Training is going pretty well so far. The cold weather has stopped me from getting anywhere near as many miles as I usually do this time of the year though. I despise indoor workouts and the extreme cold has made it hard to run or cycle for very long anyway. Going out in the cold has been out of the question on some days. Fortunately, I put a couple of extra weeks cushioning in my training schedule in case of injury or illness.
For Christmas/birthday (including what I got myself with gift cards) I got some amazing new gear that I've been enjoying: a colorful money belt, some awesome galaxy print cycling shorts, a new swimsuit with world flags all over it, and my very own super comfy climbing harness!
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| I'm not usually one to take bathroom selfies, but check out these awesome galaxy cycling shorts! And they look super cool with my Star Trek cycling jersey! |
I added one more thing to my 2014 To Do List and have gotten a pretty good start on it: getting mostly caught up in Taekwondo. For the first time in several years, I've been attending MMA practice about twice a week (and we're doing Taekwondo this semester) and occasionally making it to Taekwondo club. I earned my black belt in Taekwondo 2006 and haven't been regularly attending MMA/Taekwondo since early 2009, so I have a lot of catching up to do! Fortunately the technique is second nature so it comes back very quickly: it's just the forms (a specific sequence of movements) I have to re-learn.
Yesterday, I went skiing for the first time! Not sure how I've managed to not ski until now. It's not because of lack of interest in trying: I've always wanted to, it just never happened. And the weather was actually pretty warm yesterday! I went with my fiancé and some people from my home church in Cincinnati. We had a great time!
Ray was incredibly patient with me as a learned the basics (especially since he is naturally really good at it). I did a lot of falling, screaming, and laughing. After I made it down the bunny hills a couple of times without falling, Ray and I went onto the real hills. I fell every time towards the bottom. I did figure out how to fall in style at least: instead of laying there struggling, I realized I could continue flying forward on my butt, then pull myself up once I came to a complete stop. Not the most graceful looking thing I'm sure, but it was still fun! I did manage to get off the ski lift my first time without falling, which Ray told me is a great accomplishment for a beginner.
As the day was coming to an end, I decided I wanted to try the intermediate hill one last time. Ray and I boarded the ski lift one more time. We gracefully slid off the ski lift to the top of the hill. "I will NOT fall" I told myself. Taking a deep breath, I began my descent, as Ray staying behind. As I began to pick up speed, I slowed down my mind. Everything beside me was a blur: all the people around me no longer startled me. The only thing that mattered was the path ahead. Approaching the bottom I glided to the right of a woman standing, approaching the lodge and slowing myself down. It was an amazing sense of accomplishment. I turned around to find Ray and a few minutes later, he appeared, with a huge smile on his face. He approached me as I beamed right back. "Great job sweetie! I knew you could do it!" he said. I hate to sound cliché, but this goes to show that you can do anything you put your mind to.
Skiing is definitely something Ray and I would like to start doing a couple of times each winter (more if we had the money). I had no idea what fun I was missing!
So far, 2014 is an awesome year! I can't wait to see what else is in store! :-)
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