Oh 2011!

I say this every year and I'll say it again....this year has FLOWN by!  January through March always seem to drag a bit and then the next thing you know, BAM!  It's December.  

I must admit that the last part of the year was pretty rough on me from just about every aspect of my life.  While it has definitely sucked at times, I know things could've been far worse, especially as I think about what others have faced this year.  I'll go ahead and count my blessings instead of count the things that weren't given to me. 

Thankfully, the past few weeks have been uneventful and peaceful.  Ahhh.  Much of that is attributed to the fact that I've had several days off (and I only had to go into work once over the holidays).   

So now I get to focus on 2012 and what a great (even numbered) year is sure to bring!  I've got a new position at work and I couldn't be more excited.  My official title is going to be Quality Implementation Manager.  I'm still transitioning out of my old role...yes, that transition has been going on far longer than I would like.  I'm hopeful that by mid-January, I'll be fully engaged in my new role and really making a difference.  Fingers crossed!

In Spring 2012 I have a fun vacation planned with my sisters, niece & nephew and I can't wait!  Cristian will start kindergarten in the fall and we thought it would be fun to do something special with him so we are!  

Of course, I'm signed up for a handful of races already:  Houston Half Marathon, Hot Chocolate 15k, The Woodlands Half-Marathon and the Hy-Vee 5i50 Championship.  As I've said before, there will be other races on my calendar and I'll be finalizing all of that soon with the help of my wonderful coach, Ana.  

I've got some projects around the house I would love to tackle this year since I will likely not be training for any triathlon longer than an Oly.  :)  Don't worry, I'll talk more about that in my RESOLUTIONS edition which will likely come out on New Years Day.  

I'll go ahead and close this blog up with some pictures.  Enjoy and if I don't talk to you before 2012......HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

I became an Auntie again!  Welcome Avery Elizabeth!

Keith became a Papa to little Addison Irene Buttenob! 

 I started....

 ...and finished my 1st Ironman!

And baby makes 3!

 Post race celebrating with Avery Elizabeth, a future triathlete for sure!

I got to "coach" Emily this year and watch her compete in her first 3 races!  

Watch out Woodlands Marathon!

 My "baby" sisters. Time sure does fly!

Ahh, I finally finished a race in Galveston!

And a PR to boot!  Goodbye, Galveston! 

Hello, Hy-Vee 5i50 Championship!

 Steffie becomes a Mommy in 2011. :)

 Keith & Luke race in their 1st Half-Ironman as part of a relay team!

 First time Aunties, Hannah & Caitlin!

 Future BFF's.  Avery & Addie checking each other out at Papa Chalfant's. 

 Keith's baby, Heather, also became a new Mommy in 2011.  

 Mom,Stef & Avery at Santa's Wonderland. 

 Doug & Mom at Santa's Wonderland. He waited all year to visit!  LOL!

Uncle Kevin doesn't let  us take many pics but here he is with his niece!

 Oh brothers!  Christmas morning is never dull with my family!

 Another great year with my honey.  :)

Cristian has grown so much in 2011!  Future heartbreaker!!

And of course, let's not forget Leia & Sophie.  

Limiter?

As the year comes barreling to a close, I find myself reflecting a lot about 2011. For some reason, I've never been a huge fan of odd numbered years. No real reason for it although I'm sure if I tried, I could make a list of bad things that went down in odd years. I'll spare you that though.

While this year hasn't been all bad race wise (I mean hello, I did finish my first Ironman), I've definitely had my share of less than stellar races. Even though some of the challenges this year have been tough, I really wouldn't trade them for anything b/c that's what makes you stronger. The tough times are the times that define you and show you who you are. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have some not so challenging races but I'm glad I've been able to learn the lessons I have this year.

It seems that this year I've had trouble with my own head. I've found myself doubting my abilities more than I'd care to admit although I've thankfully been able to stifle that noise for my bigger, more important races. My biggest issue this year has been my lack of confidence in my running. This has been a little strange to me as running is what I started with and what I truly loved. What the heck happened? I think we need a timeline........

Jan 2008 - 1st half marathon. My goal was to finish in 2.5hrs and I managed to finish in 2:10.

Feb 2008 - Having loved my first experience so much, I signed up for the Austin half the next month. I was on track for the same time as Houston until my hip went nutty at about mile 8 and I was forced to walk a ton.

Aug 2008 - After spending the rest of the year racing like a crazy woman, I started having leg issues. In August/September I found out I had a stress fracture in one of the smaller bones in my left leg. Bummer. No running for about 6 weeks.

Jan 2009 - Ran the Houston Half again. Finished in the 2:20 range. Disappointed but was coming off stress fracture so.....

Apr 2009 - Ran Angie's Half Crazy Half Marathon with a fever. Dumb. Finished in 2:20 or 2:30 range.

Aug 2009 - Are you kidding me? Had leg pain again and found out I had a stress fracture in the other small bone in my left leg. Major bummer. Did not start running again until after Thanksgiving.

Jan 2010 - Ran Houston Half again. I believe this was another 2:20 range. Bummed but thankful to finish given how much training was missed.

Jun 2010 - Sign up for IMTX and get focused....well, as focused as my job would let me!

Summer 2010 - Can't remember what exactly but was experiencing some cramping in legs a lot. No stress fracture but something wasn't right.

Sept 2010 - Clear Lake Sprint (C race). Had a very good showing in the swim and on the bike. Bad leg cramping for run. Went from placing 5th to last in the run. I was pretty bummed. This was a turning point for me.

For the purpose of this blog, I will stop there b/c what's happened since has been pretty well journaled on this blog. As I sat here today thinking about that race, I realized that was the point where I started thinking differently about my running. During my post race debrief, I was told that the run was my limiter and ever since then, that's what I've believed. While I don't think the person who told me this meant for it to have the impact it did, it certainly stuck with me.

So limiters are funny things. We all have them. Right? I don't know if this is going to make sense but I think a limiter is only a limiter if we allow it to be. I get it, I'm never going to run a 6 minute mile and so maybe that means I'm never going to win a race but if winning isn't my goal, then why does a slower run = a limiter? Does that make sense? And as I typed this paragraph, it occurred to me that as soon as I tell myself I will never run a 6 minute mile, I am guaranteeing I won't b/c I obviously don't believe in myself. Let's not kid ourselves though, I am no Adrienne Langelier. :) I wasn't gifted with the ability to post those kinds of numbers and that's ok!

As I (we) head into 2012 I think it's important to remember why I (we) race. If we are doing it to learn, grow, improve & have fun, then why must we look at our abilities as limited? The only limiters are the ones we impose on ourselves. I'm challenging myself to keep the negative talk out of my head in 2012 and get back to really enjoying racing and having fun when I'm out there. There will be no talk of limiters when you're around me!

This video better be worth it....

Oh my gosh! Going on day 2 of trying to post this stupid thing!!!!

I had to reduce the quality so that I could post this thing so I will apologize in advance. :)

My poor blog....

Since OilMan HIM, I've been a bit of a slacker when it comes to blogging so let me see if I can't correct that problem! I warn you now, I have no pictures to post and have absolutely nothing funny to share! I just feel guilty for not writing. :)

I got sick around Thanksgiving and wasn't able to work out for a week and a few days. Oh my gosh, I was miserable! It's amazing how crappy you can feel after not working out. I know many would be excited by getting to rest vs rush to the gym right after work but that was not how I felt at all. Exercising really makes me happy and improves my mood so when I don't get to do it, I feel it not only physically, but mentally. I know there are more of you out there that feel my pain.

This week I've been able to exercise and while I've been very happy to do so, I can't lie when I tell you it's been tough. Workouts are a little more difficult so I just have to be patient and not overdo anything. And yes, I have been obeying coaches orders to a T. ;)

The end of the year is upon us and I know it's getting close to time to reflect about the past year and started looking towards what 2012 will hold and what I want to achieve. I'm SO excited for 2012!!!!

So now that it's triathlon off-season, how am I occupying my time? Well, I'm glad you asked! I am focusing on my run right now as I absolutely have a goal to PR at the half marathon distance. I don't have any long distance tris planned and know for certain there will be no Ironman for me in 2012. I doubt I'll do a half-Ironman but that's a little up in the air. Once again, I'll be attempting to get in to the NYC Marathon so if I don't, I'm sure I'll be itching for a late season tri but we'll see. Anyway, back to what I'm doing now! I've been taking on some craft projects. I'm working on a couple things that are super hush-hush as they will *hopefully* be gifts for family members. I also am working on re-purposing some household items I haven't been using in hopes of using them elsewhere. For example, I have this really cute wrought iron thing that I had hanging in the bedroom of my old apartment and I hung stuff from it. It's been sitting in my closet since moving and the other day it occurred to me I could use it in my workout room to display my race medals! I ventured over to Home Depot, purchased some silver spray paint and headed home to get started. Well, the spray paint phase is done and I'm super happy with how it turned out. I'll definitely post pictures. I have one more project for my workout room that involves a way to display race bibs. I got the idea from Etsy and am determined to tweak a bit and come up with something that compliments the decor in my workout room. So excited!

I hope you all are doing well and getting ready for Christmas!!!! Tomorrow I'll be heading to the Run Girl 13.1 race to watch Keith's daughter Emily race in her first half-marathon! Super, super excited to see how she does!!!!

Trying to catch up on my 14 days (so far) of Thanks!

For the past few weeks, I've had a lot of fun reading all the FB updates with what my friends are thankful for. I keep meaning to do the same but then find myself side tracked. I figured I would spend a little time tonight expressing some thanks!

1. FAMILY - I think this goes without saying. I'm super duper thankful for my awesome family, both immediate & extended. From my siblings to my cousins, I'm just plain lucky! What's even cooler is that I've got a lot of family members I have literally never met (on my dad's side of the family) and some who I haven't seen in years but are still super supportive of me (on my step-dad's side of the family). And of course, there's my mom who not only birthed me, but 6 siblings!
2. KEITH E. POO - Ok, that's not really his name but it sounded cute. Keith is my awesome boyfriend and I'm grateful for the 6.5 years we've had together. With Keith comes his family which includes his girls, aunts, uncles & cousins. It also brought his awesome mom, Hazel, who passed away a few years ago. :( Dating after divorce is not always easy and we've definitely had some tough times but every year gets better & better!
3. CUTE BAG INVENTOR - I'm not kidding about this one. I love bags. Who am I kidding, shoes & bags are pretty even in my book. Picking which I love more is like a mother picking her favorite child...you just can't do it (unless you're in my family and the obvious choice is me). :)
4. FRIENDS - I'm not going to name off everyone who has been a great friend to me because those folks know who they are and I venture to guess that anyone reading this blog qualifies. :)
5. ICHAT - Yes, iChat makes the cut b/c over the past week, I've been able to chat with my sister 3 times. And while chatting with Stef is great, the real bonus is getting to chat w/ my niece. Ok, so maybe Avery isn't "chatting" yet but last night she clearly knew who I was and even crawled towards the computer. Yep, she loves her Auntie Jenny. :)
6. M&M's - Honestly, these little bits of chocolate heaven are the only things that make my trail mix tolerable. You can imagine my disappointment today when I reached for a handful of trail mix and was greeted only by nuts and raisins. I shook and shook and shook the trail mix container, hoping an M&M would reveal itself but no luck. Evidently I've already picked them all out. I'm going to the store tomorrow to buy a bag of M&M's to dump in my trail mix. This makes me happy. And thankful.
7. PERFECTLY SHARPENED PENCILS - Yes, I'm serious about this one too. In my opinion, there isn't much better than a sharp pencil for taking notes. I love pencils. Well, I almost always love pencils. I have this unfortunate habit of putting sharp pencils in my purse, forgetting they're there and then reaching in to find something (usually my keys) and then stabbing myself. Remember back in the day when we all thought we'd die from lead poisoning? Ok, maybe you didn't think that but my teacher certainly had me convinced.
8. SOPHIE & LEIA - I know there are some of you that are sick of seeing my dog pictures but you'll just have to get over it. Even though they are special in their own way, I love these two puppies and am thankful I have them to keep me company.
9. TOILET PAPER - I don't think I need to elaborate.
10. A MIND TO RHYME AND TOO HYPE FEET - Again, I don't think I need to elaborate.
11. A STRONG BODY - Ask anyone I've known for a long time and they will tell you I always enjoyed working out. Even so, I never imagined in my wildest dreams I'd sign up for a triathlon, let alone stick with it this long and have completed an Ironman. It's amazing what the body and mind can do. After my 2nd stress fracture in 2009, I remember my doctor telling me he didn't think the human body was made to run 26.2 miles. That just didn't sit right with me. The only thing the human body can't do is what it's mind says it can't do. Anything is possible.
12. CLUB SODA - Random, I know. I don't like to drink pop even though I have been caving more often then I care to admit. I try to be good at home and discovered if you mix club soda with pineapple juice, you get a sort of pineapple soda. Trust me, it tastes better than I'm describing it.
13. DETANGLER - Growing up with thick, naturally curly hair, you can imagine the need for detangler. Lots and lots of detangler. Without it, I'm afraid I would have had to shave my head bald a dozen times over.
14. TULIPS - They just make me happy. Period.
15. THANKSGIVING DINNER - Who doesn't love getting together with family, visiting, laughing and making lasting memories?
16. GEORGE LUCAS - Umm hello? Star Wars. I admit, he nearly lost his street cred with the invention of Jar Jar Binks but I'll let it slide.

I know I left some really important things out but I think I've hit on the most important items.

I have to say, sitting down and typing out the things I'm thankful for really does make me realize just how much I have and how unimportant the small stuff in life is. I don't think I'll wait until Thanksgiving next year to do this again.

GOBBLE GOBBLE!

And the next video. Drum roll please......

Since the other video I posted was so easy to do, here's the other one I made! ;)

A long time coming.......

After Ironman Texas, I was determined to put together a photo video to post here, there or anywhere for my friends/family to watch. Sure, I posted my pics on FB but I wanted to have more of a keepsake. Well, it took some time but thanks to my Mac, I was finally able to do something easily that turned out just the way I wanted it. Here's hoping you like the video!! It's long but that's b/c LOTS of pics were taken to help me remember a great, great day.

It took me awhile to pick the songs I wanted in the background. I listened to TONS of songs and one day while driving somewhere with Keith, I heard "Maybe" by Sick Puppies and was moved to tears. Truth be told, it was a few days before my period which I suspect was the real reason for the tears but whatever. I thought they were a sign. The second song is by Flo Rida and just makes me want to jump around & dance which is basically what I wanted to do at the end of IMTX.

Hope you like it!!!

p.s. Don't try to expand to full screen b/c the pics get really blurry. :)