Over the Edge for Special Olympics!

When they first approached me at work to do this I thought it sounded great but that with Ironman training in full effect this season I should wait until next year to do it.  Then they said they would do the fundraising for me so I thought sure why not.  I posted the page and let them know it was up and ready to go.  Then unfortunately they had to come back and tell me it was against policy to help with outside fund raisers and couldn't sponsor me.  In the mean time I had already committed to the organization and had my 1st donation.  So I didn't want to back out now!  So I'm on my own with limited time but I will give it my all and try my best to do the event and fundraising!



What is the event you ask?
Overcome a challenge in your life so Special Olympics athletes can overcome the challenges in theirs. Looking for an adventure of a lifetime that will also change the world for the better? Well look no further!  Watch our video!!

HUB International and SONM presents the 4th annual "Over the Edge" event. Join dozens of fellow thrill seekers as they go “Over the Edge” of a 16-story building in downtown ABQ, all to improve the lives of people with intellectual disabilities and their families.

My Story

After hearing Randy Mascarello and Tim Harris from Special Olympics New Mexico (SONM), speak at the 2012 SHRM New Mexico Conference, I was inspired and wanted to show my support for Special Olympics.


“Oh Yeah!” Tim prompted the entire room at the conference to yell this out every time he did to celebrate each accomplishment he spoke to us about. As we heard him recount his participation in the Special Olympics and I saw him beam with excitement, I found myself joining in “Oh Yeah!”

Starting at 8 years old running my 1st mile race up through my first Ironman Triathlon finish a few years ago, sports has taught me lessons that I have carried with me throughout my life. When asked “Why do you do endurance sports?” by people who look at me like I’m crazy, I usually answer “I do it because I can, and I think of those who can’t.” One of my favorite quotes is “You can quit and no one will care, but you will always know.”


The look in Tim’s eyes told me that Special Olympics meant to him as much as my Ironman finish has meant to me. Repelling off a tall building sounds scary and challenging, but it’s a challenge I would love to take it on to help others be able to know what it feels like to be part of something special and to build the confidence in those athletes that compete in these events. If just one more Special Olympics Athlete gets to yell “Oh Yeah” and beam with pride, then I am all in.

Any help is greatly appreciated please help me spread the word!  Thanks in advance! Please visit my Personal Fundraising Page. I am proud to be an athlete and to do what I can to help others participate in sports.


Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to make a contribution to our fundraising efforts.


Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!

Inspiration

As I rode my bike to work this morning I knew I was going a little slower than usual and I was thinking to myself "Ugghh I have to do this 2 days in a row if I wanna get my promised 2 in for this week!"  Then I thought about my brother he does a very similar commute to this EVERY DAY of the year.  Through cold, hot, wind etc.  He doesn't own a car and commutes everywhere on his bike.  I truly admire his gumption not only in this area but every part of his life.  He is my younger brother but I have found over the last 10 years or so I'm the one that is looking up to him. 

I remember a year we had record snow storms for our city I was in Colorado and roads and businesses were closed for something like 4 days and he had a work emergency with no cabs willing to drive or buses running he had no choice but to try and bike to his work in several feet of snow and COLD temps.  About half way there he saw a lone car out and offered them $20 to give him a ride the rest of the way.  They said their daughter also had to go to work and they'd be happy to do it for free.  He's built 2 of his own bikes that are single gear and has a folding bike for days he has to take the bus.  He rarely accepts a ride from me or others and is very resourceful.  The more I thought about it the more I told myself to get over it and buck up! 

When I did my IM in 2008 I had raised money for a toxoplasmosis research center in honor of my brother.  See he was born with this parasite and it caused him to have scars in his eyes that are not reversible.  He is legally blind in one eye and has scars in both eyes and can't see or read things clearly unless it is very close to his face.  He has not for a minute let this slow him down.  I do sometimes see the affects it has on his life but all I do is look at him in awe as he has never let it get in his way!  The research place I donated to is:  http://toxoplasmosis.org/  They are very wonderful people and continue to keep me up to date on their progress.  Now they have tests for this when a child is born but at the time when my brother was born they didn't.  I guess I just felt overwhelming pride as I thought about my brother on my way to work this morning and wanted to share it.  I think he would be embarrassed if I shared this with him and he easily turns crimson red when embarrassed.  :-)

I know we all have our own obstacles and some are bigger hurdles than others but it's always nice to have a reminder that it's amazing what the human spirit is capable of when we use determination!  One of my favorite go to inspirational stories is Team Hoyt if you've never seen it it's a must!

Way to go! How do you motivate others?

Some  people in my life assume it is easy for me to exercise and maintain my goal weight.  No, I work hard to be an “average athlete” and to just be able to finish some events.  Our company recently had sign up sessions for a Spring Into Motion program that is supposed to help motivate people  to become more active.  I was bombarded with questions like “Why are you doing this?”  “I wish I could look like you.”  Well, guess what I’ve gained 12 lbs over the last year and I haven't had a PR in longer than I care to admit.  I could always use motivation and everyone can improve no matter what their fitness level is.  Also try hanging out with a bunch of triathletes and runners, I am at the bottom of the fitness level there J.  It’s all relative right. 

Some of my favorite questions and comments I’ve been subject to and what I wish I could say back:

“Why do you want to torture yourself with all that running?”    Guess what some of us enjoy running!

“I could never do a marathon.  It would take me a month to finish that.”  How do you know if you’ve never tried.  I use to think the same thing until I got off my butt and did it.

“I could never be vegetarian I would pass out from not getting enough protein especially when I workout.”  Well, let’s see lentils, garbanzo beans, nuts, soy beans all have enough protein to make sure you meet your daily requirements.  I did  Ironman training on my vegetarian diet with no negative consequences.

“I lift weights, I do 12 oz curls.”  And you are bragging about it?

“You people are crazy!”  If that’s what you want to call it, then sure I’m crazy!

“All that exercise can’t be good for your body.”  Ok I decided to delete my response to this one I don’t even want to think thoughts that mean….

“I never have time to exercise.”  I don’t either but I make time and I schedule it, make it a priority!

“Why are you vegetarian?”  Why not?  I don’t go around asking people why they are meat eaters and they would probably take offense to it if I did. 

“You always have the back seats of your car down, is that where you hide your cases of power bars?”  Yes, because I live solely on PowerBars and water.  Really!

“Exercise is done against one’s wishes and maintained only because the alternative is worse”  George Sheehan

So even though part of this post may seem to have some negative connotations, the point I wish I could make to some is that we could all use support, motivation, and understanding.  Don’t assume that something is easy for anyone.  I love to exercise it makes me feel good but I wish I was better and I will never stop trying to improve.  I struggle daily with food choices just like everyone else and guess what sometimes you will see me with a slice of pizza in my hand or a bowl of icecream!  My favorite feeling is when I’m in a race and we all yell out words of support as we pass each other, “keep it up, good job!”  The best is when the leader of the pack actually has the breath and time to say it back or when I started walking in the middle of a really steep race and a girl that came up behind me didn’t give up until she convinced me to keep running even if it meant I was just shuffling.  So get out there and motivate each other!  I love my sports and hope I can share that enthusiasm with the next person I run into.  I’m sure those of you out there that exercise even more than me have some outrageous stories.  What are some of your favorite questions?  What are some of your favorite ways to motivate others?

Note to Self: How to stay on track 2011

Journal It – When I feel myself straying from the nutritional track journal what you eat for about 1-2 weeks the trick is writing it down before you eat it then think about how bad you want those extra calories before putting hand to mouth

Don’t eat like your boyfriend – We are not always equals as just plain facts, my metabolism is not the same as his and my body loves to hold on to fat if I let it, so if he says “come on just try it” or suggests pizza for the 3^rd time that week say NO!

Replace not deprive – If you are craving something you know you shouldn’t have think about a possible alternative that would soothe that craving in a healthier way, ex. For me I put the cookie monster to rest by substituting that craving with a no sugar added hot chocolate for 50 calories vs. the 500 +

Size Does Matter – I shop on the website reuseit.com for reusable sandwich baggies etc. not only can you find fashionable alternatives to disposables but it helps me keep my portion sizes in check don’t ever eat straight out of the bag unless you want to start looking like the bag J

My favorite tid bit I’ve picked up, which is probably my #1 downfall , was from Bob Seebohar author of Nutrition Periodization is “Eat to train, don’t train to eat!”  I eat so much more on the weekends because that’s when I do my long runs or bike rides and I feel I’ve earned it, not necessarily!

Marathon to success

For about the last 2-3 weeks I've been going back and forth with my significant other and my own subconscience on whether I should be allowed to do the half marathon or suck it up and train for the full.  Here's the thing the first time I did a full marathon was about 6 years ago and I had horrible knee problems.  I was running with braces on both knees and taking advil before, during, and after each training run.  I still did it and I can say been there done that!  Then I started getting back into triathlons because (after the fact) I found out all that horrible knee pain went away when I included cross training.  It appears the cycling and swimming helped strengthen the muscles that held my knee cap in it's proper place or something like that.  Since then I've done a handful of half marathons and the only other marathon I've done was part of my Ironman. 

One thing that helps keep this relationship together has been how active we both are, we have many differences, but one thing we have in common is the need for adrenaline and/or endorphine producing sports.  He has been a little jealous however that I have certain things marked off my list.  So it was his idea to train for a marathon together and that it wouldn't be the same if I just did the half.  I tried to convince him that way I could be at the finish to cheer for him but he wasn't buying it.  So I've given in and I'm training for the full but am going to try and include plenty of cross training, ab work and weight lifting.  So far we are only on week 2 of training and I've kicked butt the last few runs.  Which is odd, I know it's just a matter of time before he's passing me, he's usually way faster. 

The good news is it appears my ankle has 100% recovered from the sprain (about 2-3 months later!) because there has been no more swelling after workouts.  Also it has made it easier to stick to the other healthy habbits I was trying to get back on track with.  Here's to hoping this is what will allow that extra weight to fall off.  Now the trick is to incorporate the ski season into my training.  I might have to do some long runs on a week night in order to do some skiing on the weekends.....  So far I like the idea of winter marathon training because my body does not like the heat so it seems I'm able to run faster with the cooler temps.

The marathon is in Sedona in February on Valentine's weekend so that will be our present to eachother.  And this should put me in good enough shape to start next summer's triathlon season in best form.  Yay I'm back on the scene!