It would seem that the universe is speaking to me and I feel like I have no choice but to listen.
I had a successful summer completing my first sprint tri, backpacking test run, and 100 mile bike ride. And I was doing great at keeping up on my workout schedule in preparation of being a bridesmaid, in what was a beautiful wedding, at the end of the summer. Then the summer was over, the days a bit gloomier, and I made the mistake of not setting the next round of goals to work towards. I backed off my workout consistency and gave in to holiday season bad eating. I have gained back a few pounds and lost some of the muscle I had worked so hard for. To say I am disappointed in myself would be an understatement.
That's not to say that good things haven't been happening for me. The world around me has been pushing me to get back on track and experience some new amazing things. In addition to caring for a few young kids during the day, I needed to contribute more financially to my household, and I was sure I could benefit from some adult interaction, so I applied to a couple places thinking maybe someone could use some holiday help. A few days later I managed to secure a job at REI, a recreation equipment co-op that started out of Seattle. A place I am honored to work at. A place that helped me so much in preparing for my own adventures. A place where the mission statement is:
To inspire, educate, and outfit
for a lifetime of outdoor adventure and stewardship.
YESYESYES!!!! I can totally get behind that!
So I've been working at REI since the beginning of November. It's something totally new to me and it was a bit challenging at first but it's going pretty great now. I'm so excited, I get to be around people that love going on adventures and be exposed to their enthusiasm and wealth of knowledge. Buuuut, I'm working so much between my two jobs and daylight hours are so few, that I have no time to do much of anything.
Then as part of a contest I won a ENO double nest hammock. Awesome!! I've looked at these before but now it's all mine! So this sparks me to watch videos of how to set it up, and reviews and comparisons between other hammocks. Which in turn leads me to videos of portaledges and rock climbing and Alex Honnold free soloing places like Half Dome. (Crazy!) Which causes me to ask some of my coworkers at REI about their experiences with rock climbing and such. Of course they are super awesome people and I get invited by a couple people to go climb sometime. On one hand I'm thinking, cool this could be a fun new experience, and on the other hand I'm thinking about my backsliding and how out of shape I'm feeling again.
Let it also be known that I am positioned in the store across from the GoPro display so that the constant stream of GoPro videos is always in my field of vision. So I'm showing these crazy videos to Josh when we are home together and I'm feeling energized and adventuresome. Then at Josh's Christmas party he wins, of all things, a GoPro. Ok I get it! Time to get back on track and step up the adventures. Without knowing about any of the nudges life had been giving me towards rock climbing, one of my brothers gave me a gift certificate to Wild Walls, a climbing gym in town. So that's that. I am going to be trying my hand at rock climbing in the near future. Aaaaand I have visions of hanging my hammock high up in a tree.
Also because of REI, I became aware of Cheryl Strayed's book: Wild, which has recently been turned into a movie. (She mentions REI numerous times in the book.) It's her story of her 100 day journey on the Pacific Crest Trail and what lead to her being there. I really enjoyed the book and her TED talk as well. I already had the PCT in my sights and now I want it even more! I don't by any means think I'm ready for it or have that much time now, but I can see it as a long term goal. In the mean time I can work on arranging time to go on lots of shorter trips and try for a 100 mile trip to see what that's like. Visions of thru hiking take over my dreams sometimes, it kinda ridiculous.
So biking is another thing. I LOVE biking!! And I'm missing it so much this winter. The wind rushing past me, the smells as I pass by, the strength and power in my legs. It's where I feel most accomplished. Then I see some of my more hardcore coworkers biking to and from work at REI. I doesn't mater if its raining or snowing or freezing out, these people are true bad asses. And I want to be like that some day. In order for this to become a reality I need to get back to training. Since I'm working with the kids during the week days and at REI most nights and weekends, my available training time is limited to odd hours for the most part. Having as many resources at home as possible is the best plan for me. So I pooled my Christmas funds and, with assistance from my generous employee discount, invested in a bike trainer. It's a stand I can put my bike in to make it a stationary bike, allowing me to ride indoors through the cold weather. I've been doing this in the mornings before work. I'm starting with 30 minutes and will build back up to 60 minutes, 3-4 times per week.
As if that wasn't enough, I have an opportunity to join the workout community at Talache Wellness. Having this network of support is HUGE for me. It's going to push me to work harder than I might on my own and help keep me accountable. I went to my first class in a loooong time last night and it was both, not as bad as I imagined and exactly as challenging as I remembered. My plan is to go to at least 2-3 classes per week.
I think what it comes down to, is wanting to experience as much as possible and to try new things that brighten my soul.
To live a life I love!
So here it is. I'm going to get on track with this cliche New Years start again date. Because any start again date is better than not starting at all.
Goals and things I am working towards:
Cross country ski and/or snowshoe at least once this year (completed January/February 2015)
Go climbing for the first time
Climb a real rock wall
Work up to climbing Big Rock on Iller Creek Trail- maybe :)
Bloomsday with the family
Do at least one 5/10K fun run
Go on a weekend back packing trip
Backpack 100 miles
Complete another 100 mile bike ride
Improve sprint tri time
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