Tri-idea Continued.

In the meantime...
After the 35 mile bike ride yesterday I have been so pumped up. I was too tired to do much yesterday after the bike ride, likely from only having 10 hours of sleep over the weekend. But I desperately wanted to go for another bike ride or run or something! I smartly choose not to. This morning, however, I eagerly prepared myself for a day of training! I took my little corgi out for a morning walk to warm up. He isn't much of an exerciser so usually the most I can get him to do is walk or short spurts of running. After that I headed out for a nice run.

The weather was perfect. It wasn't too hot when I started out. The sky was over cast and there was a light breeze. The sun did start to come out as I was heading into my second mile. It felt nice feeling sweat break out across my face. The run itself felt so good and easy too! The only real hard part was the final hill back to my house. Afterward I decided that I felt good enough to go for a bike ride...


Maybe not the most brilliant idea ever...


It was ok at first but it didn't take long before my legs started to really burn. Not sure whether it was from yesterday's ride, or that I had just gone on a run or possibly that it was because it was a mountain bike... Or maybe it was because cycling is supposed to BURN... Either way, I was hurting and dying in no time but I pushed for about a 1/2 hour or so. I haven't the faintest idea how far I rode. My guess is that it was between 3 and 5 miles.


As soon as I stepped from my bike I nearly fell. My legs felt like jello. Fortuantly, that was the end of my leg workouts today.

I did try out hot yoga this evening.
I've done bikram but never in town.
And actually, the yoga was called Power. And I guess it was the second level. It was a lot harder and different than I anticipated. We did a lot of plank holds, in push up position. Then lowering down to almost our chests before rising to "cobra". We did a lot of standing pike holds and lunge holds (Warrior Pose). At the end, we even did what was called "wheel", which ended up being a bridge. It was like doing easy gymnastics in a 105 degree room! It felt incredible! I love feeling like I'm working hard, sweating immeasurably and doing basically conditioning exercises! It was great and I can't wait for the next hot yoga class I go to! The special is great as well. 10 classes for $20. I bet this is the only town you can get this deal in!

Oh, and forgot to show you my amazing power fuel after yesterday's bike ride.

Most amazing, tasting thing ever! Basic Ingrediants: Numerous amounts of fruits; strawberries, blue berries (frozen), black berries (frozen), raspberries (frozen), mango, banana, orange, basically any fruit in the house! Then some almond milk, greek yogurt, whey protein, emergenC and agua! Blend and then top off with granola and sliced strawberries.

Mmmmm, AMAZING!

New Blogspot?

So, I've decided that I think it's time for a new blogspot. Since I want this to be dedicated mostly to gymnastics, and it's slowly becoming a blog for other sports, especially triathlon stuff. I figured maybe I should start another one directed only toward triathlons. However, my issue with this idea is that I currently have 8 to 9 blogs, and 6 of them are in use... Sooooo... I am unsure whether I want to start another one...How many more will I create after the next one if I do choose to make it? Let me know your opinion. Most likely, I'm gonna make one no matter what anyone says... ;-)

My 35 Mile Bike Ride Footage-Short Montage

New Addiction?

Thus a new day begins.

As I lay in bed this morning I pondered whether or not to get up for the Canyon River bike event. Finally, I knew if I didn't go to it, I would regret not getting to try out my first real bike trip with other people. That is, my first one not counting the beginning green way rides I've been on only twice before.

I wondered whether I should bring my dad's road bike or my mountain bi It was really a toss up. I knew riding a mountain bike would be a lot harder than a road bike but the road bike I have is literally 30 to 40 years old... Plus the breaks aren't great and I have actually only riden a road bike 3 times in my life. I am much more comfortable on a mountain bike... And I also have a water bottle holder on my mountain bike...So, that was the most obvious choice.

I headed out early. I was on the road before 8, for fear I would get lost and have to drive around awhile to find the registration area. I easily found it and got registered and then drove to the starting point. I pulled my out my bike which I had shoved into the back of my car. I found that it's easiest to put in from the back side. Just an fyi incase you ever have to use a car to transport a bike... I began prepping for what I feared would be a hard trip.

People were arriving in droves. I wasn't paying much attention to anyone until a girl passed me and said "hi" to me. I realized it was Tonya who does the beginner green way rides with me. We talked awhile and she obliged to riding with me despite the fact that I would no doubt be slower.














Tonya on the right.




I'm on the Left.




And this was taken after 20 miles or so, but we were still smiling. :)

I met and saw other people I knew and didn't know. Carol, aka- "the Bike Nazi" &/or the "Psycho Bike Cheerleader". (Her nicknames according to her spinning class students), was there, of course. Kate, who is an avid marathoner in the area was there as well. We headed off at 9am and I immediately regretted having a mountain bike. I must have been going over 100 rpms for the first 17.5 miles. What I realized later was that I my gears were in the wrong setting... I know what you're thinking, that was indeed a silly mistake that should've been taken care of much, much sooner. What can I say...I don't know much about bikes yet...but I'm learning. Besides, I haven't had much time to play with new sports like this, I've been cooped up in a gym for the past 17 years...


Anyhow, after the horrid hills, flats and downhills being in a low gear, Tonya and I finally made it to the end of the coarse. Many people were already there, milling around & replenishing themselves before the 17.5 miles back. We were only there 5 minutes or so before people started heading back. So Tonya and I did the same. It was much easier heading back but I was still pedaling way too much. The only part that was relatively hard was a uphill climb that took forever to get to the top. After that, I was done. I couldn't go much furthur even at a decent pace. All I could do was peddle and pray that Tonya wouldn't get too far ahead. I felt kind of bad because I felt like I was really holding her back. And it wasn't until the end when I felt completely wiped out that she suggested that I change gears. I told her it was at the highest, but in that moment, I glanced over at the left side and began fiddling with it. Within minutes I was peddaling at a much easier pace and staying up with her without much effort.


I, however, felt super irritated that I had taken this long to fiddle with my gears. It makes me nervous to mess with them, which is why I hadn't done so up 'til that point. When we arrived back, Carol and some of her "pod" group were waiting for us. We grabbed some much needed energy bars and apples before standing around awhile and chatting.

Overall, it was a really good experience and I can't wait to get more involved in these events and races!


Here's a pic. I got with my cell at some point during the ride...

It was BEAUTIFUL!

During the ride I managed to only sing 3 songs in my head. Something by Paramore, Eminem's-Til I collapse (go figure) and something from the movie "Hocus Pocus"-Wtf?...

I also got some video footage so I might eventually post that on youtube and on here. For now, it's back to training. :)

Just the beginning of a new journey...

They say when one door closes, another one opens...
This statement couldn't be any truer than it is in my case, right now.
Lately I've been doing something that seems vaguely & strangely familiar...
I've always been in love with "fluff" and gymnastics montages. In the past it has always been the documented gymnastics interviews that caught my attention. They held onto a deeper part of my heart that made me yearn to be like all the young gymnasts at the top in elite gymnastics. I was meant to be in one of these so called "fluff" interviews, or so I believed. When I was a young girl, around the age of 10, I used to watch the interviews over and over on recorded tapes. I could and still can say every line that Tim Dagget, Elfi Schlegal and John Tesh said in some of the early 90's interviews. Here's an example of a fluff peice from 1996 that I can say every single word from...



And this is just one of like 50 fluff peices I can recite every word from...


Needless to say, I have begun watching fluff peices again. I have started listening to them over and over again. I have begun to learn all of the words. But for the first time in my life, they are not gymnastics fluff interviews... Instead they are triathlon documented interviews, also done by John Tesh I believe...



Is this a new path I am being led down? I believe so. All of my life I have always wanted to do the impossible. That's why I became a gymnast. I believe the hardest sport in the world. But there are still things out there that challenge you beyond the extent of anything you thought possible. Triathlons do just that. A sprint triathlon being approximately a mile swim, a 13 mile bike ride and finishing with a 3 mile run. That is not a sprint by any means. How about the ironman though?



I mean we are talking about some hardcore stuff! 2.4 miles swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run. I mean we are talking about like a double or even marathon basically! Am I out of my mind to even consider ever doing one? Possibly... But that's exactly why I am considering it.

I am starting at the bottom of course. Meaning a sprint triathlon or quite a few before I start inching up. And that would be if I don't burn out before then...

I've been watching a ton of these "fluff" peices and I think what calls to me about this sport is how deep and strong the emotion of it is. That's something I love about life. I love feeling powerful emotions. I believe this is my favorite montage because of that.



When I watch her cry, I just start crying too! It's just something about training and putting so much of your life toward something that when dreams don't come true... It's gut wrenching...And good gawd, I can definitely relate!

Anyhow, after watching these fluff peices, I naturally became increasingly motivated. Maybe that's why I did that with gymnastics interviews. The more I watched, the more hungry I became for the sport. Either way, it took one montage that drove me to begin my first day of training.



Not only do I like feeling strong emotional feelings, but I think I am also driven by pain and struggles in life. I can't tell you any other reason why it was this final montage that would make me want to begin working toward this sport. I think many people would be turned off and disturbed by the montage. It did the exact opposite for me. I became enthralled...

And so began my first day of training. A hard one at that too...

I hopped onto my mountain bike, fortuantly. The trail I took would have killed my road bike within minutes. I rode only 3 to 5 miles to my old high school, but the trip took a good 20 to 25 minutes. I am willing to put some blame on the terrain. The rocks and sage brush made the bike ride increasingly difficult. Plus I really do need a different bike. I have owned this current one for 11 years since I was an 8 year old girl...

The ride was fairly easy. A bit of burning in my thighs but that was it. I found myself on my old highschools track. The idea of running was not appealing and my body fought the idea. I jogged one lap that pulled myself toward the bleachers to stretch my sore and tight muscles. After 3 minutes or so I was back out on the track. I ran 3 more laps to complete a mile. Even with the stretching, I made the 4 laps in 11 minutes. I took a walking lap to slow my heart down. That took forever. 7 whole minutes for 1 lap. I began running again. My second mile took about 9 minutes. Instead of walking another lap, I instead did the routine Mv and I do when we go for barefoot runs. I did 26 lunge walks forward and backward. Why the number 26? Because the length of the area I was doing them, 26 equaled the 1/2 way mark. I dropped down and did 2 sets of 10 push-ups. My arm muscles are sore from weights earlier this week so I choose not to do 20 in a row. I then did 26 side lunges, on each side. And another 2 sets of 10 push ups.

I decided the weather was nice and my feet needed to start getting callused for summer. I tore off my shoes and socks and began to run. After one lap, my feet were really feeling uncomfortable. I think this track is fairly new so it's not as smooth as an older one. I put my socks over my toes and folded them in half and did one more lap. I decided to call it a day so that I could find some strength to bike back toward home.

Naturally, by then, the wind had picked up and I was riding straight into it. My legs felt somewhat shot and my face felt hot. I peddled hard but didn't seem to be making much headway. I reached the canal bank I had taken to ride down to the school and took a few minutes to breath and stretch out my legs. The rest of the ride went a little more smoothly but the 3 to 5 miles back this time took about 30 minutes or so.

All in all, it was a great first training day!

Retirement...

Plain and Simple.
I'm done with gymnastics.
Too much drama, politics and fear.
I wish it didn't have to end this way.
Ironic as it is.
2 weeks before state I decide I can no longer continue on mentally.
For the past three years I have gotten injured 2 weeks before my state meet.
This is the first year I have stayed healthy and yet I found the will-power to give up, instead of push on as I've done year after year.
I'm not proud of what I've chosen to do, but it's for the best.
I guess I was never meant for gymnastics anyway...



I made the final decision late last week that I would finish out this month and then be done. I don't even have enough motivation to continue 'til end of season. I would like to go further into this topic, but unfortuantly, due to the "politics" and naysayers of this community, saying too much would either get me nailed for "slander" or my head ripped off. Neither seem appealing. Unfortuantly, you "can't say it, how it is" in gymnastics.

I have watched so much drama unfold in every gym I've ever been at. I was mostly unaware of it until I become a coach and since then my love for gymnastics has been increasingly thwarted. It's so sad because it is really such a beautiful sport that is slowly becoming more robotic and political, day in and day out. I no longer want to be a part of it. I had wanted it more than anything for years and never got the right training to get me to my highest goals and dreams. It's sad and unfair, but I s'pose that's the way life is.

Jordyn Beib-Oh, excuse me, Weiber?

Am I the only one immensly impressed by this powerhouse yet completely annoyed that she is so good? I had to stop watching the American Cup because I was so disgusted with her lack of artistry yet likewise, just as facisinated with her ability to fly.

I just couldn't handle staring at the screen any longer, listening to Tim and Elfi rant on and on, watching Jordyn's irritating movements on beam, watching her get overscored on floor and winning when I felt she didn't deserve it... Who am I to talk though? All the information I have are the short clips that I couldn't even continue watching of the American Cup and Spanny Tampson's blogsite...I shouldn't be posting my opinions at all during this moment.

Maybe I am just jealous of this ripped dynamo because she's gotten or will get everything I've ever wanted. Maybe I'm this irritated because she reminds me a bit of two of my least favorite elite gymnasts; Shawn Johnson and Carly Patterson. Or maybe it's just annoyance over the fact that I think artistry is so much more important in this sport than just having the ability to flip.


All of the elites nowadays seem robotic in everything they do. And those that seem to have more flair or beauty in dance, tend to have sloppier skills and less dynamics. The sport just isn't what it used to be and Jordyn Weiber is quickly moving toward the bottom of my list of "gymnasts to watch..."

I am so completely done with this sport and would like to never enter a gym, or watched a televised gymnastics event, again for the rest of my life...(Likely chance I will get sucked back into the sport...) This may be why everything that has to do with gymnastics nowadays just completely pisses me off.

Even though I know Jordyn is gifted, another part of me just feels sorry for her for having the life she has: The immense pressure she is under, the coach who no doubt will either get her to the top or destroy her and you can't forget the sheer political side of the sport. It's a cruel world in the elite gymnastics community...

Oh, and one more thing, I believe it was John Tesh who made the mistake of nearly calling Jordyn Weiber, Jordyn Beiber at the American Cup. Too bad he didn't complete her last name, I would've been in tears from laughing so hard...

Look! I spy a Shawn Johnson leap...Ew!







Maybe I'm just jealous of the muscles. God! What I'd do for a body like hers! Maybe popping some steroids would do the trick?...