Yes I'm Here

I'm still around but have fallen off the bandwagon while rethinking what will work for me at this point in my life. I know that working out alone is not getting it and to really hit the nail on the head I'll admit I need inspiration. So while I will not be indulging this holiday season I will be taking the time to find some groups or activities that challege me to make the cut on race day.
I don't want to be a cyldesdale no matter how beautiful they are! (do they call women that?)

Back online!

It has been a minute since I had the chance to post anything and I sure missed this place. Long story short the cord to my laptop zapped out and I was not about to pay 100.00 for another one. I learned the nice service agreement that I took out from best buy expired a month ago, figures right, and then missed radio shacks sale if you can call 79 dollars a bargain by a week. A friend told me she snagged hers off eBay for ten bucks but I never have that kind of luck, so my pockets will become 90 plus tax lighter i guess.
Anyway the good news is I'm still active and have hit about ten state parks since I last posted. Spent labor day meeting some Brazilians and having a little BBQ. Well my moms did anyway I'm vegetarian and stuck to the game plan. This was hard because for years the first weekend in September meant I threw down with some ribs and watched the best of college and pro football games. Hey but I'm not going to say I didn't have fun,the day was gorgeous after rain forever and I did get to jog the beach. The next week I left the county parks and headed into the woods for some hiking nothing big just a few miles down a couple of trails getting the heck bitten out of me.
So for now I have concluded I can't go it alone. I'm bored and I need to pick up the pace when it comes to running. On another blog someone referred to running with a sweeper well I could use one of them and a few trekking friends to boots. I'm not sure how I will resolve this problem but hopefully it will happen soon. There is a 5k coming up I will be entering and while it may not be much for seasoned runners I'm excited because it's my first challenge ever.

Butterflys and Turtles

I didn't want to walk let alone run and it was hot,but there I was driving down A1A in the middle of the day knowing I needed to. So I made a u turn and headed back to the park entrance and began gathering myself for drudgery. Life in limbo as an unfit soul sucks on days like that but as a friend said those are the days when the run feels so worth the challenge.

I reached under the seat for my surf shoes, on a good day I love wearing them especially the feel of mesh and the cushioned soles keeping lots of sand away from my toes. I don't like grit and never wear saddles I can deal with the limited amount of sand that gets through these shoe. Still it was hot enough to fry fish without the grease and I have 3 feet worth of thick dreads to tug along with me.

Making my way to the beach which is a protected area for turtles in season, I thought about the long struggle of terrapins as they hatch, head out to sea for a few years and return to the same beach to lay eggs. Surly my twenty minute struggle could not compare yet I felt like kicking back and enjoying the ocean breeze instead of the jog. A tropical storm was brewing somewhere off the coast making the tide rough in fact I think it was yellow flagged, I know the ripe tide was a dog . Only the surfers were happy, so I ignored the usual white flight that black folk see when entering the beach or any other place they don't see a lot of us. I walked right pass the the couple who took one look at me and left the boardwalk and the lifeguard who kept looking until the sheriff mysteriously showed up . hey no crime in being on the beach. I smiled at an older brother who walked passed me with a work hard pray harder t shirt on, they stared at him too but we knew the deal and were getting our walk on anyway. It felt good to see another natural brown face too. Can someone explain to me the psychology of laying on the beach to turn brown like me but hating on the naturally tan person, just asking.

Anyway I started slow moving away from the surfs edge only walking on hard sand and then it happened. The water called me I ran closer to the the edge until I found myself fighting the tide and sinking in sand while trying to keep pace. I had to feel the salt water as my mind was on the day I would start practicing the open water swim. I kept imagining all the tri's I have watched, bodies hurling through the water a massive frenzied battle back to the beach. As I continued I noticed a butterfly, monarch I think, same coloring but maybe not it flew around me back and forth from the dunes to the ocean and I thought how awesome is God. What the heck is my mascot the butterfly doing here. On a day when I don't want to move this little winged package of freedom inspires me to keep on going. I loved it, I made it maybe a half mile up the beach and back not my normal two but for the heat of the day I felt good. You know that friend was right I felt great and so relaxed afterwards I was sorry I had not gone the extra mile. When I say next time I mean it, my journey would be so lonely but thank you Lordy I live in a state that has great beauty.

Sabastion Inlet State Park

The Holiday weekend approaches and I feel sluggish at best. I miss the outdoor jogs and bike rides that kept me inspired. Instead it's mall walks and trips to state and local parks on weekends. At this rate I'm not really cutting the mustard and frankly I'm rethinking the way I have been going about things.

Since falling off the bandwagon this month I've turned to a natural Florida resource state parks. After a crocodile was photographed off one of the beaches near my house I have not been in the water and only jog along the waters edge in the sand. Don't ask me why I have not felt that way about freshwater and gators but I am at least in a boat when in fresh water. So between squid, crocks, and deadly riptides my journey to fitness is turning into a farce. That's why I took a trip to Sebastian to rejuvenate and have a little motivational talk with myself. Yes you can camp here and that's what drew me in although I must say the place has seen better days so I choose long point right next door. I can't say that I was good but I have walked a little and cleared my head. So despite being a germ freak I am seriously considering a gym with boot camp. I have tried exercise partners and they did not work ,one stopped after only a day the other made to many excuses and demands. It really boils down to how bad I want this and how much commitment I'm willing to give. All I can say is here in the parks with boaters, swimmers and kayakers I'm reminded why I live in the sunshine state. The weather is great when everyone else is freezing and I want to stay active and participate in sports. It's time for this sister to get back to work!

St Augustine

I spent the day in St Aug and tried to convince myself that the walk from the parking lot to the beach was as good as a workout.I wanted to ran along the beach up north of it but it was hot and I forgot my beach shoes. Just to many broken shells ,ants and six inch long spiders lurking in the dunes for me, so I ended up at the state park. With whiter powdery sand instead of the chunky brown stuff I felt more inspired to do something. Actually I did nothing special and am in a bad exercise funk. Somehow I'm dropping pounds like crazy and it concerns me, slacking has taken on all new rewards I guess. I think it's just the heat and my intake of more fluids than solids. At any rate next week I'll start weight training maybe it will help with my lack of enthusiasm in these dog days of August.

Still in the struggle

I can honestly say I would rather run a 100 mile race than pack forty years worth of "stuff" in boxes and move again. I admit to not working out during the end of July due to lack of energy after sorting, throwing away, and sometimes selfishly holding on to material things. Oh how ashamed i felt about the latter but hey now that its over I resolve to live simpler and with less. The same applies to exercise i want to stop trying to see the big picture for now and focus on the little things one step at a time in order to accomplish the goal of completing that mini triathlon next year.
I have worked on some new menu plans to keep up my strength and satisfy my hunger enough to enjoy filling and fulfilling meals. I'm a firm believer in individual meal plans, it's ridiculous to think you should give up the flavors and spices your used to become some generic
triathlete. I have seen people post about foods they don't really like or never thought of trying just because they read on some site fill in the blank is what others eat while working out or before races.
I find this sad to start just take the things you like and prepare them healthier, then add a twist to the old by incorporating new flavors. While trying new things limit them at a gradual pace in this why your system does not go in to shock when learning to except new and healthy chow. By the time you gather a few recipes and tweet them you'll have your own list of must haves that will last a lifetime instead of a few months. Right now the hardest part of it all for me is being a pastry chef that is working on a fitness plan. Chew and spit doesn't work so well outside of a winery no !

Sister Circle

This may not be the most interesting blog out there but it's my way of staying accountable to a goal of becoming active again. I knew going into this I would need encouragement so I decided to create a sister circle of triblogs to keep focused and see what other folks of color are doing to in the sport and honestly other sports too. I just hope to reclaim the fitness and joy I once got from outdoor activities.
Today was a me day, I did not work out I needed to rest and plan a new set of exercise objectives. Oh so important when ones fitness level increases and the routine seems "easy". Tomorrow I will be up early to beat the heat on the road. I don't know anyone in my area that competes in triathlons but I do keep a close watch on other blogs to focus . We have all heard "yes I can" well maybe in a few months i will join the saying as well, right now I'm just going to keep moving and focus on feeling the freedom to walk without wheezing!

Checking in

I have managed to lose eight pounds thus far but weight loss is not one of my goals. I know a few pounds will fall off as i work out more so i figure why bother with numbers. It's hard enough work being a vegetarian without calorie counting.
Things have been hard this week becuase the tempeture is eighty by seven in the morning. I could work out on the treadmill but i find it way to boring. So I'm sweeting out my natural hair in a major way these days.One has not lived until they have to do maitenance on dreads twice a week. Still I have to pickup my pace I promised myself i would be in shape to start the crossfit program in August. I also have identified a 5k to enter that is close to home. I hope to find a few more before the end of the year.

Still Pushing

Yesterday was the first day I have walked since my last post. I thought about exercising but to be honest it’s been hot. The last couple of days temperatures have hovered up in the 90’s with a heat index that made it feel like 100. If I am not out by seven in the morning there is no way I can make myself do two miles at 80 degrees. So this morning There was no desire in my mind to get up and move anything. However the little voice inside my heart kept calling to me. I mean it was so strong that I was unable to ignore it and believe me I tried.
After getting myself together I made the decision to stay close to home. Sometimes I have great ideas and this turned out to be one of them. My routine like so many other worker bees always included hoping in the car never really observing more than the nice aesthetics of my street.
I had never noticed that the trees that lined the sidewalk actually interlocked and formed a nice canopy for walking. While I have been annoyed by various cranes and their loud mating calls, I hadn’t noticed the variety of song birds that live in the area as well. I sort of felt like I had rediscovered the reason I live in the area. The daily grind of life has a way of dulling our senses down to nothing as the push to get from point A to point B consumes us. As I walked along taking it all in I realized the setting was slowing me down. This was no leisure walk this was business. I’m out here to get back in shape and then become fit enough to finish a race I haven’t even picked yet. So off the sidewalk and into the street I went.
Knowing full well the street in the morning is the wrong place to be. Those same folks that used to include me are in their cars hurrying to work. Most aren’t really paying attention, perhaps preparing for the work day ahead and just trying to make it through the day at a job they hate. Some are late or have not had their morning java or nicotine fix, no surprise that group wanted me out the road. After all it’s Friday and that means everyone shows up for pay day so traffic today is a bit more active than the rest of the week. Now here is this woman (me) out walking between the white lines on the side of a very curvy road causing drivers to move a little more to the center of the lane. I’ve been there not understanding way the heck these idiots are in the street when there is a perfectly good sidewalk around. Well tar is way more comfortable than concrete to walk on and after just missing being blessed by a few of those birds the road seemed more appealing. I don’t have a death wish although thanks to transplanted Yankees mostly from New York, New Jersey and Boston, Florida was ranked fourth on the worst driver list this year. Since the hospital is not my idea of a getaway vacation I decided to face the traffic so I could see trouble coming if need be.
True confession, I liked the street, maybe it just seemed deviant to be there. I told myself it was race practice, isn’t that what they do in cities, block off streets for races. Wasn’t I just getting in game mode preparing for the big day. Okay it sounded good but the small sprint I made from the speed limit sign to the next industrial driveway told me that day was really in the distant future. Dreams become goals and then realities and as I pushed to the end of the road I call home I kept that in focus. Not even the guy in a black 80ish camero who leaned out and hollered something as he waited in line at the intersection could cause me to break concentration on the task at hand. Making the half circle turn behind his car I moved back in the direction I came from. My legs stiffened, I was slowing so I picked up pace and all was fine. The return trip was uneventful and one I will make again because mixing up where and when I workout keeps boredom from setting in.
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Lessons

Yesterday I delayed walking in the morning to ran some errands. I told a friend i would meet her to walk later in the day. Well, later in the day she told me she went out walking earlier and
it was to hot to go out at the time I called her. Lesson learned, not that I didn't know but always stick to a routine and don't let others throw you off. I know I prefer morning training, nothing better than starting the day with a Sharp mind well exercised body.So when she said lets try again this week I said sure but I needed to do it in the morning and at my location. I look forward to her joining me but we will have to work on meeting up. I'm close to running now,
well I can go in little spurts at least and I really want to progress. I also plan to hit the treadmill again to build that endurance as next week will include an extra mile for me.
By the way I did walk and I really felt the strongest I had ever felt on the course.Then it hit me I actually took the time to eat a balanced meal and rest. Today is a different story because I walked late then got up and walked my regular time. I didn't recover well but bet your last penny I will be out and about tomorrow regardless!

Praise the Lord

My daily routine these days has been to get my miles done, write a bit and then go home and get ready for the rest of the day. Well that all went as planned until in the middle of writing i heard some music and happened to look over my shoulder. This old guy was sitting on the edge of his opened trunk playing the guitar. I listened for awhile as it became good writing music kind of a jazzy James Taylor vibe.
Well i walked over and we started talking and he was really into religion. I found out he had gone to my church but stop because he really wanted to get his musical message out and he wasn't so pleased with our Church's direction. Anyway he was quite a character who ending giving me his CD of songs and a DVD of bible passages. Okay i took them to be nice but sometimes my southern talk to strangers charm can be a trip at times. So i guess at some point i will listen to his music and i wish his endeavor well. Now as I sit here thinking about today's events I know the God in me isn't how much I pray or talk to the lord worshiping,wishing,and praising it truly is about the daily grind ,what I as a person do in this world to glorify my higher power. Today I listened and tomorrow i will start a new journey. Oh yes i will also get out of bed earlier it's summer and nearly eigthy and not even 8 am.

The Struggle

One of the great things about living in Florida is that the climate allows for many welcomed and not so welcomed wildlife adventures while working out. Today I did not feel like walking but as I exited the car Petey the peacock was out strutting his stuff and I thought i needed to shake mine as well, so on to the ugly details.I need to say the first half of my run should take no more than sixteen minutes at a mile and a quarter. That's awful time but where I'm at when I push it. Lately this is what is happening.
Today I had to find motivation were i could and usually pacing myself at various check points works. For instance, I know when i pass the dog park at about ten minutes into the walk that
I'm five minutes off pace. This is the point where I hit the jog/trot do whatever i can mode to reach check point two, which most often will be fifteen minutes away. By then I know I 'm ten minutes off pace and have about eight minutes left in the first lap. Turns out it took me thirty one minutes give or take the pit stop i made at the dog park. I break for fur kids, it's bad i know and at some point i resolve to be stronger.There was no kick in me at that particular moment is my explanation for stopping.
When i finally did finish I went looking for the peacock again. Petey was hanging out with a few mallards. It was kind of sad to see him following the ducks trying to make friends. He must be young and can't find a mate yet. I noticed the neighborhood cat watching it all including "mama" the raccoon who scampered off a roof and forged in the bushes. For the record I did not name them the locals did. As i walked back to my car I noticed swimmers doing laps in the lake, immediately i snapped back to refocus on the goal. I will be putting myself in a competition frame of mind as these relaxing strolls are not doing it for me. Weekdays are hard because I don't have other power walkers pulling me. I have to find that place inside that i can call up for the lonely morning workout.
I'm thinking an energy boost is in order too. As a vegetarian you'd think I pay more attention to
my diet. Today was a wake up call, regardless of what I used to do a thirty minute mile and a quarter sucks big time! Just glad to finish before it got to hot and the rains came. I will have to add the other three Fourths a mile in sometime this week. It's hurricane season and we are the lighting capital of the world. One more reason to get it over and done with early. I will be stopping at the store before i get home to make sure I don't hit the wall tomorrow for lack of energy.

Memories get in the way

There is a line in an old Gladys Knight song that says " memories get in my way", so true for me too.I used to knock off five miles in the morning before going to work and stand all day,then I would do another five miles when I got home on the treadmill at high elevation. If it was my day off I'd throw in some weight training and spinning.
Now I'm sixty pounds over the weight I was just seven years ago. Which means I struggle with the 1.5 to 2 miles I walk each day. This is not from a physical set back but a mental one. I know
I can't run yet but I try even if it nearly kills me. It's so hard for me to forget the things I used to be able to do and pace myself at the level I have fallen to now.
However I have learned to go with the flow and am incorporating other exercises in the set plan I've made for myself. Although I still day dream about the glory days of old,i now use the memories to motivate myself to keep on pushing on. As a vegetarian I have to be more careful to maintain good nutrition making out my fitness plans too.This was something I did not do years ago. So far so good and today I finally said farewell goodbye to the frustration that comes with the fact i let myself go in the first place. I have moved on for the betterment of my health!

The Begining

We all should hold ourselves accountable for living a healthy life. So the purpose of this blog is to simply allow people to become inspired and to get up, get out, and exercise their way to a good life. Every chance I get to talk to women about what they do to stay active I will.
I will also put myself out here and admit I have a goal of completing a mini triathlon. Stating that one loud so I can be held accountable to meet that goal! Join me in my search it should become a real adventure.