And on the 13th day she rested...

Rest until you feel like playing, then play until you feel like resting, period.  Never do anything else.  -- Martha Beck

I didn't realize how exhausted I was until the end of Masters swim last night.  Then I realized it had been almost two weeks since I had taken a rest day.  So I took today completely off.  (OK, I did a little stretching for my knee...but that doesn't count, right?)

As I'm remaking my training schedule, I'm recognizing that I need to build rest days in.  Some of them will fall in naturally - when I travel next week, there is a day where training just won't fit.  Poof!  Magic!  A rest day without having to think about it!  But when I'm not travelling, it is going to be up to me to make sure I remember to rest.

Speaking of my training plan, I'm working on it -- but it's going to be a work in progress.  I've only scheduled the first third of March.  I'm hoping to schedule the rest of March this weekend after I talk with the husband so we can coordinate.  As both of our training schedules ramp up as tri season looms, we're going to have to work together.

I've added a new page to my blog that links off to a web version of my planned training.  Comments welcome - plus I can check in on my plan from anywhere now.

Confounding Calendars

Every time you tear a leaf off a calendar, you present a new place for new ideas and progress. -- Charles Kettering

It probably won't surprise you that I rely heavily on my calendar.  (I'm also a neurotic list-maker, but that's a topic for another day.)  Our family uses Cozi - it lets you give each person a color so you can instantly see who's involved.  I even have two colors - one for work appointments and one for home obligations.  If it's not on the calendar, it doesn't exist as far as I'm concerned.  Which is great...when I check it.

I was working on my training plan for March -- I like fresh new months, time to plan just a few weeks ahead.  I'm trying to balance the rest of my run training to get through the trail half-mary with building up my time on the bike and squeezing in masters swimming, all the while working around soccer carpool, work meetings, and other busyness.  (And don't even get me started on the busyness this week.  I can barely breathe most days at work right now...waiting for it to calm down for a couple weeks before hitting another busy stretch...and then summer - sweet sweet summer.)  Anyway, I sat down this weekend and plotted out what seemed to be a doable couple of weeks before the race.  I was so proud of myself.

Until I was talking to my husband last night about juggling kid activities next weekend because I'm going out of town.  And I had one of those "what did I forget...was it the iron?" moments... Oops.  Forgot to build that whole going out of town thing into my training schedule.  Plus it's a cross-country trip and a red-eye flight...I can sleep on planes, but red-eyes still kind of toss me off my rhythm.  Tear up that version of the March training calendar and start over.

I don't want to clutter up our Cozi calendar any more than it already is with the girls' activities, the husband's not-work obligations (he keeps his own work calendar), and my whole life -- seriously, sometimes one day fills up a whole screen...but somehow I need to make sure I integrate my life calendar into my training plan calendar (ideally the first time).  I already know I have another trip in April and then family vacations and stuff in June.  To counter some of this, I'm going to start the HIM training plan a week early.  Whew - this planning stuff is hard.

Training 2/17 - 2/23...and...OMG I did it

I'm trying to stay as calm as possible and focus one day at a time, but when reality sets in, I feel everything:  anxiety, excitement, nerves, pressure, and joy.  -- Shawn Johnson

Reality has set in.  This afternoon, I became an officially registered participant in the Patriot's Half race - September 7, 2013 in Williamsburg, VA.  The money is paid.  The waivers are signed.  There's no backing out now.  :-)  And I'm a little bundle of nerves.  Weird.

Nerves, but also excitement.  I'm really going to do this.  It's not just a dream - it's a thing on the calendar (and the credit card statement...).  So awesome.  Can't wait.  Except I can, because boy do I need to train.

Training this week was light, recovering from last week's half-mary.

Sunday 2/17 - yoga
Monday 2/18 - 30 minute cycle, masters swim
Tuesday 2/19 - 2.75 mile run, 15 minute cycle
Wednesday 2/20 - masters swim
Thursday 2/21 - 2.71 mile run (speedwork), 20 minute cycle
Friday 2/22 - 2.4 mile run
Saturday 2/23 - 30 minute swim, 60 minute cycle

Weighty Matters

Feeding is a very important ritual for me.  I don't trust people who don't like to eat.  -- Gina Gershon

Since the beginning of 2012, I have lost 40 pounds.  Good news - but unfortunately, these are 40 pounds that I put of during a rough period following an injury and a stressful time.  And a little more perspective:  husband and I first made a big effort at healthy eating/weight loss when our youngest daughter turned one.  At that point, I lost 40 pounds and was thrilled.  Shortly after that is when I began participating in triathlons and lost, with some effort, another 10-12 pounds.  I was at my fighting weight.  Then I got hurt training for and running a marathon and things spiraled down (or rather up) from there.  Now I'm trying to get back to my fighting weight.  I'm about 15 pounds away from that.

My family is not predisposed to thinness - it takes a lot of effort for me to lose weight.  Lately I've been following a modified paleo/primal diet:  I eat veggies, fruit, meat, and eggs.  I also eat dairy, beer, and wine.  And I cheat on the weekend and some other times.  It's working for me - and that's the most important thing when trying to decide how to eat.  It makes things a little tricky for eating at work or going out to eat (although I cheat sometimes then), but as long as I plan ahead, it seems to be working out OK.

I'm starting to wonder, though, how to eat while I'm training.  I'm not sure how to find the balance between losing the rest of that weight and making sure I have enough energy to train.  This week, I've been running a little low on the food front - I've felt hungry and have dropped more weight this week than I should.  It's an experiment.

And at the end of the day - I like to eat.  I don't trust people who don't like to eat.  I try to think of food as fuel, but food, for me, is also a matter of enjoyment.  Another thing to balance.  Geesh.

Don Fink and My First Masters Swim

Insanity:  doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.  -- Albert Einstein

OK, so Don Fink and my first masters swim are only tangentially related.  But they are related in part.  So here's the scoop...I skimmed Don Fink's Be IronFit over the weekend.  It's directed at normal folks trying to complete an IM distance race - but at least the first couple chapters on time management were actually pretty helpful even though I'm only shooting for a HIM.  Here are Don's 5 key principles:

1. Train in time, not miles.
2. Indoor training.
3. Lunchtime training.
4. Masters swimming sessions.
5. Early bird training.

When my training plan switches over from the half-mary plan after my March race, I'm going to transition to time training.  My HIM plan that picks up in April is also on a time, not miles, basis.  Indoor training I already do, so that's no drama.  The other three principles should help me a great deal to fit it all in and help with time management.

Lunchtime training - last Friday I went over and checked out the gym at work.  Believe it or not, in nearly 7 years of working here, I've never gone to the gym on site (except to get my cholesterol tested during a wellness event).  It's a gorgeous facility and I just need to get over my phobia of working out in front of people I know.  (Yes, I know folks that train at my Y, but that's different -- they only know me that way...at work, people know me professionally, and that usually doesn't involve lycra or spandex.  :o)

Early bird training -a few years ago, I was able to do a lot of early morning training.  I'm not as good at it now, but I think a lot of it is that I haven't kept at it consistently and so my bedtime hours are all over the map.  If I get a morning workout in consistently, then my bedtime hours should become more consistent as well -- making the morning workout easier, etc.  Plus, it gets hot here, starting as early as May.  Might as well start getting the body ready for morning now.

Masters swim - Masters swim doesn't mean you are a master swimmer.  It means that you are not a little kid and you want to swim.  At a Masters' session, there is a swim workout provided, including drills and swimming.  Also, at least at the real ones, there is a coach on deck to help with the workout and to help individually with form, etc.  

I went to my first Masters swim last night.  I had always been too nervous to go, because I'm a lousy swimmer.  So I just kept swimming by myself, which did not make me any less of a lousy swimmer -- just a lousy swimmer with greater endurance.  Insanity - doing the same thing over and over again... 

Anyway, I finally got over the nerves and went and really enjoyed it.  I was in the slow lane (where I belong - in fact, if there had been a slower lane, I probably belong there instead).  The workout included some swim sets and some drill sets.  The coach checked on me occasionally - I tried to keep up with the group and she made sure I understood what drills they were doing and that I knew that I could keep my own pace and/or sit out a drill or whatever as needed.  She also talked to me a little bit about my stroke - she said they can definitely work with me to make me faster -  YEAH!  But she also said my stroke wasn't terrible for someone who had never swum with a group or had stroke coaching!  (Maybe she was just being nice to me so I'll come back...although, if she said my stroke was hideous, I still would want to come back.)  I'm hoping to make it back again this Wednesday night - if I can squeeze in Masters 2x a week and then swim a session on my own, I really think I can nail this swimming thing.  

And to get back to Don Fink's principles - scheduling in Masters swimming and guaranteeing myself ~2 good swim workouts a week (at least) is definitely a solid way to make sure that portion of the tri gets trained for properly.  Good advice, Mr. Fink - good advice.  

Training - 2/10-2/16...and thoughts on yesterday's race

A lot of people run a race to see who is the fastest.  I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more. -- Steve Prefontaine

Here's a run-down of last week's training.  It was a lighter week in anticipation of the half mary yesterday.  Maybe a little too light, but I was tired.

Sunday 2/10 - 8.01 mile run
Monday 2/11 - 20 minute cycle, yoga
Tuesday 2/12 - 2 mile run, 750m swim
Wednesday 2/13 - 3 mile run
Thursday 2/14 - rest
Friday 2/15 - rest
Saturday 2/16 - RACE Half Mary

So.  The race.  I ran a really good (for me) 9 mile race.  Unfortunately, the race distance was 13.1 miles...and at the end of the day, my watch said it was even longer (13.37).  Those last 4 miles - not so good.

The race course was pretty awful and the weather was worse - cold with a wintery mix.  The course included some stairs, some narrow passages, and hills.  At least at the beginning of the race, there were a number of choke points where I just stood waiting.  Of course it thinned out eventually, but it is a huge irritation.  Especially when you have hail and snow falling on you.  It was a tough race.

The bigger problem is that my knee was twingy - and afterwards (and today) it downright hurts.  I taped it before the race as a precaution, but apparently I needed more.  There will be much stretching and strengthening in my future, because I can't let the knee derail my HIM plans.  The last 4 miles were difficult mentally and physically - and my ability to STRIVE was not as strong as I would have liked.  The race was disappointing, but it did give me an idea of some things that I need to work on...more later.

The Stuff of Tri

Too much of a good thing can be wonderful. -- Mae West

Being a triathlete requires a lot of stuff.  At least it seems that way.  My husband is just starting to do tris this year and is shocked at how much stuff he has had to buy.  On the other hand, I am starting to wonder where all my stuff came from.  My world is overflowing with tri stuff.  No really - look - here's my dresser.

It's a little amusing, until you realize there are only 3 drawers that aren't labeled with tri-related gear.  And they're small drawers.  The pink bag to the left of my dresser is my tri bag.  It is filled with more stuff - shampoo if I go to the gym, nutrition (bars, gels), ponytail holders, spare money from various times when I've bought a Gatorade at the gym and threw the change in the bag, various race-related swag (bumper stickers, key rings, etc.).  

It isn't contained in the corner of the bedroom though - there's obviously tri gear in the garage (and you've already seen Baby and the trainer in the family room).  We also have commandeered the master bathtub as a place for wet or sweaty clothes.

Last year I gave away something like 50 t-shirts to Goodwill - I'm betting 40-45 of those were sport related and the other 5-10 were from the Blood Bank.  (They are serious t-shirt pushers there, those blood suckers.)  Maybe too much of a good thing is not always wonderful.  And I'm not even one of those people who is into having the latest & greatest - I usually just replace what wears out.  But if they're handing out swag - I'm not going to turn it down.

On the other hand, being involved in triathlons also makes gift giving easy...which of course results in the accumulation of more stuff.  For Valentine's Day, I gave the husband fancy running socks and he gave me a new RoadID -- a tag to wear around my wrist or ankle with emergency contact stuff.  Awesome present!

Fun or Die?

Swimming is a confusing sport, because sometimes you do it for fun, and other times you do it not to die.  And when I'm swimming, sometimes I'm not sure which one it is.  -- Demetri Martin

Most people come into triathlon comfortable with one sport or another, lucky people come in comfortable in two.  I don't know if anyone comes in fully comfortable in all three.  If so, I hate those people.

I am a runner.  I ran (slowly) in junior high and high school, and I've run (slowly) on and off most of my adult life.  I'm comfortable on the run -- in part, because the run portion of the triathlon, although it comes at the end, is the hardest to screw up.  You can fall off a bike.  You can drown on the swim.  But, generally (heart attacks, etc. aside), the worst you can do on the run is trip and get back up again.  That's comforting to me.

I am not comfortable on the bike, but I am not uncomfortable.  I had a bike as a kid, but didn't get an adult bike until 6 or so years ago.  I still get a little nervous in heavy traffic and my handling skills are such that I'm not able to ride in pacelines or anything yet.  I've fallen on my bike -- usually a product of my own stupidity, taking a corner fast or forgetting to unclip my pedals.  I've never had a serious bike accident -- knock on wood.  But I think that, once I get on the bike, I will always finish a triathlon.  (Even if I have a miserable flatting situation, like in a tri last summer.)

The part of the tri which is absolutely uncomfortable for me is the swim.  I'm an adult-onset swimmer.  I took lessons at the Y 6 years ago, just so I could get from one end of a 25m pool to the other without stopping.  In my first tri, way back then, I had to flip over and backstroke a little in a pool swim because I couldn't handle the swim.  The swim portion of the tri is my albatross.

And because the swim portion is my albatross, my efforts to toss off the fear are starting to take on epic proportions.  Beyond the OWS issues that I've talked about (and the clinics, etc., to work on that), I am probably going to start swimming in a masters swim program a couple nights a week so that I can get some correction of my (undoubtedly) poor swim technique.  No offense to the people at the Y who taught me to swim, but I think they were trying to keep me from drowning -- not trying to make me an efficient swimmer with any sort of average speed.

This is going to be an amazing journey, but boy is it going to keep me busy.

I Don't Know How She'll Do It

The balancing act of motherhood and a career, and being a wife, is something that I don't think I'll ever perfect but I love the challenge of it.  -- Kerri Walsh

First of all, let me just say how much I love Kerri Walsh.  She's athletic as all get out, she's tall (which I envy - OK, I envy the athletic part too), and she is a crazy mom.  At least as far as that goes, I can relate to that.

In my mind, part of my lifestyle must be to inspire my daughters.  Given their family history, athleticism does not run in the family, but diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity do.  My husband and I exercise to stave off these evils, but we had to make a conscious choice as adults when we were at a pretty unhealthy period in our lives.  We'd rather our girls just grow up thinking that physical activity and healthy eating are the norm -- not a choice.

So the older daughter is involved in soccer and pretty seriously - 4-5 nights/afternoons a week.  Plus during the spring and fall seasons, we travel for games.  The little one is involved in gymnastics and dance -- only 2 days a week, but she's still young.  They both take piano lessons and we want them to be able to do triathlons, so swimming lessons, etc.  Dealing with these activities alone is a balancing act (without adding my stuff in), and I have a lot more flexibility than many parents.

And then let's squeeze in my workouts.  I've done my swim workout while one of them is at piano lessons (both at the YMCA - very convenient); I've run in the neighborhoods around the dance studio when it was lighter out (and will be again soon) during dance; a long while ago, when soccer was still practiced at an elementary school, I'd run laps around the track.

I don't know if my efforts to fit all this around their schedule inspires them or not.  In fact, after taking them swimming yesterday and making them swim a couple laps, I'm pretty sure they are not thrilled with our insistence they do a triathlon this spring.  (They've done them before - the elder has done a couple, the younger did her first in August...they complain until they do them, but then they are pretty pleased with themselves, which is what matters.  Elder even took second place in her age group (AG) last year.)

But to wrap up this rant, to be honest, I'm inspired by them.  They get home from school, do their homework, cook themselves a mini-dinner (we eat late after practices so we can eat as a family), and go to their events.  They come home, we eat dinner, they shower & finish up anything left over, and maybe--just maybe-- have time to relax before bedtime.  And it starts all over again the next day.  That's what my life will be like when my training picks up later this spring.  I'll have to take a couple of lessons from their playbooks.

Training - 2/3-2/9...and thoughts on training

To keep the body in good health is a duty...otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. -- Buddha

Here's the rundown of my training from last week:

Sunday 2/3 - 11.25 mile run (last long run before the half mary)
Monday 2/4 - rest
Tuesday 2/5 - 3 mile run, 700m swim
Wednesday 2/6 - 5 mile run, yoga
Thursday 2/7 - 60 minute cycle
Friday 2/8 - 1200m swim, 3 mile run
Saturday 2/9 - 750m swim, 45 minute cycle

I've been following a half mary training plan for the last 12 weeks or so, wrapping up with the race on 2/16.  The swimming and cycling I've squeezed in when the plan calls for cross-training or whenever I have a little extra time.

Between the half mary in February and the trail half in March, I'm kind of cobbling together a training plan to allow me to recover and then rebuild, all in four weeks.

After the trail half in March, I have about 5 weeks until my first tri of the season, a sprint tri in a pool on 4/27.  I figure I'll plot a little more formal plan for those 5 weeks and then, of course, my HIM training plan starts 4/20.  I'd rather have a more organized plan for 2/16 until 4/20, but nothing really fits in these time periods that will be valuable for my build to 4/20.

Meet My Bike

Nobody puts Baby in a corner. -- Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze), "Dirty Dancing"

My bike and I are going to be spending a lot of time together over the next seven months.  The bike portion is really the critical portion of a HIM.  My bike's name is Baby.  Not sure how it happened, but back in 2006 when I got her, it just felt right.  And I treat her a little like a baby - when I have her on the bike rack on the back of our car, I drive like a little old lady so nothing happens to Baby.  It's ridiculous.

So, Baby is a Specialized Dolce - not a high end bike, but a good solid woman-specific-design road bike by a good manufacturer.  More importantly, she and I work together.  First of all, she's purple, and who doesn't feel special on a purple bike.  Second of all, I have her tripped out with clip-on aerobars, although I'm still not fully comfortable using them when I'm on the real road.  (Aerobars are those black antennae looking things that hang off the front of my handlebars.  It's supposed to make me faster if I lean forward resting my arms on those, cutting down on wind resistance.)  And third, we've been together for a long time.  I'd miss her if I trade up.  Actually, to be honest, if I ever trade up, I'll get a tri-specific bike and keep Baby for a road bike.  But that's not on this year's agenda.

Much to Johnny Castle's dismay, for most of the winter, Baby is put in a corner.  Here is Baby on the trainer in the family room.  The trainer (the lime green thing) holds the bike up and the back wheel spins against a fluid filled thingy to provide tension so it's like riding on the road, kind of.  A little bit.  Not really.  It's actually a little boring, but as long as Baby has to be in the corner, I can watch really bad TV. Like yesterday, when I watched "My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding."  

Plans - Bird's Eye View

Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.  -- Peter Drucker

SWIM
1 - February, March - continue to get comfy in the water, work on technique (which hopefully adds a wee bit of speed...I'm horrendously slow in the agua right now). I can swim a slow mile in the pool if I need to.
2 - April through Summer - take advantage of OWS clinics, training sessions, and even a private lesson if necessary to get over my OWS issues; build the volume to well above the 1.2 so I'm comfortable. Hubby has agreed to pay for classes, clinics, etc. to get me ready for this leg.
3 - July - do a 750-swim river sprint tri
4 - August - do a 1-mile standalone river swim as a prep for the race
5 - I will be able to do the 1.2 miles for the HIM by September 7

BIKE
1 - February, March start building volume around my running races these months; get the bike outside whenever the weather permits
2 - April through Summer - long rides, testing nutrition, etc. - I have a biking colleague who has agreed to come with me for some of these, both to keep me company and push me a bit. Build volume to atleast 60, running a mile or 2 after many of the rides
3 - I will be able to do the 58 miles for the HIM by September 7 (yes, the race is a little long on the bike)

RUN
1 - Finish my 2 spring half marys without injury (stretch & roll, girlfriend - stretch & roll)
2 - April through August - drop the run volume just by a little after the 1/2 marys to give me more time for bike & swim, although I don't want to lose my run fitness altogether; also work on a run/walk system should that be necessary
3 - I will be able to do the 13.1 miles for the HIM by September 7

I've thought it out; I have a plan & will be following the BT 20-week HIM plan starting April 20 (I'm nearly at the starting requirements now, but certainly will be by then). 

Making It Real

Reality is wrong.  Dreams are for real.  -- Tupac Shakur

If I say it out loud, it is real, right?  Well today is the day I'm going to say it out loud.

Seven months from today, I will be doing my first half-iron distance triathlon.

Maybe that isn't strong enough.  In seven months, I will be completing my first HIM.

Now it's real.  Now it's out there.  Before today, I've told a couple of people - people who I needed to get on my side before I made the decision.  The husband, of course.  He's going to need to help with the balance and pick up some of the kid-slack.  A couple of tri friends who will spend a little OWS time with me, either at the planned sessions or up at a life-guarded beach.  A colleague who is willing to keep me company on some of the longer bike rides.

But now it's time to tell some family and friends.  Their initial reaction will undoubtedly at least one of the following words:  nuts, crazy, loco, insane, certifiable, Barry Manilow.  (OK, the last one is an inside joke.)

So call it like you see it - it is a little crazy.  But I'm saying it out loud -- telling you -- because I may need a little support and encouragement, particular as the training drags on through the summer.  Right now I'm just in the build-up.  The honeymoon period after you decide to do a race but well before you get knee-deep in the training.  I'm busy training through the other races I'm committed to (the half marys and the sprint in April), while all the while trying to up my base in my weak sports (swim & bike) so that when official training commences on April 20 (20 weeks out), I am solid.

This is my dream.  I'm changing my reality.  And now that I've named my dream aloud, it's real.

Hanging in the Balance

There's no such thing as work-life balance.  There are work-life choices, and you make them, and they have consequences. -- Jack Welch

So why now?  Don't you have enough to do?  You're always complaining about balance...aren't you just piling on to the 28 hours worth of stuff you have to do in the 24 hours you have?  

I know.  I get it.  Trust me.  Picking to do this HIM, this year, is a very deliberate choice.  In some respects, it is to help put some balance in my life.  I have passed through some difficult times at work, pushing myself to achieve and achieve and achieve.  But now the urgency is gone for these work projects and I find myself still pushing.  I am having a hard time slowing down to a sustainable pace at work.  Likewise, my family life is a bit erratic and frenzied now - but instead of taking it in stride and making the most of it, I am flailing around -- wasting some opportunities, missing others, and taking on things that don't need to be.  My balance problem results from my mindset...DO, DO, DO, DO, DO.  There is no STOP.  There is no REST.

OK.  Sounds like a recipe for disaster.  Why do you think this will help your balance?

Because the training schedule for the HIM is fixed -- I know what workouts I need to do and how long they will take.  The classes that I will take this spring/summer to get over my open water swimming (OWS) issues are set.  These are things I have to do and my life will need to be scheduled around it.  I looked at the schedule for training and, because most of it happens over summer -- a less structured time at work -- I can fit it in.  I can't do any more training than what's on the schedule, because I'll get hurt.  I'll be tired, really tired, so I'll need to stop and rest.

After I put the training sessions on the calendar, everything else will be scheduled around it.  I'm not going to have time to overdo obligations at work or at home, because there will be something else on my calendar that CANNOT be ignored.  This doesn't mean that things will come up, but when asked to do something or when my little mind contemplates signing up for another obligation at work or at home, I can look at my calendar and I can say no.  Does this mean I won't be working hard this summer?  No.  But it means that I won't be killing myself.  And if I find (as I'm expecting) that I can succeed in getting my work done (without overdoing it) and have fun with my kids and train for something like this, then the mindset that I currently have -- DO DO DO -- will disappear.  I will understand the value of STOP.  And REST.  And I will have balance.

You're crazy -- you know that, right?

Yeah.  A little bit.  But some of you knew that already.

The Starting Line

There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting. -- Buddha

And here begins my quest to avoid at least one mistake.  I am at the starting line.  In just over seven months, I hope to be crossing the finish line of my first half-ironman (HIM) distance triathlon.  I will swim 1.2 miles, bike 58 miles, and run 13.1 consecutively.  (Usually the bike is 56 miles - the course of the race I've chosen is a titch long.)  72.3 miles.  In one day.

I've done a handful of sprint triathlons, nearly 10 half-marathons, and one marathon.  I also started an Olympic distance triathlon that I did not finish.  Completing HIM would be a big accomplishment for me -- not impossible, but a truly difficult task.  It will take a lot of training and focus over the next seven months.  It will also take a lot of juggling of my personal and professional lives.  Oddly enough, this is what is drawing me to the challenge.

Earlier this year, at the start of 2013, a radio station I listen to asked listeners to pick their "Word of the Year."  What word will define my actions and my thoughts for 2013?  I decided my word for 2013 is STRIVE.  The definition of "strive" is to "make great efforts to achieve or obtain something."  To live up to my word, I needed to find something big, something difficult, something that requires great effort.  An HIM seems to fit the bill.

For me, the road to the HIM will be a long journey.  But I am at the starting line.