You Know You Want To!

So, this contagious thing is ringing truer and truer.  I was at Great America with my brother, sister in law and their kids this weekend – and while we were whizzing thru the line for the Demon I was chatting to my brother Nick about the excellent adventures.

Sidenote:  It is important to note, that as I’m speaking to him about the ½ tri on the slate for 2012 and the full marathon in 2013 – talking and walking – I totally turned my ankle and almost face planted on the sidewalk.  It takes a special skill my friends….

Well, as a result of my complete graceful behavior – and my apparent excitement about all these crazy adventures, Nick decided he wanted to do the mini-triathlon with us in August!    (It’s important to note he would have done the warrior dash with us, but he will be in Orlando with his family during that time.. Priorities, I tell you!).

So our posse is growing.. we have people lined up for our Hustle team next year…  and it’s just down and out fun!

So thank YOU Elise for sharing my crazy!!!  And the crazy is catchy…..  So if you see us, walk quickly the other way or I’m pretty sure you will be doing some crazy physical adventures with us in your near future!

Well, Shoot!

Guess we need to re-think our costumes!

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/5142068-419/police-naked-marathoner-arrested.html

CINCINNATI — Police say they arrested a man for running naked in a marathon race through downtown Cincinnati.

Thirty-five-year-old Brett Henderson of St. Paris in western Ohio faces charges of public indecency and obstructing official business. Police tell media outlets he refused to stop running during Sunday morning’s Flying Pig Marathon, so they halted him with a stun gun.

Henderson’s mother Lee said Monday that he had borrowed a pair of running shorts from his father, but they kept slipping down as he ran. She says he kept running without shorts because he was determined to complete the race he had trained for.

No attorney was listed for him. He was expected to appear in a Hamilton County court later Monday.

Warrior Dash Cross Training

There are a couple obstacles in the Warrior Dash that make me anxious: the tires and the cargo net. I just imagine myself falling on my face two tires into the obstacle. I must say I was very happy that the video Denise posted showed the camera man falling on the tires.

The cargo net is the other obstacle I am not sure about because I do not think I have ever climbed up a cargo net in my life. The fear of the unknown has been bothering me for a couple weeks now as I tried to figure out where I could find one so I could give it a try.

When I first signed up for the Dash Denise sent the following information from the Warrior Dash Web Site...

How do I train for Warrior Dash?

• Day one: run as far as you can. Go home.


• Day two: do the same thing.


• Day three: Find the dirtiest pond in your neighborhood and snorkel in it - in your slippers, without goggles.


• Day four: Practice your climbing and crawling skills at your local jungle gym. Ignore the small children and parental glares.


• Day five: Do not shower or shave for weeks in order to obtain a true Warrior look. Seriously though, your best bet is to do plenty of running leading up to the race.

Yesterday, I took Paige and Derek to a new park while Ty was at a birthday party. To my surprise there in the middle of this futuristic looking park was a Cargo net.

Picture an arch with a cargo net tied to the top of it. On the bottom right the net is tied to the ground on the side close to you, on the bottom left the net is tied to the ground on the opposite side of the arch.

I was so excited I handed my phone and keys to Paige as I contemplated climbing up and over the arch that supported it. Then I looked around, there were millions of small children that could follow my lead and potentially get hurt. The Mom overrode The Warrior and I took my phone back from Paige and texted Denise that I found a cargo net and wanted to climb it, but would come back on a rainy day.

As I sat there watching the other Moms and Dads passively "playing" with their kids, I decided that I was a Warrior Mom and would not wait for a rainy day! I handed my phone back to Paige and started climbing the net. To my relief climbing up the net was not hard, but going over to the other side was another story.

I got to the top quickly, and threw my leg over the top of the arch. Here is where it gets ugly...I did not think out my attack, and wound up with my butt at the top of the arch and my head falling down the arch in a wobbly downward dog position. Then as the adrenaline kicked in, I realized that the net I wanted to go over to was not the same distance as the one I climbed up, so I would have had to swing my leg and body really far to get to the other side.

I laughed nervously as I told Paige I was stuck at the top.

Then a Mom said to me, "Are you really stuck?"

I replied, "No, I am fine." as thoughts of Firemen with ladders coming to rescue me flashed in my head.

Then the Mom said, "You are brave."

As I maneuvered my way down, I told her I had to try it since I was going to have to do it in a couple of months.

The Mom then said, "Are you going into the Military?"

I laughed really hard and said, "No I am in a race called the Warrior Dash that has obstacles."

To which the other Mom replied, "Well, that sounds fun."

As we talked a little more, I looked around and realized that there were several Moms climbing on the playground equipment now which proves the adventurous spirit really is contagious.

For the record, I did not make it to the other side, but I am going back soon and will have a better plan of attack.

I was thinking...

...it is a really good thing Denise and I did not go to High School together because I am sure we would have gotten into a lot of trouble. I can see it now...


Denise: "I saw a movie with this totally hot dude called Jake Ryan, and his girl friend threw a huge party and some dudes got drunk and it looked totally awesome."
Me: "Fer shur, we should totally try drinking some beer?"
Denise: "Dude, I got us a keg!"
Me: "That's totally awesome! Let's see if we can finish the whole thing tonight!"


***

Me: "Like, I am totally going to fail my History final."
Denise: "Like, I know me too! I am totally freaking out?"
Me: "Dude! I saw this movie where these dudes travelled through time and met a bunch of other dudes. Then the dudes passed their history exams."
Denise: "Totally Awesome!"
Me: "Like, all we need is a time machine."
Denise: "Dude, I got us a time machine."
Me: "Excellent! Let's go!"

***

Denise: "Like, I could totally use a break from school."
Me: "Dude, I saw this movie where this dude tricked his Mom into thinking he was sick, and..."
Denise: "Oh my God! I saw that movie too. We could totally do that!"
Me: "As if...we don't have a car!"
Denise: "Dude, I got us a red Ferrari!"
Me: "Bitchin!"

It's All Her Fault!

Note - She Didn't Say No!

I mean, she didn't really say YES either... but she didn't say no..

I'm just saying..

Aaaa-CHOO!

I hate being sidelined by a cold.  I don’t DO sick.  I don’t have time to be Sick and I get really crabby when I get knocked out of the game by a cold. 

It’s Thursday.  I have done NOTHING this week as far as training besides sneeze, self medicate and work (on top of child rearing, etc).

Today is the first day I didn’t wake up feeling like I was run over by a semi.  I HATE being sidelined when I have so much on my plate in the immediate future.  (Hi, 5K NEXT Sunday!).  But I have to listen to my body and my body said REST.. who am I to argue?

Elise is sick too.  We share our crazy goals and apparently germs across the miles.   Having a cold and not working out while also having quick access to Easter candy is not a great combination.  (Note: my kids, who requested turkey jerky from the Easter Bunny – polished that off before they hit the chocolate…  Now I have bite size Reeses’ peanut butter cups within arms reach.. BAD BAD BAD!).

I was doing a little research… looking for some justification for me sitting out this week as my immune system was losing it’s battle of the germs and stumbled across this, from the American  College of Sports Medicine..

Rest or exercise when sick?

Most clinical authorities in the area of immunology recommend:

• If one has common cold symptoms (e.g., runny nose and sore throat without fever or general

body aches and pains), intensive exercise training may be safely resumed a few days after the

resolution of symptoms.

• Mild-to-moderate exercise (e.g., walking) when sick with the common cold does not appear to

be harmful. In two studies using nasal sprays of a rhinovirus leading to common cold symptoms,

subjects were able to engage in exercise during the course of the illness without any negative

effects on severity of symptoms or performance capability.

• With a symptom complex of fever, extreme tiredness, muscle aches, and swollen lymph glands, 2-4 weeks should probably be allowed before resumption of intensive training.

• In general, if the symptoms are from the neck up, moderate exercise is probably acceptable and, some researchers would even argue, beneficial, while bedrest and a gradual progression to normal training are recommended when the illness is systemic. If in doubt as to the type of infectious illness, individuals should consult a physician.

And this is why the internet SUCKS.

I had fever.  I had body aches.  I DO NOT HAVE 2-4 weeks to start intensive training again.  I was looking for justification – NOT – for excellent adventure crushing advice.  So, I am going to pick and choose what web-based medical advice I’m taking… and that’s the Dr. Denise  version that says tomorrow, if I wake up and it’s not raining, and I don’t need to grab a tissue before I’m vertical, and if my glands are no longer the size of a golf ball… I run.  I run hard.  I run through.  I run away!  J.

Getting Inside My Head

It probably IS as scary as it sounds! 

My name is Denise and I don’t fail.   Its really an easy thing to say when  you  never really even attempt something unless  you know that you are able to complete it.. and excel at doing so.

It was years ago that I realized this little tid-bit about myself and set out to change that.  I began setting unrealistic goals for myself to see what I could achieve if I wasn’t scared to death of failing at it.  And you know what?  I’ve had a hellovalotta fun!  When you write down these goals or share them with someone it makes them real – no longer something you can sweep under the rug and easily ‘forget’ about.  So I write them down, I tell people, I rope other people into my crazy ideas, I blog…

I still don’t LIKE to fail… but I no longer let that fear of failing stop me from LIVING, from EXPERIENCING, from BEING..

This fear of failing… it was what inspired me to start on this excellent adventure with Elise.  Seriously, ME climb 94 flights of stairs??   Well, I’ll never know unless I try!

And every now and then I freak myself out.  Like yesterday, I realized the warrior dash was 8 weeks away.  56 days.   I am NOT ready to finish RUNNING a 5K yet – not even thinking about the tires, mud, fire jumping, etc.   

Will I be ready to do this in a mere 56 days?  (During which I have no less than 3 business trips, a first communion to host, a pre-school recognition day to plan, a children’s resale to co-chair, a boyfriend 3 states away that I’d like to see, and 2 other 5K’s)

WHAT AM I THINKING??

This morning I powered up the Macbook… took a sip of coffee.. and found this on a friends facebook page:

Ever Tried.  Ever Failed.  No Matter.  Try Again.  Fail Again.  Fail Better.  - Samuel Beckett

Well, if that Isn’t the universe speaking to me, I don’t know what is.

So I will be dashing – thru the mud and over fire – and I will do it!  And if I can’t finish or get hurt, you know what?  I will have done it.  I will have failed.  But I will have failed better than I have before b/c I was there.   I’d never have gotten the coveted Viking helmet  if I hadn’t gotten over myself and my damn fear of failing.

So that’s what I will do.. I will Try Again.  Fail Again.  And Fail Better!  Because really, you can’t fail at failing….. so what’s so damn scary anyway?!

I got this.

IM? What's an IM?

Three weeks ago I decided that I had better learn how to swim the right way so that I could do my best in the triathlon in August. I went to our local YMCA and bought a family membership. The kids and I swim two to three times a week now, and it is wonderful.

I told my friend Alan, who participates in triathlons with his daughter, that Paige and I are doing a triathlon in August. I figured he would be the one to ask my silly questions like:

• Will I put my glasses by my bike?


• Do I bring a towel to dry off after the swim?


• Do you put shorts and a shirt over your swimsuit for the bike ride?

I also figured that since his daughter is on a swim team he could help me learn the terms he has been using for the past several years when telling me how well his daughter did in her meets. I never asked before because I did not want to show my ignorance, but I was desperate to know what he was talking about before I go to my first swim lesson tomorrow.

So last week I IM'd Alan to ask how he was doing, and he told me he swam 3000M that morning! Three weeks ago I had no idea what that meant. Now I am in awe since I swam 250M without stopping last week to see if it was even possible, and I was exhausted when I was done. I started firing questions at him:

• Did you get to take breaks?


• How big is the pool you swim in? (3000/25 = 120)


• How do you keep track of how far you swim? (I struggled to remember what lap I was on and I only did went back and forth 10 times.)

I know he was laughing me, but he informed me that he got to take breaks, one pool is 25M the other is 50M, and the 3000M is a workout that he follows.

Oh! There are swimming workouts? Who knew?

Then he began to tell me what he did that morning with the distances, but I was lost in the words that sounded like martial arts moves and rap songs to me.

• Kick - Hee YA!!!


• Pull - Grab your opponent's wrist here, step back, PULL and watch him flip over!


• Freestyle - I picture everyone in a circle as Alan busts a move...Go Alan! Go Alan!


• Breast - Not going there...


• Fly - Like a G6?


• Back - Baby's Got Back!

Of course my interpretations were not correct and he patiently explained what each term meant as I kept asking him questions. Then he said something about IM, and I thought, "Duh Alan! What do you think we are doing right now?", but at this point in our conversation I decided to ask, "IM? What's an IM?" instead.

As he answered this question in detail I got a brilliant idea; I would search You Tube to actually be able to see what he was talking about. What did we do without the Internet? I watched a video on each stroke, and then I watched the Olympics, and then some Michael Phelps videos and the next thing I know two hours of my life had passed by. I know what we did without the Internet we stayed focused and got shit done, but I digress.

Since he is such a great guy Alan sent me a link to Beginner Triathlete which has examples of the workouts he follows, and a ton of other information too.
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/

Thanks to Alan I feel more confident going to my first swimming lesson tomorrow! He is the Master and I am the Grasshopper!

Glad I Have Medical Coverage...

I think I’ve finally stopped laughing after Elise’s last post (only b/c I can totally relate… I still have the tags-still-on Spanx bathing suit in a drawer as proof).  Never order a FINAL SALE bathing suit online.  Lesson Learned.

I think I’m good with gear for the excursions for the remainder of the year.  Although, I need to get working on the Warrior Dash get ups!   I have a suit I bought last year when I was training for a relay team doing a sprint tri.. But the biker blew her knee out 3 days before the event – which was ok w/ me b/c I developed a nasty case of tendonitis in my shoulder…  I would have swam thru it.. But looking back, it was probably ok.

I will say, Elise is motivated.  My son swam for 2 years competitively and never quite mastered a flip turn (well, he had ‘em down in practice, but never in a meet).  I trained for last year’s event and couldn’t do it to save my life.  There are no flip turns in my future.. which I know will add to my time, but my flip turn is something like a distorted somersault with no contact at all to the wall, and when I resurface I’m going in a direction that I’m not supposed to be.  Coordinated – I tell ya.

That coordination issue is going to be interesting during these crazy times too.  I am the girl who was voted Biggest Klutz in my graduating class.   I sprained my ankle walking into the circus with my kids one afternoon.  My ankle has been fractured, chipped, sprained, strained more times than I can remember.. and never from something that makes for a good story.  Maybe that’s why I so willingly signed up for this stuff.  “I was doing an obstacle course and broke my ankle in the tire run” sounds SO much cooler than, I was walking down the street…

I’m also pretty hard headed and have been known to push through an injury.  Like walking part of day 2 and all of day 3 on a foot with a stress fracture, b/c I’ll be DAMNED if I flew to San Francisco to NOT walk across the golden gate bridge or finish what I started…

The good news is, I have crutches, an air cast, and a few ace bandages and ice packs handy….  But, there’s probably money to be had if any of you want to start a pool on how many times Denise will injure herself during this Excellent Adventure…..

Where did it all go?

I should introduce myself...Hi my name is Elise and I am obese. Hey, that rhymes! According to the chart in my doctor's office I need to lose 11 more pounds to get out of the danger zone. I am telling you this to set the scene for the rest of the story for people who do not know me.

So we signed up for a triathlon, and my current swimsuit is a swim dress. I included a picture of one below in case you are not familiar with them.

This is not me or my swim dress, but as you can see swim dresses cover flab without making you look like a sausage. I love my swim dress because it is great for floating in the pool. Unfortunately, I do not think the officials or my fellow participants in the triathlon would like it very much if I brought my pool noodle and slowly floated around the pool for 250M.

The problem with my swim dress is that it is a dress, and when I go to do the somersault thingy to turn around at the end of a lap it will go over my head and potentially drown me or worse yet expose the black "bikini" under the dress. I have no idea why they designed the hidden part as a two piece suit with super strong flab resistant black mesh in between the top and the bottom, but they did.

To solve this problem I decided to look for a one piece suit sans the dress. Last weekend I took Paige to get her swimsuit for training, and it went so well I decided to try on a suit or two myself. I found one that was super cute and in my size and went into the dressing room. I had Paige and Ty sit outside while I tried it on.

Warning: Body parts are discussed below...if you are uncomfortable talking about body parts stop reading now!

I pulled the suit up and was amazed at how it magically made all of my flab disappear. I thought, "Where did it all go?"

I literally did a gut check and decided that I would actually be comfortable wearing this suit at a pool. Then I did a quick butt check and nothing was hanging out. Eyes back to the front to check out my boobs and I was disappointed because the suit just could not contain them. I pulled and tugged and tried to figure out if I could get the suit altered to get them under control.

At this point I decided to ask Paige for her opinion. She came into the fitting room and agreed that the swim suit was cute, but the the top needed to be fixed so I wouldn't flop out. Ty peeked his head in the room as Paige and I discussed what I could do, and he said "Mom turn around and show Paige the back."

I turned around and both of them said at the exact same time, "It looks like you have boobs on your back." You guessed it! I found out where some of my flab had magically gone! All three of us laughed hysterically as we looked at my back boobs.

After we stopped laughing I took the swim suit off, and I decided to continue my search another day.

Talking her off the Ledge...

Ha.. I guess I'll be doing that in September too (talking Elise AND myself over the edge of the Wit hotel so we can rappell down 24 stories)

Didn't you read my earlier post - you aren't supposed to actually THINK about this stuff - we're just supposed to do it

So we need to come up with a mantra for ourselves - when we think about all of this insane stuff we are doing and start to get overwhelmed.  Because, really - we got this!

(And, for us, the swim is a mere 10 lengths of a 25 yard pool - the kids only have to swim 4.) 

We got this Elise.  We may curse each other... We may curse Paige (I won't - I'll just blame you!)..  Our knees and butts and arms may cry out in pain.. but we got this. 

Swimming and Biking and Running...OH MY!

After hanging out with her friend for a couple hours my nine year old daughter Paige said she wanted to do a triathlon because her friend was training for one this summer. Obviously I can't say, "If your friend were to rapell down the side of the 27 story building would you do it too?"

Prior to November 2010 I would have said, "That's a lot of work Paige are you sure you really want to do it?" and I would have ignored her request. (Don't judge! You know you ignore your kid's cazy requests too.) But this is 2011 BABY, and I am on an Excellent Adventure so why not have Paige come along too! The best part is that was her idea, so we have someone to curse when we are dying during the race.

I immediately jumped on the laptop and searched kid's triathon. I found the Woodridge 12th Annual Rotary Triathlon that had both a kids and a mini. I checked out the distances and felt it was very doable for both of us, signed us up and sent the info to Denise, who promptly signed herself and her son up. Then my 7 year old son Ty wanted in on the action too!

But I've started to think...

Swimming

I can swim, dive and do somersaults, but I have no idea what the different strokes are called nor do I know exactly how far 250 meters is. I dont know how to breathe right while I am swimming because I gulp the air and get water in my mouth.

Biking

I have not really biked a long distance since my oldest daughter Amanda was like 9, and I really hate "bike butt" the soreness in certain...well you know...areas. Six miles on a bike after a 250M swim I really have no idea what that means or if I am capable of it.

Running

To my surprise the 2 mile run seemed like it would be the easiest part of the whole triathlon which is awesome. It means that my mind is over the mental hurdles of getting past 1 and 2 mile runs that a year and a half ago seemed impossible. Problem is that I changed my training for the Hustle from jogging to stair climbing and then took a long break after the Hustle so that I need to build my endurance back up again. With the Warrior Dash coming up in June I should be able to run two miles for the triathlon in August.

But right now putting them all together:

Swimming and Biking and Running makes me think...OH MY!

Don't Think... Just Do

Elise posted on my FB wall the other day…  something along the lines of “Hey – I need to keep on track with my running, any suggestions?”.  After laughing – because I am SO off track it’s not even funny – I told her that I had just downloaded a book for my Kindle – Called Run Like a Mother – and that I’d give her the cliff notes version.  (Yes, Reading instead of running.. that’s where I’m at right now.).

I started the book that night – well after the time when running would be appropriate – and started laughing.  The authors could be our friends.  These women have run several marathons and  yet, one of them wrote about her mental struggle with the snooze bar every morning – You Mean it’s not Just Me?!?

I am far from finishing the book, but one of the authors says “Don’t Think – Just Do” – That’s what she tells herself in the morning when she’d rather stay in bed than lace up and hit the pavement.  And for her, it worked.   

And, I thought about it.. (ironic, I know) – but really, Elise and I have signed up for some crazy stuff this year.  I don’t think she THOUGHT about climbing 94 flights of stairs with me…  or jumping over fires and running thru mud…  And I didn’t really THINK about committing to a triathlon, or rappelling down 24 stories.  (Trust me on that last one… I seriously went and registered before my brain kicked into gear or there would be no Skyline Plunge!).  I figure, if I can do all that without THINKING – I can get my butt out of bed and run….

So this morning, I set my alarm…  Went to hit snooze – and then remembered “don’t think – just do”.  Don’t think about how great another 9 minutes of sleep would be – or about how crappy you felt all day yesterday - - don’t think just do.

And that’s just what I did.  I rolled out of bed, into my running clothes and out the door.  Not a power run by any means – just W2D1 of C25K.. But you know, I did it.  I feel great -  and I think I have found one piece of advice for Elise to keep on track…

(Oh, and I ordered the book for Elise... because I know there will be times when I need her to keep me on track... and I think this book will not only give her ideas for how to insprire herself, but also help her to keep me motivated when I need it most!)

Warning: The Excellent Adventure Spirit is contagious!

When people first heard that we were doing the Hustle up the Hancock they were surprised, and I think that in the back of their minds they thought,

"They're nuts I could never do that."

Then I told people we would be wearing costumes while doing the Warrior Dash with the mud, fire, tires and other obstacles along a 3.1 mile course, and that convinced them we were crazy. But after we completed the Hustle something started to happen...people began to think

"If they can do it, maybe I can too!"

As Denise and I came up with different parts to our adventure I began to hear,

"That sounds fun! I want to do it too."

And team Linkalicous and The Pink Ladies were formed for the Great Urban Race in July.

Then something even more exciting happend, people started to come up with new ideas for our adventure and not because they wanted to see if we could do them, but because they wanted to be a part of our Excellent Adventure with us! That is how we wound up in the Woodridge Kid & Mini Triathlon in August.

So the next time you hear us talk about our Excellent Adventure don't be surprised if you catch the spirit and wind up on our team because if we can do it you can too!

Doing the Hustle

After a night filled with crazy dreams I woke up early and tried to contain my anxiety as I paced around the hotel room like a caged animal. Some thoughts running through my head included:

• Where am I going to meet my family?


• Are the kids going to flip out on the elevator?


• How do I put the timing tag on my shoe?


• How much water should I drink? The info sheet said there are no bathrooms in the stairwell.


• What will happen if I don't make it to the top?


• Will I see Denise?

After the entourage woke up and Amanda and I decided she would go to the Hancock with me to do some reconnaissance.

When we arrived at the bottom of the Hancock I was overwhelmed by the number of people and the energy in the lobby. The climbers were ready to conquer this building. Here's a secret...I get choked up when I hear the National Anthem, at parades and at concerts when everyone sings along. The energy of the climbers immediately brought me to tears which is not a good thing since I was going to have to be able to breath to get to the top.

After I composed myself Amanda and I wandered around the lobby looking for the elevator. We found a new friend, the Security Guard, who proceeded to tell me I was nuts and I should be taking the elevator with my family. Our new friend also provided valuable information about how long the line would take to get to the elevator and how fast the elevator travelled. I am very proud of Amanda for not having a panic attack after talking to the Security Guard because she has refused to go up to the top of all tall buildings since birth.

Amanda and I stood in the lobby taking it all in when the 10:15AM wave was given the go ahead to proceed. Loud cheers erupted and the climbers got on the escalator and disappeared. It was quite unnerving watching them go up and not seeing what awaited them knowing I would doing the same thing in less than an hour.

Reluctantly, I told Amanda she needed to go to the hotel to gather the rest of the entourage. I handed her my iphone (I had to endure the anxiety completely disconnected from the world), gave her a hug and watched her leave. I walked over to the line and waited for my turn.

I wish I had an EKG hooked up to me when they called my wave because I am sure my heart rate was 180 BPM. In line I had a cute twenty something girl in front of me who attracked a lot of attention so that was a nice distraction. After we went up the escalator we were in a new line that snaked around a couple corners. As I turned the last corner I saw an EMT and stretcher, and my Mom telling me not to drop dead in front of my family flashed into my head.

As I got closer to the starting line I opened my water and put my cough drop in my bra for safe keeping. (I don't recommend doing this.) The girl with the huge foam hand sent the guy in front of me and I turned to look at the stairwell for the first time. I could not help but laugh at the irony of the three stairs looking back at me. I did a quick glance at the clock as the foam hand waved me along, and I began my descent.

As I started out I kept telling myself the advice Denise had been given, "Start out slower than you think you should be going." It is really hard to gage how fast you are going when people are whizzing by you. I thought I was going slow until I realized my hands were shaking and I could hardly breath on the 7th floor. I paused for a moment and had some water while my mind began yelling at me...

• The Stair Master lied


• What were you thinking?


• The 7th floor? Seriously...the 7th floor you have like... a lot more floors but I am too tired to even do the math to figure out how many

After a couple seconds I began climbing again. After beating myself up for three more floors I stopped on the 10th floor and asked myself...

"Are you going to finish or are you going to be too proud to stop and catch your breath and die on the 15th floor?"

I stopped long enough to catch my breath on the 10th floor, and decide that if I had to stop every 5 floors then I had to stop every 5 floors to catch my breath. What I learned is that I was not the only on with this plan. I would stop for a breather and then on the next floor a couple would be stopped for a breather. I would pass them and climb several more floors then stop for a breather, and they would pass me and be stopped on the next floor. It was like a game of leap frog.

As the 12 inch high numbers that tell you which floor you are on started getting higher my confidence grew and I began taking it all in. At the bottom there were cheerleaders every 5 -10 floors, and EMTs every 10 floors. There were people of all ages and sizes. The number of stairs varied and around the middle of the building there was a stretch where the stairs were free standing and there were no exit doors which was very interesting.

When I signed up for the Hustle in November my mind was convinced that my legs would stop working at the 63rd floor. When I hit the 63rd floor I took a breather and smiled as I realized my legs did not hurt and I was not tired. This is when I began cheering on the other climbers.

I started to see EMTs more often I realized they were assessing each climber as they passed. If you did not look them in the eye they asked how you were doing.

I was amazed by the people who were still taking the stairs two at a time toward the top, the kids who were unphazed and skipped up the steps, and the marathoner looking people who were struggling.

When I got to the top I was super excited that I had completed the climb and had not died, and even more excited that my family was at the top to meet me! They had faced their fear, got on the elevator and were able to see me get my medal!

After hugs from my family I texted Denise to let her know I was at the top, and was surprised when she said she wanted to form a team next year. I told her we would discuss a team after she got to the top. I did not want to let her know that I was already thinking about how I would train differently for 2012. I told her about my breakdown on the 7th floor and warned her to take her time!

The family and I took in the views from the top, and the kids even looked over the edge and cleaned some windows.

After we made our way back down I was able to find Denise in the lobby before she started the climb. I gave her a hug and offered words of encouragement.

The one thing I forgot to tell Denise was, "Thank you!"

I would have never been brave enough to attempt the Hustle without her, and my family would have never gone to the top of the Hancock if we had not done the Hustle! She has helped make all of us stronger and I am looking forward to the rest of our Excellent Adventures!

The Road to the Hustle

The Road to the Hustle
I am sure you are expecting me to talk about the hours I spent on the Stair Master sweating while I watched Maury at the gym, but you are wrong because there is so much more that went into getting to the top of the Hancock and the Stair Master was the easy part. You see when you have a lot of kids you create your own entourage that has to follow you around. While you look pretty cool with all of these people around you it means you have to be creative when going places and doing things.

The Suggestion
After we signed up for the Hustle Denise told me she was going to have her Mom and kids meet her at the top of the John Hancock building.

I thought, “The entourage at the top…how the hell am I going to pull that off if I am climbing 1632 stairs?”

The logistics of getting everyone to the top required months of training for me and months of planning for everyone else…

The Questions
Problem:
What time were we climbing?

Thought Process:
We live 65 miles from Chicago, if I have to climb at 7AM and have to be there 60 minutes before that means we have to leave the house at 4:30AM…that’s not going to happen.

Solution:
Two Hotel Rooms 1 block from Hancock

Problem:
Where do I park?

Thought Process:
I drive a Suburban and parking garages in the city are not my friend.

Solution:
Pick Hotel with Valet parking

Problem:
Who is going to get the entourage to the top if Paige and Ty are afraid of heights?

Thought Process:
I need a team!

Solution:
See below...

The Team

My Mom aka She She
Pros
Only person I know who will voluntarily go to the top of a 94 floor building
Loves going on adventures in Chicago

Cons
Thinks I am going to drop dead of a heart attack in front of my family at the top of the building
Works weekends and does not like to take days off

My husband Terry
Pros
He actually said he wanted to go to support me…this was a first

Cons
Hates Chicago
Hates Crowds
Not a big fan of heights
Not good in stressful situations, for example, when kids flip out because they don’t want to go to the top of a 94 floor building

My daughter Amanda
Pros
Falls right into 2nd Mom mode when around the entourage
Loves Chicago
Camp Counselor voice

Cons
For 22 years she has refused to go to the top of very tall buildings
At Purdue University in Indiana
Works weekends

The Logistics
Saturday February 26th
6:30 – 8:30 AM Pack bags for 2 adults, 3 kids and 1 dog (food bags) & Pack picnic lunch for family
9:00 AM Drop dog off at Grandpa Bob’s
9:30 AM Amanda depart Purdue University
10:30AM Terry, Elise, Paige, Ty and Derek depart homestead
10:40AM Amanda arrives in St John Indiana and gets on South Line train
12:00 PM Terry, Elise, Paige, Ty and Derek pick up Amanda at Millennium Park train station
12:20 PM Terry, Elise, Amanda, Paige, Ty and Derek proceed to Museum of Science and Industry and Eat picnic lunch in Parking Garage at MSI
12:30 – 3:00 PM Entourage enjoys several exhibits at MSI
3:00 PM Depart MSI, contact Denise to make dinner arrangements, head to hotel
3:30 PM Arrive at hotel and in fire drill fashion unload 6 people, their bags, pillows, blankets, snacks and cooler (picture Beverly Hillbillies arriving in Beverly Hills)
3:30 – 5:00 PM Check into hotel and watch cartoons
5:00 PM Leave Hotel to meet Denise and family for Dinner
5:00 – 9:30 PM Dinner at Gino’s East
8:30 PM She She arrives at hotel after working all day (Team is now fully assembled)
9:30 – 10:30 PM Relax, watch more cartoons, send Terry to Walgreens to get milk for cereal for breakfast, put the entourage to bed and discuss logistics for the Hustle
11:00PM Attempt to sleep

It's not just the snooze bar..

Apparantly Tequila Martinis interfere with my morning workouts too! 

I re-started the C25K program last Saturday - and was hoping to condence it from an 8 week program to more like a 4 week program... but my body is not cooperating.  I have a feeling I'll be walking more than racing on Mothers' day!

When you See us Smiling..

I think I knew this already... but if this is indeed true - Elise and I should be the happiest people around for the next few months!

From Prevention Magazine:

3 Ways Exercise Reverses a Bad Mood

Why working up a sweat triggers biological changes that can snap you out of a funk

 

Bad day? Don’t wrap yourself in a Snuggie and make a date with your DVR and a carton of ice cream just yet. Experts agree that working out—even just for 15 minutes—will boost your mood, keep you calm, and improve your coping skills. Here, why exercise truly is the best mood medicine, and the workouts to try the next time your state of mind goes sour.

Excerpted from The Lean Belly Prescription (Rodale) by Travis Stork, MD, and Peter Moore, editor of Men’s Health.

Next time you need a pick-me-up and can’t work out, try one of these 2-minute mood-boosting tricks.

1.    Trigger nature's antidepressants.
Exercise pumps up not only the mood-regulating neurotransmitter serotonin but also levels of dopamine and norepinephrine, two other natural happiness helpers. Plus, physical activity makes it easier for tryptophan (a building block of serotonin) to enter the brain, says Daniel Amen, MD, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Irvine.

The Workout: You don't need an intense gym session—walking or jogging for 15 minutes at lunchtime will do the trick.

See 14 walking workouts that fight fat, rev energy, and boost your mood.

2.    Heat up so you can chill out.
Working out triggers the body’s white blood cells to release pyrogens, proteins that increase the body's temperature by 1° to 2°F. The result: a soothing, full-body heat wave. Sensations of warmth have been shown to increase endorphins in the blood and alter neural circuits in the brain that control mood. "Working out has a calming effect very similar to that of spending time in a sauna or a hot shower, and all three can help relieve anxiety and depression," says Larry Leith, PhD, author of Exercising Your Way to Better Mental Health.

The Workout: Exercise your large muscle groups by cycling, swimming, or lifting weights for at least 20 minutes. "That's how long it takes to achieve the temperature change," Dr. Leith says.

Try this 20-minute workout that can burn up to 400 calories.

3. Interrupt negative thoughts.
Working out stops self-destructive mind games; if your workday is a source of your angst, interrupting the flow could be a real help. "Exercise gives a sense of self-mastery, and that's a powerful coping mechanism," says Keith Johnsgard, PhD, author of Conquering Depression and Anxiety through Exercise.

The Workout: Choose a sport you loved playing as a kid and get back in the game. "If you choose an activity that made you feel good when you were young, it's likely that those neural pathways will be stimulated again," says William Pollack, PhD, associate professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and a Men's Health advisor.

Aw Crap!

So, you know what happens when you have a (now not so) secret affair with your snooze bar for 5-6 weeks?????  You lose anything you had worked on until that point (except weight – you don’t lose weight!).

There was no snooze bar today – I refused to set an alarm clock as this was the first day in about 5 weeks that I didn’t have to have myself or one of my little people somewhere at a specific time.  And my littlest little person (Jilly) – doesn’t come equipped with a snooze bar – Can someone work on that?!?

After a morning of errands, I was DETERMINED to get out and do SOMETHING physical today.. so I laced up my shoes, put in my headphones… and re-launched my C25K app on the iphone.

Note to those of you not familiar:  C2K5 is a running program developed to get you from the couch to running a 5 K in 8 weeks.  It rocks, and I highly recommend it.  The only thing it doesn’t do, is keep your endurance up when you take a sabbatical.

So, today, 3 weeks before my first 5 K of the season, I re-started the C25K program.  Yeah, I did the math…  I’m screwed.. but I’m moving, and that’s the important thing I guess.  And today kicked my butt.  I’m not ashamed to say it.. 

We are allegedly seeing temps in the 80’s tomorrow – so I will do W1D2 and keep this party started.  I’m not holding out much hope for my May runs, but I am determined to kick some Viking butt in the Warrior Dash. 

My next project

In my "free time" (insert laughing soundtrack here)... I am trying to figure out how to head-mount my flip video camera for the Warrior Dash AND the Skyline Plunge.... Any suggestions???

Well, now I know...

Why Elise was so quick to agree to do the Hustle with me.  LOL.  I think I’m still in shock that she agreed so quickly.  Kind of like when I told her about my other friend who was doing the warrior dash –(Jumping over FIRE… Viking Helmet… I’m in!).   Elise doesn’t take much convincing – which is good b/c once I commit to something WITH someone; I’m in it for the long haul.  It’s easy to bail on YOURSELF – but I can’t and won’t bail on a friend.

And, for the record, a BUNCH of people on Internet Explorer were having issues registering for the Hustle when registration opened!  See.. this was their Facebook page that morning!

I was finally able to complete registration via the handy dandy iPhone…  I seriously would NOT have left her hanging..   well, not on purpose!  Not that obviously at least.  LOL.

So, you see Facebook is not necessarily ALL bad!  It reconnected us, got our kids to be buddies, and got us on this crazy physical adventure!

Now if I can just get motivated and break up with my snooze bar, I may actually survive these next few months.

I told him this morning that things were done – that I’ve really enjoyed our time together, but that I must move on.. That it’s not him.. it’s me.  I just hope I have the wherewithal to stand my ground when he tries to get me back in the morning!  He is so cute, and comforting… he never argues with me…  we really do get along great…  but if I continue this going-nowhere relationship, I will not get the coveted Viking helmet!  And really, that’s what this is all about, right? 

What was I thinking?

Shortly after I signed up for the Hustle I took my kids to the Museum of Science and Industry. Paige, my daughter, decided that it was time for me to begin my training by walking up the stairs to get to the museum. I knew she was right so I walked up the stairs and counted them as I went. At the top my legs were burning, I could not breathe and my heart was going to explode.

I had counted 43 stairs. 43 not 143, not 1043, just 43 stinking stairs. What was I thinking?

I agreed to walk up 1632 stairs and almost died walking up 43? How was I going to do this? I had four months to go from 43 to 1632. During those four months I had to factor in the weather, and Holidays, and my crazy work schedule, and the fact that there are no buildings over 5 stories where I live so I could train in an actual building.

What was I thinking?

So I started training in November by running 3 miles 2 - 3 times a week. Then at the end of November, my son Derek broke his arm, and I did not sleep for two weeks. I got behind on preparing for the Holidays, and I did not train at all for over a month. The next thing I knew it was January, and I was talking to Melissa about not being able to train in a building. Melissa told me, "Go to the gym and use the stairmaster because anything is better than nothing."

So I went to the gym to meet my new friend the stairmaster. The first day I climbed like 32 floors, and decided the stairmaster was NOT my friend because my butt hurt, I was sweating like a pig and was exhausted. What was I thinking? Then I read that 1 floor on the stairmaster was equal to 10 steps. So while my brain thought I had conquered a third of the Hancock that first day, I had only walked up 320 steps which wasn't even a quarter of the way up.

What was I thinking?

I was minding my own business...

...and the business of a bunch of other people on Facebook when I got a friend request from Denise. I thought, "Denise, how fun! I have not talked to her in a really, really long time." Figuring out exactly how long requires double digit math. I accepted her request and immediately stalked her on FB. I saw that she was friends with more people I had not talked to since High School. Apparently, I am not very social. Then the confusion and guilt began. I did not remember going to High School with Denise, but didn't understand how she could be friends with people I went to High School with?

• Did she transfer?


• I am pretty sure she was smart so she should have been in at least one of my classes. How is it possible that I have no memories of seeing her in the hall or lunch room?


• Did I ignore her because I thought I was too cool?


• How could I do that to someone I had known since I was in preschool?

I was a horrible person and needed to make it up to her somehow. Little did I know she would present me with an opportunity to make it up to her so soon!

At the time Denise and I reconnected on FB I was training for a 5K using the Couch 2 5K plan (which I highly recommend), and I would update my status with cryptic things like W4D1 because I am cool like that. One day Denise sent me a FB message that said something like this...
"With you new found love or hate of running would you be interested in doing the Hustle up the Hancock with me? They say if you can run a 5K you can do the Hustle."

I thought, "Perfect here is my chance to make up for ignoring her in High School. I will climb up 94 floors with Denise and all will be forgiven."

Denise sent me all of the registration information and stressed that we had to sign up right away because it fills up so quickly. The day of the registration I went to the website a couple minutes before it opened and started hitting refresh. With adreline pumping and sweaty palms I was able to register. Then Denise sent me a message saying she couldn't get into the website and was having trouble. Frantically, I went back to the website because I was going to register her myself if I had to. In the back of my mind I thought, "This was her plan for getting back at me for ignorning her in High School." Fortunately, she was able to get into the website and register without me inflicting bodily harm on her.

I have to confess I lied about agreeing to do the Hustle to make up for ignoring Denise in High School. I really wanted to do it, but what sane person thinks that climbing 1632 stairs could be fun? I really was confused about going to High School with her, so when we met up for dinner I asked when she went to my High School, and she told me she never did. Then I asked how she knows all the people I went to High School with, and she told me she lived by them when she was growing up.

So you see not only am I insane, I am a little ditzy too.

For the love of a Viking Helmet

Really, all this for a helmet?  WHAT ARE WE THINKING?!?!

This just about sums it up

How to Train for Insanity

First, you need to find yourself a “friend” who is worse at saying no than you are.  (You may at times curse this said friend, or threaten to push her down a few flights of stairs.. but really you love this person and are a better person for having them in this bout of insanity with you….  As long as you both survive said insane adventures)

Then, you need to go out and find some crazy adventures waiting for you.  It’s funny because once you do one, I think they just FIND YOU.

Next, you need a plan (the ability to stick to such a plan also comes in use!)

For the Hustle up the Hancock, I did a bit home-bred cross-training, which consisted of: Bikram Yoga, Running, and the Stairmaster (which is a big liar… see below post).  Next year for the Hustle, I’m ditching the Stairmaster and just RUNNING – fast – sprints and distances.. It’s all about the ability to breathe…

My current training plan consists of a few early morning interactions with my snooze bar and way too much Starbucks throughout the day.  I need to get my butt in gear.

The immediate task at hand is really the Warrior Dash.

Said EXTREME obstacles include:

·         Mossy Maze (navigate your way thru the mossy trees)

·         Lumber Jacked (Cross over and under the staggering logs)

·         Cargo Climb (maneuver over the cargo nets)

·         Rio Run (Dash down the river)

·         Hay Fever (Hustle up and over giant straw bales)

·         Blackout (Dive into Darkness and escape the trenches)

·         Knee High Hell (Speed Step thru HUNDREDS of tires)  note:  I am a huge klutz… nothing good is going to come of this one!! I have the amazing talent of spraining my ankle by doing nothing more than walking!

·         Walk the Plank (Travers the gully on wooden planks)

·         Warrior Roast (Leap over Fires)                                                                

·         Muddy Mayhem (Scramble in the mud – under barbed wire as you near the finish).

Remind me again why we signed up for this?  Oh, yes… the coveted Viking helmet… and beer.  (it takes a lot to motivate us!)

So, how exactly does one train for this madness?  I have yet to figure that out.  My snooze bar routine is not going to cut it.  Tomorrow, I’m back on the Bikram/Running schedule.  I’ll let you know how that goes.  I have a few 5K’s between now and then (Y Me Race on Mothers Day and Chase Corporate Challenge May 26^th)… those are just to keep me on track…. 

And, this is why I love GOOGLE.  Because, you can learn anything you don’t already know.  Pull up Google… type in Warrior Dash Training Plan….. and you have search results…. from insane people who have done this before, lived to tell about it, and some that are even crazy enough to do it again…. 

Examples of what The Warrior Dash Survivors on the interweb say:

·         Train for running 4 miles.

·         Practice running on un-even surfaces

·         Train on HILLS

·         3 months is PLENTY of time to train

·         Train for a 10K

·         Train with ankle weights while you run (the mud and water will weigh you down!)

Again, we are doing this why?

Ah yes, VIKING HELMETS and Beer.  (Cuz we will look HOT in the helmets, you know we will!)

So, I’m thinking my running and Bikram plan may work.  Bikram really helps my endurance, and builds strength.  I guess I’ll know on June 19^th if it works or not.  LOL.

Oh, and there are costumes involved in this one!  I don’t want to give ours away yet, but all materials have been acquired… I just need to get working on them.  Worst case scenario, we’ll have some great pre-and post-event photos for our scrapbooks (and blog!), Great Memories (assuming neither of us suffers any major head trauma,   a Viking helmet!  And Beer!  (yes, I know you could just go BUY a Viking helmet and beer… don’t remind me! ).  Ours will be EARNED!  You know you’re jealous.  There’s still openings for this one…..We are in the 3 p.m. wave on 6/19….  Join us if you dare!!

http://warriordash.com/register2011_midwest.php