The Sensational Weekend of a Sensory Seeker

According to Mr Webster, pleasure is a sensual gratification, a frivolous amusement, a source of delight of joy...a super simple definition for such a subjective, desired, strong and influential experience. The more I think about it...the more complex it becomes in my mind...and the more I want to understand about pleasure. Pleasure has power and intelligent use of pleasure can give us power...power to feel positive and power to impact others. Pleasure is related to positive emotional feelings and positive sensory input. External and internal information exchange between our bodies and our surrounding environment. What kind of sensory stimulation do you prefer? How do specific sights, touches, noises, scents, tastes, movements (or lack there of) impact your feelings, thoughts and actions? Do you avoid sensory input or seek out as much input as you can? Are you deprived of stimulation or are you over-stimulated?   

I know this might be a shocker; however I have came to the conclusion that I am indeed a sensory seeker. I came to this conclusion not only because I truly enjoy Ironman distance races; but I also have a need for loud rhythmic and dynamic music, intensely flavored foods, 'straberry:)' scented lotion, messy painting or cooking and beautiful sun sets. Pounding on pavement calms me and makes my thoughts sharp and clear. Flying down a hill on my bike and jumping out of a plane (as I just learned today) exhilarates me, creates a large smile and makes my thoughts risky, confident, dreamy and grateful. Diving in the ocean, taking a warm shower, drinking tea, getting a massage, paddling on a board and stroking through the water 'grounds me' and makes my thoughts flexible and accepting.      

    

down hill with cam attached to speakers...yay for water bungie cords, speaker shelf and cam attachments

                                                     

This past weekend was an intense and full of emotions. It was one of those go, go, go type of weekends. The nervousness associated with lots of first time experiences occurred this weekend. It was in fact a 'sensational weekend'. Friday involved a bit of dating excitement...trying to include more of that aspect into the adventures. Saturday started out with myself and two colleagues presenting on the topic of sensory strategies for mental health at an occupational therapy association state conference. This topic constantly has me contemplating, not just about the topic alone; however how it's complex relations with EVERYTHING else...much more than able to discuss in a single blog. So, Saturday continued on with an evening bike towards the sun and a run to speedy bpm tunes with Tiesto transitioning from light to dark sky with bright city lights and cars rushing by as I was sweating to the warm air, feeling my rhythmic HR, chewing my mint gum, being cautious of  my body position on the uneven sidewalk, smelling the food being cooked at restaurants, smiling, observing positive interactions of families and couples and being grateful for amazingly talented musicians. It was sensational. Next time you swim, bike or run, (or anything) I challenge you to think more about what you see, hear, smell, taste and feel (not just touch...but how your body feels in relation to it's movement in space). Saturday ended by slowing down and celebrating quietly with some friends. Sunday was a wake up, run in the cold, bike in the cold transition to warm, run in the warm, shoot 12 gauge riffles and jump out of a plane kind of day. Oh...and not to leave out an all you can eat pasta dinner at the Olive Garden with friends. I did come to find out that I enjoy the sound, push back and aiming involved with shooting huge riffles. I also came to find out that I REALLY enjoy free falling out of an airplane and floating in the sky while looking down at earth. It was my pleasure and a pleasure that I shall desire again and again in the future. Same 'free' feeling as flying down a hill on a bike or snow skis but 1000000x more intense. I mean our faces are absolutely not able to accomplish this on earth....  

terrified, trusting, free, perfect, amazed
reaching for the clouds and creating a new facial expression with my awesome instructor

Sensory preferences, pleasures, ideas, life adventures and tri-adventures are all connected...just like everything and everyone is connected to a point. I know what sensory input I like and want. I know this input provides me with the ability to become more aware, help others, create solutions, live my dreams and believe that anything is possible. It's possible to experience 'out of this world' pleasure through healthy and safe experiences. Anything is possible. A cure for cancer, a world record Ironman time, a 70.3 triathlon PR on October 8th, an end to violence, enough food and water for everyone and unconditional love for each other. Do you think cavemen ever thought humans would be flying? Step out, soak it in, appreciate it and keep on truckin'.    

 

What goes up must come down



The sun, the sky and the sensational flying Menace and Spike 



Tri Adventures of Louisville Ironman Race Day: Blue Skies Smiling Inside 205's Mind

Everyday as I walk down my steps to head out the door I tap a quote written on the wall, "Go Confidently in the Direction of Your Dreams". Many dreams change just as we change and the world around us changes. Some dreams are more consistent...peace, happiness, love...and those dreams have the potential to be lived internally at any given moment no matter whats going on externally. Those dreams should be lived in all moments. Living out those simple dreams can unlock other undiscovered potential and dreams one didn't know even existed. So, as I walked out the door on August 26th, I high-fived my wall and set out confidently in the direction of one of those ideas I had back in April. The 'idea' to do Louisville Ironman in under 12 hours.

Friday: Athlete check-in, dinner and briefing with other Cincinnati peeps.

Saturday: Sleeping in and skipping the swim to avoid chance of catching some virus from the river right before the race. Watching others swim and being happy that I was on a bridge above the water. Riding bike to Race Day Wheels to replace my wheels with Zipps. Organizing gear and special needs bags. Meeting an inspirational hero from TriSoldier Project. Easy spin out ride with TriSoldier and  Gabby. Microwavable rice, bailey and lentils mix and dandelion leaf salad with berries for lunch. Trip to the Ironman Village. Meeting and getting a tip from Michellie Jones...'live your dreams':) Walking bike and gear/needs bags to transition area for check in. Being in transition area. Visualizing transitions. Walking back to hotel to meet mom and dad for pre-race dinner at Proof on Main. Salmon, quinoa, avocado and rye oh my. Back to room, compression socks and night splint on. Discussing spectator tips with the parents. Opening pre-race good luck cards. Rhythmic breathing and positive thoughts of appreciation and care as I drift off into sleep.

 

SUNDAY: Wake up 4:30am. Warm up shower and stretch. Oatmeal, chia seeds, coffee, Rise and Shine Vitamin Water. Final prep of morning gear bag. Trisuit, compression socks, jacket and extra pair of running shoes on. Dad and I walk about 10 min to transition area. Can't get pump to work on the new tires...start to get worried...locate and place last minute items in gear bags...load bike with nutrition. Meanwhile, Gabby figures out a trick to the tire pump situation. Crazy thankful for that win. Dad gets the pumps and we all walk to swim start area. Then we wait. While waiting I make sure to drink lots of a water with a pre-workout  mix. Oh, and I also tried a salt tab for the first time. We wait from about 6am till 8:45 until we run over the start line and jump off the pier to begin our day of fun! Together we sit and stretch and laugh and wait. Once we cross the start line and jump in the water we're on our own and free to just go. Free to keep keep moving. Free from distractions. Free to be in the moment. Free to smile under the blue skies.

SWIM: First of all...I was pretty excited to be wearing a PINK Ironman swim cap. Matched my pink goggles and nail polish perfectly. The goggles stayed on as I jumped in the water. The water was warm. I breathed every 3-5 strokes and constantly peaked up before me. Lots of kicking going on in that water. The goal during the swim is survival and navigating through the mass of people without being kicked in an organ or hit on the head. Flutter kick splashes I see coming, it's those breast strokers that really surprise kick me. I managed to not get knocked out though. Luckily sighting straight ahead was easy. Stay between the island and the mainland going upstream. Swim towards the big red roof while going downstream. Going downstream was a lot less congested of people than going upstream was. There was a little choppiness in the main part of the river; however nothing bad. As I turned my head to breath I could see the sun rising behind me. The closer I got to the swim finish, the harder I kicked to get the blood flow back into my lower extremities. I'm sure I swallowed OH River water during the swim. Water was trapped in my right goggle lens so every time I turned my head, I got a little eye rinse which started to sting after a while. It's been almost a week and I'm Aok. There were volunteers helping us pop out of the water.
1:06:23 (about 3 min faster than FLIM, 2010)

T1: 7:01 (about 8 min faster the time spent during T1 at FLIM)

BIKE:  I kept the computer on cadence and didn't touch it the entire race. I found my 'feel good' position and was able to keep the legs loose and spinning rather than 'mashing'. Monitored my cadence, HR and replaced fluids at each stop. Dumped water in the aero bottle and PowerBar on the frame. I consumed about 300 cal an hour between PowerBar fluids and bars. I stopped once to chug a V8 out of my special needs bag, but I kept one foot clipped in and stayed on the saddle. Gotta get those veggies. I knew the course pretty well, was straight out happy to be moving along fast on the roads and those thoughts of being limitless were flowing. I felt good spinning into T2 and wanted to check my mph...but refrained.
5:48:45 (19.27mph/about 50 min faster than FLIM)

T2: 7:59 (about 3 min faster than T2 at FLIM)

RUN:  I was nervous about the run, considering the longest long run I had was only 15 miles, run workouts were minimal and my right foot was still constantly in some pain. I was also nervous about running the full marathon in my Kinvaras, since I was advised by several people to only wear those for shorter runs. They feel good and they look good...so I figured I'd take the chance and wear them. I also figured that I would be in pain regardless of what shoes I had on. I made the right decision on that. I also couldn't decide if I should wear the compression socks during the run as I did in FL. I made the decision not to wear them. I did have pain in my right foot, but I ran with the pain. The most intense pain was from the blisters on the lateral sides of my baby toes. That's what happens when you run through sprinklers and squeeze wet sponges all over you...wet socks and shoes for 26.2 miles. Not sure how to fix that. Unless I find some good tri-shoes. I took in Perpeptuum, water and PowerBar drink for the first half (about 150 cal/hour). I started to feel a little sick...like some of that might come back up. So I switched to water, ice chips and chicken broth for the sodium. I also had gum. I felt better and had a HoneyStinger shot around mile 22. Crossed the finish line.
4:30:39 (about 14 min faster than FLIM)

OVERALL:  11:40:47 (1 hour 17 min faster than FLIM, 2010)
I was focused on the details...the preparation, the nutrition, hydration, heart felt thoughts, heart rate...all were part of the 'present moment' during different moments. I followed through with the idea I had in April for a sub-12 hour Ironman...which also means that I now get to follow through with the idea of participating in the USAT Long Course National Championships in Myrtle Beach this October. Thanks to Veritas Endurance Coaching (Bob and Cody) for my awesome workouts. Thanks to Mom and Dad Spike for being the best Ironman Support Crew a girl could ask for. I also was able to follow through with the idea to raise funds and awareness for TriSoldier Project...and this idea will continue being part of the adventure. Thanks to the TriSoldiers and other Veterans for being my inpirational heroes. Recover week was over as of Friday. Training for MB 70.3 started yesterday. Riding under an old fighter plane near the airport and dodging lit firecrackers thrown out of vehicle windows on my fav country route. The adventures never stop. New tri-adventure performance specific ideas to be determined...

Mission 205 Complete