Sports Talk: Joining the Elite

As a correspondent sports writer for The Casey County News, I write an weekly editorial column for the publication. Published Aug. 28 , 2013. 
A few weeks ago a group of ladies in the area competed in a half iron-man competition but this past Sunday, two took the “go big or go home” motto to heart and are now among the elite Iron Man finishers.

Dr. Erica Montgomery Turner and Nell Tarter Duggins made a complete day of it in the swim, bike and run competition.
 
Even being an athlete my entire life and being a runner, I cannot wrap my head around what these two ladies did. The day itself is one thing but the time and training it took to prepare for such an obstacle is beyond my comprehension.
 
The run alone is 26.2 miles—a marathon. I commend marathon runners, but can you imagine having swam 2.4 miles and biked 112 before taking on the marathon?
 
Nell finished in 12:54:20, which put her 30th in her division and 944th overall. Erica finished in 15:27:46, which was 76th in her division and 2,002 overall—and that was despite experiencing not just one or two but three flat tires during her biking leg of the event. I have no doubt both were grateful to have had support on the sidelines from family and friends from their ladies bootcamp group.
 
If you see either of these ladies this week—or any time for that matter—be sure to congratulate them. While the challenge is obviously physical, I believe the mental side of it must be just as big of a challenge. A goal that is physically exhausting that takes 10-17 hours to accomplish means there is a lot of time to back out, feel sorry for yourself or come up with excuses for why you need to throw in the towel. Neither of these ladies did.
 
Even if joining the Iron Man elite is not a goal you have for yourself, look to these two for inspiration for setting your mind to a difficult challenge and not backing down from it.

Sports Talk: Gloomy about the state of the world?

As a correspondent sports writer for The Casey County News, I write an weekly editorial column for the publication. Published Oct. 10, 2012. 
 
There is no doubt that setting out a goal--especially a lofty one--and accomplishing it, is fulfilling; however, there is a completely different sense of satisfaction when you work toward that goal with a group of others.

Some may remember an article I wrote last March about a group of ladies who spent one brisk early spring morning completing a 13.1-mile course on Thomas Ridge. 

In addition to their running, these ladies also take part in Back and Body's morning boot camp sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays. To celebrate one year of the boot camp ten ladies participated in the The Southern Tennessee Plunge Marathon/Mini-Marathon.

The group, led by Erica Montgomery-Turner, began training for the event four months ago. Five of the ladies ran the full marathon and five ran the half marathon.

My mother has kept me in the loop on the rigorous training and injury struggles of this group, as she attends the boot camp but was not one of the 10 training for the run.

Having done my fair share of running and taking part in the Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon event twice (NEVER for the full marathon though!), I know the work to get where they are had to be rough—not to mention the course and conditions on race day itself.

“The course was grueling...hills, hills and more hills,” Erica described it to me. “We trained up water tower hill and Woodrum Ridge hills. There were three hills that were matching Woodrum Ridge during the full marathon and one on the half marathon course. It was raining all day and cold!” 

Hills.
Rain.
Cold.

Sound like fun?

Surprisingly, I’m not shocked to hear all positive things about this experience.

For those who have never been to a race and especially if you have never been to a marathon event, you truly do not understand the intoxicating atmosphere of support and positive vibes that consume you, no matter the conditions.

To see so many people with so many supporters, all running for their own motivations and reasons, is inspiring. Bitterness, anger, jealousy and rivalry just do not exist. Everyone is in support of each other no matter if you even know the person next to you or not.

The beginning of one of my favorite movies, Love Actually, begins with the quote:  

“Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere.”

For me, I would say going to a marathon event is all one needs to see that the world is not a gloomy place full of hatred and greed but one full of love for each other—friends, family and even strangers.

With ages in the Casey County group ranging from 35 to 60, I hope to find myself in their shoes one day down the road. Whether it be a marathon or another major goal let this group teach us each so much about how we should be living our own lives:

• Never believe a goal is too big to achieve.
• Always surround yourself with positive people encouraging you to your goals.
• Never settle to believe your health of your body is a lost cause and that it's not worth maintaining.
• Always welcome new adventures into your life.

Casey County Boot Camp Marathoners

Look Both Ways

What kind of blogger would I be if I didn't make a post about my outlook on 2012 and all of my goals and aspirations? I mean, this tends to be the one post I get in most years!

So a quick look-back on 2011 and I think we know what it'll always be remembered for: THE WEDDING. Funny, though, that kicking off the year I had no clue that would be the case. If anything, I probably would have told you it might include an engagement. However, let's not forget some other major highlights:

• My move back home to The Valley
• Running my first mini-marathon
• Moving out of the GLI offices at work and having our own space
• Jon moving to Casey County and getting a job at Tarter
• Our massive garden project, learning to can and make bread
• Nic & Michelle buying their first house
• Seth graduating from Bellarmine

My first batch of bread (there was a 3rd loaf
but we'd already demolished it!)

Survived my first mini with my sis!

 And I wouldn't exactly consider it a highlight, but the passing of Walter definitely put a damper on the year. Jon's best friend and a dog no one disliked and most actually loved upon their first meeting. Life without The Pig is not the same. I'm just grateful that Jon had him for the time that he did and while he got deathly sick in May, he held out until the fall when Jon was safely mine.

Little Man Bear Pig, Walter, Piglet, Waldo, Walt...
April 2008-Nov. 2011

On to 2012! Jon asked me what my resolutions or goals were and I can't say I have a big resolution. (Lose weight... run a marathon...travel...) I simply want to put our savings plan into action for our future house. Jon and I are very fortunate to have the nice (and cheap) living quarters that we do through the use of The Blue Bank Loft but the sooner we can be in a home, the better. We've laid out a pretty solid savings plan for 2012 and are setting up a new savings account strictly for the purpose of the house. 

It's so easy to have one thing after another pop up and take a hit on the checking account, but in a year, we want to see we've taken a major stride forwarding in this big adventure we are on. In addition to the savings, there are 2 other big steps for our house we've made. 

Thanks to my cousin Als who hooked us up with a friend who JUST SO HAPPENED to buy a house in Shelbyville that had a woodburning stove included that they have no desire to use. It doesn't stop there... It's the Jotul older Jotul 118 model (moose) that has been replaced by the Black Bear version. This is the same stove I grew up with in my home...and that everyone else in the family uses. After calling 2 Jotul suppliers, they run approximately $1600 on average. (I believe one guy told us suggested retail is just over $1700). That of course wouldn't include taxes. So this young couple sold us theirs for a great price and with the way those things hold up it might as well be new! We aren't really in need of it right now, but...

1. It is a step towards the house we want and we can better design the layout knowing what stove we have.
2. That's a big investment out of the way for much less than buying one new (not to mention the version we preferred over that available brand new.)

The second step we have well underway is designing. Now, I don't mean we nearly have it done--it's quite the opposite. But we have started regularly sketching out floor plans in a book I created to keep it all documented in. It's fun to see what we each come up with and prefer and feed off of those ideas. At the same time, it's sometimes fun to throw out everything and start with a blank canvas and see what new nifty ideas you come up with if you don't go with a particular idea you previously thought was a "must". Being that we won't be breaking ground in 2012 (that I can feasibly foresee), we have some time for multiple sketches and drafts!

Pinterest, I must add, is a great resource and tool for archiving thoughts, ideas and advice on the house-planning process!

Have a blessed 2012, everyone!

My Bags Are Packed, I'm Ready To Go...

Okay, that's not completely true. My bags are partially packed. I'm rather proud of myself, actually for how well I'm doing with the "packing light" deal for a 10 day trip.

Anyway, YES, tomorrow I step on a plane with Micah and Melody, fly to Houston and then ship off on a long, long flight down South to fulfill a promise I made years and years ago to my very, very dear friend, Mr. Gui Buso, and will visit his home in Brazil.

It feels like a lifetime ago, yet also like just yesterday that Gui set foot into Casey County highschool my junior year. He was the automatic "hottie" the day he agreed to step out on the football field to try his hand at being their kicker... Brazil=soccer=kicking=duh ...of course he was a great kicker! That was something new for Casey County! I cannot really tell you how I came to know Gui (except that our school is quite small so of course "everyone know everyone".) I'd say it helped quite a bit that many of my closest friends were on the football team, which I traveled with keeping stats. Then, being involved with the girls' basketball team kept me in close with the boys' team, of which he was also a part of. Then when spring rolled around, being the all-around-athlete that Gui is, he decided to join my track team as well. (Yes, I consider it MY track team.)

I remember upon Gui's arrival, hoping that when he left eventually that I would have at least become a close friend--someone he'd remember when he left the Bluegrass. No doubt that happened. After his departure, the two of us did a great job of staying in touch via email. (Ah, the days before Facebook when email was so much more important!) Although he went back to his big city of Sao Paulo where "cold" meant 60-degree weather; he had come to love the people of the tiny community of Casey County despite our cold winters.

Since leaving Gui has been back to visit Kentucky about four times. He also spent about six months in Florida about five years ago working at Disney World. Myself and four friends made a Christmas Break road trip to Orlando to visit him which resulted in possibly the best vacation to date. He was most recently here last September when I finally got to meet his girlfriend, Carla.

Carla and Gui have been amazing in this planning process. With two great hosts, no doubt a trip with my long, long time goofy friend Micah will nothing but fabulously full of adventure!

Reaching the Halfway Point

It's not quite halfway through 2010 but while it's on my mind I thought it was a good opportunity to do a quick review of where the year stands in comparison with how I felt going into 2010. Besides, it's time I kick my butt back into gear since I've dropped the ball on blogging for the past two and half months and I definitely have full intentions to once again use this as my point of communication to family and friends while I am adventuring out of the country: Brazil!

I told you that 2010 felt different. I wrote that five days into the year. Hard to believe that I was so right. I feel like my life is something completely different today than it was six months ago. I mean, basically just go back to 2009 and it was something different. I never would have told you that so suddenly I would be living in an apartment very much outside of the Highlands area with my best friend and cousin, Holly Jo, who was living and working in Lexington. And I most definitely never would have told you I'd be in a serious relationship with a guy I've known for five years and had never once before even considered being someone I might date.

Six months ago my life centered on working, hanging out with my roomies and walking across the street to visit the Man Clan and getting random texts from Steve, Jaso and Ben usually planning the weekend events. Now my life centers on my work, my family and my boyfriend. Not only has my cousin moved back to Louisville and living with me, but Nic has completed vet school so he and Michelle are moving back as soon as her school year in Auburn is completed. (Nic actually spent the last two months here doing his preceptorship.) My cousin Alyx has just returned from Japan and is in the process of moving to Louisville and word is that my cousin Ian is also returning to Louisville from North Carolina. I don't need to do any rambling about how much my family and my cousins mean to me.

Life is about to change again, however, as Jon, the boyfriend, is taking a job in his hometown of Evansville, Indiana so he'll no longer be living seven minutes away and cooking dinner with me every night. But that's all part of life correct? Change and adventure and moving forward to see where exactly your path intends to lead you.

And at exactly the midway mark of the year I will embark on a great adventure that I've had on my calendar since 2007: Brazil! Micah and I (along with his girlfriend Melody) will head to South American on June 4 to visit Gui just as I promised him I would after returning from Europe in 2007. It will be a 10 day adventure and it's come so quickly that I've not even had time to really wrap my head around the fact I'm truly going. No doubt it will be incredible and I look forward to sharing the adventures with you all.

10 Always Has Been MY Number

I haven't completely nailed down how or why, but 2010 feels different.

Throughout most of 2009 I was feeling a little lost. I was no longer a "recent graduate" and I still didn't feel like an adult. I still felt very much like a college kid, but there was something about that feeling that didn't seem right.

Don't get me wrong...2009 was a great year. Look at my last post and you'll have to agree.

But 2010 is going to be different and I feel it.

I love life in Louisville and I love my friends but I know this is not the life I want forever. I also know life goes quickly and it doesn't wait around for you. It will sort of just happen if you don't make it happen. (There is a difference in those two. Hopefully you can understand it.)

There are certain goals/dreams I've always had for my life and they have become clearer to me in the past year; probably because of the reality that I am now capable of progressing towards them. However, I'll only actually get there IF I start working towards them and not just living day to day expecting them to suddenly happen.

Probably the hardest part of working towards any goal is accepting and working through the things that are out of your control, because there will always be some of these things. Those who know me know that I hate the idea of fear taking control of a situation. Unfortunately, I admit that part of my hesitance to move forward is the fear of letting go of things I want in the NOW but are really out of my control as to whether or not I have them.

We've all created plans before. Plans for a school or work project. Plans for a social event. Plans for a vacation. These plans are created on the premise of an order of actions/events on a time-line, but I think it's safe to say that we've all experienced things not going to plan and, more often than not, the plan's time-line gets jumbled and things occur out of order. In the end, things always pans out, as long as our focus stayed clear and with every fork in the road we simply made the best decision for the given situation. With this we get the right and best end result. Sometimes that end looks like that original goal the plan set out of us to achieve, but sometimes it's different. The things we learn along the way may change what the perfect end goal actually is.

In the beginning of the movie A Lot Like Love, Oliver (the Ashtin Kutcher character), a fairly recent college graduate, explains that he has a plan to get his "ducks in a row". His seven year time-line was that he would graduate, work, meet a girl in the process, become successful, get married and live happily ever after. Then he finds himself seven years down the road and lots has happened--both good and bad--but the plan has fallen to pieces. Still, the movie ends happily.

I've never had a set in stone, hard plan, but I've had a vision of how things would come to pass in my life. Needless to say, even this "loose" plan seems to not want to completely fall together as I envisioned. So the fear comes in accepting that certain pieces are not for me to decide and simply going with what God does have planned for me in the hear and now. Then, I must continue to work towards that dream by focusing on the areas I do have control over. Fear will continue to be there but I cannot let it dictate and hold me back from the things I am capable of doing. Honestly, the one plan I put the most faith and trust in is the one I don't have any control over. That's what faith is about, right?

So what does 2010 mean for Peat? It's time to step forward and accept the responsibility of my life and all I've ever dreamed for it to be and start making it happen and not letting the fear of the unknown or the fear of letting go of my "plan" slow me down.

Mom is right: from my early days of basketball, 10 always has been my number. I think this is my year.

Recap: 2009 Goals and Resolutions

Let's take a look at the post I left last January as I looked ahead to 2009 and planned to keep it interesting and see how I did...

(1) A new meal once a month: Okay, I admit that Dani wins the prize in this one. I'm not sure that either of us actually did it once a month--and I will blame June on Dani's Mom because she came to visit and why did we need to mess with food when she was feeding us home-cooked meals with tons of tasty leftovers? However, what cooking I did do was successful and Dani's most definitely was covering everything from eggplant Parmesan, french onion soup, steak sandwiches, Asian Chicken pasta, and on and on. Oh and let's give me a little credit for making Christmas cookies from scratch for the first time on my own!

(2) Service Projects: No, we weren't as frequent with these as I would have liked, but beyond the MLK Day project I also took part in Bellarmine's Young Alum service project and did "Project Warm" with KK where we insulated houses for the winter. I suppose the Casey County Trot for Tots counts a little being for Toys for Tots and all. And there is always the Salvation Army bell ringing with the family back in Liberty. PLUS, let's not leave out that I'm helping Emma Gailey with the rebirth of a Girls On The Run chapter in Louisville.

(3)Extracurriculars: There are still so many things on this list I'd like to get to while still living in Louisville and all. One thing that isn't so much a Louisville thing, but something I've always loved that many of my Louisville friends have seldom if ever done is a Drive-In movie. SO much fun. But let's look at what we did do: Ice skating, Pool Heaven, Bowling, Karaoke at Akikos, Hosted a Cook Out, my first Derby experience, I played on a kickball team and met lots of fun new people, the St. James Art Fair, Ratatat concert, NKY trip to Steve's, Arcade nights at Gameworks, football games, Lex trips, road trip to Auburn with Jaso, Cheesecakes with Mucci, another exciting Memorial Weekend, shirt-making for St. Patty's Day and Boss Appreciation Day, the mini Lake vacay with the fam, Churchill Day when Chad won big bucks... I should note the discovery of Gofobo and the many free movies we saw thanks to it (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, The Proposal, Terminator Salvation, Where The Wild Things Are, Invictus, etc.) And very important to note the big events we put on: the first Drunk Funk Games, Gui's party where we had friends from all over come to town and the big Secret Santa gift exchange/practicing Christmas morning party. Oh, and can we include adding a puppy to the house hold to this list??


(4) Work World Progress: Well, I've gone from being jobless at this time last year to having a part-time position with Todd to do work for, GLI, the chamber of commerce, to having spent four hours on a Sunday, today, with him to discuss our latest project with Member Minded. Meanwhile, I've gotten to keep doing video work through the development of The College Buzz and I've even got Knob End Enterprises under my name as a registered business.

Other goals I failed to mention in last year's post included physical activity. I did get a gym membership with the Louisville Athletic Club in April. I have been lifting there since (but still need to become more regular about it) and for awhile I was hitting up their yoga classes. I also ran a 7 1/2 mile leg of the Derby marathon with Emma and some of her friends as well as I ran in the Trot for Tots like normal. I guess kickball can maybe go on this list also. I also wanted to start prepping and saving for the Brazil trip of 2010 that I promised Gui when I returned from Europe in 2007. Thanks to College Buzz money I've saved a decent amount and Micah is on board to go with me. Honestly, he's done more planning than me. I've got a lot of work to get to at this point on nailing down details but we're looking to leave around June 4 and I'll stay for close to ten days.

The only other thing Dani and I wrote in our book was titled "Boys". Ironic enough, there are no real details or goals listed here...and sadly enough, I can't say I'm any better off in that department than I ever was or ever have been. Ha.

Whoever says New Year's resolutions aren't worth anything doesn't know what they are talking about. Maybe we are eager and motivated through January and that excitement dies off and seems completely forgotten by summer and the following months, but I think if we map them out and begin putting some practice into our lives in those early months, the resolution can be forgotten, but only because we no longer think of these things as a "resolution" but just a part of our daily lives.

Time to get the book back out. Stay tuned.

Never Losing Sight of the Dream

It was about four months ago when Todd (my boss) mentioned to me that his company would be celebrating it’s ten year anniversary this year. I remember quickly running the math in my head and noting that would have made him about 24 when he started his company. Wow, that means he was shortly out of school. It also immediately hit me that it really was no surprise. After having worked with Todd for about six months I knew what a passion he had for business and a genuine love for running with challenges. Setting up his own company right out of college seemed only natural for a guy of his character.

Me, on the other hand… I did not expect to find myself setting up my own company at age 24.

I’ll keep the story short, as it’s not what I really came here to write. As many know, since last winter I have been producing a web video show for Bellarmine University, The College Buzz. After producing four shows for Bellarmine last Spring they budgeted for the upcoming school year and got funding for two shows a month. When I told Rob the good news he suggested that I set up my own company so I could skip the extra step of running financials through his company.

I told my parents and also told them I’d probably have to choose a new name and leave my childhood business name, “RitArt” behind. Pretty crazy, though, how the things you imagine as a kid can become a reality. There is a cardboard sign I still have hanging on the wall of my bedroom at my parent's house with my original “RitArt” logo that I made when I was probably about 10 years old.

The most difficult step for setting up this new company (for me) was choosing a name. Now, Rob had told me “this isn’t that big of a deal”, but he doesn’t know my family and that I name inanimate objects down to my cameras and cell phones. I inquired some ideas from my brothers and both had some clever suggestions and I almost settled on one of my own until Pa threw out one with “Knob End” included.

For those unaware, Knob End Meadow is the field located on the deepest point of the Valley. For a number of years I have had thoughts of one day having my own home on this territory.

Amid my pondering for a name I thought about the series of events that had led to the need for one at all. Then I thought about the series of events to follow. I have never known exactly what I wanted to do with my life as far as a career is concerned. The only thing I have always been certain of about my future is that I want to raise a family in The Valley. To live the simple and good life. Since graduating from Bellarmine, as great as life is, there are times when I have felt a little lost; a little helpless. I have often wondered how I am moving towards that goal in any way. But each day I say a small prayer asking that God guide me in every tiny decision I make so that they are the right, best decisions to lead me to where He wants and needs me to be.

Part of my dream of living in the Valley includes the hope of working from my own front porch. Here I am, a year and a half out of college, and all the work I have done during this time is setting me on a path to run my own business from anywhere I wish.

At the same time I am beginning to better understand the craziness of the career world and how easily it sucks us in with expectations and responsibilities. I never want to get so caught up that I lose sight of the thing I’ve always wanted in my life; the place I want to end up. Naming my own company after that very place is to be a constant reminder of why I am doing all the work I am doing from day to day; a reminder of the stepping stones God places for us that will lead us to where He intends for us to inevitably end up.

With a lot of questions about my life constantly circling my mind, I remind myself of the many things I have that so many do not. I know what I want and I know it from deep within; therefore I know that desire comes from somewhere beyond myself. Also I know that because I look and ask for it on a daily basis, God is helping me fulfill that desire. As long as I have that, I know I will get there and that every day is a step of progress.

Crazy Mess of 2009 Begins!

2009 is a crazy exciting mess!

My goal this year is to "keep it interesting." I want to keep every month/every week to be something a little different, and I want to feel productive in a positive way. 

So far, so good.

Dani and I have decided to each take our turn cooking a new meal once a month. (And by "new meal" I mean NOT pasta with tons and tons of garlic!!) 

We've also committed to finding service projects and events we can be a part of each month. This past Monday we were a part of the MLK Service Challenge that Kara was in charge of organizing through her Americorps job. We spent the day cleaning and reorganizing the Americana gymnasium storage room and then moved to their library where we completely relabeled and shelved their books. It's always great to spend a day doing something for someone else with OTHERS who are willing to give their time. That shared willingness to give your time creates a great atmosphere.

We've also committed to doing more "extracurriculars" each

 month. We definitely love our Tuesday Beer Nights at Shenanigans and nights out on Bardstown Road, but we decided it's time we spice it up. Two weeks ago we got a group of about 12 to join us for ice skating. (Well, Dani came down with strep throat at the last minute and unfortunately didn't make it herself...) But it was such a good time that others were already throwing out ideas for future outings. 

Skiing/snowboarding is definitely on that list. I'm looking for a good February date now.

Also, there is the goal to continue to be progressive in the work world. I guess you could describe what I am doing as "progressive." It's all a mess in one aspect, but I'm loving it. Right now I'm doing still doing some work for Vupal with FN Crazy until we see where the show goes. I have been working with a guy named Todd (recommended to him by my Vupal boss and his good friend, Rob). I am writing for a website he is building as well as in the process of taking a position at GLI (Greater Louisville Inc) as their operations manager in IT. Also in the works is a possible web show for Bellarmine--which I'm really crossing my fingers for. 

So, forget every month or week being different... every DAY is different right now!