Friday November 29 - What a day!
For many of you who have been watching my fitness and health updates through Facebook this is likely old news - for others that may not be spending any time on Facebook this may be new - so please ignore that which may be duplicative to you!

For the past 11 months I have been on a journey - one of rebuilding this body to connect it to my on-going rebuilding of my executive activities - and personal ones that have benefited along the way! In doing so I have engaged a number of people to help - from the Happy Body team that helped me on my way to lose the first 25 pounds - to my current team of phenoms that are not only helping me finish the weight loss journey but embark on my fitness journey (or dare I say journeys.....)

A little history on this team of phenoms:














(from left to right - Dr. David Speechly, Tom Glynn, Dianne Glynn, and JJ)


(1) Dr. David Speechly - I was first introduced to David by way of our newly acquired Crunch Fitness membership in the summer when a good friend said - Have you ever taken David's spin class - to which I politely responded NO but I have heard about it - she then insisted that I join one to try and "go to places you have never been on a spin bike" - sounded intriguing so of course I tried it and fell in love (with both the class and the man!) Turns out David is a Doctor of Metabolic Physiology and helps individuals with weight loss (and not just the amazing athletes but "normal" people) - so I signed up and have never looked back - David is not only personally inspiring, and the cheerleader that I relish, but amazingly devoted to what he does and who he helps - always there no matter what the question, with sound, science based information and advice - he has become a personal friend along the way - one that I will cherish the rest of my life ---- go check him out:  www.davidspeechly.com (he also has the most engaging wife you have ever met - Toni - just a shout out to her!!)

(2) JJ - While JJ is a man cloaked in mystery (and hence the name of initials) he too is amazing - when we joined Crunch we did so because of the reputation of its personal trainers - best in Danville (and as far as I can tell the Bay Area!) - of course we wanted the best and so after many weeks of focused attention by Tom and myself we managed to get JJ's attention! While JJ's size does give him away as a former NFL player (among his many countless football accolades) what lies underneath that frame is a man who inspires, supports, coaches, and truly loves everyone with whom he chooses to work (and I do mean chooses) - JJ gets me (and Tom) to do things that no one else ever could - he is relentless in his pursuit of our perfection and I am eternally grateful for his support and love - another lifetime keeper (I would post a link to him but I honestly cannot find one and believe me I have tried)!

(3) And of course my forever man - Tom! - He has been there all the way and I am hopeful he will remain firmly planted at my side for many journeys to come - he is the guy that gets up at 4:15 in the morning to make me coffee so that I can make it to the gym by 5:00 fully caffeinated, the guy that ensures that as soon as I get back from working out all that nasty work out stuff is being cleaned, the guy that handles the boys in the morning so I can "get in and get out" quickly, the guy that keeps the house running smoothly and never complains that I am not there to do "my share",  the guy that patiently listens to my rants (for which there are a few....), the guy that keeps me focused on the end game without wavering, and of course the guy that pulled me up that dreaded mountain (more about that to come....) - LOVE YOU!!!  (BTW just to confirm - I am NOT high maintenance...)


OK - Now about that mountain....
As I noted above David is inspiring but David is also highly committed to success - at the very early stages of our relationship David challenged me to think beyond weight loss and to find something more meaningful, more memorable, and more powerful that would sustain the journey - so I foolishly decided one day that I wanted to take my bike up Mount Diablo before my 50th birthday (May 20 for those who wish to send gifts) - for those of you in Danville you know that mountain - for others, it is one of the highest peaks in the Bay Area with a summit of 3,800 feet - for those of you who know me, I abhor hills on my bike and will do anything to avoid them - this goal soon became both a mental as well as a physical challenge (and I believe met all of David's criteria!!)

I started seriously training to go up the mountain in October - the first ride was to "go as far as you can without any preconceived expectations" (David's advice) - and so I did - getting up to the 2,000 foot mark and frankly way beyond what I thought I could do - great start to a great journey!

The second attempt up the mountain came at the beginning of November - this goal was to go farther than before and attempt to get to the Junction - which was only about 1/2 mile beyond where I went last time but is a milestone on the mountain and represents roughly half way (in distance) to the top - got there - took pictures - and quickly left!

The third attempt came after Thanksgiving (postponed from the Sunday before because I hate cold weather and that Sunday was bitterly cold....) - not always a great idea to head up a mountain after that dreaded turkey dinner (even if I skipped the amazing pecan pie....) but off Tom and I went -
-  we passed the 2,000 foot marker - yeah!
-  we got to the Junction - yeah! - and there is where we met an Angel - Monica Zucker - Monica is a truly inspiring, incredible athlete in the area whose husband (also an amazing athlete) passed away from ALS recently - Monica is raising two amazing boys while keeping Pete's memory alive through her unsurpassed volunteer and fundraising efforts for ALS, all the while managing to get out and win bike races and ride up dreaded mountains! Monica's words of advice - just try to go farther - around the bend is a great view - you should go see it - so off we went, and we never looked back -
- we passed the view Monica raved about (I am sure it was amazing but frankly I was not going to stop for fear of not restarting)
- we passed the Juniper area (not even sure what that is but Tom pointed it out as I was trying to focus on staying on the bike and not passing out!)
- we saw the Devil's elbow and that is where the game changed - notice I did not say we passed the Devil's elbow.... at this point my legs had decided that seizing up was the right thing to do as this dumb lady was not going to get off this bike unless they did so....and so I did - get off the bike that is!
- but I was going to get to the summit and so....off came the bike shoes and up the mountain me and bike went (remember the goal - to get me and my bike up that dreaded mountain....) - Tom kept wondering how long my trek would last and when we got to the top it was clear to him "all the way baby!")

So you see -  there I am at the top, shoes in hand, enjoying the trek and the bike ride and the miracle of pushing past the pain with an angel on my side (and in my head!)

No sooner did we snap that picture when we hear this loud CRASH -

Two elderly ladies in a car precariously dangling over the ledge of the cliff - thank god for sturdy guard rails - well we helped them get out and ensured hat they were thankfully apparently unharmed - had the ranger call for "back up", spent time ensuring that they were calm and OK, and then started the descent

All you need to know about the descent is that I apparently ascend faster than I descend and you should know that my ascension often never exceeded 6 miles an hour (David would call that "topple over speed") - I do not find any thrill in the descent from a 3,800 foot mountain - that I know for sure!

My dear friends do know that I love a great party - so we had a post Thanksgiving day feast with a terrific bottle of Brut Champagne to celebrate - 

All in all a great and unexpected day - now what is next???? 

Just signed up for a century ride - going to need lots of butt cream for that one!!! (Oh yeah  -  and lots of support from the phenoms) - Anyone want to join us?????