Last minute details..

For an endurance race it as much about fueling your body as it is about being mentally and physically prepared. The physical preperation part is over - I either am, or am not ready. I am going to go out on a limb on this one and say that I am physically ready. Mental preparation.... well, fingers crossed. As far as fuel goes, I need to get this part right or else I will be forced to invoke the rule that allows me to utilize crawling as an approved method of moving forward... That would be bad.

On Fuel...

I love to eat. My hips know this... However, planning what to eat from now, up to, and during the race has been stressful for me. I need to stay away from gluten (Kelly and gluten do not get along...) and I would like to stay eating the same foods I have been training with - nuts, avocado, fruits, veggies and lean meats. So, up to the race this is what I will stick with. During the race is a different story. I can't pull a London Broil out of my tri-suit and start gnawing on it during the race (not that it hasn't crossed my mind). My plan is to have a PBJ on gluten free bread before the race in addition to other yum yums and another PBJ cut up into pieces to eat during the race, probably on the bike portion.. I will try to take in some banana and maybe grapes...
I am thinking I will also need some food that sends instant sugar to my body - I have had some suggestions given to me like gummy bears and espresso beans-all of them sound delish. In my opinion any time gummy bears are an option I'm sold.

2. On mental preparation...

My husband tells me that my mind is an exhausting place. I over think, over analyze, over worry... However, I think this race I will find peace in knowing I am racing for a really good cause. I have taken the first step to raise awareness about Not for Sale and the major issue of human trafficking... It's the steps I take to end slavery that count more than the steps I take to move 70.3 miles for a race... Kind of puts things into perspective.

In other news.. My wonderful husband picked up a trisuit for me and had it shipped to the house. I was really hoping to be able to run in the color orange - that is the Not for Sale color, the modern day abolitionist color! Turns out, orange isn't really a hot color for tri wear. Go figure. SO I am looking for an orange sweat band (I will look like a fruit loop wearing it but whatever..) At least I will have some orange on my person that will remind me every step of the way what I am doing this for.

Please donate for this great cause...there is only 3 days left!! Click Here:
https://nfs.webconnex.com/giving/free2playdonationpage

I still need your help...

Once again it's been a while since I have written.. I am still training... still raising dollars. I wrote a few weeks ago that I would have a nifty entry explaining why this fundraiser was so crucial to participate in. I've really been thinking about the right sales pitch... I think that's where I have been going wrong. There is no "selling" this, rather its helping people understand. Once you understand the reality of human trafficking and its presence in communities worldwide you can't get away from it... At least I can't. I don't think anyone who truly respects human life and the inherent right to freedom could not be deeply troubled by the stories of young boys and girls being bought, sold, raped, exploited and eventually killed. This isn't a political or religious issue...it's a human issue.

Unfortunately, human trafficking is a foreign concept to most people. Sordid novels of undercover Russian spies finding themselves caught up in a ring of trafficked girls from the fallen Soviet Union into coastal European countries is hardly an education or a realistic look into the global issue of human trafficking. The novel will probably concentrate more on the Russian spy's good looks, charm, and his chemistry with a tall, blue eyed "sexy" sex-slave. He will most definitely whisk her away to his chateau tucked behind the Caucasus Mountains and we will close the book at the end of the story high on fictional romance... The atrocious plight of woman and children who are bought and sold for exploitation will be, once again, misrepresented.

Reality is this..

1.) There are more than 30 million slaves in the world today. More than at the height of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

2.) MOST human trafficking stories DO NOT have a happy ending. Rarely is there a debonair spy or philanthropist dripping in money waiting on the sidelines ready to poor his money into rehabilitation for trafficked women and children - this is Hollywood people! (...turn off The Hills it is rotting your mind and blurring Botox from reality!) There are no romantic endings. Its takes action and prayer for any of these enslaved individuals to find freedom, from there is it a long process of rehabilitation - both physical and emotional.

3.) There is something we can all do.

I, just like you, feel pretty helpless. I have more immediate needs that call my attention like my kids who are partial to being bathed and fed, my boss who expects work to be accomplished, and my bills that have really annoying bill collectors if their payments aren't sorted and paid on time...yahta, yahta, yahta... we all have a story. I sometimes fall victim to the daily "to-do" list - something that we all are guilty of. This fundraiser is an opportunity to donate a few bucks and help someone who really needs it. Donate by clicking here: https://nfs.webconnex.com/giving/free2playdonationpage

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT NOT FOR SALE AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING VISIT: NOTFORSALECAMPAIGN.ORG

Fundraiser... Important FYI

Mainly this blog has been an account of my training, however, I am training for a very serious cause that I would like to touch upon for a few posts ... Human Trafficking.

• WHO: I have had a few questions about the organization I am fundraising for - The organization I am fundraising for is NOT FOR SALE. I could ramble on and on about this AWESOME organization and its overwhelming need for money to support the great work they are doing; to spare all of you my rants... Just visit their website: www.notforsalecampaign.com. Do it!

• WHAT: This is a FUNDRAISER. Raising Funds...Collecting Dollars... Asking for Money... Annoying my friends with blogs and emails... it will all be over soon, I promise.

• WHERE: ANYWHERE! With the exception of my awesome fans Chris & Lauren -and my partner in crime Melissa who is doing the race with me... No one needs to come to the race! All you need to do is go online and donate some dollar bills or give me a cash/check directly. Then on race day while I am sweating profusely and probably cursing at myself you can sleep in, watch T.V. and eat a donut or two.. FOR ME!

• WHEN: Ironman 70.3 Augusta is September 26, 2010...This is the final day to collect donations!

• WHY: This is the MOST important part. Human trafficking is not only a problem in other countries - HUMAN TRAFFICKING IS A MAJOR ISSUE IN THE UNITED STATES. Human trafficking is modern day slavery. End Slavery. Fight for Freedom. I am following up on the "WHY" question in an additional blog ... Stay tuned. You need to read it.

• HOW: Visit: https://nfs.webconnex.com/giving/free2playdonationpage
  OR: Find Kelly and give her a donation. No amount is too small - Just the act of giving is awesome.

ANY question you have please send me an email at: Kellytri703@yahoo.com

Paleo!

If someone dropped me off in the middle of the woods I am positive that they would find my dead body a few days later with food and water in my backpack. This is about how it would go: I would realize I was alone in the woods and my fears would immediatly go to two things: BUGS! AH! And, of course, the possibility of hearing the sounds of banjos. With the sounds of banjos naturally comes my fear that I will walk into Backwoods Bob or a hybrid type human/mutant (thank you, Wrong Turn 1 and 2) - Both of who would likely defile my body, cut me into little peices, and ultimately eat my remains. Thinking of this horror panic would set in, I'd run for a mile or two (most likely in circles because direction has never really been my thing), I would realize that I had no idea which way was "out" and I would sit down in defeat. I wouldn't eat or drink, certain that I had to conserve food and water...


Fast forward 4 days... Article reads: "Local hikers find body of woman in wooded area 500 meters from a major highway..." Bummer for me.


On to my point...
I have no delusions that I am not one with nature. I love mother earth and I respect her ability to swallow me whole. She is a self-sustaining work of art! While I know that I will not be the the lone survivor on a stranded island, I do try to incorporate a holistic approach to my daily life - A dose of nature, so to speak. As I have continued my training at CrossFit Inception I have learned about fueling my body with a holistic approach - eating Paleo. The idea in a nutshell is this...We are what we eat. Human beings were designed to live on a planet with countless resources for fueling our bodies; we were specificaly created to compliment the earth that sustains us. As technological advances have been made with food production so has ruthless diseases such as diabetes, cancer, arthritis, depression...etc. Breads and grains were not eaten by our cavemen ancestors, our bodies simply were not designed to digest them and use them for fuel. We were not designed to consume animals pumped full of steriods for fast growth, or to digest chemicals used to create and perserve food. While all of these scientific ingredients have allowed for the mass production of food that has created a seemingly unlimited food supply, they are most definatly to blame for the hundreds of diseases that ravish our bodies. So I am making a personal decision to eat Paleo. I want to respect the body that God gave me by treating it the way it was inteded to be treated!


I know I couldn't live as a cavewomen - I can hardly make it as a hiker at a national park. But I can negotiate myself through a grocery store and make better choices that compliment my human body and its intrinsic connection to the natural foods the earth has to offer. I am forfieting Cheezitz, poptarts, Coco Puffs and chicken nuggets for fruits, veggies, lean meats and nuts. I am not going to count calories... I am going to eat throughout the day, when I am hungry, until I am full. It actually sounds alot more like common sense then a big revelation..


I'll let you know how it goes.

Mind Games

So I haven't written in a week. I have been busy working, working out, and parenting two little hellions who have had an interesting first week and a half back to school...(I already have a parent teacher conference tomorrow morning for my darling "I don't want to sit still, stop chatting with friends, or stop slipping off to play with the soap dispensers in the girls bathroom" 5 year old daughter. But I digress...

Training this week has been hard, I think it's been more of a mental challenge than anything else. I have always been my own worst enemy when it comes to training; my mind creates a knot of anxiety and apprehension that deteriorates my confidence and ultimately reduces my performance. Here is a quick rundown of how nerves or lack of confidence busted a workout:

-- 1 mile run at the end of a CrossFit WOD. Well, I was able to pull a 7:24 out of the air but I was nervous the whole time. Nervous! Who gets nervous when they run?? Human beings were designed to run, it's one of the most primitive forms of exercise! I felt my nervous legs, slightly shaking underneath me, begging me to stop. I was running with Mark, (for those of you who don't know Mark he is one of the trainers at CrossFit Inception, and he was born to run.) He was moving like a runner should, tall and efficient, I was huffing and puffing so hard it could have passed for hyperventilation. When I got finished I didn't know if I needed an inhaler or a Zanex...
Let me remind everyone... This was a ONE MILE run. Really? Did I need to get myself that worked up? Probably not...

--Most of the lifts this week... Whether it be snatches, cleans, push presses, or sumo deadlift high-pulls... I am pretty sure I make them look all the same. Each are supposed to be done with a precise technique to maintain the integrity of the exercise and the muscle groups they are supposed to utilize... I am pretty sure the word "maniac" was used when describing how I look while doing most of them. Generally speaking, when I have to tell someone what lift I am performing it is a dead giveaway that I am doing it wrong. My memory has always been a little weak... Why would my muscle memory be any different?!? I have gotten frustrated and convinced that my body is revolting against me, where are my muscles and coordination??! .. And why won't they join me for a 6 am workout every now and then!!

--Finally, box jumps. I don't really mind box jumps so I was excited today to see how high I could jump. As the height of the jump kept increasing that knot in my mind started pulsating... The first time I missed I stopped trying. My mind told my body I couldn't do it and it was over.... Communist China has less of a hold over there citizens than my mind has over me.

In light of my recent whiny and negative workouts I am declaring a change in attitude... I ran across a really great quote the other day by George Sheehan who wrote Running to Win in 1992, he said: "Of all the lessons sports teaches us about life, perhaps none is more dramatic than the danger of focusing on the outcome." Good stuff. I have wasted a good portion of my workouts wondering what will happen if I fall short, finish last, or take too long. I am so worried about looking stupid, being embarrassed, or not measuring up to some arbitrary standard that I sabotage my success. I focus on what the outcome may or may not be rather than focusing on the moment... perhaps my biggest training handicap so far.

So, change of plans. I am going to make a conscious effort to squash the revolt against success that happens in my mind every time I train... While I don't know exactly how to do this I am pretty sure I can figure it out... Look at me, already being positive!

Nine reasons..

Nine reasons to donate to my fundraiser for NOT FOR SALE, an organization dedicated to abolishing slavery throughout the world! I am racing Ironman 70.3 Augusta on 9-26-10 for this cause!

1. Each day is a new chance to do something great. Not all of us can travel to the hardest hit areas of the world to roll up our sleeves and dig in, but this doesn't mean we can't help. It's about finding something that really hocks us off then finding a way to pitch in and help promote change. Donating money can mean SO much to those receiving it. Donate.

2. After you donate you can tell people you took your first step in abolishing slavery. Men - use it as a pickup line. Women - trump the men by donating more. (ha!) Donate.

3. Donating promotes good karma. We all know karma, she is always there... lurking to jump out and grab us...make her day. Donate.

4. Take a moment and picture a little boy or girl, maybe age 6 or 7. Picture them being abducted and forced to live in abusive, unsanitary conditions. Now picture them being put to work as a sex slave, a front line combatant, a suicide bomber, or a mine sweeper. NOW - picture that little girl or boy as someone you know, a son or daughter, niece or nephew... I think of my son and daughter and my heart stops when I imagine them enduring a life like this. Often, these children have been taken because their own parent or caregiver has been killed. Help make a difference for them. Donate.

5. I am training my naturally un-athletic self for an Ironman 70.3 and posting my successes and failures on a blog read by about 4 people... All to get the word out about human trafficking and how you can help. THROW ME A BONE PEOPLE! Donate.

6. How can FREEDOM for CHILDREN be wrong? Donate.

7. Someday I hope to travel to Uganda... (yikes) ...And see firsthand how the rehabilitation programs are going for these children. I will take pictures. I will post the pictures. You will see the pictures. Don't you want to smile at the pictures knowing you helped make it happen? Donate.

8. If you don't I will be forced to pawn my belongings in order to reach my fundraising goal on my own. Picture Kelly standing in a back woods pawn shop in Alabama. Feel sorry for her. Donate.

9. I do not promote many fundraisers. I hate asking people for money. It's your money. You work hard for it. Times are tough. However, this fundraiser means so much to me and it will help kids who really deserve it. I know I can go without my Starbucks this week to add to my donation jar... can you? Donate.

To donate click here: https://nfs.webconnex.com/giving/free2playdonationpage

For my blog and link to donate click here: http://racingforfreedom.blogspot.com/

Link to Donate!!

https://nfs.webconnex.com/giving/free2playdonationpage

I am not positive why it refuses to show up as a footer to my posts - probably because I am a technology idiot. I will keep working on that.

Thank you to everyone in advance for your generosity. Also! If you are reading this blog become a FOLLOWER... It just takes a second but the more followers I have the easier it will be to get the word out. Thanks again everyone!

It's hot and I'm scared of bad guys...

107 degrees. The heat index has been over 100 degrees almost every day for almost 2 weeks; the reading is currently at 107. Who can train in this?? While I prefer to train in warm weather as opposed to cold weather, 100+ degrees is a new level of "that ain't happenin'". Solution: Train in the morning when it is slightly cooler. This brings up my second problem - running outside, by myself, pre-dawn. Many of you may think my lively imagination and obsession with Criminal Minds is to blame for making me scared of bad guys lurking in the bushes in the early hours of morning, however, crime IS on the rise at my favorite running spots. For example, a few months ago officials found 9 razor blades taped to the jungle gym of the park I enjoy running around. At that same park, days later, a women was taken by gunpoint into a wooded area!.. (Luckily she got away). The other area I run at is great for running and biking, however, just a few weeks ago a man was shot and in an unrelated incident an elderly woman was robbed at knife point.

While I am up for a boost in motivation I don't thing running for my life is what I had in mind.

So... Training is on a day to day basis for now, at least the running portion, until mother nature takes a chill pill. (no pun intended) .. (I crack myself up)

IN FUNDRAISING NEWS ... I finally have the link established for anyone who would like to donate to my fundraiser for Not For Sale. It should post in the signature block of every post.. We will see if that happens.

Update on the Fundraiser

I am still working on the logistics of donating funds directly through the Not For Sale website. This has proven to be more difficult than I thought it would be! I have also been thinking of a monetary goal... I'd love to raise a million dollars but these are tough times for people.. My goal is $1000. These survivors are worth every penny.

I am thinking I will let this blog address loose on Facebook. I can't imagine getting even one reader.. People who do fundraising for a living, God bless them!

CrossFit

So its day 4 of CrossFit... After already doing 3 Ironman 70.3's and not really impressing myself with time I have decided it is time to add a new element to my training. I have friends who go to the CrossFit gym and love it so I decided to give it a try. What could it hurt? (Nothing besides every muscle in my body..no biggie.) Here is a run down of the first 4 days at CrossFit:

Day 1: 101 Classes.. Went well. Much to Mark's dismay I didn't remember any of the terminology but I retained a good bit of information on what my form "should" look like... Mental Note: CrossFit has many heavy weights and elastics hanging from the ceiling that are probably going to be used for things that hurt me.

Day 2: First Work Out of the Day (WOD). Ripped all the skin off my palms trying to do knees to elbows while hanging from a bar. My knees never touched my elbows, in fact I dont think they went far past my belly button. Mental Note: I lost my core strength someplace... Look for it.

Day 3: 2nd WOD. Pullups and Sprints. Who decides this stuff! I can't imagine pairing two more terrible things together. Anywho.. I couldn't do even one pullup on my own so I needed to put my foot in an elastic. Really this whole WOD was me flailling around ripping more skin from my palms and sweating profusely. Mental Note: Pullups are the pits.

Day 4: 3rd WOD. Sprints then weights. They hide a hill in the back of the sprint route. Very tricky of them. On the bright side..I did my sprints for the day! The weighted workout...well I completed it. My muscles are still quivering 8 hours later. Mental Note: Ibuprofun.

All in all I think its been a strong start.

Exercise is my therapist

I am not a great swimmer, biker, or runner but I enjoy losing myself in the training to be better. Training is my time to think and my time to escape - and since going for a run, bike or swim is easier than battling Tricare for a good shrink I choose to train.

I am racing at Ironman 70.3 Augusta on 9/26/10...and I use the term "race" loosely. Really it is an effort to not die or need emergency personnel called as I collapse at the finish line. I still can't fit back into my wet suit, (note to self less chocolate more veggies), I still can't take my hands off the handle bars of my bike long enough to properly eat or drink - Making it a long 56 miles stopping every time I need a sip of water!! And I still have zero running form - I look like I am fleeing from a scene of a crime rather than a graceful gazelle like the athletes around me. But I digress... The challenge is to better myself along the way. Racing for a cause like Not For Sale has given me new perspective... let the training begin!

Welcome!

There is something organic about small children playing; it's a carefree innocence of joy and laughter looking to one another for acceptance and validation while wiping sweat from their brow and sharing smiles. It is during play, in a backyard or a dusty field in the back of town, where sportsmanship is fostered, character is developed, and the will to push harder is conceived. This rite of passage, to play as a child, is where lessons of working as a team, building camaraderie, enjoying victory, and learning the lessons of defeat are truly wholesome.

Sadly, as I write these words, there are millions of children who do not get the opportunity to play because their lives have been taken by slavery. As an American this concept was hard to understand, I was sure that slavery had been abolished hundreds of years ago and did not realize it was still going on with such ferocity today. Across the globe millions of men, women and children are enslaved, they are trafficked from one country to the next, bought and sold like common wares. Often they are used as sex slaves, young boys and girls in disgusting conditions forced to have sex with customers, hour after hour, day after day.

Not For Sale is an amazing organization that is dedicated to re-abolishing slavery around the globe. Their approach is three fold, they spread awareness, they inspire hope, then they encourage action. One program that has really spoken to me is Free2Play. It is a program designed to raise funds to build facilities and programs to rehabilitate children who have been freed from slavery through physical activity. While rehabilitation has many layers one of its most fundamental is physical activity - Giving children the chance to PLAY! With physical activity as a part of their rehabilitation these boys and girls gain confidence in themselves that is needed to find peace in their past and hope for their future.

Playing is an outlet that all children should have and I have decided to race my next Ironman 70.3 on September 26, 2010 in Augusta, GA with a pledge to help raise awareness of human trafficking and raise funds for Not For Sale's Free2Play program. This money will be sent to one of their many projects around the globe to fund facilities that promote healing through physical activity.

Since my family and friends are spread out to the 4 corners of the earth I have decided to put together a blog of my training and offer information and links of Not For Sale and their work to re-abolish slavery. I encourage each of you to visit their site and do your own research into this worthy cause. I will be posting a bit about my training and preparation for the race - I am able to laugh at myself and I encourage the rest of you to laugh along with me! I thank everyone in advance for their support.