If I could sum who I am using one word, I would choose - challenge. Putting my mind in a challenging environment is almost a criteria for me to crawl out of bed in the morning. I truly believe if I'm not challenging my mind, then it is literally rotting in its own cavity. But I'm not satisfied with only challenging my mind, I have to be able to challenge my body as well. Take it to its limits. Take it to places I didn't think possible. Lets face it, if your not challenging your body it is the cavity that is literally rotting. I want to feel good at 40, 50, 80, and hopefully 90 - given I make it to 90 (my genetics is not the best).
I was always an active child whether I was bike riding or hitting a mountain trail. Up to one point in time my biggest challenge was working in a cave where I guided people down 53 stories inside a cave. Walking 53 stories downward may not seem like a challenge until you take in the fact that the cave is tilted 13 degrees. It is steep and uses a lot of muscle. So what do you think happened after my tour made it down 53 stories? We didn't exit, we turned around and walked back up 53 stories at a 13 degree tilt. I loved the challenge. It was a rush to see how fast I could run, yes- run, back up 53 stories. Mind you that the whole tour was about 3 hours long. But it was a rush, an accomplishment.
During my pregnancy with my first child, a friend introduced me to yoga. She thought it might help my anxious tendencies since it isn't healthy for the baby while in utero. She was right, it did relax me. After James was born I continued yoga but I upped the stakes. I took it to a new challenge of poses; ones that were more complicated and held longer. I've been doing yoga for 11 years now. I like the discipline. I like the fact that it doesn't just plateau but the same poses change as I become more and more flexible. My favorite yoga? I have two - Warrior Yoga and Power Yoga. I find strength, power, and challenge in both forms of yoga.
I started running in 2004/2005. It actually started as a brisk walk everyday. I thought to myself, "Why not take it to the next level?" So one day, I took off running. I liked it. It's not the best feeling in the world during the actual run but it is a great feeling afterwards. I feel alive.
Around the same time that I started running, I also started kayaking. I think what caught me most during this activity was the scenery. Sometimes finding a way to view the world a little differently, is by finding a way to enter it different. From the river - it is spectacular. I enjoy the physical part and trust me it is physical. But the beauty trumps it all.
Keeping in mind that I was running, kayaking, and biking I was not doing them in the most challenging way possible. I didn't know there was a way to incorporate all three until the idea of a triathlon popped up. I admit at first I was afraid of this next leap, "Well what if I didn't do well?" I had never done something like this before. However my husband took the leap without me the first year. It was watching him succeed at finishing his first triathlon that inspired me. So I did it! I was amazing. I know I will never be first. I know - never say never but lets face it. It isn't just amateurs racing an amateur triathlon, there are professionals too. Maybe one day I will be a professional and I will be able to skunk the amateurs too but I'm not sure that will ever be my goal. Instead my goal is seeking the challenge and finishing. It doesn't have to be first, second, third, or fifty-second... I just have to finish.
Due to the fact that I will be competing in a triathlon with my son this year, I am going to keep a running log at the bottom of this blog for myself. I have a lot of catching up to do and keeping a record will help me see if I am progressing. My challenge to make myself a damn good Biology teacher combined with my seasonal asthma has me a bit behind on my running. That's when I discovered the Falcon Center indoor running track. I can run all winter and the cold air will not come anywhere near these asthmatic lungs. Over the last couple of weeks I've been honing back in on this skill. I am hoping as I continue my education challenge, I can continue my fitness challenge. We will see.
In the title of this blog, I mentioned Mushin Do. There is a reason for this. For a long time, my dream has been to master the challenge of a martial art. Mushin Do sort of fell into my lap. Karate was something I wanted to introduce to my daughter for several reasons. First she needs a self esteem booster; something to make her feel good about her self. Second, I would like to see her more active than she currently is. I'm not talking extreme active but I think she spends too much time in front of a computer screen/tv instead of being physically active. And finally, she had a friend in Mushin Do so I felt this would be the best outlet socially as well. I watched her first lesson and the class as well. The spark came immediately. I needed to take the next challenge. Take my skills and discipline I have learned in yoga and bump them up a few more notches. Of course, in the spirit of karate it may be more than a few notches. It may just be my biggest physical challenge yet.
I was always an active child whether I was bike riding or hitting a mountain trail. Up to one point in time my biggest challenge was working in a cave where I guided people down 53 stories inside a cave. Walking 53 stories downward may not seem like a challenge until you take in the fact that the cave is tilted 13 degrees. It is steep and uses a lot of muscle. So what do you think happened after my tour made it down 53 stories? We didn't exit, we turned around and walked back up 53 stories at a 13 degree tilt. I loved the challenge. It was a rush to see how fast I could run, yes- run, back up 53 stories. Mind you that the whole tour was about 3 hours long. But it was a rush, an accomplishment.
During my pregnancy with my first child, a friend introduced me to yoga. She thought it might help my anxious tendencies since it isn't healthy for the baby while in utero. She was right, it did relax me. After James was born I continued yoga but I upped the stakes. I took it to a new challenge of poses; ones that were more complicated and held longer. I've been doing yoga for 11 years now. I like the discipline. I like the fact that it doesn't just plateau but the same poses change as I become more and more flexible. My favorite yoga? I have two - Warrior Yoga and Power Yoga. I find strength, power, and challenge in both forms of yoga.
I started running in 2004/2005. It actually started as a brisk walk everyday. I thought to myself, "Why not take it to the next level?" So one day, I took off running. I liked it. It's not the best feeling in the world during the actual run but it is a great feeling afterwards. I feel alive.
Around the same time that I started running, I also started kayaking. I think what caught me most during this activity was the scenery. Sometimes finding a way to view the world a little differently, is by finding a way to enter it different. From the river - it is spectacular. I enjoy the physical part and trust me it is physical. But the beauty trumps it all.
As far as biking goes, as I stated above I have loved biking since I was a kid. In fact, over the last 2 years I have been taking my kids on 25 mile jaunts on a local rail trail, in hopes that I can foster that same love in them as well.
Keeping in mind that I was running, kayaking, and biking I was not doing them in the most challenging way possible. I didn't know there was a way to incorporate all three until the idea of a triathlon popped up. I admit at first I was afraid of this next leap, "Well what if I didn't do well?" I had never done something like this before. However my husband took the leap without me the first year. It was watching him succeed at finishing his first triathlon that inspired me. So I did it! I was amazing. I know I will never be first. I know - never say never but lets face it. It isn't just amateurs racing an amateur triathlon, there are professionals too. Maybe one day I will be a professional and I will be able to skunk the amateurs too but I'm not sure that will ever be my goal. Instead my goal is seeking the challenge and finishing. It doesn't have to be first, second, third, or fifty-second... I just have to finish.
Due to the fact that I will be competing in a triathlon with my son this year, I am going to keep a running log at the bottom of this blog for myself. I have a lot of catching up to do and keeping a record will help me see if I am progressing. My challenge to make myself a damn good Biology teacher combined with my seasonal asthma has me a bit behind on my running. That's when I discovered the Falcon Center indoor running track. I can run all winter and the cold air will not come anywhere near these asthmatic lungs. Over the last couple of weeks I've been honing back in on this skill. I am hoping as I continue my education challenge, I can continue my fitness challenge. We will see.
In the title of this blog, I mentioned Mushin Do. There is a reason for this. For a long time, my dream has been to master the challenge of a martial art. Mushin Do sort of fell into my lap. Karate was something I wanted to introduce to my daughter for several reasons. First she needs a self esteem booster; something to make her feel good about her self. Second, I would like to see her more active than she currently is. I'm not talking extreme active but I think she spends too much time in front of a computer screen/tv instead of being physically active. And finally, she had a friend in Mushin Do so I felt this would be the best outlet socially as well. I watched her first lesson and the class as well. The spark came immediately. I needed to take the next challenge. Take my skills and discipline I have learned in yoga and bump them up a few more notches. Of course, in the spirit of karate it may be more than a few notches. It may just be my biggest physical challenge yet.
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