Rowdy Gowdy/ Glendo Endo and the greatness of women only retreats.

"I am thinking about putting together a women's only mountain bike weekend.  Would you be willing in helping me?"  This was a request from a good friend.  (We shall call her Friend JH.) Two years and three retreats ago, this how it all started for me. I became part of the Rowdy Gowdy  Mountain Bike Weekend and it's sister weekend the Glendo Endo. 

Though I am not a mountain biker, (the last time I rode the trails, a squirrel hit me in the helmet with a pine cone, in the effort to avoid said pine cone, I hit a tree with my knee and was lucky I was biking with a nurse).  I am a planner, organizer and a great large group cook.  The idea of women getting together on common ground of mountain biking, appealed to me.  There was no way I was going to be left out.  Friend  JH  did not know of my need to feed the masses, take care of all and stock outhouses with toilet paper.

Day 2 

First lets take the man out of the equation.  Why?  There is a different atmosphere with just women. We party, we dance, we laugh, we paint, we hug, drink beer, listen to each other and so much more. These retreats give us women a chance to do it ourselves, be strong, know our judgment is solid.  We have no safety net except ourselves.  We slow down just a bit.  Take time to learn skills. Coaches teach us different. They are also women, they understand our issues. We are great together.

Riding the boxes

 I have been married for over 30 years. Yes, to a man. I tend to like men. Some of my best friends are men.  But, there are still times I do things looking for my husband's approval, a little head shake, a thumbs up when I row through that  huge rapid, words of encouragement to send me down that ski hill way out of my comfort zone. I will admit, I have done some crazy (in my mind), things just to keep up.  Just to prove I am a s good as he is at ___________(fill in the blank).  I don't know why when we around men we are different.  We just are.

Getting coached over the box!

Women only retreats give us the opportunity to say, "no thank you, I am not comfortable, please slow down, I still do not get what I am doing wrong or I need help."  They give us the opportunity to support each other.  There is victory in little accomplishments.  There is understanding in frustrations.  There is security in numbers.  

Biking off picnic tables may be necessary
sometime.

Being a woman is strong.   We praise, we grow, we feel great inside our hearts.  We seek to know more about each other than what kind of a bike we ride.  "How is your family? You are limping.  What did you do?"  Some of us are mothers or wives.  We spend much of our time taking care of others.  Dinners, school lunches, laundry, work issues, homework, watching our kids play sports, etc.  This is our time to be the center, to demand someone pay attention to me, if only for a few seconds at a time. 

Taco Bar for dinner

I begged to work these retreats. The first time, Friend JH did not know how much I need them. Cooking is my stress relief.  Taking care of others blesses me.  With help of my daughter and and yet another friend, we provide all the meals for the masses for the retreats.  I leave these weekends with a very full heart.

For a weekend I get to be in a community of great women.  I have the opportunity to feed their stomachs.  I admit I am selfish.  I love the praise I get for a well cooked meal.  I get to see gals roll their eyes in delight when eating frozen treats after hot rides.  I have the privilege to stock toilet paper in the outhouse.  Little things mean a lot.  I experience  the pride and joy in their faces when they share accomplishments of the day. It is crazy how proud of bumps, scrapes and blood mountain bikers are!



This last retreat I was given the opportunity of befriending the Glendo State Park employee assigned to watch over us.  Her loneliness hurt my heart.  I hope by inviting her to share our meals, share our community, I was able to bring her a bit of friendship.

There is no doubt that in these weekend retreats the ladies ride hard.  That is the main focus.  There is so much more.  I think it is joy.

I AM WOMAN!  HEAR ME ROAR! 

For more information for either the Rowdy Gowdy or the Glendo Endo    https://gowdywomenscamp.com

Sea Kayaking with the Gals

Recently I was blessed to be included on a sea kayak adventure on Yellowstone Lake.  We would start at Grant Village spend 3 nights and 4 days, paddling to the upper part of the South Arm of the lake and then back to Grant.  Four days fifty miles of shoreline.


I did not know it at the time, but the team ended up consisting of six pretty amazing gals.  Me included.  I was the only non scientist in the group.  Our trip leader is THE fish biologist on Yellowstone Lake.  The other four ladies were fishery biologists, raised fish in the hatchery, or worked on developing riparian environments in the Yellowstone ecosystem.  (Like my new tech talk!) Every day I was amazed at the commitment these ladies have toward saving our wild lands for future generations.  Their ability to paddle in the wind was also impressive.

Pie for dessert the last night. 

I think the rangers that conducted our boat inspections before we put in at Grant were surprised that we were a ladies only team.  That we were brave enough to go forth and conquer.  Intending to paddle 50 miles.  Let me say... Ladies only trips are the best.  We constantly look out for each other.  Shared dinners are
amazing.  There is no trying to keep up, impress or be more than we are.  Sometimes men bring this out in us, just by being there.

 I had never packed a sea kayak for a trip.  Amazingly it all fit.  Only one dry bag tied to the top.  Being an inflatable boat kind of a gal this was going to be a new experience for me.  I was nervous.

Paddling in choppy waters.

We took off in wind gusts of 15-20 mph.   The swells on the lake made me whimper.  My boat would tip, I would brace and pray.  I thought it  was my inexperience.  That evening in camp, everybody was saying they were scared.  I felt a touch better and tougher.

Morning sun

Watching the sun come up.

The next mornings we got up early.  Paddled hard. Took time to absorb or be absorbed by the moment.

Modern Facilities. 

We were deep into the back country of Yellowstone.  No boardwalks, no paved roads, no flushing toilets.  Just us, our boats, camping gear and the apple pie, our trip leader pulled out of her kayak for the last dinner together.   After bear proofing our camp, we went to bed listening to the elk bugle..  We woke to magnificent sunrises, still waters and the smell of instant coffee.
Mountains, sunsets, sunrises, eagles, dead trees, solitude.

Taking in the view.

 I was awestruck by the bigness of Yellowstone Lake.  It is truly an inland sea.  One beach was made of shiny black pebbles, probably rocks from the volcano.  Footprints of various animals were everywhere.  They had left their calling cards.. This was their home, I was the visitor.




This is not a trip for the faint of heart.  We supported ourselves.  We knew the possibility of bears or other animals.  We found out  even elk can be unpredictable if surprised.  We were at the mercy of the weather.  This is why we went.  For these type of trips draw a certain woman.

My gear drying in the sunset

More light on the water

Always s'mores when camping

I was told the presence of eagles means the lake is getting healthy.

It Will Feel Better When It Quits Hurting....

"It will feel better when it quits hurting." 

Lets face it squats and lunges hurt.  Mentally and physically.  Who in their right mind would agree to an hour of doing just squats and lunges? Who in their right mind would design a workout using those basic moves? (OK, I think we did 5 variations of said squats/lunges.)   Well,  Matt Hartsky at Transform307  did design the workout.  He is my coach/personal trainer.   I trust him to tell me what to do.  I blindly follow his instructions.  Insert the saying at the top of the page.... Yes, I pay in money for this pain. Go figure.

This is  week 10 with Matt as my Personal Trainer.  I am down 19 pounds and up in fitness.  My vertical jump has gone from a zero to maybe 2 inches!  As Matt says, I now own the step up box.  It does not scare me anymore.  (The box and I had issues six weeks ago.  It won. Never again!) That large tractor tire in the parking lot, it does scare me a little bit.

Why do I hurt? In Video game talk, we have leveled up. Taken the intensity up a notch. Matt being the person behind the plan and the one to direct me through workouts.  (I think he is slightly masochistic.) Me working through the hour, leaving a trail of sweat puddles.   I am told that the pain is micro tears in my muscle. When it heals, and quits hurting, I am stronger.  I should be really strong. I am sore a lot.   Ibuprofen is my friend.

This kind of training is what I have missed all of my life.  I never did it even as a serious athlete in college. I have done Step, Zumba, yoga, karate etc.  They are not the same.  I never had a coach with my goals in mind, pushing me to be my best every day.

It is not just the workouts but nutrition.  The combination of both has melted 19 pounds off my body.  Let me yell this out loud.. 19 pounds down!  I have struggled all my life with weight issues.  I have hovered at 200 pounds for so long I was comfortable being that chubby person.  The switch in thinking about nutrition has been hard but a huge part of my journey.  Matt is not only a certified trainer but a certified nutritionist.  He made it easy for me.  His attention to details in telling me how and when to eat, made it so I do not count calories, grams of carbs or other nutrients.  I just do what he tells me to.  Fitness, plus nutrition equals results!

I have a facebook friend, Tim, who works with my son,  he has lost over 175 pounds.  Over 1/2 of his body weight.  He did it the easy way. He had surgery.  Anyway, his last post was to tell everyone that loosing the weight gave him his life back.  I am right behind him taking my life back as well. I can't wait to find adventures to tackle.  Bring it on!

Ski season is going to be a little expensive as I am now too light for my skis.  Oh darn!  I might have to get new ones! Fast ones!

Well, off to the gym tomorrow.  I am a little afraid and slightly excited to see what Matt has in store for me.

Successful.  Wanting more.

 Information about Transform307  go to   www.transform307.com

Down 9 pounds!

Lab fees, school pictures, lunch money, swim meets, parent meetings, new work routines : I feel like I am being swept away right down the drain. I have no control. Only the desire to get my feet down stream and watch for bumps, push off rocks as I float by.  Is there a current in this chaos?  I am really glad there is only one child left at home to get started in school.

Ok, that is pretty drastic.  But the business of  this week has caught me unprepared to actually breath.

If you read my last post you know that I have partnered with a personal trainer. More of a life coach.  This is my sanity, my downstream current.  When I started with him, I did not know what to expect.  My life was truly circling the drain.  I had let my emotions, my frustrations with Husband being gone all summer get the best of me.  I was making it his fault I was an emotional, chocolate eating mess.  Letting the excuse of having to stay home and take care of Toni, (she is 17 years old and though disabled, can be left alone for an hour while I go for a run,) be my excuse for being lazy. I will direct you to my last post.  No more excuses!

This is week 7 of being mentored by said personal trainer.   Weeks of pools of sweat that could easily be tears.  Tears of frustration (and very sore muscles) turning into tears of victory. I am starting to believe that under my defeated body there is a strong, confident, fierce person.

I am two and a half weeks into learning how to eat "CLEAN".  How to balance proteins, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables.  I am still very much eating of the written plan given to me, staying strong.  Two and a half weeks and I am down nine pounds!  Personal Trainer says to not focus on the weight loss but on the over all big picture of workouts combined with good nutrition.   Reality Check Here!  Down NINE pounds.  Weighing in lighter than I have been in years! I had to weigh myself three times, just to see if the scale was working properly.

I love this structure to my life.  A well thought out plan for when, and what I am eating, coupled with intentional workouts.  I am starting to fall into the current of  being healthy, physically fit and happy.

 It is the weekends when all are home that I struggle.  Husband's normal is to eat out.  "Let's go get lunch, dinner, lunch, maybe breakfast."  He is getting frustrated at my resistance to eat like I did  three weeks ago.  He struggles with my ordering salad or lettuce wraps.  Today, I did not share popcorn at the movie theatre!  WHAT?   Food is an activity we share.  Until we find something else, like go for a walk or paddle a lake,  or ski,  this CLEAN EATING going to be uncomfortable, and hard on both of us.

When I started this fitness journey, I did not really know what  to expect of myself.  What my goals were.  I gave some pretty lame goals.  Survive ski season, loose weight /feel great, etc.  I need to find my file, make a few amendments.  Something has changed in my heart.  I desire a fierceness I have never felt before.  I want to tackle life like it is a training session in the gym.  I want to walk across the parking lot at Wal Mart and feel the strength in my legs.  I want people to see me as strong both physically and mentally. I want to be able to take a picture of myself and not be ashamed of that fat, tired, lady in the photo.  I want life abundant.

The ski race in Yellowstone this spring, it will happen.  I will be there.  I will be fierce!

The excited current for the new me begging to come out, it's finding its direction.  I like it.

My niece and I in the current of the Main Salmon August 2017
This kind of current is easy to navigate.  Life's current no so easy.