Today it’s not nearly as hot as it has been the last few days, so I’ll be going out with the dogs again. But I have a feeling I’ll be hopping in the shower for a quick cool-off when I get home.

I can’t wait for it to be fall around here. It’ll be nice to have some cool, crisp mornings again. However, I can deal with the heat and humidity as long as it’s around. That’s definitely not going to keep me indoors!

Yesterday I took the dogs out walking on the Loblolly trail at Umstead, and normally I don’t let them get in the water when we walk because then I have dirty and wet dogs to take home. But, yesterday it was so hot that I couldn’t help but let them stop and have swim breaks at every creek we crossed.

It was really funny seeing Sheldon swim the first time. For a while he was trying to just walk across the water, even when it got really deep. Then, when he figured out how to swim around, his eyes lit up and got real big. He didn’t quit swimming around. It was really cute. Then he looked like a wet rate when he got out. HA!

I am going to take the camera with me today and hopefully get some pictures or video of him swimming.

It was hot and humid both days. I was drenched after the rides. But, I actually enjoyed myself, which is a nice change to what I usually experience on my road bike. I saw several people that I haven’t seen in a while, and it was great talking and catching up with people after not being out on group rides for so long.

I’m pretty choosy now about the group rides I decide to go on because I like to dictate my own pace. These two groups were perfect. Saturday was a small group of only six riders, so we rotated and rode a double pace line the entire ride. On Sunday I was looking to ride a little bit harder, but then back off on some of the climbs late in the ride. And that ended up being no problem. I had a couple of the best rides I’ve had in a looong time.

ORAMM is coming up this Sunday… I can’t wait!

Shape Up With Alisha Preview

I was really excited when Danielle approached me about contributing to the magazine. I enjoyed writing the short peices used in the section, and look forward to writing more!

I was really nervous, but excited, for the race. One big change this weekend was my bike. I picked up my new Titus Racer-X at Appalachian Mountain Sports in Glen Alpine, NC on the Friday before the race, rode it for 30 minutes on Saturday, and then raced it on Sunday. All I can say is, “I LOVE MY NEW TITUS MOUNTAIN BIKE.” Oh. My. God. What an awesome bike!

So… about the race…

The race was especially fun because Joe and I camped with our dogs at the state park, which made for a lot of excitement for all of us. We met a really nice family who watched our dogs while we rode a little of the course on Saturday. And we had s’mores at our campsite after dinner while the dogs laid at our feet.

I met several really nice people at the race, and EX2 Adventures did a fantastic job putting on this event. Everything was clearly marked, it was a beautiful venue, and the volunteers were wonderful.

I’d like to especially thank my coach, Sonni, after this win. I was really surprised by this win. I definitely did not expect it since I am so new to all the off road stuff. But Sonni has stood by me and believed in me every step of the way.

Another thank you to my chiropractor, Dr. Swank of Swank Chiropractic, for keeping me straight… quite literally. I couldn’t keep plugging away at all the training I do without his diligent work to keep me at my best.

Thanks to Splish for providing me with the cutest suits and stylish goggles to wear at the pool for all my swim training. The swim helped set me up for a strong race.

Thanks to Be Present for my comfortable yoga clothing that I wore all weekend camping, pre and post race.

Thanks to Inside Out Sports for providing all my race needs… trail shoes, nutrition products, and training equipment.

Thank you to Darlene of Nutrilite and XS Energy products for providing my daily vitamins and nutrition products that help keep me going strong.

And of course… a big thank you to my biggest fan… my husband, Joe.

To all of my sponsors who have supported me into Xterra racing: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Here’s Photos From the Weekend

I’ve worn this top to yoga classes, the gym to lift weights, and just around town running errands. It’s figure flattering, too!

In fact, I’m wearing my Bamboo Halter in this picture after a long run up Table Rock Mountain Road, and then a final hike up to the summit:

Now what girl wouldn’t want all that in a halter top? Go get one today! You won’t be disappointed. Enter BPAL08 in the discount code box to receive 10% off your order.

On my way back home, I stopped by the Hibernian where the 100k Spin Cycle Firecracker Ride was to finish in Cary to see my friend, Lal Chand of Athletic Edge Sports Massage. He worked on me for a few minutes (Lal is the BEST therapist in the Triangle Area, hands down, by the way)… and boy, did that few minutes remind me how badly I need to get in for some massage. Soon!

After lunch and a walk with the dogs, I went over to visit Alicia Parr for a bit. I missed her baby shower when I was visiting my parents, and I really wanted to get over to see her and just hang out for a while and catch up. We haven’t been able to do any long bikes together to chit chat, so it was wonderful just sitting around in the air conditioning talking for a few hours. The nursery she’s painting is amazing. She’s a really good artist- I can’t believe the detail in some of her fish and sea animals.

We had a couple of friends over from Joe’s work for a cookout, and watched about a bazillion episodes of Flight of the Conchords. “Foux de fa fa, Foux de fa fa fa faaaaahhhh”

Our fireworks were rained out, but my mom was nice enough to send some amazing pictures of the fireworks in Morganton.

After another early morning ride, it’s time to walk the dogs again… enjoy your day!

On Monday, Joe was nice enough to come to school with me and help move my desk and other furniture up to my new room. So at least all my “stuff” was there in the room… I was able to just focus on the cleaning and putting away of things.

It’s a lot of work, but it’s really cool to take a step back and take in the room once you get finished. I’ll have to post some pictures of what my new classroom looks like, once I get a little more settled. I have a lot of ideas, and I’m going to bounce them off my colleague before going too crazy. One thing I’m definitely going to do is get some nice plants to put in the room.

My room is fairly small since it’s a behavior support classroom. You don’t want huge open spaces for my type of classroom… instead you want a comfortable, somewhat home-y, environment. The students should feel safe in our space.

I was delighted to go through some of the materials that the previous teacher left behind for me. I found a book that I was going to check out from the library; but, lucky me, she left behind a copy! The book is “The First Days of School,” by Harry K. Wong and Rosemary T. Wong. At the behavior workshop I attended, they referred to this book a lot. I’ve busily been looking through it for ideas to pile on to my ideas I already have. Fun! (well, for me!)

Now it’s time to relax a little, then take the dogs out for a walk.

Here’s a picture of Sheldon sleeping. This is how he sleeps next to me when I’m at home.

They’re so cute!

I’ve had a busy week, even with my time off from school. It seems like I never sit down. But, being busy is good, and I am enjoying the weather and being outdoors. Happy Training!

Sheldon:

Symba: