It's amazing how what is supposed to be a wonderful weekend away, in the winter (away from the desert) learning to ski, turns into desperate sadness and longing for England.
How do these things happen?
Thinking about how our friends across the pond spend their winters visiting various ski resorts, enjoying the vast magnificence of snow covered mountains. Oh the awe of it all. We miss those friends, and the loneliness that is our existence here in the states starts to set in. We never feel truly ourselves until step foot back on British soil. To land at Heathrow and enter the Tube makes me feel as though I can breathe again. I am comfortable (in the land of the uptight British, so strange). Tea is the solution to every ill. Breakfast is a delicious affair. Markets and local purveyors are common and normal. A break for tea is expected. Stores close early. Work is a means to an end. Beauty is everywhere in a land with the National Trust owns nearly everything.
Oh to be home again.
Monday, March 4
Sunday, March 3
Goals Update
Go to France
Go to John & Ellen’s Wedding
Do unassisted pull up
Make a tart
Make Lemon Meringue Pie from scratch
Wine tasting in Northern AZ
Run a half marathon
Go to Vancouver
Learn French (in process)
Have brunch at The Windsor
Eat at LGO
Hike Camelback Mtn
Make Pate
Newly accomplished: learning to ski. Of course it was just a morning on the bunny hill, but hey, now all I need to do is learn to finish my turns. :)
Monday, February 4
Beginnings and Endings
It's 2013 and already February. I am so behind.
Alas, working in retail over the holidays stole my life away. It was fun and miserable all at the same time. It's a struggle attempting to balance a one car family, two job household, especially with unpredictable hours. Also, I wouldn't know if I was working for 8 hours until I got into work. How lame is that? It all depended on the day.
So now it's 2013 and change was necessary.
Goals for the year:
Alas, working in retail over the holidays stole my life away. It was fun and miserable all at the same time. It's a struggle attempting to balance a one car family, two job household, especially with unpredictable hours. Also, I wouldn't know if I was working for 8 hours until I got into work. How lame is that? It all depended on the day.
So now it's 2013 and change was necessary.
Goals for the year:
Go to France (August)
Go to John & Ellen’s Wedding (August)
Do unassisted pull up
Make a tart
Make Lemon Meringue Pie from scratch
Stay at L’Auberge (End of February)
Wine tasting in Northern AZ
Run a half marathon (August in Vancouver)
Go to Vancouver (August)
Learn French
Have brunch at The Windsor
Eat at LGO
Hike Camelback Mtn
Make Pate
Some things will be accomplished at home. Some we still have to book flights for. I'm all signed up for the half marathon. Paris and the wedding are happening on the same trip, but those flights are all bought. I'm back at crossfit until the new gym opens, which will just be more crossfit but also more individualized programming to prepare for the half. L'Auberge is our birthday trip and we're going at the end of February and it's already paid for!
Some things not on the list, but are happening and are awesome: ski trip the first weekend of March. Just bought a couple jackets on sale and still hoping to find snow pants. Spring training baseball and Phoenix/AZ adventures with my parents when they visit in mid March. We'll be going to Wisconsin in July over the 4th, which will be a wonderful break from the weather here in Phoenix and a beautiful real experience of what summer is supposed to be like back in the Midwest.
I'm realizing how much I enjoy having goals and how they help me plan what I do each day and how they allow me to fully experience life. The motivate me to get out and do something, to keep in mind that I'm working towards something. Being back at home and applying for new work could easily land me back on the couch indefinitely, but that's not who I want to be. I want to be active and alive and living my life for all I can get out of it, so that when I have children, I can tell them and show them what they can accomplish.
Til next time.
Saturday, November 24
The Reminder
“There is, I am convinced, no picture that conveys in all its dreadfulness, a vision of sorrow, despairing, remediless, supreme. If I could paint such a picture, the canvas would show only a woman looking down at her empty arms.”
― Charlotte Brontë
Sunday, November 18
Ruh Row!
This weekend was pretty cool. Exhausting and slightly painful, but I survived and feel pretty awesome.
I traveled down to Tucson yesterday with the husband so that I could attend a rowing clinic. For months I've wanted to improve my rowing abilities, with no real guidance from my coaches and finally found something useful. A clinic run by a former collegiate competitive rower. She had answers.
I learned why I'm so slow. Short people are not good rowers. They make great coxswains (the person who steers the bow and controls the rhythm and power movements; small and light). But at least I'm not getting down on myself over it now. I just need to row as efficiently as possible and that's pretty much the end of that. Right now I need to focus on loosening my shoulders. I gotta relax!
But for so long I've been told to just get on the rower and row. That hasn't been helpful. In fact, it encouraged me to make bad habits normal. I wasn't pulling with my legs. I use too much in my shoulders. It was really quite frustrating. But it's a reality for a lot of people. Most don't have rowing backgrounds and most Crossfit coaches don't have rowing backgrounds and they don't teach a lot about proper row technique and form.
But now I'm doing great! At one point we worked on pacing and rowed to Stairway to Heaven. Over the course of the song I rowed over 1200 meters and wasn't dying. Of course I was happy to be done, but I didn't notice the distance until the end. I was so focused on my strokes per minute and keeping up with Coach Kare, that I was completely unaware of my distance. Which is good. I really just need to zone out and focus on pulling with my legs.
Now I just need to get a clinic to happen at my own box. This information would help so many of my fellow athletes.
(The rest of my weekend was pretty great. It was spent staying overnight in Tucson with a nice dinner out and then we headed back to Phoenix in the morning.)
I traveled down to Tucson yesterday with the husband so that I could attend a rowing clinic. For months I've wanted to improve my rowing abilities, with no real guidance from my coaches and finally found something useful. A clinic run by a former collegiate competitive rower. She had answers.
I learned why I'm so slow. Short people are not good rowers. They make great coxswains (the person who steers the bow and controls the rhythm and power movements; small and light). But at least I'm not getting down on myself over it now. I just need to row as efficiently as possible and that's pretty much the end of that. Right now I need to focus on loosening my shoulders. I gotta relax!
But for so long I've been told to just get on the rower and row. That hasn't been helpful. In fact, it encouraged me to make bad habits normal. I wasn't pulling with my legs. I use too much in my shoulders. It was really quite frustrating. But it's a reality for a lot of people. Most don't have rowing backgrounds and most Crossfit coaches don't have rowing backgrounds and they don't teach a lot about proper row technique and form.
But now I'm doing great! At one point we worked on pacing and rowed to Stairway to Heaven. Over the course of the song I rowed over 1200 meters and wasn't dying. Of course I was happy to be done, but I didn't notice the distance until the end. I was so focused on my strokes per minute and keeping up with Coach Kare, that I was completely unaware of my distance. Which is good. I really just need to zone out and focus on pulling with my legs.
Now I just need to get a clinic to happen at my own box. This information would help so many of my fellow athletes.
(The rest of my weekend was pretty great. It was spent staying overnight in Tucson with a nice dinner out and then we headed back to Phoenix in the morning.)
Sunday, November 4
My First 5k
I did it!
It's done. It's over. And I finished.
I've been trying to get more running into my life. I'm trying to learn to love it. And I certainly do enjoy the time alone with myself. I enjoy a bit more direction than randomly trying to run a couple miles twisting and turning throughout our neighborhood, but I've been doing it. And yesterday that running paid off.
I'm not the fastest runner. I'm not the best runner. I had to stop and walk for about 3-5 minutes due to a side cramp (then I was taught how to properly breathe while running). I almost puked halfway through. But I finished. And it felt amazing!
I couldn't have done it without my running buddies. A new friend and a dear one, both helped to make it through those 3.2 miles and enjoy it. The support I felt was incredible and we got covered in colored corn starch and had a great time.
And now I browse the internet trying to find more races to run and wanting to push myself for more.
It's done. It's over. And I finished.
I've been trying to get more running into my life. I'm trying to learn to love it. And I certainly do enjoy the time alone with myself. I enjoy a bit more direction than randomly trying to run a couple miles twisting and turning throughout our neighborhood, but I've been doing it. And yesterday that running paid off.
I'm not the fastest runner. I'm not the best runner. I had to stop and walk for about 3-5 minutes due to a side cramp (then I was taught how to properly breathe while running). I almost puked halfway through. But I finished. And it felt amazing!
I couldn't have done it without my running buddies. A new friend and a dear one, both helped to make it through those 3.2 miles and enjoy it. The support I felt was incredible and we got covered in colored corn starch and had a great time.
And now I browse the internet trying to find more races to run and wanting to push myself for more.
Thursday, October 25
Heartbroken
I feel lost.
Alone.
Unmotivated.
I had one of the most incredible experiences this past weekend. I was a judge at a Crossfit competition. I met amazing people, saw incredible feats of strength and will, and left knowing that I want to coach that. One day I want to be certified Level 1 and coach crossfit.
But I made enemies. I ended up with a fellow athlete from my crossfit box and had to no rep him. Pretty sure there are a bunch of people pissed. I was doing my job (and no repped more people), but I still have to go back to my own box.
Speaking of, my favourite coach is gone. My heart is broken. Besides for losing one of the best people there, my favourite person is leaving. He's been with me since the beginning. He coached my first crossfit experience at Lululemon. He's the one that helped me learn how to be coached. He's the one who got me to a successful squat.
And I know I should be able to move on. Coaches will come and go, but it's the skills I gained with them that remain. But I'm looking at my options. It may be time to move gyms. The only downside is that I need that new one to open up. Downtown Phoenix needs more crossfit.
Alone.
Unmotivated.
I had one of the most incredible experiences this past weekend. I was a judge at a Crossfit competition. I met amazing people, saw incredible feats of strength and will, and left knowing that I want to coach that. One day I want to be certified Level 1 and coach crossfit.
But I made enemies. I ended up with a fellow athlete from my crossfit box and had to no rep him. Pretty sure there are a bunch of people pissed. I was doing my job (and no repped more people), but I still have to go back to my own box.
Speaking of, my favourite coach is gone. My heart is broken. Besides for losing one of the best people there, my favourite person is leaving. He's been with me since the beginning. He coached my first crossfit experience at Lululemon. He's the one that helped me learn how to be coached. He's the one who got me to a successful squat.
And I know I should be able to move on. Coaches will come and go, but it's the skills I gained with them that remain. But I'm looking at my options. It may be time to move gyms. The only downside is that I need that new one to open up. Downtown Phoenix needs more crossfit.
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