Yes I know it should be Tour de France but that is not where I am biking. Today was Day 1 of my newest challenge. In honor of the Tour de France, MapMyRide.com has offered participants the chance to race against the professionals and challenge themselves to biking a percentage of the Tour de France miles. My challenge - 544 miles in 23 days. That comes out to just about 24 miles a day. Totally doable physically. Mentally - that may be the challenge - to make myself get up every morning knowing that I need to bike out to St. Joe's in Lino Lakes and back (or another route with a similiar distance).
As much as I love biking, I have yet to string together more than 3 days in a row. I tend to mix up my workouts to keep things fresh. Thinking about 23 days in a row seems like a long time! But I guess looking back at my 500 day workout challenge - this challenge will fly by. And so today I headed out for day 1 and hopefully a nice 40 mile ride.
First up, I rode to the health club to swipe my card because my ride is my workout and why not get credit for it - even if it technically isn't at the club. 3.5 miles down just doing that! And then I was off. The detour to the club shook up my route which led to some exploring and new scenery - which I enjoy. And a wonderful bonus that by the time I got to the dog park, I had an extra 7 miles already done. From there I chose to repeat my ride from last week (43 miles) - over to Centerville, around the lake twice and then over to Lino Lakes and St. Joe's (my turn for home point).
My route is not an easy one to follow as I mix paved trails and open road and don't seem to follow a straight line - probably because there isn't one that gets me from point A to point B. But to me that is half the fun - finding my way to where I want to go and relying on God to get me there safely. And once again that is what He did. No crashes, no flats, no injuries - home safe and sound. I give God the credit - He gave me the ambition to head out on my ride and He kept me safe. He also listened to my prayers and praises during my ride. I am thankful for a father and grandmother who are/were prayer warriors. They taught me that you don't need to be down on your knees, hands folded, head bowed and eyes closed for God to hear you. He is always listening - so don't be afraid to talk to Him. What a wonderful piece of advice that has made such a difference in my life. I can use my ME time during my workouts and talk to God. Once again today, prayers were said for those in my life that I felt need help, praises were said for my ride - my physical ability and the beautiful scenery. God even gets to hear about my geeky exercise moments. I guess you can call me one of God's geeks.
Todays geeky moment - right around mile 25, I was pedalling and glanced down at my legs. I have Popeye quads - at least that is what I call them. Thick legs - used to be all fat and now I have gained some nice muscle but they are still chunky. I guess I will never have swimsuit model legs - and I don't think I am meant too. But these chunky legs were pushing and pulling for all they were worth and moving me forward at an incredible pace - at least in my mind. I am continually amazed at how my body can push and keep pushing and not be exhausted. I am also amazed at how often I am able to laugh at myself during my workouts. Things that I can now do or attempt to do that I never would have thought I would do - usually are not done with the most grace or professional form but I do it nontheless.
At times I think that some people hear about my geeky moments and think "what's the big deal?" But I hope that some people hear about them and are inspired to try something on their own - thinking "If Shari can do it, I can too." The farther I continue on my journey the more I realize it isn't just for me. God has used me in so many ways along my journey - and I love when people tell me about how they have been inspired by my actions. I would love for everyone to experience a journey like mine - a chance to change physically, strengthen mentally and grow spiritually. And so I will continue on my journey - and this chapter of my journey is titled "Tour de Lino Lakes." Today it started with 51 miles. Hopefully by chapters end, I will have pedalled my 544 miles, mentally met my challenge of biking every day and discovered something else new about myself along the way.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
New Balance. Not just a pair of shoes anymore
New Balance. I am starting to think that should be my new motto. I need to find a new balance in my life. It has been almost two weeks since my MS150 ride and I am still trying to motivate myself in certain areas of my life. I can set a physical challenge, I work hard and train hard to accomplish that challenge, finish my challenge (maybe not exactly how I had hoped) and then I sit back and analyze what worked and didn't work. What I am finding is that I tend to dwell on what isn't working and that brings me down.
My NEW Shari journey has been so successful in regards to the physical aspect. For whatever reason this week, I have received numerous compliments on how I look - that my physical appearance has changed enough for people to notice and that is great. I think that anyone working to improve their health needs positive reinforcement from time to time to keep that motivation going. But I have also received compliments on my determination and commitment. Regulars at the health club notice that I am there every morning, putting in my workout and pushing my body. If I miss a day, they know that it is because I am out biking on Sheba - so still working out and pushing, just not at the club. One man asked me how my MS150 ride went and when I finished telling him about that ride and the rides I have planned, he commented "I can see how happy your new hobby makes you. I am so glad that you found something to make you happy." I guess we can say that the physical part of my journey is still on the positive side.
My journey has also brought me so far in my Faith. I never thought that working out could pump up your Faith - but that is what is happening with me. I am not sure exactly how it works but I know that God is using my time at the health club, my time out biking, my time talking about my journey - to share His love and compassion with others. Perhaps it is a little self confidence I have gained from working out that has enabled me to share my Faith with others, to not shy away from opportunities to help when I feel it is needed, to offer encouragement and prayers when I see others struggle - to start working on becoming that Christian I want and need to be.
Now to where I need to find that NEW Balance - my mental health. How can I work so hard on improving my physical health and my spiritual health and spend so much time getting down on myself mentally?? I know that it takes a lot of work to find balance in your life - and that right now is my biggest struggle. My domestic life has taken a backseat to all the other changes in my life and I have yet to find a way to make that a priority again - well maybe not even a priority but just a regular part of life. I have no real motivation to don the apron and whip out the mop bucket. Why oh why can't my house just clean itself? Or why can't my two able bodied children chip in with the daily household chores without whining and arguing? Honestly I feel like a horrible mother because all I seem to do is nag, nag, nag and eventually yell to get simple chores done. That leads me to doubting my capabilities as a mother - if I can't get them to empty the dishwasher or throw their clothes down the laundry chute, how can I believe that they are listening to anything I say to them? There have been many times lately where I have just given up and walked away. Another notch in the negative belt - I can't even deal with my kids and dirty dishes. I know the world won't end because there are dirty dishes in the sink - but I am trying to teach my kids basic life skills that will hopefully lead them to becoming decent adults. I know they aren't bad kids but just a little respect would go a long way to helping me feel better about the being the mom I want to be.
Along with my parenting doubts go the feelings that I am not exactly the wife that my husband was hoping for. I know that I use the excuse that his night shift work makes it difficult to function as a couple in the normal sense - some days it feels like we are more like roommates then a married couple. And I do know that part of my struggle is his shift. But when I analyze my doubts, part of it comes back to me wanting to succeed at my weight loss and physical challenges and I seem to find it really hard to give up my morning me time to work on anything else. I really don't understand why that is so hard - except that I struggle with wanting to be in control - I have had some great "chats" with God about this and I am working on it. I am grateful that he has been so supportive of my NEW journey and that he is patient with me. I admit that I miss the days when we both worked the same basic shift and had the time for long walks through the park, or working together on projects or even just doing the weekly cleaning. I also know that we will get back to some kind of normal life eventually. And for now I need to work on making that time to spend with him - even if it is just 15 minutes before he leaves for work - to reconnect, to talk and to let him know that I love him. I guess sometimes it is baby steps to finding that balance.
Once again I am finding that thinking I was just going to work out and lose some weight has led to so many more mental challenges than I could have ever imagined. I know that God knows what He is doing and He is in control of this NEW journey. As much as I would love to know the ultimate outcome - will I ever reach my goal? How many challenges will I set and accomplish? Will my son ever put his dirty socks down the chute and not in the couch cushions? - I am thankful for what I have experienced so far and the lessons I have learned. NEW Balance - sounds like something worth striving for - and not just another pair of shoes.
My NEW Shari journey has been so successful in regards to the physical aspect. For whatever reason this week, I have received numerous compliments on how I look - that my physical appearance has changed enough for people to notice and that is great. I think that anyone working to improve their health needs positive reinforcement from time to time to keep that motivation going. But I have also received compliments on my determination and commitment. Regulars at the health club notice that I am there every morning, putting in my workout and pushing my body. If I miss a day, they know that it is because I am out biking on Sheba - so still working out and pushing, just not at the club. One man asked me how my MS150 ride went and when I finished telling him about that ride and the rides I have planned, he commented "I can see how happy your new hobby makes you. I am so glad that you found something to make you happy." I guess we can say that the physical part of my journey is still on the positive side.
My journey has also brought me so far in my Faith. I never thought that working out could pump up your Faith - but that is what is happening with me. I am not sure exactly how it works but I know that God is using my time at the health club, my time out biking, my time talking about my journey - to share His love and compassion with others. Perhaps it is a little self confidence I have gained from working out that has enabled me to share my Faith with others, to not shy away from opportunities to help when I feel it is needed, to offer encouragement and prayers when I see others struggle - to start working on becoming that Christian I want and need to be.
Now to where I need to find that NEW Balance - my mental health. How can I work so hard on improving my physical health and my spiritual health and spend so much time getting down on myself mentally?? I know that it takes a lot of work to find balance in your life - and that right now is my biggest struggle. My domestic life has taken a backseat to all the other changes in my life and I have yet to find a way to make that a priority again - well maybe not even a priority but just a regular part of life. I have no real motivation to don the apron and whip out the mop bucket. Why oh why can't my house just clean itself? Or why can't my two able bodied children chip in with the daily household chores without whining and arguing? Honestly I feel like a horrible mother because all I seem to do is nag, nag, nag and eventually yell to get simple chores done. That leads me to doubting my capabilities as a mother - if I can't get them to empty the dishwasher or throw their clothes down the laundry chute, how can I believe that they are listening to anything I say to them? There have been many times lately where I have just given up and walked away. Another notch in the negative belt - I can't even deal with my kids and dirty dishes. I know the world won't end because there are dirty dishes in the sink - but I am trying to teach my kids basic life skills that will hopefully lead them to becoming decent adults. I know they aren't bad kids but just a little respect would go a long way to helping me feel better about the being the mom I want to be.
Along with my parenting doubts go the feelings that I am not exactly the wife that my husband was hoping for. I know that I use the excuse that his night shift work makes it difficult to function as a couple in the normal sense - some days it feels like we are more like roommates then a married couple. And I do know that part of my struggle is his shift. But when I analyze my doubts, part of it comes back to me wanting to succeed at my weight loss and physical challenges and I seem to find it really hard to give up my morning me time to work on anything else. I really don't understand why that is so hard - except that I struggle with wanting to be in control - I have had some great "chats" with God about this and I am working on it. I am grateful that he has been so supportive of my NEW journey and that he is patient with me. I admit that I miss the days when we both worked the same basic shift and had the time for long walks through the park, or working together on projects or even just doing the weekly cleaning. I also know that we will get back to some kind of normal life eventually. And for now I need to work on making that time to spend with him - even if it is just 15 minutes before he leaves for work - to reconnect, to talk and to let him know that I love him. I guess sometimes it is baby steps to finding that balance.
Once again I am finding that thinking I was just going to work out and lose some weight has led to so many more mental challenges than I could have ever imagined. I know that God knows what He is doing and He is in control of this NEW journey. As much as I would love to know the ultimate outcome - will I ever reach my goal? How many challenges will I set and accomplish? Will my son ever put his dirty socks down the chute and not in the couch cushions? - I am thankful for what I have experienced so far and the lessons I have learned. NEW Balance - sounds like something worth striving for - and not just another pair of shoes.
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