HEAD CAMYRA...

"Never shall I forget the days I spent with you. Continue to be my friend, as you will always find me yours."

- Ludwig van Beethoven

 

~THANK YOU~

 

SUNDAY

• a parking lot full of loud talkers
• a used condom under a shoe
• bathroom induced gagging
• a 5 minute run
• 2 "POPS"
• a sneaker full of dog sh!t

     'NUFF SAID!

     (you JUST had to be there to appreciate this blog...)

"You have to live with the crashes, and hope you don't get into one."
Lance Armstrong

Sunday @ Hilton Falls has definitely achieved "PROCTER'S TOP 5" stature...My top 5 list, is an archived manifest of things I thought I would never do and yet managed to survive...essentially, the opposite of a BUCKET LIST. A BUCKET LIST is a list of things you want to do before you "kick the bucket"..."PROCTER'S TOP 5" is a perpetually streaming list of things I've done and lived to tell about...It's really more of an on going joke with my family and friends because I have a tendency to over react and to be a little melodramatic...Surprised? Allow me to put this list into perspective for you...here is an example of an event that has made the TOP 5...When I was 23 I went through a really devastating break up... so ...instead of considering myself lucky and moving forward a stronger and smarter person... I decided to pack a bag, head  to the airport and buy a one way ticket to the Caribbean by myself...I came back a year and a half later.  Needless to say, any event that makes "PROCTER'S TOP 5" is a HUGE deal to me. Sunday, was a HUGE deal to me...and like I said Sunday made the list.
I spent the first part of the morning, which was the navigation training with Bryan , with my mouth shut and I'm pretty sure I didn't blink once...when I am feeling distress I fall silent...quiet Amy = panicked Amy. All of the navigation training had a sepia tone to it...NO black and white, not because Bryan wasn't doing a stellar job explaining himself but because navigation and geography are simply not one of my strengths. Right Shannon?
We were paired up and challenged to efficiently maneuver our way to 4 check points. and away we went. Keri and I biked to where we ( and all of the other teams) expected the 1st check point to be...we were in the VERY general vicinity of the intended mark and ultimately managed to locate it...with some help...and I have to tell you...I spend a fair amount of time with Susie, and I have NEVER, and I mean NEVER heard her drop the "F-bomb" as many times as I did during our scavenge for the red beach ball @ check point 1, and poor Shane, I can't even repeat the adjectives she used both before and after YOUR name ( said in the nicest possible way of course)...AND she has this most hilarious walk when she is disgruntled...it's kind of like a march but sort of like a stomp...SO FUNNY!!! 

Keri and I decided to work backwards- head for check #4 next...awesome idea...lots of time to chat and enjoy the day as we headed in the completely WRONG direction TWICE! We eventually FOUND the falls and headed off in different directions, (which shouldn't surprise any of you if you have seen the video)  and off in the distance I heard " I FOUND IT!" Good job Keri! Back on our bikes we went to find the 3rd and 2nd check points. We successfully completed our task and had way too much fun doing it. By the time we reached the parking lot we had been in the forest for 90+ minutes...and it felt like 20...Thanks for a WICKED day! THANK YOU for reminding me that it is perfectly normal and perfectly natural to be scared when situated outside of my comfort zone...because as long as I can keep the rubber side down...it's all good! Oh God...keeping the rubber side down...that's a whole other blog...Ninja Yee Ma OUT!

HER NAME IS SUSIE OPIE AND SHE HAS CHANGED MY LIFE!

The following is an excerpt from one of Susie's blogs copied from www.phatchicks.ca
January 26, 2010
This is our message:
•Be strong.
•Live with confidence in yourself and your decisions.
•Follow your passions.
•Maintain a healthy diet and regular exercise. Know what it feels like to be healthy and fit and the many ways it can improve your life and make it that much more amazing.
•Be exactly who you are. Love who you are. Love and take care of your body.
•Dream big and go for it.
•Be brave. Step out of your comfort zone to attain the life you desire.
•Be brave with love.
•Take the risk. Even though there is a chance you’ll fail. Failure builds character and knowledge.
•Live with integrity.
•Think positive, stay positive. Remove the negative out of your life.
•Be inspired every day, whether it is through working out, meditating…whatever helps you to stay inspired.
•Help each other and be kind and compassionate.
•Laugh at yourself.
•Know that anything is possible.
•Express yourself to those you love and care about. They are important to you-why not let them know and make them feel good?

Dear Susie,
Thank you for supporting me last night in the Moon in June.
Thank you for standing beside me at the starting line, and for the wicked hug right before I crossed the finish line!
Thank you for the pre workout laughs in the parking lot this morning!
Thank you for the skills you taught me this morning to improve my physical fitness.
Thank you for making me dig deeper when I was certain I was giving it all I had!
Thank you for being you and for helping me to be the best person I can be.

You are truly amazing!

Amy

Oh wait a sec. I guess I should say something about the actual bootcamp training this morning...

It was alright...I guess. :)

 Our body is a machine for living.

It is organized for that, it is its nature.

Let life go on in it unhindered and let it defend itself,

it will do more than if you paralyze it by encumbering it with remedies.

-Leo Tolstoy

 

1991

Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. That which is soft is strong.

- Lao-Tzu (600 B.C.)

1991 was the last time I was anywhere near a canoe...I was at Algonquin Park and the canoe was used for storage, so our canoe training at Kelso was another "Amy in the headlights" moment for me (- very similar to our mountain bike training.) The weather was outstanding. I love, love , love the heat. I rarely get a chance to spend time outdoors when it is smokin' hot because I always have the total pleasure of being with my awesome, beautiful daughter and she is, understandably, not a lover of the heat. I am also completely amazed by the water. Water is a magnet for my imagination, for conscious pondering and subconscious dreams, thrills, and fears. I can stare into moving water and be completely captivated much like when when gazing into a camp fire,  so,  being taught the safe and effective ways to move across the water in a canoe was phenomenal. I also was able to spend the afternoon and make memories with Shannon...who is one wicked chick! We paddled from one end of Kelso to the other, learned to turn our boat without "taking the scenic route " and battled head to head with the other girls in a few friendly competitions. All so good!
I watched the canoeing video today...every time I watch a new weeks training video I sit with my daughter and we watch it together. I explain every little detail to her , tell her who is who and we discuss the importance of safety, team work and make tons plans for the future when she is a little bit older to try all of these wicked disciplines together. After we watched the video from yesterday, she looked up at me with her pure and innocent hazel eyes and said..."I'm so proud of you Mommy"...so even if I don't win this contest...believe me I've already won!
                                            I love you Izzy!

"This is no time for ease and comfort. It is the time to dare and endure." - Winston Churchill

This particular training had been a long time coming...and NOW I understand why. Anything less than the perfect conditions could result in disaster and Thursday was anything but a disaster. Mother Nature totally had her game face on and gave us the go ahead with our mountain bike training at Lions Valley. CRAZY! We pulled into the parking lot where the team was meeting and it became all too obvious that this was so not Kansas anymore...I forgot my ruby slippers, my DRY ruby slippers, so clicking my heels 3 times and going home was out of the question. I was delighted to see Susie. I find strength and composure just being in her presence. And, she was the only one who I let know how truly intimidated I was of the bike training...and...guess what she did...she laughed...in my face (in a good way)...AND YOU KNOW WHAT? Just seeing her laugh (even at me) made me laugh, and shake, and then I barfed in my mouth a little. We had a lesson on the basics of shifting gears, suspension and handling curbs, then a warm up and away we went. We were on our bikes for maybe " 50 meters" when sweet Szerenka bravely attempted to jump her first curb and was thrown right over her handle bars...I laugh now, because I know she is okay but at the time I was just beside myself...I have NEVER been mountain biking and in the first 3 minutes I see Szerenka go flying past me WITHOUT her bike...Ok. Really? I am so outside of my comfort zone at this point that I just stood their for a brief moment thinking to myself..."and this is supposed to be the easy stuff!?! Oh I am SO screwed" The next challenge was learning how to handle a steep incline...but to get up the hill you must first go down. I managed to get down the hill and 3/4 of the way up the first time, and then it was Keri's turn. OMG! Again, I laugh because she survived, but seriously!? I have never seen a wipe out like that...she was like the ball in the pinball machine, and yet, she got up and laughed...BRAVO KERI! We were then escorted safely down the valley and onto some relay racing- which was amazing. This gave me a little glimpse into what AR actually feels like...Sorry Sharon. We then followed a trail along the river- and...I fell. And that's okay! I totally expected to completely buff out at some point and to land on thick grass and mud was just fine by me! At the end of this trail was a bend in the river...it was actually a really beautiful sight...we were challenged to cross the river carrying our bikes to win a SUUNTO heart monitor. I applaud both SHARON and NEIL for getting more than their shoes wet during this challenge and I hope you are both feeling okay today. Riding back up the valley was a trick. SHANNON was able to do it not only once, but twice. I look forward to seeing your new sneaks Shan! The ride home was awesome! It was just reaching dusk and I felt really thankful for having been given the chance to be so far outside of my comfort zone I couldn't even see it...I think it was about "50 meters"away...

TrailAR Park Girls

(yes, yes...I know- it's trailER...but for the purpose of this blog it is spelled TrailAR)

I typically don't think about my blogs...when the opportunity presents itself I sit down @ my computer and fill the page with words...secretly hoping that they make sense. People say that I often write how I speak, so ...put on your best Amy voice and carry on...READY?
WOW ... today was totally UNBELIEVABLE, FANTASTIC, AMAZING! So much so, that when I thought about blogging, I was feeling slightly petulant...not because I didn't want to share my thoughts with you about today's AR training, but because putting it down on paper takes away some of the magic, losing some of it's enchantment. THAT is how AWESOME it was...
Trail running @ Kelso today was mostly single track...we were instructed by Susie to go @ our own pace...make it our own...(maybe I just made that up but I'm pretty sure I kept  hearing her say that over and over in my head.)  We covered various terrains and covered a number of different trails...SO WICKED!  All of the girls did SO WELL!  Once again, Sharon rocked her run in her blue jeans...which still to this day totally astounds me...Susie spent time running and chatting with each of us individually. sharing words of encouragement and amusing anecdotes. Who does that? Oh right...Susie does, because that is how committed and caring she is. OK, Beverly-Ann... Helllo??? You slayed those trails...you put one foot in front of the other and kept moving forward! BRAVO! You should be so proud of yourself!  I didn't want to stop trail running today. Mother Nature was totally on board and there was this crazy energy amongst the team that was almost palpable. Being with the "TrailAR Park Girls" today gave me momentum to be the best Amy I could be today...and that is what life is all about...I know, I know- this turned out way  more sugary than I expected...hmmm...maybe that is why I have welts the size of grapes all along my hair line and ears...I don't know WTF kind of little asshole insect that was that kept biting me but at least I know why... because you ladies exude sweetness, and I ...attract bugs.  Thanks for the awesome memories we made today! MUAH!
Now stop talking like me...you are freakin' me out!

LOST : SENSE OF DIRECTION...FOUND : SENSE OF DIRECTION...

So...here's the thing...

May is a really, really opressive month for me...If I could skip from the end of April to the beginning of June...I would.  I unexpectedly lost my Mom on May 3rd 2005 when I was 3 months pregnant, Mother's Day is May 9th, and her birthday is May 12th...so it is like a Bermuda triangle of anguish for me...and it is also extremely trying on those around me as I don't manage my sorrow that effectively. I have a tendency to walk around with this black cloud over my head, in a daze, simply waiting for the month to end so I can EXHALE...
Driving to RSP today, I was feeling despondent and withdrawn. Last week was unbearably tough and add to that the emotional obstacles I personally confront during this month, I had lost my sense of direction...everything took a back seat to my hardship...the concept of moving forward with my training for this race was so far off my radar that I became indifferent ...but...remembering that I embarked upon this journey to prove a point to my awesome,beautiful daughter I sucked it up and got out of the car. The first person I saw was Susie. Sweet, sweet Susie...so brave, so strong, so inspiring...then I saw Connor ...aaaand...he sniffed my crotch. For those of you who don't know who Connor is, he is Susie's handsome black lab...not just some random guy going around sniffing crotches. Shane was there as well as Tracey, Beverly-Ann , Szerenka and Bryan Connel - our trainer for the day...who btw...has the patience of a Saint and will likely go home today and ask himself..."WHAT just happened?" Bryan led us through some basic theory of orienteering and the dynamics of a compass...OK, seriously , this guy was so amazing, so tolerant, so composed and level headed...not an easy task when faced with 4 women who admittedly have ZERO understanding of orienteering and compasses...so..long story short, in 3 hours, we successfully navigated our way through RSP using a map and a SUUNTO compass, located various check points, admired some trillium's, lost a set of keys, learned about liver cleansing AND had the pleasure of being offered Shane's NUTS!...SO WICKED! I will NEVER forget today...today I recaptured my sense of direction. Today I EXHALED.

SUNDAY WAS ANYTHING BUT...

Sunday was anything but....

Day of rest? Nope. "SUN"day? Ahhh...no. Day of worship? Not exactly...BUT...it was an absolutely top notch day nevertheless...The PHAT CHICKS effectively constructed a first-class workout...in a quarry...or atleast what used to be a quarry. And it started me thinking...Quarry. Rocks. RockstAR...HOW APROPOS!  I thought the entire workout from start to finish was oustanding... LOVE,LOVE,LOVE the TRX...Infact, I had the opportunity to workout with Susie's TRX again today but failed miserably, I was entirely distracted and ultimately dismissed to take my daughter to the washroom...Mommy first, Phat Chick/ RDR contestant second...The concept of running through the boardwalks atop the wetlands was invigorating. It reminded me of my family cottage up north which is one of my favorite places in the world, so I applaud Susie and Meredith for picking such an uber cool location! The next time we see each other we will be on our bikes...or in my case under it, or ... running behind it...so if any of you have an aversion to "TRUCKER MOUTH", bring your ear plugs because this could get messy...

AMY VS. the GIANT...

a conversation with my Dad at my house yesterday...

amy: WHAT is THAT?
dad: It's your new bike honey...Happy Birthday...
amy: THAT better NOT be MY new bike...
dad: You said you wanted a new bike...
amy: NOT THAT BIKE- TAKE IT BACK, I don't want it...
dad: Of Course you don't want it honey, now open the garage...
amy: There is no reason on Gods green Earth for me to have a bike like that...
dad: Of Course there isn't honey, now open the garage...
amy: Dad, seriously, I'm going to kill myself on that THING...
dad: You're being silly honey, now open the garage...
amy: FINE! But when I end up UNDER this thing as opposed to on it, you're going to be sorry...
dad: You'll be fine honey...just wait til I'm gone before you try riding it...

amy: WHY??

dad: Because honey, I've seen you ride a bike and  I don't want you to scratch the paint on MY car when you fall...

NICE!!!!

the 10 k happy dance...

"Oh THIS SUCKS", "OMG WTF was I thinking..." "Okay, seriously, who do I know who is home right now that can come and pick me up..." "Why did I put THIS song on my playlist?" "Oh GROSS, I just swallowed a cloud of bugs..." "Uhhh, how did I end up face first in this ditch...?" TODAY, I challenged myself to run 10kms...in a row...without stopping...AND...(insert drumroll here)...I did it! YAY ME!!! I took absolutely forever...I was swarmed by like 100 hungry turkey vultures, and was so distracted by giving an inconsiderate driver the finger ( there are no sidewalks) that I ran right in to the ditch...BTW, as you get to know me, that last statement will NOT surprise you...and you know what...IT'S ALL GOOD...because this girl just ran her first 10 k's...YAY ME!

INSPIRATION, MOTIVATION,PERSPIRATION

FALL SEVEN TIMES, STAND UP EIGHT... Japanese Proverb

LaSalle Park in Burlington is beautiful...it has always been a favorite spot of mine, so I knew Saturdays adventure with the PHAT CHICKS and SHANE from RACEDAYRUSH  was going to be wicked...and it was. The dynamic of working out outside is dramatically different than inside. My breathing changes, my focus is easily split and the risk for injury is greater.  However, what I found the most interesting is that my surrounding became my motivation...and I don't mean the actual park. I mean the women who travelled from near and far to get their asses kicked. I mean the Dad who brought his 2 beautiful little girls to help him video the work out and didn't get frustrated when they left him to go play @ the park...I mean Susie and Meredith who had already instructed a boot camp earlier that morning, I mean Gail who climbed the CN tower that morning before showing up to LaSalle. I mean YOU...all of you.
To Sharon, like I mentioned in my email to you...Saturday was TOUGH...you are a strong, brave, beautiful woman who chose this journey for a reason...stay true to your inner self...the one that is telling you - YOU CAN DO THIS, because guess what...YOU CAN DO THIS...and you did it in blue jeans no less...

SATURDAY...

"Stronger"

(Kanye West)

Work it, make it, do it,
Makes us harder, better, faster, stronger!

[played in background, continuously:]
Work it harder, make it better,
do it faster, makes us stronger,
more than ever, never over,
Our work here is never over.

[Chorus:]

N- n- now th- that don't kill me
Can only make me stronger
I need you to hurry up now
'cause I can't wait much longer
I know I got to be right now
'cause I can't get much wronger
Man I've been waitin' all night now
That's how long I've been on you

I need you right now
I need you right now

SATURDAY IS GOING TO BE CRAZY!!!

So...BRING IT on already!

I AM VERUCA SALT...AND THIS IS MY GOLDEN TICKET!

Now, if you don't know or remember who Veruca Salt is, she is a character in the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory...When sweet Veruca doesn't get what she wants, when she wants it ,she screams, shouts, kicks, stomps, jumps up and down and takes extreme measures until she has her way...

The reason I can confidently compare myself to Veruca Salt is because of our fierce determination for getting what we want, and when it comes to my personal physical fitness I am ridiculously focused and totally dedicated.

After today's meet and greet with Shane, Neil, Susie and Meredith I am totally stoked for the next 12 weeks! I am certain that my tenacity will be challenged and I embrace to the opportunity to be BRAVE, GUTSY and above all ADVENTUROUS!

So... BRING IT!

I have just added a new plate to my already plentiful row of spinning plates...Adventure Racer...That's right! I said it...

Phat Fit/Phat Chicks and http://www.racedayrush.com/ have presented me with the opportunity of a lifetime...and my answer...???

BRING IT!

So...pick your jaw up off the floor, put 911 on speed dial and check back often because THIS IS GOING TO BE AWESOME!

Stay tuned...

Amy (The Plate Spinning Mama)