Hard Core....That's what they call ME!!

Hard Core....That's what they call ME!!



Key word.....RECOVER!

I've been off and running since the beginning of June!! I'm gonna put the last few days in this one post.......Starting with Friday, before I left for Kentucky, I hit up the gym to get in my swim,  I start with a little yoga & meditation at home then on the bike for a three mile ride.....betterthannothing......I start of with some kicking exercises, I immediately notice my kicks were a lot weaker than previous swims, well actually I began noticing a decrease in my kick strength a few swims back but just chucked it up as i needed more practice......I've been riding my bike consistently  for the past two weeks and have also increased my running pace, I think I need to be a bit more mindful of recovery and rest times, it's no wonder the swim is the first part of the tri, as it TO ME is the most challenging part.  I find if I swim after a bike ride or a run, my energy is depleted or very close to depletion......Hummmmm, yea, I'm gonna need to work on that!  Anywhoo, I follow up my kicks with a pool boy free swimming.....Yayyyy....now I'm not claiming excellence but it sure felt nice to let go of that attachment to pool boy.  I was able to complete four laps with and four laps with out pool boy.......not bad......I exit the pool fatigued, hit up the steam bath, then I'm out!!



Just DO IT!



Kentucky was nice, quiet, but nice.....Funny I grew up in Connecticut, which is one of the smallest and quietest states out there, but after living in Atlanta, New York, Boston and Chicago, quiet cities and me don't seem to gel to well.....Lol....One day I'm sure I'll seek out that quiet peace, but not just yet.  Kentucky was also HOTTTttt, I mean HOT!!  I packed my running gear as it was my intention to run on Saturday morning.........BUT......Ummm, I stayed out wayyyyyy to late on Friday evening and ummm, let's just say I didn't get outside until 1:00ish.....Lol...Hey a getaway is a getaway, and a time to let go and have some FUN, and I did just that.........All work and no play makes for a cranky Yogatones......WORD!  I gear up hit the pavement and WALK, I wanted to run, but the sweat began pouring off me before I hit the hotel lobby......I'm serious y'all, it was that hot & humid......The hotel was about a 1.5 miles from the river, so I head towards the river dripping in sweat, some dude looks at me and say "DAYUMMM" and not that you look good dayummmm, no sir, it was that DAYUMMMM you sweatin' like that ewwwww......I side eye him and say "don't look at me like that it's hot here, you're chillin' inside", he laughed and asked "where ya headed?",  "the river" I say, adding "gotta get the exercise in....ya know".  "OK, girl....you hard core", dude adds with a smile and now he's sweatin' AND checkin' me out.....Lol....gotta love MEN!! I keep it movin' and throw up the peace sign as I turn to walk away..."peace" he responds.   I make it down to the lake and I'm drenched.....it was HOT, yes, i keep sayin' it......because it was, lol..I proceed to walk another half mile, then I spot Joe's Crab Shack.......I decide to hang out on Joe's patio for a bit and grab some lunch.....Perfect I think to myself, I walk in and the hostess hands me some paper towels as she leads me outdoors......I chill for a bit then head back to the hotel where my air condition was awaiting me.   On my way back the same dude comes out as I near the convention center (he worked there) and asks, "how was it?"  "HOTTTT", I respond, laughin', he let's out a hearty laugh as I keep it movin' he throws in "have a nice day, Ms. Hard Core"......Lol....



Yup, I was sweatin' like that!



My presentation in Kentucky was AWESOME!! I LOVE presenting to my fellow nurses, love, love, love it!! They get what Health & Wellness is and they too want to begin including holistic preventative practice into their lives as well as their patients lives.......Lot's of talk about the nurses role in the future of health care, as we know nurses are the FOUNDATION of health care facilities and it's many of us who take a holistic approach and  interest in the health and well being of our patients.  In my presentations I stress the importance of nurses taking the same interest in their own health and well being so we can be actual educators, role models and leaders in our communities......Everyone loves a nurse and for the most part everyone trust a nurse, so WE as nurses must be a part of and  live the part of the change we want to see in health care.......Ya feel me!?!  Again the nurses had many questions after the presentation, I like that......The other really nice thing, before I left for Kentucky I received my evaluations from the nurses that attended the Nursing Spectrum nursing career fair I presented at in April.....I was blown away, I mean really blown away by their comments......303 was the total number of attendees at that particular presentation......WOW, I had no idea that there were that many people in there!! The comments ranged from me "please have her present every year", "I love her presentation style & content", "can we bring her into the hospitals?!", and one of my favorite comments, "It's so nice to have a RN presenting on yoga health & wellness to RN's" Awwwww, yes, colleagues it's just as nice for me to share with all of y'all!!  Now of course out of 303 participants all comments were  not about  how great I am.....Lol.....there were 3 not negative, but informative statements...."she should have hand outs", "I wish she talked more about yoga in India", and my favorite, "well, different strokes for different folks, and this is not for me",.....Lol.....true stories peeps, I can't make this stuff up if I tried.  I take all that with me to Kentucky, and do what I do.......



Yea, we ROCK!!



Monday morning I'm back at the gym ready to get it in!!  I decided on a brick (bike and swim), I teach my 07:00 am class then move int my meditation and yoga, my body was a bit tight from travel and sleeping in a hotel bed, a very comfortable bed I may add, but nothing like my own.......Moving into some asanas to help me release tightness in my lower back, adding in some core and chest work also sitting for some sweet breathing exercises and of course a bit of hip and leg work for my brick..........Spin with Heather was right on time!  I sat up front, class was packed and her music was pumpin'  I broke a sweat the firs minute into class, I immediately head up to get my run on!  I ran a nice 3.5 mile  interval run, my average pace was 11:45 miles/min, my lowest interval was at 15:00 miles/min (only for three minutes) and my highest was 9:10 miles/min ( only for 5 minutes).....I was feelin good!! Once in the locker room, preparing for the steam bath one of my locker room buddies says "Toni you're hard core", Lol....Lol....is how I respond.  I hit the steam bath and shower then I'm OUT!!

Gettin' it in.....

Today, I yoga, spin & swim.......My yoga practice complemented my upcoming swim & ride.....I decided to do more of a restorative practice after my swim & spin.  Spin class was strong, as we moved into a lot of quadriceps and hamstring work, I focused absorbed the energy from others and rode.....A dude friend of mine was in class today, he's a doctor for sport injury patients, lately he's been trying to get in better shape and keep his health up......Now this dude is a NICE TALL GLASS OF CHOCOLATE MILK!!  He's TALL ( standing next to him, I think I come up to the top of his rib cage...Lol) muscular, just all around well built, he sometimes take my yoga class (love the docs takin' yoga), and admits to it's benefits.  Recently he complemented me on my overall fitness, I shared with him my routine and encouraged him to take a spin class, so it it was nice to see him in there gettin' it in!! SIDEBAR: Me LOVES a nice well built tall man.....to bad he's spoken for.....END SIDEBAR......Lol......After class I say to him "that's a good look", we both laugh and I head off to get my swim in......I don't chat to much at the gym, not until I'm done with my entire work out, I don't play I GET's IT IN!! 

Always....

WHEW, today's swim was a bit challenging.....Last week I decided that for the month of June each time I get in the pool I will swim 12 laps......the could consist of kick drills, arm stroke drills, pool boy laps and full swim laps without pool boy......today I do a combo of all above.......I begin with 4 kick laps, this is where I felt the fatigue in my legs, especially after the strong spin class, but instead of giving into it I acknowledge it and dug a bit deeper within' and began to kick stronger, I enjoyed that feeling of not letting the fatigue take me out.......my swim strokes have improved tremendously, I'm able to swim at least four laps end to end without stopping mid way......Yayyy, I do how ever need to take at least 10-30 second breaks at each end of the pool......I'm cool with that though, because I know not long ago SWIMMING was not happening with me at all, so this is PROGRESS & GROWTH!! I love and welcome them both.......Near the end of my swim, about lap 10 the real fatigue began to kick in, I slowed down and breast stroked and stopped many, many times.......instead of beating my self up about it, I say to myself  "I'm tired" complete the last few than I'm off to get my yoga & steam bath on!!  I,m in the locker room changing, when one of the women from the spin class comes in, she'd just finish lifting weights.....She looks at me and say "Girl you are HARD CORE", I laugh, she adds, "I see you here running after spin, yoga after spin and now swimming after spin", Lol...."you "makin' me tired!" she adds.......I LOVE IT!!  Funny, hard core is not something I've ever been called pre-tri training......I think Pablo started it and now others seem to follow......So maybe, JUST maybe I AM HARD CORE!!  Lol.........

Peace, Love & Be a Little
Hard Core
Y'all

Peace,

T