Milestones & Measurements

Well, this week is week number 7 of my training and it really must be a lucky week because things are "shaping up." I wish I was referring to the shape of my body, but I think I'm actually gaining weight. I was hoping I would somehow manage to trim down through all of this but I'm not loving the way my jeans are fitting and I'm not loving who's looking back at me in the mirror. Oh well, I'm digressing. Actually, I have accomplished some milestones over the past weeks and in my mind (we all now how that works) these are major accomplishments. The first big milestone was about two weeks ago. I made it through an hour of spin class and moved to the treadmill where I jogged 3.5 miles. That was two hours of me being in constant physical motion! This gave me a glimmer of hope that I might actually be able to ride a bicycle for 25 miles and somehow manage to immediately complete a 6.2 mile run. Second milestone - get ready for this one - I was able to change clothes in the actual locker room at the gym! This was a major change because I had been cramming into the bathroom stall to go from gym clothes to swim suit or vice-versa. When you factor in having to shower before & after getting into the pool, that is an awful lot of time doing these necessary wardrobe changes while hiding out in the stalls. I personally just don't like naked. I don't want to see myself naked, I don't want to see other people naked and I especially don't want other people to see me naked. I mean, seriously, I'm already dealing with wearing a Speedo and a swim cap in public. It is just not that easy to squeeze into and out of all that tight spandex these workout wardrobes are made of. These outfits are indeed designed to keep everything in place & not jiggling around! So, about a week ago I gave in and just stripped down & re-dressed with all the other work out divas. My heart rate goes up every time I have to disrobe, but I'm painfully dealing. The biggest milestone I accomplished was on Sunday. I conquered the "bridge." There is a 2 mile bridge that runs between Rockwall & Rowlett. (Yes, I photographed the actual bridge. Doesn't it look daunting! I felt you would be more impressed with my story if you had a visual.) I tried to run this bridge once shortly after I began my training and I made it about a mile panting and walking along the way, so I've had this huge hang-up about it. The one thing I know for sure is that I can definitely run 3.5 miles, so what's another half mile? I actually made it all the way across and back without stopping! I realized that thinking I could not run that distance without stopping was all in my head. I stayed focused on the different training techniques people explained to me, but the best advice so far has come from my friend, Jenny. Jenny ran a half marathon for the first time in her life in 2003 and raised money for leukemia & lymphoma while doing it. She told me at one point in her training she went and visited some of the children with cancer undergoing chemo treatments. She said it helped her keep moving when she felt pain or got tired while running by reminding her if those kids can go through chemo, she could go the distance. She also told me to use my run time as God time. So I was very focused and positive on Sunday. I did feel quite a bit of pain the last mile, but I thought about what child abuse victims endure and kept running. I also focused on everything good around me, all my blessings and the many things I am thankful for. It was a gorgeous day! People were water skiing and the boaters would wave at me & honk their horns. This coupled with all the constant stream of Harley riders going down the road, waving & revving their engines was very motivational. I did a lot of "waving my hands in the air like I just didn't care and of course shouting whoo-hoo at the same time!" I'm now going to use the bridge to measure my progress. If I can run it twice without stopping, (that's 8 total miles for the math challenged) then I'll know I can definitely make it through the running portion. I'll keep you updated on my progress throughout April. For the first time, I can tell you I am truly focused and really driven to succeed with this endeavor. Did you know that Community Partners of Dallas has four annual drives? Last year, the Back to School Drive stuffed 2,421 backpacks and 2,735 pieces of school uniforms were distributed. The Winter Coat Drive distributed coats to more than 1,060 children. The Holiday Toy Drive distributed two or more toys to 5,693 kiddos and the Easter Basket Drive provided Easter baskets to over 1,700 children in Dallas County. The CPD staff and the members in The Partnership are focused to keep this good work going and of course, growing. You can be a part of all our efforts by clicking on my donation link on the left and making a generous tax deductible donation. Focusing on how much you should give? Don't drive yourself crazy with numbers. Just donate $100 for simple accounting and always remember, "If at first you don't succeed, try try again!"

Bicycle Shopping Begins

In a few months, May 25th to be exact, I will be riding my bicycle 25 miles in the great city of Austin, TX. This bike ride is the second leg of my first ever Olympic length triathlon that I'm training for. The ride follows a 1 mile, open water swim across Austin's Town Lake. Before getting on the bicycle, I have to go through a wardrobe change. The word "wardrobe" sparked my interest enough to take a trip to Richardson Bike Mart. The Bike Mart is really cool and really huge. It's divided into two sections: the bicycle side & the clothing & gear side. Honestly, I didn't know there were that many types of bicycles in the world. I have only owned three bikes in my life: a red tricycle; a blue bicycle with a white basket and training wheels and a ten speed that I road until I got my driver's license. I do not currently own a bicycle and I have not been on bicycle since the late 80's. I do however have a new friend at the Bike Mart, Marc Fuentes, cycling expert and bicycle salesman extraordinaire. (Marc will be making his debut in an upcoming post...stay tuned) Marc spent a lot of time with me explaining what I need. I'm a little high maintenance, so for some reason this turned out to be a really long shopping trip. Turns out I need a 23 wsd road bike with a bell and multi-colored streamers from the handles and I need the shiny white one they have in stock (bell & streamers sold separately.) I was feeling very overwhelmed after learning all the mechanics of the bicycle, so I took a breather and wandered to the other half of the store where Marc and I began assembling my new cycling wardrobe. In addition to a bike, I need a bike helmet (alien headgear), bike gloves (don't have fingers/do have special padding), special bike shorts to train in & a different pair to race in (real ugly/make my butt look even bigger/has a diaper sewn into them), special bike shoes (has something on the bottom that makes the shoe clip onto the pedal), a fix-a-flat bike pack (like I could actually fix a flat tire in the middle of a race), a water bottle and a car rack (at least I will look outdoorsy & granola) to transport it to all those places I will be riding it all the time (right- I see that happening.) I decided to purchase a helmet, since I know I will be falling down a lot & will most likely be knocked over at least once, but probably more than once by other cyclists that actually know what they are doing. Marc & I decided that a pink helmet would suit me best. It's a proven fact that pink helmets make for the best protective headgear around. I also purchased the pair of bike shorts I need to train in. Marc brought me a size Large without even consulting me and was very sure that was exactly the right size - Whatever! It's no surprise to me that I left the Bike Mart with clothing only, but protective headgear is a priority. Community Partners of Dallas is like protective headgear for abused children. Did you know that 33% of the children served by the Rainbow Room are victims of physical abuse? This a shockingly true story: Tommy is seven. When he came to school with his arm in a sling and a black eye, his teacher asked a lot of questions. He told her that he got in a fight with a bully on the way home from school, but she didn't think all the details added up so she kept asking questions. Finally, Tommy broke down in tears and told her that it was his mom who had hurt him. He begged his teacher not to tell anyone. His mom had lost her job two months earlier and was so stressed. He told her that they didn't have enough money to eat and it was his fault that he made her mad when she was so sad. He shouldn't have turned the TV on so loud and bugged her.... She just snapped and started to hit him over and over again. For now, Tommy is living with his aunt. This happened in December. Community Partners of Dallas provided him with Christmas presents and a mattress to sleep on while living at his aunt's house. Child protective services is working with his mom with hopes that they can safely reunite the family in due time. Be motivated with me & support my 25 mile bike riding efforts by making a donation now that furthers the protective efforts of Community Partners of Dallas and ensures safety to so many children. Donate toward the bike ride - $25 for 25 miles or if your wheels are spinning fast and you're so inclined, donate in multiples of $25 ($50-$75-$100-$125). Now that would provide a lot of protective headgear - pink of course! Keep riding & if at first you don't succeed, try try again.

The Swimsuit

My swimsuit fashion has certainly evolved over the years. When I was in high school and college, I would have never entertained the idea of wearing a one piece swimsuit and I can assure you that a swimsuit with a skirt was absolutely not an option. My stance on this fashion decision has been dramatically altered due to two distinct factors: 1.) I no longer have the body of an 18 - 21 year old and have long since given up trying and 2.) You can't do an open water swim in a skirt and especially not in a bikini! That's right. I will be swimming in open water - not racing in a swimming pool - the day of the triathlon. Specifically, I will be swimming in Austin's Town Lake, which I hear is quite chilly on Memorial Day so I'm hoping for blue skies and RAINBOWS. Swimming is the first leg of the triathlon. I will be swimming 1 mile followed by a bike ride and ending with a jog and it will all be worth it when we (me and all of you that are supporting my efforts by donating) get to give Community Partners of Dallas a big fat check! In 1993, Community Partners of Dallas opened the Rainbow Room which meets children's emergency needs for resources, including clothing, shoes, formula, diapers, cleaning supplies, hygiene items, birthday presents and school supplies. These items are distributed through the Dallas County caseworkers. Since it opened, the Rainbow Room has served more than 90,000 children. Community Partners of Dallas has been so successful with this program it is now being replicated across the state and is currently underway in more than 130 cities in Texas. You can be a part of keeping the Rainbow Room a success by supporting my swimming efforts. Can't decide on how much to donate? How about donating 1 penny for the 5280 grueling feet I'll be swimming across Town Lake. That's $52.80 for all you math wizzes like myself! Ladies, this is so much easier than going swimsuit shopping. Just click & donate! As always - If at first you don't succeed, try try again!

Reality Check!

Well, reality has completely set in. I realized what I've committed to doing is so far beyond any level of athleticism I may possess that it's laughable. I'm training for the "Olympic" distance triathlon. The word "Olympic" should have been my first red flag especially since it is synonymous with world-class athletes. What this boils down to is I will be swimming for 1 mile, biking for 25 miles and running for 6.2 miles in that order. Through my rigorous training, I've determined I'm approximately a little less than the halfway point on all three of the activities. It takes me an hour on any one of the three activities just to make it midway. World class athlete I definitely am not. Terrible at math I definitely am. I keep calculating how long I will actually be competing in the race. At the rate I'm going it could take me 6 hours to finish it! Hopefully my math is off - way off. So I'm turning my thoughts from this little "mini crisis" I'm mulling around in my tiara adorned head to something much more positive. Did you know that Community Partners of Dallas has a program called Kids in Crisis? This program provides emergency funds for transportation, housing, enrichment activities, clothing, therapy and medical expenses for children in relative care or in their own homes. Kids in Crisis serves more than 5,400 of Dallas County's abused and neglected children annually. Now I can do that math and the reality of it is Community Partners is making a huge impact in the lives of a lot of kiddos. Speaking of checks, this is a really good time to write one. Do some simple math like $1.00 for each mile I will complete. This equals $32.20 for those math challenged individuals like myself! Always Remember - If at first you don't succeed, try try again!