Humpty Dumpty, Meet the Tree

Perhaps a little over zealousness was to blame, perhaps it was the unusually beautiful weather, or maybe even ego. Where we go ... ego I suppose. I met my match this afternoon in the form of tall bark, on the upswing of a trail called Humpty Dumpty.

Can't say I am quite ready for this one yet, but I took it anyways. In terms of technicality it isn't, but in terms of slope, speed and staying on your bike.... well that's the challenge.

I came to the top of Mr. Dumpty, which consists of a rather prominent drop, (you can't even see the way down because it is concave, well I think so!) into another hill, into another drop, up and then a sharp right or you fall over the cliff. Well before the right there is a tree, there are a lot of trees, but one that I could say saved me from a worse fate.

"I break the whole way down." My husband's words echoed in my head. Well, what if I didn't brake at all? Wouldn't he be impressed?

The thought of being his mountain bike hero goddess got the best of me and I went for it. Halfway down I realized how bad of an idea this was, but then as I ascended the hill I was filled with thoughts of how cool it was that I actually lived down that thing.......

So I threw caution into the wind and I flew down the second one and then there he was. Big tall and handsome, bark older than I was. Right in my line of view.

"Never look at the trees, look past the trees" Curt's voice said again, but I was locked in. I saw tree and cliff.

Tree it was. Boom. Tree and me, a match made in heaven.

Laying on my back, I saw stars. A quick feel to the arms and legs. Nothing broken. Whew.

I looked up, where was my bike?

Over the cliff. Well it isn't exactly a cliff, there is a sharp drop, but this ain't no Grand Canyon.

So I climbed down and found it, he was all right too.

Back to the green trails for the rest of the day.

:-) Mary Eggers

The never ending summer

Wednesday January 3rd and it is fifty degrees outside, how is this possible? As much as I love it I hate it. I am a Northerner, and I live here for a reason. There are four seasons including winter. If this keeps up I will have missed TWO seasons in snowshoes! NO NO NO!

As I do look to the bright side as training ramps up I am happy to report a 5 minute improvement on my usual 7 mile trail this morning. While the sun was shining I did ride indoors. There were watts, heart rates and cadences to keep track of. Perhaps for tomorrow's long ride I will take to the mountain bike and to the trails. We shall see.

We have 15 hours scheduled this week and I am delighting in each and every one so far. Being healthy is a gift I will not relinquish and I am feeling wonderful. My schedule has tremendously slowed down, leaving ample time for training and even a (gasp!) nap. Gone are those days when every minute of every day was scheduled, busy, and where sleep, what was sleep?

Perhaps I am too old for that or perhaps I have grown accustomed to the glory of working from home. Where I show up to work in a yoga studio wearing Lululemon, or to my office wearing..... well Lululemon. I can spend all day in Lululemon and be very happy about it. :-)

It has been a hard adjustment, easing into the slow lane. But I am needing the mental break, as I ramp up the physical, and as I am spending evenings helping with homework. Who knew that would be such a joy?

:-) Mary Eggers

"All glory comes from daring to begin" Eugene F Wnee

I reserved New Year's Day to open the floodgates, as since signing up for my third Ironman I hadn't allowed myself to really feel it. I have been staying a bit reserved, focusing on my business, my team, teaching, my semester. I purposely did not watch the 2006 Hawaii Ironman coverage until today. And I am glad I did.

There is a feeling when you sign on to train for the Ironman, a feeling of nervous excitement, squeamish energy, and a feeling of humility. This thing is bigger than me, it's bigger than you. It has taken me and spit me out, and it has cradled me in its arms.

There is just no telling when it comes to the Ironman, it doesn't care who you are, how much experience you have. It is the same starting line, the same finish line and the same medal. We all prepare to have our best day, and then we travel through a series of mental and physical obstacles, success on that day depends on how we handle it all. Success is crossing the finish line. There are no failures in that itself.

As I set there and watched, and I cried. I was inspired, I was touched, and it was like it all came back to me like a big sucker punch to the stomach. Much the same feeling when I was handed my son for the first time. When I became a mother, with the handing of that 9.5 pound baby to me for the first time, I felt so much emotion all at once. I suddenly knew what fear and love were. Thought I previously did but when you become a parent it is magnified by 300%.

In a different way so is the Ironman, for me. When I finally allow the gates to open it is so emotional, magical, frightening, and exciting. All at the same time.

So the floodgates are open, and now the Ironman passion is flowing. There is something so magical about Ironman Lake Placid, only those who have done it know it. I have been to hawaii, I have been to Ironman Canada...... this is different. Maybe it is just for me.

Flying down the 10K hill at 54 miles an hour, with the mountain on one side of me and the streaming river on the other side of me, it is the closest I will ever come to actually flying like a bird. It allows me to feel one with nature. The last 11 miles through Wilmington feel the same way, just water and trees and mountain. I step out of the world and I step into nature and all things beautiful.

When I go to train there, Lake Placid heals me. There is magic in those mountains. In 2002 I went to kick ass and it chewed me up. It launched me into a spiritual quest like many have traveled before me. We can do the training but we must embrace the humility, the quietness of a warrior who respects an energy higher than myself. In 2003 I found that place, and in 2003 I was carried magically through a wonderful day.

So here I stand essentially at the beginning of the journey. The physical journey (training) has already begun. The spiritual journey begins right here, right now. I stand before the task ahead of me with humility, with honor, with hope and with faith.

From there we grow, and from there we commit. From this place deep within me, I am going to make the reach, tap the well, and dream a dream. What happens next is already decided, but it is up to me to walk the path.

:-) Mary Eggers

Here is to 2007!

Happy New Year to everyone!


May the winds always be at your back,

May the sun shine brightly but while you are on the course hide behind a small cloud :-)

May all of your nutrition work,

May you stay safe of all training rides and runs,

May injuries go someplace else,

May you feel good all day and all year long,

May you approach each race from your heart, from your inner self, from your inner light,

May you applaud your competition regardless of their placing,

May you accept both the good and bad days,

May you have health and happiness all year long.

Thank you so very much for believing in me.

:-) Mary Eggers

Happy New Year

Tonight is New Year's Eve and in typical fashion I am spending it in the Pediatric Emergency Dept, where I am a nurse (Now just one day a week!!!). This is a holiday I celebrated when I was young, and as an adult it is actually just as fun spending it in "the big house" as I like to call it. I work with many amazing people, and as much as I am phasing out of hospital nursing, I will always keep my foot in the door. The feeling of teamwork when a trauma rolls in at 3am is in itself exhilarating. And I have literally seen it all. From amputated arms to, well I should stop there. This kind of conversation is always a fork dropper at Christmas time when someone begs me to tell them ED stories.

As we approach 2007 I am so full of hope and so full of excitement. I can't really say that at midnight some enlightened feeling will overcome me, but I can say that I look forward with gratitude. It's been a wonderful 2006 and I can only hope for the same in terms of family, friends, career and triathlon.

But I have always been taught by my Dad to see the glass as half full. Even when things were at their worst and I was at my sickest, I saw the bright side. So I continue to see the bright side.

This year I uncovered alot about myself, I peeled away the layers. Tonight I sit here a more connected person, to myself, and to the world. I am more authentic than I have ever been and I feel like someone opened the gates and let me out!

So Happy New Year to all of you, may 2007 be the year you find your own inner light. And let it shine my friends, let it shine!

:-) Mary Eggers

Weekly Check-up

First recovery week under the belt, and things feel well. A total of 13 hours of easy didn't feel quite that easy as I am recovering from pneumonia. Fortunately I seem to acquire pneumonia once a year (pediatric emergency nurse...), that gives me the "bragging rights" (aka stupidity) to be able to train through it. Lightly of course, no interval stuff here.... okay except in the pool. I have convinced myself that as long as I get an equal amount of rest, then training is permissible.

The pneumonia has resolved, I am breathing easy, down to a few coughs a day, and feeling much better. There is always that strange sense of victory, kind of like when you drink an obscene amount of liquor as a college student.... you know it is horrid for you but you live to tell..... that's the way I finished the week.

Cresting the New Year I am looking forward to a slower work schedule, as I drop to one day a week in the pediatric emergency dept. This allows me to focus on my boys, the Ironman year, my business and my yoga teaching. And trust me that's an empty plate for me.

A quick review of systems here:

Swim: Felt terrific in the pool despite being sick. Got to train in between Heidi Grimm and Kelly Bergkessel this week, so that it in itself is awesome. Got an extra swim in this week also :-) Good for a recovery week.

Bike: oddly low mileage for me on the bike, again that's what recovery is for. I am utilizing the spinning bike and the trainer on which I can measure slope, cadence, speed, and wattage. I haven't paid much attention to watts this week.

Run: Just 3 runs this week, 5 miles and 2 X 10 miles. All easy pace. I am savoring the grey winter days that I missed when I was injured last year. The cold crisp air and the snow is finally here.

Yoga: Made it to 3 classes this week, and almost have my forearm balance away from the wall.

Strength: Finally widdled my functional strength training program down to the exercises I love and that work within the timeframe.

Nutrition: Eating well, aiming for 5 fruits and vegetables per day. I began a course of pro biotics this week, recommend to me by my naturopath. I will check weight next week, but all feels well.

Next week brings specific workouts, and an increase to 15 hours. My Thursday 3:30 ride on the trainer is something I actually am looking forward to. A year ago I was in the Boot, and now I am not. That is progress.

So Happy New Year to all of you, I hope it brings with it everything you dream of! But for now, time for a quick nap before I hop on the bike.

:-) Mary Eggers

Breathe

"Inhale lift.... exhale fold forward....... inhale to standing....... exhale fold forward......... inhale lift halfway....... exhale vinyasa......"

She teaches us to breath cues, we have all done the poses and the sequence thousands of times, but nothing can match or replace the sound, synergy and energy of 40 people moving and breathing together.

I stand in between Abby and Angelo tonight, and it is if the three of us are dancing to the same song, our asanas move together, our energy is blended. It's a connection that does not require words, or explanation. It is a connection that just takes place within four walls, and on top of a yoga mat.

Within my practice I was taken to the edge. I know with progress there is pain. With joy there is grief. With happiness there is sorrow. With each push there is a pull. Every action has some sort of reaction. Maybe it lies within our physical self, and maybe it lies within our metaphysical being. For me tonight it happened in both places. Yet other Thursday nights I feel like there is a cork blocking my connectivity to myself and to my fellow students.

The heat was terrific, ninety and climbing. The sweat was dripping and without the music it sounded like rain was falling.

"The winds of grace are always blowing........ you just have to raise your sail...."

Tonight I raised my sail. I floated from bakasana into headstand back into bakasana, I felt myself float from there into chattarunga like I was a feather. My forearm balance felt effortless, like nothing in the world could weigh me down.

And as we all laid together in Savasana, forty sweat drenched bodies lying on the floor, in silence breathing. The hamster wheels in our minds stopped. It was as if we were lying in the eye of the storm where there was stillness, clarity, and presence. Nowhere but here in a world where we are used to being everywhere but here.

Equanimity in it's most true and raw form.

Breathe.

:-) Mary Eggers