Bent Creek Trails

Bent Creek Trail Map, Pisgah National Forest

Today we hiked in the Lake Powhatan area of the Pisgah National Forest. We discovered that there are many great trails that loop around and from each other - so you can add as much milage as you wish for your trek for the day.

Our friends Gail and Broc joined us, so we had fun conversation throughout the hike. The trails are very popular with dog owners and mountain bikers - and they were out there! Broc kept surveying the trails and got jazzed thinking about being on his own bike sometime in the future.

We ended up hiking about 5 1/2 miles in 2 hours. Not too shabby! The terrain changed up nicely, some good steep inclines and declines with gentler ascents and descents mixed in. Kept us up at a good cardio level without stressing us. I know I could do faster and want to go back after I get some jogging miles under my belt so I can try some trail running. I know, who'da thunk?!

Looking Past Limits

At last night's TedX-Asheville salon we watched a talk given by Caroline Casey, a woman who grew up not realizing she was actually legally blind, and then set out to make a difference in the world through her work and advocacy. Her talk was about looking past limits, something near and dear to my heart!

One of my unschooling mantras is "Try to Find the Yes" - in other words, try to see what the situation really is and find a way to meet the needs that are being expressed, either overtly or subtly. How many times do we hear "no", in all it's various forms, when we want to do something new or challenging? As kids we are given hundreds of no's, supposedly to protect us from our selves, from others, from possible harm - emotional or physical. The problem is that many of those well-intended protections prevent us from exploring our world, our interests, and our capabilities to the fullest. As adults we know all to well how harmless fun can turn on a dime and become something tragic. That knowledge of the worst-case scenarios end up becoming bigger in our minds - things that are statistically unlikely inflate into something that Really Can Happen Now - and the fear of that happening influences our ability to say "yes" to experiences and creates unnecessary limits for ourselves and our children.

Kids start off thinking they can be anything and everything is possible. My son, for a long while, dreamed of being the person who invented real living, breathing Pokemon monsters! Their imaginations take them to wondrous places and fantastical adventures, whether they are careening through the "jungle" in the backyard with friends or (mostly) silently playing with their own hands and fingers, acting out a battle royale right before their eyes. They don't see limits, they see possibilities.

Over time, though, they absorb our cautions, internalizing them until their own inner voice tells them they are limited. Now, they don't believe they are an artist when they draw or paint or sculpt some clay because it falls short of what they've learned is "art". Now, they don't believe they are an athlete when they run or jump or throw a ball or swim or ride their bike because they aren't the winning medals or trophies and they probably won't "go pro". Now they don't believe they can be anything they want because "how will you get a job doing that?" Now when they write they see their words returned to them with red marked sections - spelling errors, poor sentence structure, inappropriate use of punctuation - and suddenly it doesn't matter what their thoughts and ideas were. They only see what they did wrong. Now they are not a writer. Or a scientist. Or...Or..Or...

Suddenly, years later, they are walking through life wondering what they want to do. Wondering who they are. They spend hours browsing the shelves at the bookstore Self Help section: Tell me who I am. Tell me what I'm worth. I don't anymore. I only know what I can't do. I don't know what I can.

Nobody can tell you what you can do...but they sure can tell you what you can't - or at least what they think you can't. Your life-long challenge is to reframe each dream, each goal, every wish you have so that rather than focus on all the ways things can go wrong you start focusing on all the ways it can go right. Some goals are huge and involve a long-term plan, some much less so, but the practice is the same. When you have a goal in mind create a list of what sort of things need to happen to reach that goal.

Here's an example from something I'm doing right now:

Goal: Complete Triathlon in May

Steps:

1. Train to Swim 1/3 mile

2. Train to Bike 19 miles

3. Train to Run 3 miles

4. Do #1-3 in succession!

Now, think about each basic step and then break it down by any mini-steps connected to it:

Goal: Complete Triathlon in May

Steps:

1. Train to Swim 1/3 mile

• Start swimming at Y each week, build up distance/endurance each week

2. Train to Bike 19 miles

• Start biking on flat trails, build up to hillier terrain & longer distances

3. Train to Run 3 miles

• Start walk/jogging sessions, build to jog/running sessions

Now, whenever you think of an obstacle to one of those steps write it down, along with creative ways to overcome it.

Goal: Complete Triathlon in May

Steps:

1. Train to Swim 1/3 mile

• Start swimming at Y each week, build up distance/endurance each week

• Obstacle: I don't like the idea of practicing as a "beginner" in front of strangers & I don't know system for swimming in lanes at a pool

• Solution: Talk to staff and learn the procedures and find out when it's quietest in the pool
• Solution: Recognize that the other swimmers aren't judging me; I should just focus on my own workout and not compare myself to the others

2. Train to Bike 19 miles

• Start biking, build up to longer distances

• Obstacle: It's crazy hilly here in the mountains & I haven't been on my bike since 2010!

• Solution: Use maps to find flatter areas to start and drive over to them with my bike; go back and forth if necessary to get enough mileage until I'm stronger
• Solution: Talk to cycle store staff and find out about changing my tires from hybrid to street to make pedaling easier.

3. Train to Run 3 miles

• Start walk/jogging sessions, build to jog/running sessions

• Obstacle: I'm afraid of hurting my knees and losing toenails (it's happened three times before!)

• Solution: Get high-quality, comfortable shoes specifically for running.
• Solution: Start walking for warm ups, then start slow-jogging, without pushing it too much. Build over time, knowing I can walk 3 miles in 45 minutes if I absolutely had to in the triathlon.

Now, I know this is a small goal compared to many, but the truth is that when my friend first started talking to me about this event I could have said to myself:

• There isn't enough time to train for this
• I might hurt myself
• I'm going to look stupid out there with all the real athletes
• I don't run!

Instead I took a deep breath and really thought about it. There is enough time to train for it - I know where I'm at physically right now and there is no reason I can't get myself trained for this. If I respect my body and build up my strength and endurance while eating properly, getting enough sleep and giving myself a sensible amount of "rest days" I am unlikely to hurt myself. I'm not going to look stupid - this race has a wide range of abilities and ages represented. We will all look awesome as we strive to compete or complete. I do run - I just don't do it via "running". At camp I ran a lot. When I'm goofing around with my kids with our foam swords I am running (and hiding) all over the house and yard. I just need to find the fun in the run!

So don't let the automatic warnings stop you from living the kind of life you want, from enjoying the kinds of experiences you want. Look past the limits and find your yes!

(Reprinted from Living the Unschooling Life)

You Should Be Dancing, Yeah...

Thursdays have become my super-woman workout days. I start off with Dynamic Dance, which is just like NIA. If you've never heard of NIA before it's a blend of martial arts, dance moves, and healing arts with cool music. It is a serious cardio workout!

Right after DD is Dynamic Strength, which takes some additional dance moves and combines them with more traditional body weight strength moves. Some of it is even done using a partner's weight as resistance. There are a LOT of squats, lunges, pushups and planks!

By the time I'm done, I am DONE. However, in the 3 weeks I've been doing the back-to-back classes I've noticed that I am already improving my strength and endurance. I make sure I hydrate well before I get to class and then continue during the workout. I am realizing that as I am able to work harder I will need to have a second water bottle in the car to sip after the workout. I also have a protein bar in my bag to eat on the way home so that I'm not ravenous - that gives me time to make a good lunch rather than grabbing quick-to-eat snacks just to get something into my stomach. Today was a yummy veggie lentil soup with nutritional yeast sprinkled on top - very filling, and high in lean protein and fiber.

I track my workouts using the YMCA's fitlinxx program. I'm finding that my average calories burned per cardio workout this month is 580 - not too shabby! I know as I add my triathlon trainings to my workout schedule this will only increase. What I need to keep in mind is choosing nutritious meals and snacks for my extra calories (and not just add cookies or ice cream!)

Y is for Yoga...Z is for Zumba

Wednesdays I've been doing a double-shot of classes at the local YMCA: 60 minutes of Zumba followed by 60 minutes of "gentle yoga". Zumba is a Latin inspired dance class that uses international and pop music to keep a tempo for a very energetic cardio and strength workout. Gentle yoga moves more slowly than a typical Hatha or flow yoga class, with poses held longer than in these other classes.

I love doing the gentle yoga class after Zumba - the breath work and asanas provide an excellent post-cardio stretch, increasing my flexibility after working my muscles so intently. The relaxation at the end ain't bad either!

I plan to continue these classes as I incorporate my triathlon training, rather than supplement them. I want Groove, Zumba, and Yoga to be a part of my baseline activity to counteract my more stationary hours in front of the computer. They help me feel strong and centered, and I find that my creative juices are bubbling after working out. Guess getting oxygen to the brain is a good thing!

Now the trick is creating space in my day-to-day life for everything I want to do. I'm trying to schedule blocks of time on my Google calendar to help keep track of them - time to write, time to research, time to play, time to read, time to cook, time to indulge my creative urges with art, photography, or music. All of these things are important to me but it's easy to lose track of time and end up getting a lot less done than you thought you would. Goodness knows, Facebook alone can suck up more time than expected - some days there is so much gabbing and sharing! Creating a schedule to guide me (not shackle me) brings structure where I need it.

So that I can keep on track!

Groovin'

Went to my Groove class today - 60 minutes of music and movement. Today's focus was shoulders and arms. As I moved about the room I could catch glimpses of myself in the mirror and was pleased to see some muscle definition in my upper arms.

Following class I went over to the nearby tea house & noshed on a very filling hummus with warmed pita and fresh cukes, carrots and celery, all liberally sprinkled with herbs, and washed down with Staroborshov, a cold shaken dark oolong tea. It felt good sitting quietly on the cushions, enveloped by the warm air, after all that movement.

Take at Least One ... a Chance!

A couple of months ago, right after moving to my new town, I met some gals who were planning to do a 10K charity event. Technically, the 10K was a race, but most of them were walking it instead. I was invited to join their group and with little hesitation I said "Yes"!

Thus began my two month training period to build up my strength and endurance so that I could: 1) walk a 10K, which is the US equivalent of 6.2 miles, and 2) not feel like death afterwards.

I am very happy to report that I succeeded on both counts. I'm less happy to report that during the entire event rain poured down upon us. For nearly two hours we slogged through town, spanning massive puddles that flooded our shoes just as completely as they flooded the streets. We were a chilly drippy bunch at the end.

And yet...

...and yet we loved it!

And now a bunch of us have gone and done something crazy. Crazy with a capital C. We've registered (aka committed perfectly good, non-refundable money) for a Triathlon! In May! We have 16 weeks to train ourselves up so that we will be able to

1. Swim 1/3 of a mile
2. Bike 19 miles
3. Run 3 miles

...all one right after the other.

For those of you who are into this kind of thing, this probably seems like small potatoes. For someone like me, however, this is a Big Deal.

1. I don't run. I mean, yes, if the zombies are coming I will run - but truly, why run when you can just walk - then you can keep talking and not spill your chai latte.

2. I do like to bike, but I haven't used my bike in a couple of years, so those particular pedal pumping muscles might be a bit, well, "under utilized". Around here there are mountains aplenty, so there isn't any easy level area to start bike training. I'm a little freaked concerned about looking like a prize idiot crawling up the hills slower than a bumblebee in the summertime. So, I also have to work on protecting my ego...

3. I can swim, but not like with any decent form. I can tread water quite well (ask the U.S. Coast Guard - they may still have records about that little accident adventure way back in the 80's) and we had a swimming pool at our previous house. One third of a mile, without stopping to hang out at the pool edge, is, for me, a significant distance. Living on the edge of a mountain, we don't have a pool for me to practice in, privately and with no fear of being seen distractions. Guess I'm going to have memorize the open swim schedule at the local Y and learn to stroke, stroke, stroke (breathe), stroke, stroke, stroke (breathe)...

To help me stay focused on my fitness training schedule and healthy eating I decided to create this, my Kick-Butt Fitness Blog. I will be chronicling the ups and downs as I train my way towards becoming a triathlete and will happily hear from any of you who are also on a transformation journey.

Welcome!

...now, let's kick some butt!