Train-n-Tri: 2013 is Going to be My "Hill Yes" Year, I mean "Hell Yes" Year!

It was all Maria Shriver's idea.

On Tuesday, Maria wrote on her FB:

"A wise friend said to me, "Whenever you are in doubt this year look within and say, 'Hell yes!'. May today be the beginning of your Hell Yes Year."

That sounded good to me.

Hell yes, sign me up for that Olympic Distance at Wildflower.

Hell yes, sign me up for that 70.3 hilly Vineman course.

Hell yes, let's sign up this year for that Memorial Hermann Ironman in Texas in 2014.

Hell yes, let's swim, bike and run and ?!!!!

Embracing "Hell Yes!" means I will be open to new things, new ideas, new people...NEW!

That all sounds great. But if you know me, well, sometimes I may seem stuck in a rut. I call it organization. I mean, if my training schedule says A for so many minutes or miles on Monday and then B for so many minutes or miles on Tuesday and well, you get the idea.

I can't dump my training plans and workout willy-nilly.

If I was Willy-Nilly I guess I would carry a balloon and wear a big bow - NOT! That's why Willy-Nilly is NOT a good idea for me.

But I am going to be more flexible, so I won't get in a rut.

2013 is my "Hell Yes" year to make sure my bike, my shoe, my mind won't get stuck in a rut.

I am already making changes.

Hills Yes!!!

My changes started today.

I went out for my first 2013 run and I did NOT run my usual 3.1 mile course. I did NOT run down Victoria Avenue. I did NOT aim for a flat run and I did NOT map it out first.

My run was uphill. And then more uphill. And then more uphill.

This is not a very good picture, but I took it while I was running backwards uphill!

I did NOT look at my watch while I ran.

I just ran for fun and enjoyed the day.

I ran in Zone 1 and 2.

I was NEVER out of breath.

It ended up being a 4.01 uphill cruise.

When I got home I sort of fell back into the "rut" because I looked at my schedule and it said, "SWIM."

I went for the coin toss.

I didn't use a coin. I used a phone.

I called my 15-year-old son (who had spent the night at a friend's house) and asked if the Two Boys if they wanted to hike up Two Trees.

If they had said, "NO!" well, then I was going swimming.

They said, "Yes."

(I'm not sure, but I might have even heard a "Hell Yes!" from the other end of the phone from one of the boys.

I grabbed the dog and drove and picked up the boys.

About half way up Two Trees.

I didn't even flinch when the dog plopped down in the muddy water and started lapping it up.

"Hell Yes. You go dog," was all that I could say.

So add another 2.78 miles to my day's run.

First run of 2013 ended up being a "Hell Yes" 6.79 miles.

After all that I was so giddy, I sent out an email to my Tuesday/Thursday night ride cyclists telling them from now on our Tuesday night ride was going to be about 15 miles with Hell...I mean Hills.

Don't worry, I still have a little rut left in me.