Coming into our own

Hi Friends!
I look around me and see lots of things happening. I look inside myself and see lots of things happening. Although, we may have a habit as labeling these "things" as negative or bad, they are not. It is all beautiful. All of the changes that we are experiencing are preparing to launch us into an amazing part of ourselves.

I have been presented with new events frequently throughout the month. Part of me wanted to get angry, but I immediately went to what's right and good about the situation (something I have had to work on throughout the last few years). I encourage you all to do the same. Let things unfold. Discover where your journey is taking you. Those of you finding changes at work, know that you're going to get something great. Those of you finding changes in family and friends, know that these bonds will become greater and better when we get to the other side of our own discovery. So, let's love where we are and what is happening and spend all of our time in joy. Let's be patient with one another and know that space, time, and changes are all gifts, not punishments.

Yes, that "you" includes me.

I am working through a physical change at this very moment, and I know I am presented with it for a reason. Even if I am still crying about it :)

Sending love and "in-joy" your day!

Sarah

Racing Season!

I finished a pretty intense hill workout today, and I was chatting with a good friend about how quickly the busiest part of my racing season is approaching. I have been doing a few things here and there leading up to this point, and these adventures each have their own little story.

On June 2, I did my first bike race of 24 miles. Oh wait, I was corrected at the event. It's not a "race"; it's a "ride." Ok, whatever, I did my first ride and it was awesome. My sister did this one with me, and we both had a blast...well, up until the point that she wanted coffee. She offered up McDonalds for a quick caffeine fix, and I was all about quick until I heard the horrific crunching sound as I went through the drive-thru. You guessed it! I had my bike on top, and I DID NOT make the clearance bar. Poor Slick. She looked so sad being half-twisted with parts dangling off of her. Lesson learned. I now have a rear bike rack. Yay me! I coped by going to beer-fest. I forgot about it in no time. Hope that coffee was good, Mary, because the race was...uh, I mean, ride. Great adventure :) I'm looking forward to doing the century ride (100 miles) next year!

On June 27, I did a night 10K race called the Brain Drain. All proceeds went to the Brain Injury Association of Wyoming. I ran in honor of my mom. It was pretty emotional and physically challenging, but it reminded me that I am alive, well, and loving the things I can do in my life. I found myself thanking the universe for my lungs for being able to breathe (even though the smell of cow poo filled the air), my legs for being able to move my body quickly, my mind for being able to take on new challenges, and good friends who are willing to be a part of my adventures.



 
On July 4, I did the Lander 5K again. It was the first repeat race from last year. I wanted to compare my times, just to see the changes :) I set a personal record, completing it 2 minutes and 30 seconds faster than last year for a time of 24:04 and a 3rd place medal. I hope I can keep that pace in all of my upcoming triathlons! Speaking of...

My busy racing time is upon me. In two weeks, I start my triathlons. I have one every weekend from the 21st to Aug. 4. I will follow that up with the Grand Teton Relay. I can't wait to see my times and if my dedication and hard work will pay off. Who wouldn't want to train when you have this kind of cheering section :) Every lap for three miles they did this. They even brought me water. I love them to pieces!

 

I love that this is my passion. Some people love to hunt, ride four wheelers, sing, dance, and I say, "YES! Go for it and do what you love." I love to train, race, and physically challenge myself. When I find myself saying What next? or That was awesome, what more can I do? or Bring it on! I am ready to see if I can do it and if I can't I am willing to learn then I know I am doing what I love. I hope you are all excited about what you are doing in your life, and if not, go find what you love and wrap all of yourself into it. You'll never regret it. Let me know how your summer is treating you!

Wishing you a day full of love and time doing what you love,

Sarah
aka Mom of Four Trains Some More

Learning New Shoes!

For anyone interested in converting to the Five Finger Vibram shoes, I thought I would journal my transition!

Week 1

Sunday: Bought new shoes! I tried on several pairs and decided to go with the KomodoSport LS. I bought them at Roth's in Casper. They have more of a sole and would work well for my trail running and hiking. My experience trying them on was a frustrating one. I actually had to leave the store for a few hours and come back. I gave them another go, and I could finally get them on. I wore them home. Driving my car in these shoes was an odd experience, as I was accelerating my vehicle with my toes.

Monday-Thursday: Based on all the reviews, people should take it easy with these shoes. I decided I would wear them all day, but still train in my regular running shoes. I wore them 5-8 hours/day with no soreness.

Friday: First workout in the new shoes! I completed a circuit workout. I ran for three minutes, lifted for 1-2 minutes, ran for 3 minutes, etc. I did this for 60 minutes. The shoes forced me to run more on the toes and balls of my feet. If I put my heel down, I sounded like an elephant on the treadmill. Ethan said I looked like an antelope. They're fast, so I'll take it as a compliment. He meant it as one :) I hit the pool afterward, and I felt great all day.

Saturday: CALVES WERE TIGHT! Oh my gosh, I had a hard time walking. I did lots of stretching throughout the morning. Some soreness around my ankles and with my tendons. This is to be expected (or so I've read). My body has to readjust to this new way of walking/running. As I was hobbling around, I found myself excited to know I was building the proper muscles and working on other components that are natural for my body, but have been ignored because I was wearing such cushioned shoes before. The amazing thing...even though I was sore, my knees and hips felt great. These were elements that hindered me from running more than six miles at a given time.

• Late morning: I knew I didn't want to stay idle, so Ethan and I went for an eight mile hike up North Mountain in Phoenix, AZ. It was beautiful, and it felt good to keep my legs moving. I wore the Five Fingers.

• Evening: Calves were still tight, but I could function. Lots of stretching!

I am excited for week 2!

Gearing Up!

I just read through my blogs from last year, and I find myself super excited for my racing season this year!

I'm ready to try something new this year. A trail run? A bike tour? Skydiving? It hasn't come to me yet, but whatever it's going to be, it's going to be fun, adventurous, and bring more life into me. YAY! I'm so excited thinking about what I don't know is coming :)

Do you have big plans? Are you going to try something new?

I hope you are all as geared up as I am. Happy training to all of you!


Sarah

The Off Season

I got asked if I'd be interested in playing on a women's rugby team. HA! My initial response was, "No way in, hell, but thank you."

The New Year entered in with a lot of power. Did you feel it? We're in the "off season" as some would call it, as far as training for races go. I like to think of it as "refocus time." What is that I want? What do I want to accomplish? What things should I be doing to add more joy and happiness to my life?

Do you ask yourself these questions?

I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions, because I believe it's important to enter into the year loving yourself no matter where you are at and what you did the year before. If you start your new year with love, then you have an awesome foundation to build on.

My "refocus time" is bringing lots of cool things to my attention. I learned that I want to try new things. I want to have new experiences. Whether that be trying new recipes, new workout exercises, new work experiences, I'm ready to try it all. It also will help me and has helped me (so far) embrace those new things that I would normally call "bad," "negative" or "unwanted." If it's new, then I will learn something from it. For example, I witnessed a car accident while on a run with a friend. The situation was not something I would ask to experience, but it happened for the first time for me. My list is long from what I learned...1) I need to be more attentive when I drive. Things happen quickly and my family and I deserve my 100% attention when I'm behind the wheel. 2) I know I can help others out in emergency situations. 3) I'm so grateful for my health and where I am at and who is in my life. Just to name a few :) 

About that rugby...

I laughed at the rugby idea, but now I am reconsidering. Why? Because it's something NEW! I can say I tried it. I provided myself with a new experience. Who knows what this could do for me?

I am working on my personal trainer certificate, so I am training some more, and it's so much fun.

During your "refocus time" what are you learning about yourself? 

Whatever it is, it is beautiful! Wishing you much love to build on this new year. 

Sarah (aka Mom of Four Trains Some More)

New Kind of Training

Although it's "off" season for training for any races, there is some new training happening. Training of the mind :) Just a few days ago, I realized something very important about myself, and it took me, well, all my life up to this point to figure it out...

I have had several moments where I'd feel upset or even mad, even though I knew there wasn't any reason to feel this way. I'm pretty focused, I take good care of myself, I'm aware when I'm not balanced, and I do the work to get back on track, but for some reason there was always this return to "disconnect." Saturday and into Sunday was a pivotal turning point in realizing why this was happening.

The event started to unfold in front of me late Saturday night, and I removed myself from this event, because it wasn't mine. I was so proud of myself, because I felt good doing it. However, the longer I waited in the vehicle the more upset I became. I struggled with this feeling throughout the night and into the morning. Why was I upset? I did what was good for me. Why can't I be thankful for how I handled the events happening in front of me? The universe was not going to let me get to sleep until I figured this out. Sometime really late in the morning, I just stopped all the chatter in my head, and asked for guidance. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm pretty impatient. I like things to happen quickly, but I didn't rush this one. I couldn't. I wanted to sleep!

It was never anger. It was worry.

When I worry, I become upset. It was always my way of making sure nobody knew that I was capable of worry or fear or failure or whatever "inferior" element I could connect to myself. I laughed at myself at 4:00 a.m., knowing that I had just threw out the biggest piece of garbage in my backpack. I'll tell you that was a lot of baggage to pack around.

Now I know that I do that, and I can redirect my thoughts when I feel those emotions enter into my experience. I now ask myself, "What am I worrying about? Why am I worried about that? What can I focus on to remind myself that I have nothing to fear?" The journey is supposed to be beautiful, fun, and joyous. I'm training my mind to think differently, and it's been a wonderful blessing. The results are the proof that our thoughts hold so much power for how our lives unfold. My results?

• I look at the people in my life with more love than I did before. I have nothing to worry about when it comes to my husband, my children, my friends. Worry held me back in my ability to love, because it always came out as anger. They get more patience from me, freedom to be exactly the people they want to be, and the verbal "thank-yous" are filling our household at a rapid rate!
• I am more appreciative of the woman I was always meant to be. I'm learning about my spirit, my purpose, and why I'm a "human being" and NOT a "human doing." 
• I'm motivated to continue my off season training. I'm excited to think about what races await me next Spring and summer.
• I've even started losing those last few pounds that were just kind of hanging around, like my worry was doing.
• Really, I'm just happy for knowing that I can do it differently. Everyone benefits when someone is happy :)

"I" is mentioned here a lot. I wanted to share this because I think many can relate to this. We believe that it's natural to worry, but it's not. If you focus on you (the "I" in your life), sort through some of your backpack and see what you're packing on your journey, you'll find you. The fun part is that the sorting never ends, and we get to learn about ourselves more and more if we're willing to take the time to look at our stuff.

I'm thankful for the people who come into my life and help me create events and moments when I get to learn something very valuable about myself. I'm thankful that I can love at a larger capacity than I was just a week ago, and I get to keep building on that.

Good luck on whatever you're training for! It's all fun :) I've got one last little race on Thanksgiving. I'm coming for you "Turkey Trot."

Sarah (aka Mom of Four)

Got some pics of the 10K!

Before the race! Here I am with Jared. Both he and Cora came along to cheer me on and spend a day in Casper.

I was a little nervous! This was my first 10K. It was also my first race with my new AWESOME shoes.

This is a fun picture. I love that the kids were there. I think it's important to set good examples for children. I hope they learn that setting goals, taking care of themselves, and doing what they love is always the way to be. Thanks for cheering me on kiddos :)

Running through the finish line. I could hear those steps behind me, and there was no way I was going to let them pass me at the end. What a great motivator to help me run the fastest race time yet, 48:56.

DONE! I supported a wonderful cause and took good care of myself. Trying to catch my breath here, but I really felt great afterward.

Thanks for taking these pictures for me, Jill! Your support is always amazing to me. You're pretty amazing :)

You know how I love my quotes and things that keep me thinking. Here is what came across my plate today...

What does it feel like in your body when you are doing what you love? Grow that feeling muscle so that each time you feel it, you know you are on the right path. What fills you up? What drives your passion? If you had a magic wand and could sweep it over your life, what would you ideally be doing and, more importantly, what would it feel like? ~Healing with the Masters

Happy Fall! Wishing you fulfillment every day.

Sarah (aka Mom of Four)