New Year New Me

Well not exactly new me, but definitely a me that is ready to make the changes I need in order to feel more fulfilled and to feel more full...of energy, enthusiasm, determination, love and to feel less negativity, self loathing, guilt, and fear. How does that sound?

And to that end, I have a rather radical plan that I will be following over the next few months that will have me 30 lbs lighter and ready to rock my 2010 tri season... Kelly's year of the olympic. Stay tuned... I'll share my progress weekly and ( gasp) pics throughout the process for any of you that might be interested (mainly for my benefit, for full disclosure, for accountability, and to make sure I never let myself get to this point again).

Wish me fortitude and fun!

Off season

Lately, its been all I could do to get to the gym, and I haven't been back for Masters since my last Tri (that's on the agenda for this month). But I am working on staying focused on my health (that's a hard one for me, despite my background and training-since I am a food addict), and have come up with my get FIT, FUN, and FABULOUS(triple F) plan:

1) Be mindful/conscious, especially when eating
2) Be open and honest
3) Move My Body daily
4) Drink lots of water (and no soda!!!!)
5) Set realistic and specific goals and measure them on a defined schedule
6) Make my health a priority
7) Get a monthly (if not more) massage
8) Cook More -whole, organic, luscious foods
9) Eat Out less
10)Love my body daily (through words, movement, praise, gentleness, and physicality)
11) FORGIVE MYSELF
12) Set the example for my children
13) Be UNAFRAID, or be afraid and do it anyway :)
14) Bask in the brillant light emanating from my soul :):) (two smiles for that one)
15) Stop rewarding myself with food
16) Talk about my feelings so I dont stuff them with food
17) DANCE!!!!
18) Listen to great music!

Granted, this is what I need to get myself to triple F, and I will add to it as I think of things, but feel free to adapt it to your needs too. I actually wrote these steps in a great book I am reading by Janice Taylor, called Our Lady Of Weight Loss. She is a weight loss artist, and instead of stuffing herself with food, she makes art out of it. She reminded me that this process is supposed to be fun and freeing, and its about be true to yourself and letting go of all of the shame, guilt, blame, and fear associated with excess weight (and a sad heart).

So after I bask in the glow of my new fabulousness, I plan to (goal setting, see number 5):

Lose 30-40 lbs (if it works, Ill share my secrets in 2010)-yes I know I need to be more specific here, but ill do that starting mid-January

Go to Masters Swim at least 3 times per month starting in Dec 2009

Run .5 miles more every week until I get to 4 miles starting February 2010...on my way to training for my first Olympic Distance Tri next season.

Ill post my before pics here for you after I get the nerve to take them that is...

Swim Lesson #4 comments

Kelly

Very good to see you and despite not swimming as much as I would like, you are making good progress - you are very coachable! I was most happy with the beginning of a real FLOW in your stroke. You are now controlling your body AND doing it less mechanically...more fluidly. As everything in swimming directly/indirectly affects the body position, small corrections now bring great results! Your head is much lower in the water and your head/spine line is looking fish-like.
Initially, you were entering too early in the front (near your ear), but we made the correction to allow the high elbow position carry further to the front before getting wet - this resulted in several important advances:

- hands going back UP to YOUR balance spot of +/- 5"
- arms reaching more straight into your corners, not crossing into the middle
- hips able to rotate easier around your whole body line

The next aspect we unlocked was a slight hesitation of your hands when they initially touch the surface. You are now reaching THROUGH the surface and out into your balance corners - this did amazing things for your fluidity... I hope it felt good. It allowed you to have a more natural cadence resulting in more speed - no extra effort.... ****Your left side is the most to blame!!

Although the Finis snorkel will take a nose plug to work for you, please pick one up and work some time into your swim withe snorkel - the whole purpose is to take your mind COMPLETELY off of needing to breath and onto the stroke dynamics. This is a powerful effect and is used by athletes through the Olympic level.

The SWIMITTS are REALLY great for you - keep it up. Interestingly, I gave them to a young stud this morning at the Y. This kid is in his 30s and we bother each other, as we are both a bit competitive - he can swim... Swam through college... I could tell he thought they were silly and did not give me much after swimming a few 200s with them on... BUT, when he took them off and swam his final 200, he stopped and told me that he was REALLY FEELING IT. He liked them.. cool. They work. They will continue to stretch you out and deepen your understanding of the catch dynamics. Use them for ANY distance (even long) and then remove them immediately (as we did) and continue swimming THE SAME WAY.... Allow them to work on you!

Last, I want to advance you and keep you challenged and motivated... Please get in the pool without Masters once and a while and have a Kelly Swim Day. Practice the corkscrew. This drill will make you a much better freestyler and keep your muscles loose via protagonism and antagonism. The pivotal point is the moment of transition - keep a tight core and a long reach. Feel the streamline and the body rotation during freestyle and match it when doing upside down freestyle. Enjoy this drill... At least 100 meters per session....

Keep the faith, girl...

Full Disclosure

I originally starting doing TRIs to give myself a goal that would keep me working out consistently. And the more expensive the race, the better, because I hate to lose money, and that would just add to my motivation. But honestly, the most important reason I wanted to do this was to lose weight....to release weight, to stop weighing myself down (as I heard on the biggest loser tonight). I am a health coach. I know what to do to lose weight...much more than I would ever need to know. I need to move more and eat less. I need to eat whole organic foods. I need to avoid diet sodas (since I have reactions to artificial sweeteners). I need to find space and time to meditate and be with myself. And I need to forgive myself for not being perfect.

But it is so much easier to keep eating and bury the pain down under the food. And to tell myself that I am doing the right things, and I just cant lose the weight. And to focus on everything else but my real issues.

I am AFRAID. AFRAID of my power, my brilliance, attention, succeeding, failing, feeling limited, looking amazing, losing my husband, or even worse, leaving him.

I am SAD. Sad that I was not able to breastfeed my son after everything I tried with my diet failed to stop his eczema and his allergies. Sad that I feel like I failed him. Sad that I feel like I failed myself. Sad that I don't put him to bed anymore because it reminds me of what I am not able to do. Sad that I will not be having more children (due to choice not biology). Sad that I felt so beautiful in my big, pregnant body, and so ugly in the same body when I am not pregnant.

All of this came out after my massage today. I asked my therapist who has experience with Reiki and Chakra balancing to get my body ready to release the weight I have been holding onto. And he asked about my breastfeeding due to something he was sensing during the massage. After hearing the story, he told me that I need to accept that I gave my best to my son, and continue to do so. That Kieran loves me no matter what, and I give him everything he needs. That I need to forgive myself, and allow myself to heal. And I cried. And I am still crying. I need to release this, I need to be honest about it, and I need to ask for love and support to get me past this and to a place where I love and accept myself unconditionally no matter if I am 185 pounds or more or less.

And then maybe I won't have injuries throughout the season...because I now believe they were due to energetics more than physical issues...and then I can work to release my fears and the weight...and then subsequently be a better Triathlete. I want to set a good example for my children, I want to be the best and the strongest I can be, and I want to feel peace in my heart.

So here I go.

Hard to focus

When life gets in the way of training, what do you do? I try to refocus, and take my training one day at a time. But lately, that has meant I havent gone to the gym, and Ive been spending more time resting my body than working it. That is good and bad. Obviously, I have needed the rest, especially as I have been sleeping 8-12 hours a night for the last few weeks if I can. It is as if my body is fighting something off and it needs all that extra rest it can get (or could it be my infant son waking me up at least once a night that still leaves me unrested?). But at this point, especially as the 1/2 marathon is looming only 4 weeks away, I need to get my butt back to the gym, get my body moving.

Last night was Masters, and I was on my way there, right after I took a little rest that is, and wouldnt you know it, but I woke up at 7am this morning to realize I missed it. And tonight is Happy Hour, a funky dance/movement class that I intend to go to at 6pm. But I have a massage scheduled for 4:30. Wonder if that will energize me or make me drive home to bed again?

Needless to say, I have been to the doctor, and have a few things going on, but nothing that should affect my energy. Perhaps it is the dread of doing the 1/2 marathon when I was plagued with injury and pain all during my tri season...and I doubt my ability to finish. Or maybe its just that Im a lazy butt that enjoys TV in the evening with my family more than working out? Probably both, but I am committed to at least trying to get back to my training (dont you like that-committed to trying). I know, there is no TRY, only TRI and DO (and DU-but thats another blog)...

Zipping through the forest

Mark took me to a ropes course at Spring Mountain for an early birthday outing yesterday, and we had such a great time. We zip lined through the forest 6 times, taking in the beautiful fall day, and performed ropes challenges (one was extremely tough) that didn't feel like much work but my body is telling me today definitely was. I love working out without consciously doing it! Now if only I could train for a triathlon without knowing it, right?

Control that stress, weigh less

From the Yoga Journal Daily eNews:

In response to stress, levels of the hormone cortisol rise; for people who continue to worry, those levels can stay high. Elevated cortisol levels not only stimulate eating, they ensure that any additional calories are efficiently converted to fat. Worse, under the influence of cortisol, that fat tends to get deposited in the abdomen, a particularly unhealthy place. Big bellies are linked to insulin resistance—a precursor to Type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes—and heart disease.

What can YOU do to control your stress and weight less? Contact me if you need suggestions or want to schedule a complimentary 1/2 hour phone consult ($75 value).

Swim Lesson #3

Kelly

Good session - you were on... I was off a little (sorry). Sounds like you did well in your first Ocean Tri - excellent! You have been a very coachable student and this is a long term work in progress for all of us. You presented in a more methodical fashion, but we will continue to work on timing of the overall stroke.

We will continue to challenge you going forward and some of it will be upside down - backstroke! I find that ANY analyzation of backstroke helps tremendously on your stomach with freestyle - the focus of our triathlon swimming.

I took 2 videos of you with my cell phone (sorry I am not too techy, but the mirrors are YOUR best friend), but they don't demonstrate too much bad.... Still helpful for you to see what I am seeing. Overall, your natural tendency to exit the water at the conclusion of your stroke (by the hip) is to launch the hand high. This is unproductive and interrupts an otherwise nice rhythm. Please continue to do plenty of fingertip drag drill and transition into full stroke as seamlessly as you can. As an add on, you can combine it with the "catch-up" drill - the catch-up drill is NEVER wrong or out of place in swimming. Catch up basically shifts the work load to your mighty core.

I also had you relax your head a bit, as this ALWAYS affects balance - the #1 and mother of all swimming LAWS. This week, I want you to use the wall ON EVERY LENGTH to push off into a long and happy streamline. Continue to feel this position and be reminded at every wall of the opportunity to get perfect again - it works!

We also focused on LAW #4 Traction. This is your ability to hold the water better so you can control it. It is simply a relaxed hand that hangs down in the water and feels some negative pressure immediately. A flat hand pushes down and only stresses you to go up. Use your new SWIMITTS to feel this position. You did VERY well with them and they will only help you adapt to the new places you are finding in the water. As with any tool, use it for as long as you can concentrate with it, remove it and swim THE SAME WAY for a very short time. FEEL the new affects taking over and the old habits going away. Repeat.

Last, we discussed sighting. The sighting skills are only partly SEEING anything, they are mostly about NOT breaking rhythm. I would rather you sight 4 times before you catch a glimpse than sight perfectly on every stroke - this can only mean you are too high and thus breaking rhythm! Your natural skills are excellent for sighting. Maintain positive pressure with your lead arm and COME UP EARLY in the process. Do not be afraid if you see nothing... Try again after a few more strokes. Most triathletes sight FAR too often. Please find another great video below of sighting perfection - NOT because he sights so well, because he breaks his rhythm so little.... Open Water Sighting demonstration Now, for your debut !

Pool Toys and 1/2 Marathons

Got to try a few of my new pool tools last night during masters. I went for 1/2 hour so I would not get too sore after the race, but enough to feel like I was doing something. I want to keep swimming because I love it, but my next race only involves running (or should I say walking?), so I have to make time for that too. No training for a month might work for a sprint triathlon, but it definitely will not for a 1/2 Marathon!

And re that, I promise myself that this year, I will actually get my butt out of bed the morning of the race and go to Philly and do it, instead of staying in my warm and comfy home and running the entire thing on my treadmill in the basement(yes, that was me!).

Anyway, back to my new toys, I brought my finger paddles, a kickboard, a pull buoy, and my flippers (which were fun!). I wanted to wait to use the SwiMP3 player and my snorkel until I could get used to using them alone (and not embarrass myself). So thats on the agenda for sometime this week too. Each was able to help me do certain drills (ie I suck at kicking with the kickboard without the flippers), and will definitely serve me well over the winter to keep my swimming fresh.

I have to admit though that I do not think I swam my strokes as well last night as I do when I am being coached. I guess that just comes with practice. I made sure to turn my body from side to side, and bring my elbow up and try to go to a 5 inch depth with my hands after gliding and making my stroke as long as possible. I still have a long way to go. Thats good, though. I need a challenge.

And I forgot to mention that Connor's first day at his new school (St Joseph St Robert's in Warrington, Pa) was yesterday-he loved it! Here is a pic of him with his friends Kyle and Kameron from our neighborhood:

1:48:31

So I sucked it up and did the run during the Inaugural Ocean City NJ Tri yesterday, and suprisingly, I felt ok during it. In fact, I only walked for a minute or so, but despite that the run still took 40 minutes! That is 3 minutes slower than I did at Steelman, and I walked a significant portion of that one...I swear that the run was longer than 3.1 (yes, Im trying to make myself feel better), and it was on sand. I did almost make my goal of running the whole thing, however, despite injury, and that I feel really good about.

I also was impressed that I did the swim, an OCEAN swim, no less, in 11:23. It was .35 miles, approx 600 meters ...actually exactly 563.27 meters, I just checked (22.5 laps in my local Y pool), but considering I was afraid of the ocean before yesterday, that makes me extremely happy. I did not freak out. YAY me!

And Ken would be proud, when I found myself only turning to the right, I made a point of looking to the invisible paddle in the water on the left and got my body to start being more streamlined in the water. Again, YAY! I was actually relaxed enough in the water to start bringing my drills into play.

It was a fun day, despite my concerns, and the long drive. The bike course had views of the bay, the water was beautiful and there were only a few big waves, and it was really nice to see the ocean during the run. Everytime I thought about how much the run sucked, I would look at the ocean and take in my surroundings, and I was better. And the comraderie of my fellow slower tri buddies was great, we were very supportive during the run.

My friend Todd did great despite his downplaying it. He beat me in all three events, and I told him he would...overall he finished 00:07:21 faster that me.

Here are my results:

KELLY SCOTTI NEW BRITAIN PA 37 F 461
SwPl Swim Pace T1Pl T1 BkPL Bike MPH T2PL T2 RnPl Run Pace Finish
147 11:23 1:55 103 2:45 148 51:03 15.9 156 2:36 158 40:46 13:09 1:48:31

Another swim video and Kens comments

So I posted this because it looked good to me, but Ken thought otherwise...
"Just watched your TI girl.... Not as good as my boy !! Her hands are flat and she does not initiate a proficient catch phase. Also, her rear hangs too low due to a less than perfect head position. Lastly, she does not use any leg drive to spin her from low to high side. For my money, she violates Balance, Weight Shift, and Catch ( 3 of 4). Overall, her cycle rate is too fast also..."

Ken's comments for today

Kelly-
Excellent job this morning - really. You did very well. I WANT YOU TO WATCH THE ORIGINAL VIDEO I GAVE YOU...... Study all the aspects of the stroke (separately) through this video. Keep mindful of your SPL (strokes per length) as you monitor your real progress - which is efficiency, not the clock.

Today, we began dialing in your stroke. You are now balanced, if you only get to 5" deep and not 18+.....! Reach OUT with your power and feel the force pulling you toward the END of the pool, not the bottom. I believe you felt this spot today - on more than one occasion? Swim slower at the YMCA and feel that nice fluid pull down the pool more than how fast you can cycle your arms.

We added the finger tip drag drill to last weeks catch up drill. Currently, your hand exits the water near your hip and the hand propels skyward - this takes too long and robs you of power. The finger tip drag drill keeps your hand near the water, but your elbow high - WATCH THE VIDEO !!! You are now coming to the front much quicker and able to keep a continuously LONG FRONT END. ***This is a goal.

Feel a smooth transition now between both drills and full stroke swimming. Make it smooth and seamless.

A last point I would like to make is make sure your hands stay DIRECTLY OFF EACH SHOULDER JOINT and 5" deep. As you progressed this morning, your hands were trying to come into the middle in front of your head too much.... Leave them out on your corners and lean onto the low side in creating the high side. This cannot be done effectively if you have your arms running in the middle of the body line, as you will snake down the pool. STRAIGHT as an arrow, baby !!!!

The last thing we did was open your left side up - which had to feel as good as it looked ! I placed my canoe paddle in the water to your left and asked you to look at it. You IMMEDIATELY lengthened out your stroke by engaging your left side better. This will feel really good at the Y if you just look at the black line on the bottom to your left. Don't rush. Feel the glide after the power gets applied......

Keep up the good work. Today was really good.

SwimStrong. SwimSilent.

ken rocks...let me know if you want his contact info for training...and here is the video he was referencing:

02 Swimming

Todd came over last night and got me off my butt and back to the gym. We biked for 20 minutes and swam for 40, so all in all, not a terrible training night. This morning I had my second swim lesson at 02 Swimming and for the second time was blown away at the progress I made in only an hour. I hope that progress translates to my masters swim class tomorrow night...Im really looking forward to swimming better (and faster too!). And besides, today all my new swim toys should arrive so I can have fun doing drills. Today the plan is to do a one hour ride just to make sure Im up for Sunday, and then masters tomorrow, a ride on Friday, and good to go for the weekend. Anyone want to come to Ocean City Sunday to watch? Would love to see you there...

Lovely Labor Day

What a great long weekend! No training involved, uh oh, but so much fun. Mark and I headed to Lancaster with the kids for the weekend...we stayed at the Eden Resort, which was lovely-it had three pools, a tennis court, a playground for the kids, and the best shower (two shower heads-heavenly). We used the hotel as a base to go the PA ren faire (Connor's favorite thing there: the Joust), Dutch Wonderland (Connor's favorite thing there: the water park), and tour some of the local Amish shops (and an Amish garage sale!). I was really surprised at how much we all enjoyed Dutch Wonderland. Age appropriate rides, not too bad for the adults, not too crowded, not too expensive, and really beautiful. We took a gondola ride, and saw cows on a neighboring farm...I really enjoyed it.

Back now to the grind...I can't believe I have to swim and ride on Sunday...how am I supposed to do that without being on my bike for a month? Somehow I plan to get by on attitude and a smile...

Its Friday, already?

So its Friday, and I haven't done anything athletic since Tues...and this weekend we are off to Lancaster. I do plan to swim at the hotel, but I really need to get back on a bike so I can at least do the aqua-bike! Stop procrastinating, Kelly! There are only 9 more days til your next event...

No matter, really, I know I can do it. A .35 mile swim-granted its in the ocean, but how hard can that be, right ;)...and a 13.5 mile bike, and maybe a run...and a beautiful day at the beach. Sounds like fun.