Collection of Christmas Photos

My Christmas this year is the definition of whirlwind. We kicked it off with a senior level USA swim meet in Federal Way with 22 of our studs the weekend before Christmas.

Our Senior group we took to the meet- one of the girls on the team gave me a framed picture of them all. Seriously- favorite thing ever. 

It was such a long weekend and I am so happy/proud of them all for pushing into Sunday finals after a long 3 days beforehand. One of our boys Ashton-managed a 51.7 100 Back as his last event on the last day. I mean...what?!

It's kind of unreal to have so many senior swimmers dropping between 5-10 seconds on 100s and 200s...not to mention one of our guys- Patrick- dropping 30 seconds in the mile and getting 5th. 

Pretty exciting stuff. Go Channel Cats.

Seriously though. I love them. Alexis did this....for a good majority of her warm up. I have videos.

Todd and I the last night of the meet. Surprisingly I didn't lose it this weekend (looks like Todd did...)----its not uncommon for me hahahah. Perfect- not pictured is our awesome other coach Jen.

The King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way is GORGEOUS. So lucky to have it within 3 hours.

PRETTY.

So I got to drive the pippin black Suburban all weekend. Look what I learned how to do....I've never backed in before. Go big or go home?

Only hard part of going to swim meets that are Prelims/Finals  is that you literally are busy from 7am-8pm with a little break between the sessions. Efficient workouts...are key. haha.

Seriously dangerous to have swimming on during a treadmill run. Perfect.

The last day we got kicked out of the hotel in the AM so we had....2 hours to sit at the pool before finals....perfect! 

I normally don't like to 'brag' about my swimming....but swimming in pools like this...just makes you want to swim. I was really excited... 6 x 1000 :30-:45 seconds rest at a pretty good pace....followed by 4 x 500 cruise after. Finished and was like...really- never once bored? Pretty pools put you in a time warp I guess.

I love my work...but after getting home at 1am Sunday... Monday (before XMAS) was back to work. SO TIRED.

And even with the holiday----I got EXTRA work. Which is SOOOO NICE! Since the swim team is swimming psycho amounts (10.5miles total yesterday) that means I got 8.5 full hours on deck yesterday between Masters, USA, and clients. Perfect.

But that also means---a lot of the red cups.

The weather in the Tri is SO COLD. This weird fog has set in....I guess it does make it a bit more Christmas-like.

The keets says....happy christmas

She was being a party popper. Family pic with my two loves 2013.

Decorated my apartment for the holiday. Love the lights.

My mothers tree. She was under there for at least 10 minutes. hahahha. I. am. no. help. 

COURT CLUB CHRISTMAS PARTY. Todd and I....I convinced him to attend his first xmas party in 5 or 6 years (he's always out of town for swim meets)- they had Santa there for us.

My date Brooke and I. Pretty typical for the evening.

Mother was so excited for her new Speedfil-- "NOW I HAVE TO SIGN UP FOR A RACE!" -mother  (Quoted 12/25/13...hahah :)---)

http://invisciddesign.com/

The last 5 days have been exhausting....its been awhile since I've fallen asleep on the couch...but LOVED my Christmas day nap for 1.5 hour. 

I've been eyeing these new Brooks tights for 2 months now....my momma got such a good deal on them. SO EXCITED.....Infinity Capri...perfect. 

Oh and that candy cane choco is on point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74TFS8r_SMI

And, for closing- if you haven't, DO. You want to know what I listen to when I run- check it.

Don't know what I think of this kid---or music video Ill be honest I lost interest about 45 sec in...but right up my alley- happy.

Onward to the best year ever- 2014 is the year of me (post soon). 

Love, Erin

On turning your dreams into reality

This article I wrote for the Channel Cat Coaches Corner took me entirely too long. There you go:
DONE. But I can't say I wasn't on Facebook a bit..... :)

There is no doubt a buzz of excitement in the swimming world as the most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, is returning to the pool.  After taking media by storm post 2012 Olympics, Phelps announced his retirement to pursue other interests. So why, merely a year post announcement would this accomplished athlete come out of retirement and toe the starting blocks? I would like to say it through one of my favorite poems by Jeff Rushton:

“Success is not the triumph over regress,

Success is the power to suppress,

Success is not the money or the fame,

Success is, knowing you are still the same,

Success is not the power or the pride

Success is not a gift or gain,

Success is accepting and believing in your name,

Success is not a point or goal to seek,

Success is believing you have never reached the peak,

Success is”

Jeff Rushton

Michael had a goal, and after years of pursuit, achieved this goal. Upon defining “success,” every champion has in them the need for an ever-changing definition of perfection.  As “success is believing you have never reached the peak.” So you ask yourself, “okay I’ve got the dreaming and the hoping down, how do I go about the pursuit?”

Let’s start with setting a goal. Have you sat down and defined EXACTLY what your goals are? Are you looking to final at IE Champs, or swim for a Division 1 College? Are you wanting to lead your lane in practice or maintain 5 dolphin kicks off of each wall at a swim meet? Are you wanting to win a gold medal at the Olympics or secure a specific time standard? These are all questions that you should be asking yourself. “What am I looking to accomplish?”

A good start would be to pull out a piece of paper and write down one specific thing you can work on right NOW. This can be as simple as maintaining streamlines off each wall at practice, or completing an entire session without stopping. Is there something that the coaches have been repeatedly bringing up in practice that you could apply to your stroke? These are daily goals that you are fully capable of taking charge of RIGHT THIS MOMENT.

Second step is to envision yourself one year from now. Is there a meet you would like go to or lane you want to move up to? Visualizing yourself a year from now, are you winning your heats at swim meets? Write these dreams down.

Third step is counting five and ten years from now and repeating this process. There’s no right or wrong way to daydream of future achievements.

After having this all written down, take a few more pieces of paper and write them down as “I will achieve _____ by _____.” By correlating a date with your dreams, you are setting up a plan towards achievement. This gives you a timeline. In order to transform your dreams from an idea into reality, you must first start with believing in the possibility. Take these pieces of paper and put them places where you will see them every single day. You can put them by your bed, on your mirror, or on your fridge. These are places you will frequent, and will give you the reminder of what you are working for, especially when the going gets tough.

Which brings us to the last, and final step toward achieving these great feats: the hard work portion. If becoming an Olympian came as easy as hoping and dreaming (and wanting something very very badly), we would have a very long list of people on our USA  Olympic team. This is where you transition from the work you are putting in from your heart, to work you are willing to put in with your muscle.

You must take advantage of every opportunity to take a step toward these goals. When practice gets tough, and you have the CHOICE to skip a flip turn, miss an underwater pull, or float into the wall on a sprint, you must fight the urge to take the easy route. For, in order to continue this improvement, you must find flaws in performance to guide you to further success. As they say, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”

By choosing to stay strong when the workouts get tough you are creating good habits that will come naturally to you when you get up and race. The last thing you want to be concentrating on when you are in a close race with your biggest competition is “Now how did that backstroke to breaststroke turn go again?” These habits start to create with every backstroke to breaststroke turn in warm-up, drill set, main set, and warm down. Do you get to get out in the middle of your hardest race at a meet to go to the bathroom or fix your goggles? Practice training hard so that you can race hard.

Focused swimming is fast swimming. Every success starts with a dream. Dreams are achieved through successful goal setting, a passion for the activity, and a willingness to work ridiculously hard to achieve this dream.  Swim on, Channel Cats!!

LOVE, ERIN

On being honest with yourself

I actually found this post in my saved documents on my computer. Read it and felt I wanted to share it. 

As a girl, I was daddys little girl through and through. I didn’t care much for the idea of shooting at things but if it meant spending time with my father, I was up and out of bed at the crack of dawn dressed head to toe in my camp gear ready for a hunting trip.

I remember one specific trip to the tree farm. It was autumn and the weather had just decided it was going to start to brisk up. I remember it being a game, seeing if I could spot the 3pt buck (or anything) before my dad. Secretly, I thought to my twelve year old self- “god, I hope we don’t actually see anything! I wouldn’t want something to have to die …its too pretty of a morning” The sun was just rising, and we were slowly puttering through the dusty back roads. My dad kept saying “keep your head low and look under the brush…if you see something quietly let me know.” Well to keep a long, (and…im sure boring) story short—we didn’t see much of anything- but after we decided to head back to town he let me hop out and pick a couple huge Washington Fuji apples off the tree and we shared them while driving along the plateau watching the sunrise.  Between the crisp sweetness of the apples and bright sunshine-- the etching of the birds flying up through the brush to the power lines will stay engrained as a big part of my childhood. I wouldn’t have wanted to spend this moment with anyone else.

I’m pretty sure this memory is the sole reason why I love autumn so much. It reminds me of hunting season and spending time with my dad.  It’s actually one of the last memories I remember having with just me and my dad. Days changed. Years passed. Lives changed…and well moved on.

It’s been a rough couple of days. I’ve had a lot of time to sit and reflect on who “Erin D Holmes” (in case you were thinking it were another Erin Holmes). I have no intentions on this post being a “Woe is me” piece. I just am trying to make sense of this jumble in my brain, to put it to good use.  No use in wallowing in some temporary misery- because that is not me. Find something practical, Erin. There is something practical here.

I looked in my work schedule and laughed out loud. “What a joke, Erin. You are a better trainer and instructor to let that happen. You have more self respect than to go out in public looking like that. Call your friends.”

Why is it so hard to take your own advice? Especially when its so easy to dish out the “correct” route for decisions to others? I could sit around all day and tell people to stay away from the sugar and Starbucks and to drink more water….but where is my water bottle….and where did these gummy bears come from?

Its so much easier to be a talk-er verses  a do-er. (sounds a little familiar…)

Now what does this whole Erin’s dad have to do with ANYTHING? I think there are a lot of purging of the past that needs to be done (Erin change #1). 

Isn’t that what you always learn in Health class? The twenties are the years to magically “find yourself,” as if this self is just waiting to be released from a box deeply hidden inside yourself.

This is also a time when a lot of people are making plans to accomplish big things. These things need to be viewed as a lifestyle change verses a “new years resolution.” I think it would be a more permanent change if you felt it were something to be applied everyday. Ramble ramble (Erin change #2).

I have a lot of new years goals.

My most important:

Be the change you want to see. Be the example. Take control of your own destiny. (#3,#4,#5)

I.am. A. hallmark. Card.

and I will conquer the world.

Love, erin

I'm thankful for thanksgiving and coaches

Thanksgiving always gets me a bit emotional- (as if I'm not always emotional enough hah).

 I love the time to take a step back and reflect on really how privileged I am. Heres a quick post on my Thanksgiving outing with the family and also my reflection on how thankful I am to have my family- and coaches- always supporting this strange journey I've got going.

My Grandma's house has got to be one of my favorite places in the world. The early mornings are usually misty and quiet. I always like to think I am straight out of one of the Bronte sisters' novels.

"Grandma's house"- which is actually a fish dock nestled in a little outlet of the Columbia river----about an hour Northwest of Portland. 

My mother and I got to spend Thanksgiving morning on the HS track that she grew up on in Clatskanie, OR. We planned a super quick trip to the west side to see family- and of course couldn't miss the opportunity to run somewhere new and fresh (not to mention BEAUTIFUL). 

My mother didn't get to join me in my workout- but was quick to volunteer walking the track to keep me company. She seriously is superwoman. 

Her small town track was PERFECT. Loved having trees as a backdrop for a change. The air on the west side of the mountains just feels different. There's a bit of a cold bite to your face, rewarding you with a chest full of mountain air. Running on the west side always makes you fee cleansed- both physically and emotionally.

It was SUCH A BEAUTIFUL morning for a speed workout. Everything just seemed perfect- the sun, the air, only if my legs were with me on this one....hah theres always next time :)

Afterwards, we went down to the local coffee shop and chatted with the owners for a bit. Something about small towns helps time slow and appreciation grow. People start to look different, and conversation seems to deepen. I sometimes wish the world would just slow to this pace, to see how beautiful everyone and everything can be.

Finishing up the run. Love the sun.

Being Thanksgiving in a small town my mother and I got on the topic of being thankful for our coaches throughout our youth.

The youth in small towns like Clatskanie seemed to have two routes to be taken- sport- or mischief. I know for a fact, that with how much energy I had, without swimming I could have gotten myself in some big trouble.

We got to talking about how much our coaches had impacted our youth. My mother said she still views her basketball coach from HS the same as she had almost 20 years earlier- a great mentor and positive adult role model. She still keeps in contact with him via Facebook (oh technology).

I then got to thinking about how much my coaches have impacted my life. 

Im so thankful for my long time coach Todd Stafek- (with the swim team that I've swam for for 17 years and counting). Todd has not only taught me how to swim, but how to fight, to work towards extending my limitations. He won't let me give up on something just because there's a possibility that I might fail. This has gone for everything in the pool, and as setting me up to be a positive contributing person to society. I now get to work on deck with the legend on a daily basis (3 hours to be exact EVERYDAY....haha)

                

My coach Hillary Biscay taking the WORLD CHAMPION title in Ultraman yesterday in Hawaii. She not only smashed the women competition, but only allowed this one man to beat her----2OA. She really is the Smashfest Queen leading from day one only to extend her lead the following three days. 

I also am very thankful for my coach Hillary Biscay. The last couple of years have been made a lot more positive with her whole hearted mentoring. Literally the best thing I could have done with my triathlon pursuit was hiring Hillary. She's been with me through one of my most unstable and uncomfortable life changing years- and has kept my chin up and looking forward towards the bigger picture the entire time. She inspires confidence- while challenging me to feats I would have never dreamed of attempting on my own. I can't wait until my turn to make her proud. I proudly wear my smash visor on every run I take off on.

I am also thankful for my turn to be this mentor for these outstanding kids. The Channel Cat kids are such an amazing group of young people- they truly enhance every day I get to work with them. This is a shot of them during our hour long dry land session- after they had just got done swimming close to 8k. Studs. 

On an un-related note: the cat and I enjoyed cheering for MD this weekend. NC State smells.

AND I figured out how to take panorama photos on my phone. Kinda cool. 

My sister sent me a picture of a painting I had done for her in HS. I forgot how much I had liked it. I really would like to find more time to paint.

That AND read! I am having an obsession with Fitzgerald currently. I just started Tender Is the Night and I am instantly in love. 

He's got such a beautiful way of saying the simplest of feelings. "He looked at her and for a moment she lived in the bright blue worlds of his eyes, eagerly and confidently." On F.Scott you speak straight to my heart.

And to finish....

This is definitely what I love about my family. We probably spent close to 10 minutes trying to get a shot of us all in the air at once. If I were super gutsy I would post the video...we are not the most graceful of bunch, us Viuhkola's. 

Eventually, we got this one.

And this one....almost.

And, PHEW finally. Love my family. Super thankful to be a Viuhkola.

And the puppy. 

Love, Erin