Living Life To The Fullest
Normally, I have to convince myself to go on a long training run or bike ride with some sort of carrot I promise myself, if I complete my goal. And by 'carrot', I mean chocolate. Or frozen yogurt with toppings. Or some other positive reinforcement that I can focus on for a few hours, while... Continue Reading →
When my bike's odometer hit 30 miles last weekend, at the same time as the only cloud in the August Phoenix sky relinquished it's position in front of the sun, I realized the next 30 miles was going to be brutal. Moisture hung in the air, making the 100 degrees feel more like a hot... Continue Reading →
One of the best books I’ve ever read on writing... wasn’t a book on writing.Sure, I’ve studied most of the required tomes, such as Save the Cat Writes a Novel, Story Genius, and Take Off Your Pants! I learned the requisite information to write a novel: the importance of plot points, character arcs, internal/ external... Continue Reading →
So many writers end up staring at blank pages or finding themselves stuck, unable to get the ideas to flow from brain to paper. It gets diagnosed as Writer’s Block. The prescription is time away to regenerate the muse. Once back home, newly tanned from a beach, sleeves rolled up, some frustratingly find the... Continue Reading →
Fear. What a powerful force. It drives us and holds us back. In life. In writing. I’ve seen so many posts from writers, worried about a litany of issues keeping them from finishing their WIP and taking the next step. Fears of failure, imposter’s syndrome, fear of rejection. These worries drive some writers to long... Continue Reading →
So...you want to kill off a character and write a scene where he grabs his neck and dies instantly after a sip from drug-laced drink! Not so fast. If you write that scene, you risk losing credibility with your readers. Some drugs are rapidly lethal in small quantities, but none are instantaneous killers. Even the... Continue Reading →
Last month, I got the opportunity to watch the World ITU Multipart Championships. When I heard they were in Spain, I was so excited. When I heard they were in Pontevedra, Spain, my heart sunk just a little. I had never heard of Pontevedra. It looked isolated on the map. It would take us 4... Continue Reading →
I just got back from cheering folks on at the ITU World Multisport Championships in Spain. I continue to be amazed at my misconceptions of the triathlete world. When I train, I struggle against injury, motivational challenges, and work-athlete-life balance. And I always feel alone, exposed in my false pretense of belonging to the world... Continue Reading →
After my long bike ride or run, I stretch out and head for my Normatec compression boots, kick back with a beverage (yeah, sometimes a Kiltlifter), a plate of nachos, and let the boots massage out the aches and pains from pounding the pavement or cranking the pedals. It's a planned, forced rest. Strapped into... Continue Reading →
As writers, we need connections on social media to find critique partners and places to share writing knowledge. But sometimes those connections are not helping advance creative needs. I think we've all been there- finding a closed FB group, whose focus is an genre or writing focus of interest. But the posts content is for... Continue Reading →
Somewhere between mile 5 and 6 on my run this week, when my headphones switched from the flute trills of McCarney and Wing's Live and Let Die to the raucous sound of Immigrant Song (Zeppelin), I was hit with both a rush of endorphins and a revelation about writing. Or maybe it was the beginnings... Continue Reading →
A little over a week ago, I found myself smack in the middle of a long distance triathlon, winding my way up steep hills in California, begging my bike to find just one...more...lower gear that would make the hill climb so much easier on my tired legs. When cyclists passed by, I made a mental... Continue Reading →
It seems so simple. Chapstick. But it is a lifesaver at about mile 60-75, when your chamois cream has worn away and you discover new seams in your riding shorts or cycling shoes that never before wreaked havoc with your skin. I have my favorite chamois cream- I make my own, actually. There are also... Continue Reading →
In the last week, I have nearly been hit by a car twice on my runs. YES- I did say runs. Or in my case my preferred walk/jog (Wog- see here for more). Until recently, I thought cycling was the most dangerous leg of triathlon, based on the number of near car collisions I had... Continue Reading →
For those of you wondering, I did that swim. 750 yards of open water swim in a town lake that was murker than not. My clothes came home so brown I had to soak and wash them. Twice. But I finished. And on the spur of the moment, idiocy overtook common sense and I signed up for a sprint triathlon for last weekend. I finished that this past Sunday (with no training, so I only have myself to blame for the searing soreness of all my limbs). But I think now I can start thinking ahead. I may just do Ironman in 2020. I may just finish my WIP in 2020. AND publish it. I just may…have a more open mind. How about you?
Well, that’s it. I’ve spent several months in complacency, whining about various body ailments, messing up on my diet (since I said that out loud, I really hope my trainer doesn’t follow my blog!), and generally letting myself go. I haven’t run since April. No open water swims for over a year. My last race was in February…and it kinda killed my spirit.
And I’m kinda done with myself.
It’s time to stop.
I was forcing myself through a few pool laps today, complete with my embarassing little tube of mini M&M’s wrapped in a freezer pack laying on a towel on deck (because it fricken still hit 110 degrees today and I NEED incentive to go back …and forth…and back…and forth in the pool), when my brain kept going down the list of WHY I should give up. EVERY single injury, from my bike accident in late 2017 just…
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