A Letter from my Helmet

Dear Kelly,


Hello there! This is your helmet. I don't have a name like your beautiful bike. For some reason you never took the time to give me one. Despite that though, you did take the time to put me on every time you went out for a ride.  You even told your blog readers what a great helmet I was in this post here.  I just wanted to let you know what an honor it has been protecting your head all those miles.  I know that most days you didn't even think twice about me.  Don't worry - I'm used to that.  I'm not really in it for the glory. In fact, it would be my pleasure to never have to actually protect your head from anything!


I just wanted to say, I'm so thankful I was there on that day to come between your head and the road.  Really, it was a suicide mission for me.  One crash is all it takes to take a helmet like me out of commission forever.  One crash without me though, is all it takes to take you out of commission forever.  I am not just an accessory to match your bike. I am not just something to make you look cool or to cover up your bed head. I am essential to your life. I am honored to keep you safe. Please honor my successor even more than you have honored me. 


Love,
Your helmet

Better a cracked helmet than a cracked head.

After my accident I emailed Rudy Project, USA and thanked them for making such good helmets.  The president of the company immediately emailed me back with caring concern and thankfulness that I was okay. He also sent me a new helmet AND new sunglasses, even though I wasn't wearing Rudy Project sunglasses when I crashed.  

I cannot say enough about a company like this.  This goes well beyond good customer service. If I ever have the great opportunity to meet Paul, I will give him a huge Trimommy hug. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! If you are on the market for sunglasses or a helmet, this is the place to go. Right now at www.e-rudy.com, if you buy a pair of sunglasses you can get a helmet for free!  Look cool, protect your noggin - it's a win-win!

Do you wear a helmet? All the time? Give your helmet the honor it deserves for doing a job it hopefully never has to do.

Perspective

It's been a rough week here in Trimommy-land.

On Tuesday I had a tough day at work.

On Wednesday I met with my attorney regarding the bike crash and what lies ahead.

On Thursday I found out that the tiny little scratch in the top tube of my beautiful Kestrel is actually a crack in the frame.

It's just to the right of the O. Darn it.

On top of all of that, I have not been sleeping well, I have a temporary crown that is killing me, I haven't been working out enough and I've been eating way too much!

Thank God it's Friday!

Despite the heaviness of the week there were some much needed bright moments.  We went pumpkin picking on Sunday, and then last night we had a wonderful time at Enchanted Beaver Lake. Beaver Lake is a local nature center and every year they carve hundreds of pumpkins and set them out along the trails.  It was FREEZING (think rain and wet snow), but we went anyway and had a great time.

Enchanted Beaver Lake

I'm pretty sure they had more fun playing with the glow sticks than looking at the pumpkins.

Fortunately, at no point during the evening did I want to eat my young. ;)

They really do love each other...some of the time, anyway.

Corny Coverts

The sentry of the corn maze.

Sometimes you just don't feel like smiling,

but then you realize how blessed you really are. 

Planet Gear Giveaway Winner

Thanks to all who entered my Planet Gear giveaway!!

There were exactly 60 comments, and random.org tells me that comment #35 is the winner!

Congrats to Cori!  I'll shoot you an email and get you set up with your gift card.

For those of you who didn't win, you still have time to have Planet Gear donate $1 to Breast Cancer Research by joining and making a purchase by the end of October!  Win-WIN!!!

Progress Report

Don't forget to enter my Planet Gear giveaway!  I'm picking a winner tomorrow!!
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My bike crash was four weeks ago yesterday, and one month out I feel I am definitely on the path to feeling more like myself.

My shoulder is doing really well despite of the huge bump that I guess I'll always have.  I've decided to name it Chuck.  Better than having a Chip on my shoulder, I guess.

Meet Chuck.

I am happy to report that last week Chuck and I swam 300 yards!!  While I was swimming I thought my swimsuit strap was really pulling on my shoulder.  When I went to adjust it, I realized it wasn't my strap that was tight, just my shoulder! Wow! Despite the tightness, though, it did not hurt to swim, so that was definitely a victory.

My cheekbone is still very tender.  My doctor said the bone is probably bruised and will be tender and swollen for some time. This has been a problem for swimming, believe it or not, because I have not been able to use my normal go-to TYR Nest Pro goggles because they press on my scars.  At Rev3 Quassy I won a pair of TYR Socket Rockets, so I have been able to use those since they have a much smaller profile.  They make me feel very swimmer-like, but I do miss my usual goggles.

I have to admit, I am also still grieving about the scars on my face.  I'm sure they will fade with time and with it the grief as well, but it still seems very fresh.  I can't help but wonder what people think when they see it. Maybe no one even really notices, and I'm just being vain, but I'm still pretty bummed about it.  Real life right here.

I have been slowly getting back into the swing of things training wise.  It's been a weird time for me because in addition to not working out for almost 3 weeks, I am also transitioning to a new coach in November (more on that in a week or so), so I haven't had anyone but myself to figure out my weeks.  It shouldn't be too hard in theory, since I am a triathlon coach, but there is just something different about coaching myself rather than coaching someone else.  I've been trying to plan my week as though I'm planning it for one of my clients, then after I am done planning, I get out my calender and see if it will work.  It has definitely helped me to have something, anything planned.  This week I was able to get in almost 5.5 hours of training in a combination of easy running, cycling on the trainer, and aqua jogging.

Many people have asked me if I've been out on my bike yet.  The answer is no.  My doctor did not want me riding outside until my shoulder was completely healed.  I'm hoping that we get some warm-ish weather in November or December so I will have a chance to get out even for a quick ride before the snow comes.  To be honest, I'm not nervous about getting back on the bike, I don't think, BUT I would rather not wait until spring to have that first ride back.

All in all, I'm pleased with my progress.  The range of motion in my shoulder is coming back quite nicely, with lots of help from my sports chiro, Dr. Parker, and I'm slowly getting my lost fitness back.  Now if I could only lose the almost 10 pounds I've gained since my crash, I'd be golden!! :) I'm guessing that I might have to cut back on the Halloween candy if that's going to happen!!

Food and Finding the Best Path

Last night I watched Forks Over Knives.  It was extremely thought-provoking and just added to a flood of food thoughts I've been having recently.

Over the last 4 years I have been on a food journey of sorts.  It began when I wanted to lose my baby weight from Noah.  When he was about 7 months old I began counting calories with a good friend of mine.  I was also training hard and looking forward to getting back in shape for tri season since I had taken the summer before off (Noah was born in July 2006).  I had always been a pretty healthy eater, but I really buckled down and got the job done this time.  One of the things that happened was that my friend really turned me on to making as much of my food as I could, and I mean everything, from bread to granola.  I tried pretty hard to stay true to a more natural way of eating and cooking and I lost all of the baby weight in about 5 months.

Since then, I have pretty much been at the same weight for the last 3 and half years, give or take a few pounds.  It has always been my desire to get a bit leaner and more healthy, and during that time I have done a lot of reading and exploring of different thoughts on food.  Some of the books I've read which have definitely made an impression on me are:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life 

The Paleo Diet Revised: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat 

The Paleo Diet for Athletes: The Ancient Nutritional Formula for Peak Athletic Performance

Metabolic Efficiency Training: Teaching the Body to Burn More Fat 

Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance 

Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, 3rd Ed. 

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto 

Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal 

The Eat-Clean Diet: Fast Fat-Loss that lasts Forever!

I have also watched many documentaries that have certainly shaped my thoughts towards food, most notably Food, Inc. and Forks Over Knives a close second.  

And, of course, as a blogger I read almost every day about different ways of life in terms of eating including raw, vegan, vegetarian, paleo and many more.  I have probably experimented in one way or another with all of these styles of eating, and I usually do so by trying recipes here and there.  There have been a few times over the last few years that I have tried to stay true to a particular style for several weeks.  A couple years ago I went 12 weeks with no sugar - twice! I gave myself my own nutrition challenge with points and everything! I spend several months talking with Holistic Guru, Christine Lynch, about my food attitudes and hang-up. I attempted a month of paleo/primal earlier this year.

So, the real question is where has this brought me?

Well, the answer is interesting and surprising.  Here are the things I know for sure:

• It is important to me to eat locally grown foods as much as possible.
• Most of the meat I purchase is organic and/or local from farms where I can see how they treat their animals.
• Most of the produce I buy is organic and/or local when I can get it locally.  Here in the north, our local produce becomes quite limited during the winter months.
• I try to avoid sugar, artificial sweeteners and processed foods as much as I can. I know, by experience, they do my body no good at all.  Does that mean I never eat these things?  Absolutely not.  I have treats probably too often, but my overarching philosophy is to avoid these things as much as possible.
• I try to eat with my training in mind.  I am not always successful, but this is my goal.

However, I still have questions and most of those stem from the fact that many of these eating "paths", if you will, are so wildly contradicting.  I love the basic premise of Paleo/Primal eating, but then I watch Forks Over Knives and feel like eating vegan is the best for my body.  The Paleo crowd can prove The China Study wrong and vice versa. 

My main concern with most of these paths is that they rarely allow for any sort of meeting in the middle.  I have a hard time believing that grains like quinoa and oatmeal are bad for me a la paleo living, but then I also think that, for me, not eating any meat would be very difficult.  I really dislike the idea of having forbidden foods, especially when those foods are whole foods that are processed very little. I hate thinking of good foods like oatmeal as being "bad" but I have to admit I do that.

My point in all of this, is that despite my intense efforts to find the "best" way, I have ended feeling more conflicted about food and eating than when I began.  Part of me just wants to go back and start again.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on food and eating, especially many of these "paths" that I have mentioned like vegan, paleo, etc.  

Planet Gear Giveaway

Do you guys need a giveaway?

I think you do. I mean, really, who doesn't need free things, right?

So we are going to do one. Right here. Right now.

The fantastic people at Planet Gear are going to give away a $25 gift certificate to their site to one of my loyal readers.  Seriously, you guys deserve it.

In case you haven't heard of Planet Gear, it is an website that features "the world's best outdoor gear, apparel and travel destinations at exclusive member pricing."

Awesome. Who doesn't need the best stuff for cheap?? This week's featured companies are Tifosi, Haiku, and Scott.

The best part is that it is free to be a member AND for the month of October in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, for every new member that signs up and makes a purchase.

Buy cool stuff for cheap! Help save boobies!  If that isn't a win-win, I'm not sure what is.

Here's what you have to do to enter:  (Please leave a separate comment for each entry.)

1.  Be a follower of this blog (mandatory).  Leave a comment.
2.  Like Planet Gear on Facebook (mandatory). Leave a comment.

Additional entries:
3.  Follow Planet Gear on Twitter. Leave a comment.
4.  Follow me (@TrimommyKelly) on Twitter. Leave a comment.
5.  Tweet or Facebook about this giveaway.  You can say something like this:

I just entered the @PlanetGear giveaway on @TrimommyKelly's blog http://www.trimommylife.com/2011/10/planet-gear-giveaway.htm.

Don't forget to leave a comment!!

I will randomly choose a winner on Sunday, October 23!

Rev3Tri South Carolina

I just returned from a weekend in the south for Rev3Tri South Carolina.  Now you guys know I LOVE my Rev3/Trakkers family, so of course I had a great weekend.

I flew into Atlanta on Thursday, which also happens to be where my best friend in the whole world, Ellen, lives.  This year we are celebrating our 20th year of being friends.  TWENTY YEARS!!!  We had decided at the beginning of the summer that this was going to be a girl's weekend in Anderson, where her aunt happens to live.  Even though I wasn't able to race because of my bike crash, I decided to go down anyway so I could spend time with her and see all of my teammates in Anderson.

One of our favorite things to do together, besides talk of course, is eat great food.  And, as always, we made the most of the great restaurants in Atlanta and Anderson, SC.  Since I wasn't racing I was able to take full advantage of any culinary (and beverage) delights that came my way!!  After a lovely dinner on Thursday night and then a relaxing morning at Ellen's home on Friday, we headed to Anderson with a pit stop at the outlets in Commerce.  (Shopping is another thing Ellen and I excel at!)

We rolled into town rather late and ate dinner at a wonderful little place called Summajoe's.  If you are ever close to Anderson, I highly recommend it!  We liked it so much, we convinced everyone to have our Trakkers Team dinner there on Saturday night!!

Saturday we spent the day hanging out at the Rev3 Expo and practice swim. The team made sure all the swimmers were lubed up with TriSlide at the practice swim and before the race on Sunday.

Me, Jill, Kiersten, and Andree.

I have to admit, it was kind of sad to be there and not be racing.  I didn't think it would bother me as much as it did, but the fact is, there is no way I could have raced yesterday.  Even just directing bikers on the bike course wore me out, despite the fact that my shoulder is feeling stronger every day.  Doing a half-ironman would not have been smart, that's for sure.  I am still so glad that I went though, because I was able to see so many people I love all in one weekend!!

Me and Team Trakkers Mama Bear, Carole Sharpless.

My body continues to heal from my recent trauma, but this weekend did wonders to heal my soul.  I am so glad I went, and am even more glad to be home with my boys!

Seriously??? What is it with poop?

I'm not really sure what it is about poop and my children, but there is some kind of connection there for sure.

Tonight I went into the downstairs bathroom and noticed there was no more toilet paper on the roll.  Right before I grabbed the empty tube I noticed some streaks on it.  Very strange.

I went in for a closer look, and my nose quickly confirmed my sneaking suspicion that one of my children was once again up to no good in the bathroom.  I knew that Ryan had spent an unusual amount of time in the bathroom this afternoon, so I called him downstairs.

After he stopped laughing (because I informed him with my best mommy voice that it most certainly was NOT funny), he told me that he had run out of toilet paper so he used the roll (which, mind you, was still on the toilet paper holder.)

I asked him how he got the smears onto the roll.

"With my hand."

"So let me get this straight," I said. "You ran out of toilet paper, so you used your hand to wipe your butt and then you wiped it on the empty roll?"

Ryan:  "I washed my hands when I was done!"

Mommy: "So that means you touched the faucet AND the soap with your disgusting wiper hands?"

I then made him throw out the smeared TP roll in the OUTSIDE garbage, and wipe down every single surface in the bathroom with multiple clorox wipes.

Bonus!  A clean bathroom!

Afterward, I walked into the kitchen and Kel says, "We were just talking about how they used to do that in India, but they don't anymore..."

I sometimes think that I am the only mother who has experiences like this. Then, I realize, no, I'm just the only mother who actually admits them.