The first two months: ..A positive transition

I thought I would be sitting around twiddling my thumbs trying to think of things to do with my new found time...WRONG! I am so busy I can't even get through my daily lists.

A little update on racing
  I had two international events since I decided to take SUP to the next level. My first was Puerto Rico: Paddle Royal. I managed to win, get noticed, meet lots of great athletes, essentially it was my initiation to the scene. I was on a pretty huge high. I also got to spend a week training in St Thomas with new friends and really great paddlers Gail, Eric, and Jaecey.
  At Orange Bowl in Florida. I experienced a new kind of pressure, the pressure that comes with expectations. The pre race interview, the fact that people were telling me I would win, the feeling to need and want to win for more than just myself were all aspects of a new type of pre race mentality. I was also on a new board(SIC X12 Pro) which thankfully rocked it!
  Soon, the season really begins and expectations will be greater from me and others and performances will be crucial. I am really looking forward to it all but am aware that it won't be a walk in the park, in fact far from it:)

Werner Paddles and SIC board Photo by Robin Blaine

On training
What I did not realize is that settling into a routine doesn't really happen. Feb will be the month that I will be at home for the longest period of time for quite some time. Currently the water is frigid and SUPin is a little timid and very chilly. I am spending much of my time at the gym I know and love (Crossfit), doing yoga with Andrew, and cross training with my mtn bike and running shoes on some of the sweetest trails in the world. I hope to get some more powder turns in or even get on my skinny skis before I head out of town for a bit but I am at the mercy of mother nature at the moment.  It is pretty great though to be able to get out with my hubby and friends. Soon, I will have to find ways to be creative and flexible in order to achieve the level of training I would like while away from home. I am confident I will find strategies that will work for me as I have some really great support with Ultimate Potential.

Wearing Virus Intl tank top Photo by Tucker Sherman

On Business skills
I have a lot to learn in this department, luckily I am eager and ready. I never paid a lot of attention to the business world and here I am in the middle of it. Yes, as an athlete I very much deal with a lot of the business aspect of the sport. I have much to learn in this area like branding, marketing, and social media for example. I am enjoying the learning curve and feel like these new skills can only help me in future endeavors.
I will be updating my blog(maybe creating a website:)). I am excited to learn more about creating a website and be more proficient on the technical side of the web.
I thought I was doing a good job where social media was concerned. I have learned I am only touching on the surface of the multitude of avenues I could take in social media.

On Life skills
Cooking and baking were never my fortes. I got off the hook in the past but now that I am working from 'home' I have to do my share of providing and with that comes more of the home duties and that includes cooking, baking, and groceries. I am looking forward to learning more about nutrition and its effects on my performance. It is something I have never focused any attention to.

I really dislike driving. There is something about it that just doesn't fit with me and causes me much stress. In the past (and still do but to a lesser extent) I have done many ridiculous things to avoid driving. I have mostly bike commuted an exorbitant amount of kms with lots of luggage just so I didn't have to sit behind the wheel. I am now 'forced' to drive in order to train proficiently and accomplish daily goals that otherwise would be unrealistic on a bike. I can now back out of our parking space(this sound ridiculous but is a huge deal to me...), drive fairly comfortably and do basic car things. YAY!Dont get me wrong I will always choose to bike commute over drive but at least now its not such a battle.
A little update on livin' the dream.

live, love, laugh,...DREAM!
lina