Sunday, May 15, 2011

It only takes a minute to get a crush on someone
an hour to like someone a day to love someone
but it takes a lifetime to 4get someone

The Secret of Letting Go

Have you ever wondered why you always end up getting hurt?  Have you ever wondered what you have done to deserve the constant lack of respect for you and your feelings?  Have you ever wondered why your kind and caring approach to people isn’t always reciprocated?

 have discovered the answer…in most cases, it is because people only treat you the way that you allow them to.
We all know exactly what it is like to be certain we have let go of something sorrowful or worrisome, only to find ourselves in a similar sad situation moments later. Merely wanting to let go of an unhappy circumstance or nagging emotional ache is not enough. Wants are desires, and desires replace one another like bees waiting in line at an open flower.
Dropping this person and picking up that person doesn't end the loneliness that drives us into dead-end relationships. This isn't letting go. We have only managed to put the emptiness on hold.
The truth is that letting go is very simple and, above all, natural; as natural for you and I as it is for a tree to shed the heavy, sun-ripened fruit that clings to its branches. Why? Because both man and tree, in fact all living things, are created to drop what is no longer needed. For the tree, the falling fruit carries its matured seed to the ground. No unnatural force is necessary. In a similar fashion -- that is to say, under higher but equally exacting laws -- these same friendly forces are waiting to do for you what you haven't been able to do for yourself. You need only learn to cooperate with these powerful and timeless principles to be able to let go of any emotional bitterness, relentless regret, anxious worry, or troubling thought. The rest will be done for you.
This is what the secret of letting go is all about. First must come the understanding that we are still carrying around the accumulated defeats of a lifetime, and that these weary weights have only served to make us someone sorry, not someone special. This initial shock may shake us, but it is really a major breakthrough. It heralds the first in a series of miraculous self-separations in which we begin to see that we have been living from an unseen part of ourselves: a self that thinks clinging to wreckage is the same as being rescued! Now we understand why all of our past efforts to let go have only left us holding a new problem. But now we also know, at last, exactly what it is that must be dropped. We must let go of this sorry self that is certain it is better to suffer and feel like someone than it is to just let go and quietly be no one. It is the higher part of yourself alone that has the strength and wisdom to gently open your hand so that out of it may drop all that has been making you unhappy.
Believe me, you are on the verge of the single greatest discovery any human being can make. The secret of letting go not only holds the keys for ending what is unwanted, but locked within this same supreme secret is the beginning of your new life -- the birth of a new nature that never has to hold on to anything because it is already everything.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Sum Choices = Your Life

Choice - sign
The Summation of Your Choices = Your Life
Didn’t you notice, if I am not talking about beauty stuff or the weird beings in twitter, I talk about choices?  Yes, choices. To me choices equals life.  Everyday, every second, every thing about ourselves is a matter of choice and the only one who makes that choice is you!  So at the end of the day, wherever you are, whatever you have become, whoever you are with is because of the choices that you and you alone made.  So choose well my dear friends — from the outfit you choose, to the type of people you hang out with, to the food you eat, to the person you marry, to the career you have chose.  The truth is the choices you make ultimately becomes you.
The only thing that you did not choose in your entire life are your parents and your family, everything else,you chose.  So choose well.. all the time, every time and when in doubt, always choose the right one.
  • Choosing to Study versus Playing will determine your grades which will then be a determinant of the college you get into
  • Choosing the right friends will determine the values that you will develop
  • Choosing the right boyfriend or girlfriend will determine the kind of husband or wife you will have
  • Choosing the right career will determine the kind of life you will lead more than half your lifetime
  • Choosing exercise versus no exercise will determine your lifespan
  • To save or to spend?
  • To work hard or to work just because
  • Good person or bad person?
  • Be on time or be late?
  • Long hair or short hair?
  • Flats or heels?
  • White or black?
  • Dog or Cat?
  • House or Apartment?
And the list goes on and on. Did you see how many permutations of life there is?  No two lives are equally the same and that is because of the choices we make.  There is no right or wrong answer.  It is up to you to make it right or wrong.
Friends, please just always try to do what is right okay.. that is the only rule in life.

Good Night!

iron girl 2011


 

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore

I was able to run , swim without drowning,  I doggy-paddled the whole swim and got a flat tire on the bike, but managed to pull it together and finish with a smile

As an age-27  I had always said that one of my goals was to become the fastest Triathlon open water swimming ...2nd place not bad out of 889 female contestants
I feel extremely lucky to be doing what I love...


Tuesday, May 10, 2011

The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in determination

Become The Person You Never Thought You Could Be ;

It was a huge area, only partly full when I grabbed this shot. You can see how misty and foggy it was. TONS of humidity in the air  May 08 2011 .

My bikes


I admit it was tough getting on my bike the first time, but it was tougher getting back on after I wiped out the first time. And my first open water swim? Let me tell you about my first attempt at an open water swim. I stood in wonder at the water’s edge looking at the jellyfish and seaweed, then turned around and went home without going in. And the run, which my NaNa  still can’t believe comes after swimming and biking?

I love it all.


I love going to the beach to practice swim starts and having beach-goers wonder what the heck I’m doing. I love that people gape at me when I tell them I get up at 4:30 in the morning so I can get a two hour workout in before I head out to work. I love that I have a fancy (kind-of) road bike that’s so light I can pick it up with one hand (and stuff it into the back of my hatchback). I love looking online for new races and signing up as soon as registration opens. I love talking to people about swimming, biking, running, racing, triathlons, duathlons and the camaraderie I feel with people who understand the craziness and dedication that come with those things. I love ME, because I am pushing myself far beyond what I thought I’d be capable of.

In 2010, I was full of self-imposed limitations. I had an infinite list of things I couldn't do, and a detailed list of excuses to back it all up. I set some goals for myself that year – a set of New Year’s resolutions to sign up for several local running races - which I fully expected not to keep, continuing a long line of failures. But that year was different. That year I did everything I set out to do and absolutely loved every second of it. So the next year, I decided to push myself a little farther and sign up for a sprint triathlon, and on Jan 8th 2011, I finally became the woman I never thought I could be.

Tomorrow starts my first season of being a triathlete. I have another sprint on August 24th . bt I’d considering to take a break and Travell ..... I outlined 100 reasons why I was not capable of something like that. The words I hear most – the words I said myself when someone mentioned a triathlon to me the first time – are “I could never do that.” Yes you can. You may not be able to go out and do it today, but if you train and you dedicate yourself to being successful, then you will be. Henry Ford said, “If you think you can…or if you think you can’t…you’re right.” It’s funny (and kinda cool) that new people I meet think I’ve always been like this. I must really be enjoying it! 
 
So if you’re reading this because you’re still not sure, sign up for just one – a short sprint. I’ll bet you next year you come back to write an article about how that one race changed your life. Maybe you’ll become a triathlete, too.

Essential items for your race bag:
  • Wetsuit or swim suit
  • Swim goggles
  • Suntan lotion
  • Warm up oil
  • Bike shoes
  • Socks
  • Helmet
  • Sunglasses
  • Run shoes
  • Hat
  • Towel to place running shoes and gels for run, stand on when you change
  • Bottles-High GI Carbs (freeze them, if you like), after race recovery bottles –High GI Carbs, protein, electrolytes
  • Energy gels/bars
  • Bananas
  • Toilet paper
  • Race clothes
  • Race numbers
  • Plastic bags to cover stuff in case of rain
  • Marker so you can find your stuff easily (balloon, flag, etc.)
  • Pam to spray on edges of wetsuit to ensure easy-off.
RACE DAY

Early bird gets the worm
Know where you’re going, and give myself time to get there. Get to the race early! There may be lines up to 90 minutes before the event. Find a good spot to rack my  bike equidistant from where I need to run in and out.

The expo
Walk around and get into the spirit of the race.

Transitions
Walk from the swim finish to the transition entrance to your bike. Walk from my bike to the bike transition exit. Walk from my bike to the run exit. Do it again

Properly and effectively laying out a transition area
Lay out your transition area on your bed the night before to ensure you have everything. Bring a sports bag to pack gear into the triathlon venue. Also, a small collapsible ice chest for hydration is helpful. Try to get on the outside end of bike racks – there’s more space, and it’s easier to find your bike. Find out local rules –can you leave a bag or an ice chest in the transition area?

The set-up I did or wish I had done:
  • Rack and secure my bike
  • Place a bath towel on the ground parallel to my bike
  • Take race belt with number for run and place running shoes on top of number (some will safety pin their number on their shirt, but I find that flapping is very irritating)
  • Make sure that the tongue of my shoes and laces are open
  • Place bike shoes on the towel directly behind running shoes
  • Loosen up the straps and ensure they’re open and ready…place socks inside
  • Leave the portion of the towel to the rear of my bike open to stand on
  • Place a water bottle near this area to wash away any debris that I pick up.
  • Make sure I know where my hydration is located
  • If it is hot, bury running cap in the ice chest
  • Place helmet on aero bars or bike and put shades inside
  • Place shirt on top of bike seat, so it is just within my reach.
  • Run through everything mentally to double-check and make sure that I haven’t forgotten anything, then place my hydration on my bike.
  • Reset my bike computer.
  • Double-check to make sure my bike is in the right gear (small chain ring in front and a gear that I can easily push coming out of Transition One).
 pre-race preparation
Warm up and stretch -- enough to break a sweat and get the blood moving to your muscles.

RELAX AND WAIT
I Use the time to warm up, then find a quiet place to read or listen to music. Warm up and stretch again before you start your race. Sip on water, but don’t overfill yourself -- take in about 6 oz. H2O.

Day before the race
Avoid all types of caffeine and alcohol--careful with energy drinks, most have caffeine. Focus on full hydration. Get urine as light in color as you can. Take in mostly complex carbohydrates, at least 100-200 grams before I go to bed. This makes sure glycogen stores will not be totally empty in the morning. If you take in too many calories, your body will convert the excess to body fat

On the morning of my race
I Drink enough water to make up for non drinking hours of sleep. Get in another 100-200 grams of complex carbohydrates. As the day goes on, every 3-4 hours have another 100-200g of complex carbs. I make sure your my  last meal is 3-4 hours before the race. If I  need carb calories closer than the 3 hour mark and your last meal was longer than 3 hours ago, sports drinks will work; you can sip that up to 15 min. before the race. If race lasts longer than 45 min. pick up sports drinks and water as I go.

Post race
Sports drinks are perfect for a quick post race recovery. I mixed mine with two scoops of whey and was really glad I did--absolutely perfect! Potassium is lost in sweat -- bananas are a great source for that. When I get home, eat a balanced meal of complex carbohydrates and protein. Replenish your glycogen stores and rebuild the muscle you broke down.

Decide if you are going to fish or cut bait, then DO IT!