Winning Season

August has gone by in an absolute blur! And, as I stop to reflect on it, it's been an incredible month.
An adage a friend of mine used, when life was good, was that of feeling like you had life by the ass. I never quite understood that sentiment. I mean, I've heard of grabbing the bull by the horns.  Ass, horns, heads or tails, I guess if you've got one end or the other, life is good.

And, life is definitely good! Everything that I've materialized this month is undoubtedly related to me allowing my own light to shine. And, recognizing that even when I feel that it has dimmed, and is perhaps only just a teeny bit of light, that it is indeed flickering. And, therein lies the potential for burning brightly. It's about being me; about doing what I love to do. By being what comes naturally to me. And, I plan on revisiting the feelings that I had this month, as springboards, as reminders, as proof that I AM powerful!

Breathing Room
In a previous post, I referred to feeling stressed out and overwhelmed by a daunting deadline in pulling together a forum for work. Great news is that our board decided the timeline was too aggressive and there was too much risk on the line, so it's been postponed til mid-January! Hooray for breathing room!

Duathlon 

My incredible month of August started off with a bang, in that on August 1st, I competed in my third ever duathlon (run, bike, run). I missed out on last year's events; and after placing 4th in the DSM 5K, I had the racing bug. I knew that I wanted to take back my title of winning the 2013 Rundtour Duathlon at least in my age division. In addition to medals, they give out pies to the age division winners. They're Amana made pies; and though I'm a cake girl. These pies are YUMAZING!

So, being that the Rundtour event was always a challenge to find online, since it's a small Masonic organized event, I finally dug up some info on the organizers and after messaging them found out that they would not be hosting an event this year. I was super bummed; because duathlons aren't that popular. Triathletes use them to train early or late in their seasons. But they're not very frequent. So....I dug around some more and found one for August 1st outside of Fort Dodge, IA, which is pretty much middle of nowhere. Looking at the times posted for previous years, I KNEW that I had a really good shot at winning the female division.

I trained pretty consistently, with 2-3 runs a week and 2-3 bike rides a week; and I had 3 full duathlon practices for the race distance (1.6 mile run; 12.6 mile bike; 3.1 mile run) under my belt prior to the race.

Then, my uncle passed away; and his service and burial were the day before the race....in New Mexico. I didn't want to not race; and at the same time, I felt that I needed to attend his services. So, I decided if I could find a flight that got me back in DSM on Friday night at a decent time I would do both.

I arrived home at the DSM airport the night before the race at 11:00 and got to bed by midnight. Thankfully, I'd gotten all of my stuff organized prior to going to NM and just had to roll out of bed, make tea and breakfast and go. Gary took care of getting my bike all prepped and packed; and made sure all of my things were organized so things would be super smooth the next morning (awesome pit crew work!) We had to leave at 4 AM to get to the Twin Lakes State Park by 6; which was when packet pick up and transition space selection started. Four hours of sleep is not ideal for me. I'm definitely a prime operator in the 8-9 hour range; so, thankfully, I was able to nod off in the car.

The drive (or what I saw of it was beautiful, as the moon was shining super bright on the corn fields). There were miles and miles of nothingness. Just the sky and Iowa's rolling hills.

We got to the race site, I got marked up, drank my Vi Shake; but it was too cold for me to have my cold watermelon that I'd planned on eating; and too brisk for my headband to be soaked in water. I got my bike, bike shoes, helmet, and another pair of running shoes and an extra water bottle prepped and stored in a good spot in the transition area. And then waited in line for the restroom. The air temp was about 70 degrees; and I was extra glad to not be a swimmer b/c that was flippin cold!

As usual, I was eyeing the competition. And, saw a few girls who I thought would be the fastest. I lined up at the head of the start line for the first run; and knew mentally that I wanted to keep the fast men in my sights. The horn went off, and I sprinted out of the start line and kept up for the first 1/10 of a mile with the two fastest men; and then they were out of sight. My Runmeter had been crapping out previously everytime I biked on run mode; so I  just set it to bike mode so I could have the whole event on one record...but b/c I was running and not biking, my split times were sounding foreign to me.

At 1/4 mile in I looked behind me; and there was 1 girl trying to stick with me. Having little sleep, I was tired...and my shins and quads were a little sore still from running the day prior down my parents' hill at their house. So, mentally, I was like "God, she's going to pass me, and I'm going to be pissed."

But, by the 1/2 mile mark, I'd lost her and was only competing with the guys. There were 30-35 of us total registered for the duathlon. And, for a bit of it, I was all by myself on the course.

I got to the transition area, and it was my first "real duathlon" transition of putting on my bike shoes and helmet (I'd worn my gloves for the running part....but, I probably didn't need them LOL I just wanted to save time). And, this boy from a tri team was standing in my way in front of his bike blocking my bike waiting for his teammate. After a couple of nice excuse me's, I had to resort to a louder, more gruff, "EXCUSE ME YOU'RE IN MY WAY" as I darted on past him.

I got on my bike, and the course was 2 laps around one of the lakes. It was beautiful; and the wind kicked up. Which kept it cool, but made the course a little bit more resistant. It was awesome pedaling around the neightborhoods. Volunteers and bystanders were watching and cheering; and what made it even MORE amazing was that since I was the first girl on the bike, as soon as people reaslized I was a girl, they'd start shouting "You go girl! First female!" "Go girl! Get past those guys!" And, that was SOOOO fun to have cheering like that!

The men who were slower runners; and those who'd swum started passing me on their bikes; and I just stayed my course. We had to keep count of our laps; and just as the race director said at the beginning, no joke, you can lose track even with just two laps. So, I made sure I was paying super close attention; and yelled out at the volunteers to make sure I made the correct turn in instead of going onto lap 3 or missing the turnoff to the transition area.

I was feeling really strong and powerful and on top of the world until the last run. The wind died down and it got hot really fast. I was running, trying to keep up with the group of guys that I'd ridden in with. And, then, this one girl from a tri relay team passed me, and I was disappointed b/c there was no way I could match her pace. Because my Runmeter was going from the total distance, in my mind I thought I'd reached 1.5 miles much quicker than I had in reality; and when I saw the 2 mile sign left, I was like "uggghhhh".  But, I kept on pushing; and people were really nice and encouraging as they passed. Which simultaneously uplifted and pissed me off.

By the time I had 1/4 mile left I was done. No gas left in the tank. But, I saw the finish line and was like "yay"!

I was pretty certain that I'd won the woman's division for duathlon; but for some reason another woman's time came up as being faster. (turned out she had changed registration to team at the last minute); and only one other woman passed me (though I didn't see her, so I don't know when it happened during the bike portion) and she won the women's division for triathlon and was hella fast.

The most awesome part of winning 1) I got to stand on the podium and 2) BEST PRIZE EVER was a $120 gift card to a Ft. Dodge shoe store for a pair of shoes!!! Be still my beating heart! I was over the moon about that! Awesomeness! While I didn't post my fastest running times ever, I definitely did my best for that given day and left everything I had on the course!

Top Ten
And, to close out the month, I was named as one of the Top Ten Business Women of ABWA! SO SO exciting! Back in April, I'd completed an application form; and was nominated by my local chapter of ABWA as a local Top Ten. The applications from all over the nation were reviewed by an independent judging panel  in KC; and I was selected from the pool!

The Top Ten award honors 10 outstanding members for achieving excellence in career, education and community involvement. The next step is that during the National Conference in Albuquerque, this October, I'll be giving a speech to a super large crowd; and then going through a panel interview. I'm SO excited! I've not addressed an audience of that size since Natl Conf in Memphis in 2012; but I'm ready for it! I have come to this place, where I absolutely DIG speaking. And, to do it in my home state, that's just awesome!

Prior to me receiving the call from the National President about receiving the honor, I just had a feeling. I KNEW that I would be selected. It's awesome to have that knowing feeling about things. After posting that I was named one of the ten, I was absolutely flooded with so many congratulations and well wishes, it was so incredibly unbelievable! I've been in ABWA for 8 years; and have served on the National Board and made many friends throughout the years at events across the country. It was just positively overwhelming to realize the ripple effect and how many lives that I have touched. It blows me away!!!

It's been an amazing month. I'm so appreciative of the opportunities that have come my way, the things that I've created, this life experience. I feel on top of the world!

Pre Race Posing

Out of the Gates Run 1

Transition to Biking

Riding Along the Prairie

Official Results 

WINNING!

Poem

I miss your presence, your essence, your touch.
Seeing your smile light up the room, things I want to share with you all so very much.

You're neither here, nor there
Yet, I feel your presence everywhere.

Blue skies and daydreaming about picnics.
Running trails, in complete awe with the way our souls just clicked.

Songs I hear that stop me in my tracks.
Your favorite toppings, walnuts and bananas, Jack Johnson serenading about flapjacks.

Inside jokes, book club, and guffaws.
What I wouldn't give to feel you in my kitten paws.

Miles and miles through cities we walked.
Hours upon hours flying by that we talked.

Laughter and a piggy back ride at Churchill Downs.
Each other's presence magically erasing any doubts or frowns.

From soaring with pure delight 400 feet above Lake Erie,
To walking hand in hand across the Bridge, Key.

Ferris wheels, honky tonks, and play lists.
My heart holds you in a state of bliss.

Running in the Land of the Delta Blues.
Perusing the menu, I'll let you choose.

Sitting along the river, listening to live music, can you name that song.
The glee in your eyes when I caught your pass from 40 long.

Jet vapors arcing their way across the sky.
Signs in everything, seemingly carrying a soulful "hi"

What started out as a group dinner invite in The Big Easy.
Turned to falling head over heels in love completely.

Islands in the Stream that is what we are.
Love and feelings transcending time and distances far.

Yes Marks The Spot

Ten years ago, today I said, "YES! YES! YES! Absolutely, YES!"

The day before, I had left my home in DC to fly cross country to join Gary on our new life together. I remember feeling at peace and giddy with excitement and a little bit nervous at the new adventure in front of me.

A month prior, we had driven cross country in Brutus, our Budget moving truck with all of our belongings, minus an air mattress and a few weeks' worth of my clothes from DC to Santa Clara, CA. A westward expedition to strike out on our own, new journey.  It was interrupted for a bit because for six weeks, from the end of June to August 13th, we'd had to live separately because I had a big work event that didn't make it possible for me to stay following our road trip. So, after spending 5 days crossing the country; and one night helping unpack, with a heavy heart I returned to DC for a month, and lived in my empty room, as Gary set up our apartment in Santa Clara solo.

Over the summer of separation, we'd had the opportunity to meet up a couple of times. First in southern California for Scott and Claire's wedding; and then in Milwaukee for SummerFest and the National Wellness Conference. But, it was a long six weeks to be literally coasts apart.

The first piece of excitement on starting this new adventure with Gary was that I was stoked to surprise him for his birthday by planning a fun weekend in Santa Cruz. I'm the worst at keeping surprises; so I'd clued him into the location; but not to what all I'd had planned. Little did I know that the tables would be turned, and I'd be the one being surprised.

After I landed, we drove to Santa Cruz, and spent the day walking along the boardwalk, checking out the shops, riding rides, and being treated to some of the best people watching there is. For dinner that night, we went to an Italian restaurant on the pier. I don't remember what it was called. I just remember that I'd eaten A TON and we christened our citizenship by drinking copious amounts of wine as Californians should.

We weren't staying far from the pier, definitely within walking distance; and after dinner I really just wanted to literally roll back to our room. Gary wanted to go for a walk; and tried a couple of times to persuade me to go for a stroll, and walk off dinner. It was totally uncharacteristic of me to not want to walk....and not at all like Gary to want to go for a walk, so we went back to the hotel, with me promising that first thing in the morning, we'd wake up and go walking.

The Spot Where It All Happened

The next morning, we got up and walked out away from the Boardwalk, beyond the lighthouse along the trail; and sat at a bench overlooking the dog beach. Dogs were romping in the surf, whales were sporadically surfacing; and it was so awesome to just be in this absolutely unique and quirky place, surrounded by the ocean. All of a sudden, Gary stopped mid-conversation and grabbed my hand....and I don't really even remember everything he said, but, he fumbled around in the pocket of his cargo shorts with a huge box....that I can't believe that I hadn't noticed. I think I was equally shocked by the moment and the brightness of the bling, that even before he'd finished asking me to marry him, I was wrapping my arms tightly around him, and saying, ""YES! YES! YES! Absolutely, YES!"

It was definitely a surprise. In the year and almost a half that we'd been dating up to that point, we hadn't seriously talked about marriage. More like alluded to a life together. We knew we wanted to be together; but I'd never said how I wanted to be proposed to (not that I had a plan); or what kind of ring I wanted (I hadn't put any thought into that either, other than the fact that I'm naturally attracted to shiny things). I had though, spent a hot minute lingering over a Tacori ad months prior to that, and mentioned that I'd really loved a ring like that. And, I didn't expect just because we were moving across the country together that that meant that we had to get married; or expected him to propose. It was more of a deep sense of knowing that we would be married, without knowing when/how/why. It was just a soul truth. But it unfolded perfectly, because I LOVE surprises. So it was awesome!!!

Ever the inquiring mind, I had a million questions to ask him about his planning process and how he knew he wanted to propose to me? And, how he picked out my ring? And, did he ask my dad? And, was he nervous? And, how long had he been planning?

Turns out that I'd inadvertently put the kibosh on his original plan of proposing at sunset the previous evening through my gluttony and not wanting to go for a walk (my words, not his). :) And, he had been planning for quite awhile. He had originally intended to propose to me in early June in DC prior to us moving. But, Paul had proposed to Amy right in that time frame; and Gary didn't want to take away from that. So, he waited. He hadn't asked my dad. He was nervous, not that I would say no; but nervous in that he wanted it to be memorable and special (as if?!)

A decade ago...it blows me away. It simultaneously feels like a lifetime ago in many respects (faded memories, 7 apartments/townhouses/house and new state of residency later, closeness and distance w/ebbs and flows) I feel like a completely different person from the me I was at 25. Yet, in other ways it feels just like yesterday. (I can still feel the ocean breeze blowing in my hair. The warmth of the sun on my face and feel the tears prickle in my eyes as we kissed after he put the ring on me.The eagerness of being in a new place with the world ahead of us.)