Well Hell, I am seriously out of practice with my blogging and about ten million things have happened in the past two weeks which really should have been written about in one format or another. It seems like I start a new year off on a peaceful, lovely and quiet note- all ready for a productive, focused and happy time- when, BOOM, all chaos erupts. But, such is life and it is not worth living without the challenges as well as the triumphs, right?
This new year has been busy from the get go. I have eight one-on-one athletes right now whom I coach through MHM and five of them are up and running for the season with their training plans. I have three more starting in the next month or two. So, it is a very exciting time for me. I love coaching triathletes and this is my favorite time of the season when we start working on creating that base fitness; focus on both the short and long term goals we have set for ourselves; finding the balance we need to be successful in our personal, social and athletic lives; and, pinpointing the weaknesses which we want to develop into our strengths. We will begin team Computrainer sessions in the next week. This is an exciting addition to my offerings for my personal athletes. Big thanks goes to Marty Albe of Altitude Cycling for making this happen for us! It will be a great way to solidify team camaraderie, spend time together on the bikes when the roads are icy and work on our cycling fundamentals as we head into the warmer weather this Spring. I have a tremendous group of athletes who are hard working, fun and dedicated. It’s a real pleasure for me to work with all of them and I am grateful they have entrusted their training to me this season.
My husband had his birthday right after the New Year and he is now in his “late” 40s. I am only 2 months behind him and so that pretty much makes me a late 40 “yearer” myself We may be getting on in years but we still have a lot of youth left in us!! And, we are trying to age gracefully…lol…whatever that means. His birthday theme? Back Country Skiing. He got some ski skins, a new back country ski backpack, a mountaineering/ski book for Colorado and some ski boot warmers. I am excited for him but I must be honest and admit that I am a little terrified. I am going to be a nervous wreck every time he goes and does this crazy ski thing off the beaten path of the ski slopes. He reminded me though that he worries the same way every time I get on my bike and ride away onto the roads. We always worry about the safety of those we love but we also want to embrace their joy for life. Life is about adventure and exploring new passions. Embracing that for those we love is an integral part of our relationships- scary as it may be at times.
All three of our sons have now started their basketball seasons and my car is filled with Gatorade bottles, basketballs, stinky socks, snack trash…..smelly boys!!!! Oh, good God, how my sweet, handsome boys stink after practice. I drove home tonight in 28 degree temperatures with the windows rolled down because I was afraid I might pass out and swerve into a ditch to the side of Evergreen Parkway. We were at Costco last weekend and I really should have bought another HUGE box of deodorant as these kids need it. But, seriously, I just have to suck it up and deal because that is what happens when you live with a household full of testosterone. Fact. Of. Life. I am outnumbered 4 to 1 with human males and 6 to 1 if you count our boy dogs. Estrogen is never going to be the dominant hormone in our house.
So, moving on to the emotions that I get with the stinkiness. My boys are sweet and cute and full of hugs and they are emotional!! What is this?? I thought I was in for the “easy” years come Middle School- everyone told me that girls are harder than boys by this age. Right?? Beuller? I figured it was a trade off. Stinky boys= Mellow, laid back teenagers. But, no. I just spent the past two days pealing brothers off of one another as they cried and screamed and bickered and drove. their. mother. insane. INSANE!! I seriously thought my head was going to pop off in frustration yesterday afternoon. I am baffled as to why Jeffco Public Schools decided to give our children almost 3 weeks off at the holidays and then have them come back to school for 4 days- only to then give them a 4 day weekend!!
Routine, Routine, Routine, I am a huge advocate of keeping the kiddos on a schedule and following a consistent routine. Like a school routine- the kids go to school. Yet, for every day that I curse the rising emotions and lack of routine within my household on the last day of a vacation, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the loving hugs and sweet cuddles that these three continue to give me. Even though it would not be considered “cool” by any peer standard at their age, Tommy and Connor hug me unabashedly in public. Matthew is a little more reluctant in front of his friends but is more than willing in private. The only caveat; “Mom, you need to stop hugging me on the head because you are messing with my hair gel.” I love my life with boys without exception and I would not change a thing. I will take all of the laundry, dirt, bickering, wrestling, emotion and ENERGY. I love being a “Boy Mom”. It is exciting and fun and crazy and real.
On a more girl focused note, I met up with some of my team mates from the Betty Squad for dinner on Saturday night and that was a ton of fun. It was terrific to get to chat and catch up in person, hear about everyone’s families and race goals for the season and have some lady time. We went to Fate Brewery in Boulder. I had never been there and I thought my salmon salad was delish. Paige had some incredible cider drink which was insanely terrific. Monica threw tomatoes and a plate of hummus all over the place. Tina left there with a jug of beer to go. It was just fun all around. It’s really great to be a part of this group of women and have the chance to make some new friends from all over the world. I feel very lucky to be a part of Team Betty 17.
What else happened this week? Well, we had some scary health issues with my brother-in-law and we spent a few days very concerned about him. But, prayers paid off and God was good to us. He is doing much better and the entire Monroe/Culligan family is very grateful for our blessings. Thank you to all of you who said prayers and sent good vibes our way this week. The love and support was much appreciated!!
Team USA began sending out our travel plans for ITU Worlds in Rotterdam for September. Wow, and this sh%t is getting real. It is super exciting but also a little intimidating. I race Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Tennessee on Saturday, September 9th and then need to be in Rotterdam by Wednesday, September 13th. So, in the three days between, I need to fly home to Denver, get my husband and kids settled back at home, pack for Europe, get my bike and gear ready for transport with me, get myself PSYCHED up and recovered from 70.3 Worlds – think sleep, good food, rest, sleep, more healthy options, stretching, rolling, massage, sleep, more rest- and then get on a plane on Tuesday, September 12th so I can arrive in the Netherlands by Wednesday. I am beginning to think that I am a bit loco, cray cray to try to get this all done but what a tremendous honor it is for me to get to represent my country at ITU Worlds. I just can’t miss this. It’s going to be incredible! So, I am going to get that hotel room booked in the morning! If anyone wants to come to Rotterdam and be part of the fun, let me know!! I could use all the support and cheerleaders I can get! Most of my family is coming to Chattanooga to cheer so I am currently recruiting for a European squad! xoxo
Last but not least, final update for January so far- push ups. Yes, push ups!! I have been doing 100 push ups a day, every day for the past 17 days of the month. I dedicate 22 of these to our veterans for the #22pushupchallenge and the other 78 of them are for my Betty Squad. Ouch. But, I am getting stronger and my arms are getting bigger and I have been looking like an idiot on Facebook doing push up videos every day. But, the important part is doing this for a good cause and bringing awareness to suicide prevention for our veterans. The fun part is nominating my friends to join in the torture with me. The humorous (or embarrassing???) part is watching the videos I tape and post on social media because I look like a sweaty mess and my voice is truly so annoying. The motivating part is holding myself accountable to get these push ups done and succeeding at this. The inspiring part is knowing that we can all make a difference in the lives of others in some way- it can be as simple as a set of push ups. Whatever your something is, do it! Make a difference- find a way- you are an inspiration to others! Find your venue and go get it!
I’ll be back soon with some more writing, some more thinking, some more sharing, some more laughing and some more fun.
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