A Very Happy (Joyful) Birthday

It's hard to believe a year ago I was celebrating my son taking his first steps. Today my birthday celebration included prayers for my sanity as he takes on the world FULL STEAM. I need an entire 'me' dedicated to keeping him safe and controlled and another 'me' to handle the other kids and husband. (I recognize he looks so pensive and charming in this photo, and he can be... but boy is he a BOY)

Anyhow, I really celebrated this year thankful that I am so incredibly blessed. I feel so fortunate to have such an awesome family with a husband that is strong in faith and works hard for us and kids who love life and have great passion. I cannot wait to see what this next year of my life will bring, but I am trying hard to enjoy the moments as they pass, for when time runs out, you can't flip the hourglass over and start again...

US 'The Other Half' Marathon

As I mentally prepare for my big marathon in a few weeks, the past few races have been very real in my mind. Life with three kids, training sometimes twice a day, and all the other commitments I have gotten myself into, leave my body and mind mush most evenings. So each time I finally have a moment to sit down and write, I got nothing left.

Whole 30 starts tomorrow

I could make this all dramatic and talk about how tomorrow will be the first day of my days of ruin or how life as I know it is about to cease to exist. But I do not like drama, drama queens, or bad acting. So here it is: I am starting the Whole 30 tomorrow. If you are not familiar with the Whole 30, it was created by the folks at Whole 9, Dallas and Melissa, and you can read all about them and what it is HERE. In short, and to copy directly from their website: "Think of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, calm systemic inflammation and put an end to unhealthy cravings, habits, and relationships with food."

As the 30 days progress, I will detail my reasons for doing it now, my goals, and my experiences. The primary reason I am starting tomorrow is so that I will be done for my birthday. I really want to go out for dinner for my birthday without worrying about ingredients. Until then, I'll be meal planning in the casa.

Here is my adios to: Diet Coke, sweet potato fries at The Counter, Recovery drink, Chicken salad at Chipotle, and M&Ms. See you on the other side...maybe.

Fueling

I've noticed recently I get asked a lot what I eat, what I feed my kids and if/how I eat Paleo when running. It seems we are all trying to figure this food thing out. I won't say I've got it all sorted by any means, but I have come a long way in what I eat and how I think about food, so I thought I would share.

Fitbomb is right, so why is it still so hard?

Olympic Lifting @ Catalyst

I spent this weekend hanging out @ Catalyst Athletics in Sunnyvale learning how to perform the Olympic Lifts. To initiate the weekend, the owners, Greg and Aimee asked every person to say why they were attending the seminar. I sat there thinking, "Why am I here?" I am not an Olympic lifter. I suck at these moves. I cringe when they appear in a WOD at CrossFit Palo Alto. I automatically know it will NOT be an Rx day. So why in the world was I spending hundreds of dollars to come listen to the experts on a discipline my body does not seem to agree with? My answer: not to look like an idiot when lifting. I'm not sure I accomplished that this weekend, but I sure learned a lot!

The CrossFit Palo Alto crew @ Catalyst Athletics

The Anti-CrossFit Movement

I have seen a number of writings recently denouncing CrossFit and it's effectiveness and/or safety. Normally I disregard such articles with the understanding that CrossFit is not for everyone and some people will just never 'get it.'  That's ok. Plenty of people (ok, a ton of people) love CrossFit and swear it is the best thing that has ever happened to them. But these articles rarely cite those sources.

Believing in Me

Yesterday I completed the Redding Marathon. I can't recall off-hand how many marathons I have completed, but yesterday was definitely a memorable one.  For the first time in a long time, I pushed the limit of my ability, and came out on the other side pleased with my performance (and injury free).