A Temporary Set Back Doesn't Effect the Mind ..If You Don't Let it. ???

A Temporary Set Back Doesn't Effect the Mind ..If You Don't Let it. ???

So here it is the last month of 2013.  The last month to get in my final goals for 2013.  The excitement and anticipation for 2014 beating at my door for me to see more dreams and goals become realities. 

 One goal was to be finally at my goal weight by Dec 31, 2013. Well, I can say I probably won't be losing those 30 lbs in the next two weeks.  But, I am healthy and how many people can say, I rode 50+ miles and jump off that bike and ran 3 miles??  I can and I have to be proud of that.

I set a goal of swimming, running, biking, hiking, or anything but that would equal 3,000 miles.   I am 288.78 miles short as of today.  But I will be close to my goal.  Considering the rebuilding of my body, I won't be upset if I don't make it to 3,000 miles. 2014 I will surpass that 3,000 miles, and that's a promise!

I did get my new hip in March.  After 12 weeks of a hip replacement I was riding 12 miles outside.  Within 3 months I was up to 8 miles of walking/running.  I was hiking up 6,000 ft in elevation on mountain trails.  I had completed three half century rides by October and I was ready to get the shoulder fix so I could start triathlons again.

The should reconstruction was done on Dec 2nd.  10 days after surgery, I have 40% range of motion in my shoulder.  Prognosis is good and I can finally start swimming at the end of this week!  I'm scared since I haven't been in the water since March but I know my mind is strong and I will be OK!

Happy Juice injected and ready for surgery with My ROCK by my side.

3 days later. Looking Good

 What I didn't plan was the broken ankle that happened on November 30th.

The hike with Princess Sammy when I thought I sprained my ankle

5 days later hubby said I had to go get it checked. It was still swollen

They wanted to cast me but since I can't put more than 3 lbs of pressure on the shoulder for 4 weeks, I got the BOOT!  Or Shaabooty which I can do a dance too. :)

 Because of this broken ankle, I'm not sure if I will get those 288.78 miles completed. 

But that is okay!  I still accomplished so much.   

I had an amazing year even with the surgeries and set backs.  I had some wonderful vacations crossing the country twice in our RV; driving the Pacific Coast Highway from LA to Seattle with my niece and nephew for 10 days; and chilling on a Houseboat at Lake Powell for a week.  If there is one thing I can request (besides staying active) is DRIVE THE PCH and take at least two weeks.  It was AMAZING.  Then go to Lake Powell and relax.

I already had to cancel my first Time Trial 50 mile event on January 18, 2014 because of the ankle.  (I told my doctor I could have done it with one arm, but not with one arm and one leg).  I have three doctors, my hip surgeon, my shoulder surgeon and my primary.  Let's just say they all three think I am NUTS!  I think my friend Kandi and I have the same diagnosis, Stubbornitis.

So, with all this said, I will NOT let this deter me, depress me, or control me in a negative way.   My dreams will come! My goals will be accomplished, they will just be postponed another 6 weeks.

In the meantime, I will practice what Yoga I can with my friend and new coach, Debra Anderson (http://www.debraandersen.com) up here in the High Desert.  Once I am free to start running and riding, I will be under the coaching of Kandi @ http://train-n-tri.blogspot.com/.   I have BIG plans for 2014 which I can still accomplish with the help of these two wonderful women. One keeping me busy and stretching then one training me to cross the finish line as injury free as possible.

I want to do two half Ironman's.  (Silverman in October is already registered so I just need to pick another one).  I want to do a few century rides!  I want to climb Mt. Whitney!  I want to Kayak with the whales!  I want to do a few Olympic and sprint distance triathlons.  But, most importantly, I want to Live Life.  I want to Love Freely! I want to be the best Wife I can!  And, I want to Inspire others. 

I also want to restart my internet auto accessories business, add to it and continue to help my husband's business grow working side by side with him.   I think that will keep me busy!

I just became a consultant for Thirty-One Bags.  So come on, I know all of us girls love these bags.

www.mythirtyone.com/452961/ is my website.  We can put TRI on anything! :)

I also want to give a shout out to a few of my Sponsors.  One is energy bits.  I am giving those bits lots of credit right now!  I think it is because of these bits, I'm healing so fast, not craving sweets and keeping my high energy. I also hate to say this (it might be too much information) but they kept me regular while traveling cross country.  #Empoweredbybits

I Love My Swirlgear girls and running gear.  And can't wait to meet some Tough Chiks out there in upcoming races which I'll be Sweating in Pink!  

Thanks for believing in me as I believe in You!

Sorry about the sideways reading - but Code BionicBarbi gets you 25% off

www.fitapproach.com - #Sweatpink

Team Touch Chik should be fun and exciting and I LOVE their clothing - www.toughchik.com

What an amazing group of women, always so encouraging and from my home town, CHICAGO!

 www.swirlgear.com

Now I better get busy since I have some many WANTS!

Happy Holidays to All of You!

 Thanks for following me and for supporting me! 

 

And just to see the crazy triathletes I hang with, here is a great video my Tri Sister, Sandy put together for us.  

If you live in the I.E., you might want to join this group.

 http://youtu.be/dslwnc9U6yA

 

High Desert Training Play Ground

The High Desert Is Always An Interesting Training Ground!

I have been home for a total of four days.  We left sunny California on November 8 leaving beautiful  sunny, warm weather behind.  We made it to Northwestern Indiana with arctic cold weather, snow, Tornados and Hurricane Winds which last until we made it to Kingsman, AZ.  So, although the actual road trip was not the best, the visit was amazing to be with my wonderful silly family.

Here is my story more in pictures than words...

There was Redneck Potato Gun Wars into the lake - Uncle Pat showing Si how to do it right!

Quality Time with my Great Niece, Si and my boy, Booger

Silly time with Si. I have to admit she is a lot like her Great Aunt!

My Nieces and Sister-in-laws.  It has been three years since we have all been together. 

My Two Handsome Brothers

My Beautiful FAVORITE Aunt (shhh) and Mother

My Running Venue everyday.  I missed 4 days out of 14, not too bad.  We don't see colors like this in SoCal

The lake my niece lives on

The Most Amazing TREES EVER!  They were so brilliantly red it looked fake.

Our home for five days in Indiana. Otherwise it was a WalMart somewhere. They have free camping always.  The house was full of other Riveras.

The Tornado that struck two hours before we were to leave in Illinois, 50 miles away.  Yes, it was coming our way! We decided to stay one more night.

Right before the Tornado hit our area in Indiana

We made it home to what?? Rain, Snow and COLD!!

Lots of snow fell in the mountains about 15 minutes from us.

The next day, it was magical and 55 degrees.

I was ready to ride my bike! Finally after two weeks.  Booger wanted to go.

After my 13 mile MTB ride, I was running 3 miles down one of my "normal" paths and a production crew was out.  They were filming a music video. A French band. The crew member said it had to do with aging. There were lots of young folk and lots of old folk.  I watched for a bit but I had to get my brick workout done.  Bad picture but there were lots of EZ-ups and trailers as well.

 

 

Today I attempted to climbed to the top.  I made it half way which was 1/2 mile in dirt and rain ruts.

This was half way from where I came from.  I had another 2.5 miles to reach the top.

The Hunter I came across.  Also a Fireman.  He just found and shot a fox.

 

The poor fox.  I didn't even knew we had them here in the high desert.  Apparently there are a lot.

Southern California Bobcat that is VERY smart! I haven't seen one yet! But the hunter has.

Lake Las Vegas in the distance where the hunter has found LOTS of Mountain Lion tracks. It is the green area and behind that is the Sierra Mountain Range

I found out a lot from the hunter that I met today. ( PLEASE I AM NOT HERE TO DEBATE ABOUT HUNTING OR KILLING OF ANIMALS.  WE HAVE OUR BELIEFS AND THIS IS NOT ABOUT THAT, ALTHOUGH I DID INCLUDE THE PICTURE, SO I GUESS I HAVE SET MYSELF UP.)  The Hunter, Dan, is an avid hunter, tracker, fireman and works with Wild
Game officials in Southern California.

I like to know about the area that I run, bike, and hike in (usually) by myself.  I know there are lots of bears up in the mountains, which he confirmed today. I have never seen any but Pat did see some tracks while camping this past summer.  There are Big Horn Sheep which I have never seen but April and I swear we saw their tracks in the last snow we had.  There are rattlesnakes which I can't stand but have seen.  There are tarantulas which I see at least one every fall. There are deer, which I do see when riding or hiking quietly through the woods.  (I just can't bring Jamie because she likes to scream from excitement when she sees one).   What I didn't know is that there are LOTS of foxes in this area.  And, this is the largest area for Bobcats in the state of California.  He said most of the Mountain Lions he has tracked have been out in Lake Las Vegas which I found interesting since it is about 25 miles from the mountains.

So, not only do I train in a high elevation, in mountains, in desert, in high heat or extreme cold, and in crazy wind; BUT around potential movie sets and lots of animals probably watching me huff and puff as I climb and climb.  The High Desert is a Beautiful, Magical Playland and I thank the Lord, the Stars, the Universe or whatever you want to call God, for bringing me here to enjoy this!  I actually (well almost 95% of the time time) enjoy training out here.  One never knows what I will find or encounter.

I can't wait to see what I will encounter tomorrow.  I'll be looking more carefully for tracks from now on. 

Madness or Motivation??

This was the thought running through my head this morning during my short 4 mile run.  Madness or Motivation!  

Why did I think these thoughts?  Well it started last night.  We are about 1800 miles into our trip across the Great USA!  Not only has the temperature changed drastically, my Southern California husband got to experience his first snow and ice storm while driving a RV pulling Seadoos.  He also got to experience the windshield wiper freezing up while driving. (This is something everyone from the Midwest has experience at one or more times in their life).  So we found shelter at a local Walmart in Bloomington, IL (Land of Lincoln).  

Pat learning Window Wiper Cleaning 101, although there was actually something wrong with them

  As I laid awake last night, I could hear the howling of the wind and feel the nice Arctic breeze through the window.  (Apparently a RV isn't insulated very well).  So the excuses started coming. "I can't run in weather like this."  "It's too cold."  "I can slip and fall."  "We need to get on the road early, I can't waste a hour."   And boy, they were flowing.

Ironically, before I turned the light off for the night, I started reading, "Zen and the Art of Running".

So far an excellent read

 Chapter One is about how we perceive situations. We need to think about the situation, is it something we can't or can change.  For example, it's arctic cold outside.   I can't change the fact that it's cold, but I can change the way I react (feel) towards the cold.  That stayed in my mind all night long to the point I KNEW I was going to attempt the run.

So this morning, I told Hubby, I'm going for a run.  He looked at me in complete shock and asked if I knew how cold it was outside.  Of course, I knew how cold it was, I  heard the wind and felt it all night long.  Besides, I just checked Weather.com on my phone.

Yes, 19 beautiful degrees with a windchill of what I don't know nor did it matter.

Lucky for me, I knew to pack for cold extreme weather, so on went all the garments and layers.  I stepped outside, said out loud to myself, "This isn't so bad!"  Off I went.  Then the thoughts started again.  "Our you mad, Barbara? You have no races scheduled, you are on vacation, just turn around."  Which then lead to me thinking, how can I inspire others to do things out of their comfort zone, when I am not willing to do them myself.  I am not training for a race but I am training for a healthy lifestyle. I am training to fulfill a dream.  I run not only for fitness and weight loss but for myself!  I run for the calmness and peace and natural energy it gives me.  I run for ME , MYSELF and I!  It's my time to connect to God, nature, and ME!

When I returned to the RV 55 minutes later not only was it 2 degrees warmer, I had set a new PR for me (since the hip replacement).

55 minutes later - 2 degrees warmer

 I ran 4 miles in 55 minutes.  Then I thought, in August and September I could not run 2.5-3 miles in one hour and if I did, the pain was horrible.  Now look what I did.  I was so excited.  I shared it with the Hubby.  I also said to him and MYSELF, see if you change your attitude about things, you will excel!

So was it Madness or Motivation!  I would normally say a bit of both but it was Motivation!  Motivation to be the best I can be! Motivation to fulfill my dreams! Motivation to find MYSELF! Motivation to inspire!

2 miles into my run!  Corn fields and Ice makes for a wonderful running path

The workout you didn't want to do but did anyway

#Swirlsisters

We have all had those days.  You get up and you are sore from the day before and/or just plain tired.   Well in my case, I was both.   Yesterday I did an amazing hike with my friend (sister), Jamie.   Every time I drive "down the hill" I pass the Mormon Rocks and I see trails that disappear into the mountains.  I knew one day I would explore them.  So Jamie and I decided yesterday was the day.  Here are some beautiful pictures from the hikes.  

• Stats:  5.1 Miles Round Trip
• Hours:  2:50 Round Trip
• Elevation: 1,670 ft in 2.5 miles
• Grade - 5% to 35%
• Calories burned - 904

#Mormon Rocks

Yes, that is one of the trails we followed. 

Yes she had to pick the highest peak

Heading Down

Made it to the Summit and Serbie was hungry

 

So I woke up thinking I would be very sore.  I wasn't real sore although I could feel some tightness in my quads, but I was very tired.  I thought nothing a nice bike ride wouldn't take care of.

I grabbed my mountain bike and off I went.  I wasn't in the best of moods mentally and this ride was what I needed to spend time with God, in HIS creation and help burn some calories and pump the heart.

I completed an 18 mile ride in 12-15 mph high desert wind.  I chose a road that was all sand so had to retreat and go back my "normal" way.  As I was approaching the paved road, I had a slight hill I had to climb so I pushed up, popped out on the road (which was in the middle of a switchback) looked up and there was a big yellow school bus.  I could see the fear in the drivers eyes and I'm sure my heart was hanging out of my mouth.   I almost hit that bus straight on because I served over the yellow line trying to power up that road. All I can say is thank goodness we were both going slow.  I stopped and cried, then cried for other things in my life then sang my heart out and finally made it home.  

It was a long 2:30 with an almost death stop but I am happy I finished it alive and burnt 820 calories.  Probably not the best ride for a recovery but a ride nonethless outside in the sun.

I also got a date for my shoulder reconstruction. Seems that my 2014 race calendar will be filled up real soon.   I'm hoping an event once a month (if not more).

So, now I make my strategy on staying "the course" while visiting family, getting through the holidays and surgery.

All I can say is BRING IT ON 2014!  I've been waiting for you all year!

I Biked the Coast and Finished Strong

On Saturday, I competed in my first event since my hip surgery in March, and my second cycling only event ever.  I chose this event because it WASN'T a Race!  I feel like I have to merge slowly back into the game.  I had five different rides to pick from so I chose the half century (50 miles). What a better event than to cycle along the Southern Coast of California with 2500 other "friends."   To top it off, some people from Triathlon Connection was cycling in it as well.  It was a perfect decision.  

Friday evening at the expo (well if you can call if that - 3 booths) I picked up my race packet.  I had forgot a few essentials (a sports bra and socks).  While browsing the three booths, I saw the cutest bike jersey with a little chicken and the words "Tough Chik."  I had to have it!  I also forgot socks so I was in luck, they also had the cutest pink knee socks with skulls.  (I am proud to say I am now officially on Team Tough Chik but that is another story!) I also found a sports bra, thank goodness.

 These are the socks with my running shoes, HOKAS, I sported after I was finished.
LOVE THEM BOTH!

 Oceanside Pier - The Strand Friday Evening

A typical Southern California Sunset on Friday from my hotel.

This was also the first event that I ever engaged in without my Support Staff.  Hubby had to stay back due to work needed to be done at the Ranch.  So, needless to say, sleep was hard to come by.  Although I didn't have the typical race jitters, I was still restless and excited.  Dreams of overflowing porta potties, crashes and flat tires filled my head all night long. 

I was meeting the DiCarlos at the start line.  Being an early bird, I got to the venue at 6:20 am hoping to find coffee and see what gear I really needed to wear.  It was a beautiful morning,  57 degrees, clear skies and a bit breezy.

 Sunrise down at start line

 No coffee was found. :(  But I did unlayer, filled my bottles, pumped my tires and was ready to ride. Our wave started at 7:30 a.m.  It took a good 45 minutes to even get to the start line.  That was okay with me, I was enjoying the sunrise and the company.

 A few of the 2500 "friends" riding

 People I actually know.  Most of them anyway.  Caroline, Kandi, Robert, Tom and Jeanne

 Carolyn, her friend, Kandi and me at the start 

Finally, we were off!  It was exhilarating for me to be riding.   I was riding the Svelte Felt road bike.  She never fails me.  We have been together for three years and I can totally trust her to get me to the finish line.   The ride was a nice pace with some climbing.  It was the scenery that was breathtaking.  I rode by two campgrounds (that I hope to be camping at in the future with the family), endless views of the ocean, cute beach towns and lots of beautiful flowers.

 SAG Stop 1 (also stop 3) 13 miles into the ride we had to "undress"

Robert, Kandi, Me and Jeanne

Kandi, Carolyn and Me Sporting my new Tough Chik jersey

 On some riding trail. Cliffs were so pretty and so was the pole we picked to stop at
 Tom, Kandi and Jeanne

Riding the trail with Tom behind me and other cyclists. 

The only thing I didn't like about the ride is the fact of stopping at all the stop signs and red lights.  Riding up a hill and having to stop in the middle of it because of a red light is not fun.  It seems once you get your "mojo" red flashes and makes it stop.  We had to stop too, our friendly police officers were out in full force giving tickets to cyclists who didn't make the proper stops at lights and signs.  That was another BOO! I felt sorry for the cyclists who did get those $300 tickets.

We stopped at the last SAG and I felt AMAZING! Not only was I comfortable with drafting and riding with a big group, (I have always kept my distance from others while riding for fear of crashing and I never drafted), it was my third 50 miler in seven days.   My legs were not tired! I had so much adrenaline and energy I felt I could pound out the last 12 miles. We decided we would cross the finish line together for the picture, so we hit it hard until the last mile.  We cruised in towards the finish and I turned to Kandi and told her that I felt I could keep going maybe not another 50 but going.  Kandi, being always the optimist said, "You could finish 50, it might not be pretty but you could do it."   If I haven't said this I will now, "I love that woman Kandi, she is always so positive, encouraging, inspiring and always laughing."

Last SAG with Robert, Kandi, Me, Tom and Jeanne

I completed a total of 52.3 miles with elevation of 2,392 ft.  and finished STRONG!

The drive home wasn't even so bad with all the traffic because I felt AMAZING!  I even took a detour via Ortega Hwy to get this view.

Lake Elsinore

 I now can't wait to pick out the next event!  Just waiting for that surgery date for the shoulder than watch out!  You will never know when you will be seeing the #Swirlgirl and #Toughchik speeding by (well speeding at her speed).