips to Slow Down"
• "Hot Water Bottle"
• "Organic Foods"
• "Most and Least Contaminated Produce"
• "Organic Produce Storage Tips"
• "Healthy Snack List"
• "Healthy Shopping List"
• "Controversial Ingredients"
• "Lifestyle Suggestions"
• "Early Morning Pages"
• "Hot Towel Scrub"
• "Mindful Eating"
• "Chewing"
• "Dreaming to Doing: Your Guide to Meaningful Time Management"
• "The 5 Phases of Food"
• "Ayurvedic Body Types and Questionnaire"

There is also quite the robust list of documents and insights in my inbox. Those, too, go to a special folder never to be looked at again.

"Personal" Inbox

And there are the verbal instructions and assignments as well. This was getting to be such a problem that one of Sara's last documents to me was "Dreaming to Doing: Your Guide to Meaningful Time Management." Hint, not-so-subtle, hint. 

I have to say, if I had to do it all over again, I would want to only meet twice a month. All of this feels like too much too soon. 

It certainly helps me relate to my students. Sometimes it feels like we are struggling to stay afloat, and the homework has to be triaged. Of course, I know, and my students to "get it" know that you just have to "do what you are supposed to do everyday and eventually you will get there." 

So in the spirit of that thought, I am both taking the time to dabble in my homework and also write a bit of a blog today, despite the essays piling up and the fact that I am not at all ready for next semester. 

Last week, before I went to New Orleans for a conference, Sara and I met for a "movement session." I brought Miss Holiday and we walked around Gray's Lake and talked. At the end, she gave me the "Ayurvedic Body Types and Questionnaire" and I think I was supposed to do sun salutations every morning and just see how they make me feel (that might have been last week's homework. It's all blurring together.)

Turns out I am a "Kapha," the earth and water type. 

So, that's done.

I also did Sun Salutations 5 out of 7 days of the last week. They made me feel okay. Good that I did them. Bad that I can't do a forward fold first thing in the morning. Too stiff. 

In the end, it is not that I am not doing anything. It is just that I am doing all of these things somewhat sporadically. 

• Green vegetables--yes, more, but not every day
• Slowing down--working on this, but pretty bad at it.
• Hot water bottle--yes, every night to warm up the bed, plus a cup of peppermint tea and my physical therapy stretches. 
• Organic food-not so much
• Early morning pages--did that once
• Hot towel scrub--once
• Mindful eating/chewing--a couple times.
• Time management--I don't have time!
• 5 Phases of food--I don't get it.

Similar results in my attempts to get back to working out. I made a plan, but of the nine workouts I have scheduled, I have only made it to one. (But I have been doing a lot of walking). 

Will I ever make the time to make the time to make these changes in a substantive way? It's unclear. But I am doing a little, here and there. One day at a time: I'll get there.