The Things I do

The things I do to keep up with my husband. This week is our 'training camp' and he wants to hit up all these climbs on our bike. It would be awesome if I was in like awesome shape...but I feel like a fatgirl riding her bike. I'm okay with that...I guess. Yesterday he took me up Sierra road...which is a steep crazy climb...and today he is taking me up Mt. Hamilton it's a 20 mile climb up to the top. Oh jeezzz....this guy is going to kill me...well if he doesn't kill me he's just going to get me in great shape....what a jerk huh. Well I will let you know how it goes...I did this ride a few months ago so I know I can do it....I just want to try to add a little grace and less swear words this time.

Mt. Palomar

We are here in California for a few reasons;
Visit Family,
Ride our bikes, and
Watch the pros ride in the Tour of California.

We were in San Diego to visit my sister and her hubby...while we were there Seth wanted to train...we went to Mt. Palomar in So Cal...I'm not too familiar with riding in So Cal, so when Seth told me we were going to go ride somewhere...I was not too worried. What was I thinking...there are two codes I live by.

1.) Never ever ever ever shake a baby.
2.) Don't let my wall down when Seth is my coach and tells me we are going for a little climb.

Lucky for me Seth gave me a little bit of a warning when we drove to the climb that's because I asked which hill we are going toride up. He pointed to the one far away with snow on it. Not a hill...but a mountain. Ahhh crap.

We have Fisher to watch so one person rides while the other person stays in the car and watches the boy...

I went up first and this ride was bonkers. Seth made a little video check 'er out.

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

I missed World Nutella Day this year...it was yesterday! How on earth could I have missed that...probably because I had no idea it existed. That is not an excuse!

Hazelnut + Chocolate + Spread = Joy

I'm no mathematician but I know that equation...duh. I suppose I am going to have to make up for it by making a Nutella something or other this weekend. Maybe it will be my power food for this weekend. Tomorrow I am doing my first mountain bike race. This season I decided to start racing bikes...it really isn't ideal...I am in terrible shape. It should be fun...I am focusing on enjoing it and learn a few things here and there. It is a small local type of race...I am a little nervous but that is good...I just don't know the proper etiqutte and such for a mnt bike race. I will found out tomorrow morning. Okay well I am off for the right kind of pre race dinner...sushi.

It's Official

We are officially signed up to do 18 hours in Fruita. I am super excited, so excited in fact that I skipped dessert and got on the trainer for an entire hour. Seriously an hour is so long when you are on the trainer and even longer when you are watching Mama Mia...okay really? Merl Streep? What was the deal? I would like to say that my training and dessert skipping was all due to my high level of commitment...but it most definaltly was not...Seth finished off the ice cream...nerts...and then made me get on the bike...that's what coaches do. It was brutal...I HATE the trainer and no way can I do this for 12 weeks...I can barely image anything worse...maybe finishing Mama Mia...but I still may do that...it was like a train wreak...I wanted to look away but couldn't. Actually have you ever seen an Indian music video (dots not feathers)? Those videos are hypnotic!!! As a kid I would watch them all the time, partially because I could not turn them off. It's a weird vortex.

My new plan is to ride outside. I don't know how I will do this yet, the snow is an issue...but I have to figure out a way. I am working out possibilities but I don't care..I hate that trainer and it has only been one week! On Monday I am going to get a babysitter and go bike up green canyon. I am going to make it happen...but first I will check the weather...forget it, even if it is snowing I will go. Okay deal.

My Battle with Butter

I have a confession to make...I don't really watch what I eat...like I don't over eat and just be a gluttonous mess...and I don't eat junk food...but I do like to bake...which is my biggest problem...to bake anything worth eating, you have to add butter. Under no circumstance would I EVER substitute margarine for butter....it's all about standards really. Different taste, and I just like things old school I suppose...but never would I add shortening...so I guess I do watch what I eat...I just would be better off if I didn't bake. Like this last weekend I wanted to make croissants, so I go about making them...little did I realize that it would take me two days and 3 sticks of butter. Yeah...I know...I know...okay it was a mistake...side note though, they turned out amazingly...and I will never make them again. Honestly if you really need a croissant just go to the bakery and get one, not 2 dozen. Luckily I have Seth who has the metabolism of a giraffe and he ate a lot and then I just froze the rest. While training I have to eat carbs...so then I get all crazy with different types of pasta recipes and make my own pasta...then breads...I have to have a loaf of bread to go with dinner...yeah I know I AM MY WORST ENEMY! Maybe while I train I will control what I eat...but the problem is the baking...I just need to tap into my healtier side...which I have, I just have been ignoring her.
As you can tell I am going to use my blog to use as my confessional. Which will suck, but you guys are so supportive....I can't tell you how many calls I got yesterday calling me fatty...now if that isn't motivational I don't know what is!

Against my better judgement...

On May 2nd I am doing the 18 hours of Fruita...it is an 18 hour mountain bike race. You can do it solo, two man team, or a four person team. Seth and I were going to do it together, but we wanted two more, so we asked Kitty and Ivy to do it with us and to our uber super fabulous delight they said they would do it with us. Okay awesome right? Well kind of...these two are like greek gods...they don't have lactic thresholds like us mortals do...they are awesome and feel no pain. Then there is Seth who rocks and gets the job done...and he looks good doing it. If you think my husband doesn't know style, you may be right, except when it comes to biking. It is the weirdest thing, but he and his macho family they all know how to look good on the bike. So I am competing with crazy ironman athletes...and then there is me...I don't want to throw in the baby card...but I am going to...I just had a kid...like 5 months ago...but still, I'm soft and pudgy...my cardio kind of blows right now...and well it's winter and I like to eat...a lot. All of this brings me to the purpose of this post...I need to train. Yes I do, I don't like to train indoors tho...but I have no choice...Logan is covered in way too much snow topped with black ice. I would bike on the trails with the snow, but it would cost too much money to get my bike ready for that. So that leaves me with the indoors. Suck for sure! Okay so I get on my trainer and I train...well I don't know how to train...this is a problem...so against my better judgement Seth will be my coach. Yes my husband...if you bike or run or whatever with your spouse then you get my problem. Biking with your spouse is amazing...when you get ready together and start the first 3 miles together, then you split up...you let them ride and you ride at your own pace. DO NOT try to ride together in the first or second season together. I don't care how strong your marriage is, the rides never end well...granted this may sound a little harsh, but those die hards know exactly what I am saying. I kill myself trying to keep up with Seth, and I kills Seth with how slow I go, even though he would never say that...I know it...I can read his mind like a good wife.

Moving on. So Seth is my coach and I will do what he tells me to do with only a medium amount of hassle. In turn he will take this bag of jello and turn me into a lean mean mountain biking machine. I just hope our marriage can survive. I'm sure it will...in the long run.

Here are a few things that help me train;I have a trainer, tv, fan, and little table...oh and don't forget the motivational posters

It's my process...I'm not saying it's healthy.

New Training Partner

I have been putting off picking a race to do this year...I am still not decided on what I want to do. However I did tell Betsy I would train with her to do a half ironman. She says she needs a training partner, so I will train as if I were doing the race...but I can't do them because of conflicts. I started training here in California and I have the worst training partner. I know sometimes I can be a little overbearing while training and maybe my idea of fun isn't so fun for others...and sure maybe I have had some training partners who have thrown up during rides, or swear like a sailors during runs, or swim incredibly fast so that the snapping turtle in the lake won't bite their toes off...but never have I had a training partner cry on me. Shesh. Every time I go out and train with Fisher he always cries...it's killing me I can barely get a good session in with him. I run with him in the Chariot and like 20 minutes into it he is done and wants to get out...so then I have the Baby Bjorn so I can walk with him back to the house. There is not a lot I can do at the point. So pretty much I have been doing nothing but leg workouts...because all I can do is lunges and squats and stuff with the little tyke in the carriers. So yeah training is going to be a little trickier then in previous years...but it will be worth it.

Training Has Begun

My training has officially begun. I'm not sure on what I am training for tho...yeah a little problem. Usually during the winter I would want to be training for a marathon. But since Seth did a 4 week rotation in sports medicine and saw all the runners with bum knees he really does not want me to run marathons...he would rather me run anything under 13 miles...and that isn't enough to train for...well maybe it is...but I would goof around eat candy and still gain weight so I am needing something else. That is where you the reader come in. I am looking for suggestions...what should I be training for? Here are my parameters...If it is a race it cannot be on Sunday. I would prefer no swimming. No run can exceed 15 miles. The event must happen in April or sooner. Remember this is to get me in shape during the winter, but it needs to be a solid goal otherwise I will just forget about it. It kind of has to be big enough to scare me to trail...I am totally motivated by my own death. Lastly, it does not have to be a 'race' you can make up an event, as long as it is possible to complete and you have thought the details out thoroughly. So lets try to find something that would kill me if I didn't train for it.

The one thing I could think about doing was the White Rim trail in Moab, but do it all in one day...it's like a hundred miles of mnt. biking. Damn tho, that really would kill me...better make it two days.

What about the Kokipelli trail...that's crazy long. I dunno...that is where you come in, help me get back in shape.
Giddiup!

Getting back in Shape is for Suckers...and I am a Sucker...

I am a sucker...being in shape is the best feeling in the world...being able to do pretty much whatever you want without worrying about lungs, heart, muscles freaking out and abandoning you...on the flip side the worst thing in the world is getting in shape. The Worst!!! The lungs burn...the heart rate rapid and out of control...oh and the lactic acid coursing through my muscles...the pain...the next day...all hurt...all bad. That is my life at the moment. I need to get in shape...or at least it's time to get busy and move my booty. So I've been running and biking and all that jazz...but I feel the pain...I keep telling myself the pain is good...it is weakness leaving the body. Happily I keep on trucking and lately I have been seeing some nice results...granted I still have quite a lot of baby weight to take off but my level of fitness is steadily improving. I'm in California with my parents for a few weeks and my Dad and I biked up to the Observatory in the South Bay...it was a 19 mile steady forever long never ending climb. I was passed by everyone...I wish I could ride with a disclaimer on my back 'I am not your white rabbit, just had baby'. But I thought that would be lame...so when I was getting passed I would just make it easier on them by making enjoyable chit chat...for the first 14 miles I felt pretty good...the last 5 miles were slow and me not feeling so good...but I stayed on my bike and went to the top. It was awesome to be back with those who enjoy a good sufferin' on the weekends. My type of people.

Life is Good

Life is Good. Sadly Seth is gone for a few months on out-rotations, even though I miss him I am still living a good life. I am staying with his parents in Sandy for a month or so...it's just 70 miles from Logan, so I can go back to Logan to take care of the personal matters and the house...but while I am in Sandy I am living the good life. Seth mother loves Fisher and loves hanging out with Fisher so that gives me hours everyday to go play. The above picture is of me riding in Corner Canyon in Draper Utah. There is something different about this ride...well let me tell you what is different, it's my bike...below is a picture of my new bike 'Lil Brudder'. Its a new Gary Fisher bike with big 29 inch wheels. It feels like I am riding my big brothers bike...it's so big and freakin' awesome. I have been having a blast! So I get to bike everyday, but then it gets better...I know what you are thinking, how? How could it get better!?! Well my in-laws home is like the Garden of Eden. They have the most incredible garden ever! Tomatoes, peaches, grapes, apples, pumpkins, squash, and so much more it's beautiful. Everyday I get to eat fresh fabulous food and be surrounded to flowers and mountains. Like I said before it is a good life I live.

Lil' Brudder

Kiowa enjoyin the sun and flowers

Delicious Grapes

Amazing White Peaches

Ken my Father in law grows about 6 different kinds of tomatoes...oh so good

Kiowa in the pumpkin patch

Blackberries