I am seriously just one giant excuse after another.
But here is my Top Ten List for Why I Haven't Blogged Since Before Kim Kardashian Got Married:
10. I got a new job (yayyy!)
9. But I still have my old job (boo!), so I get to do two jobs...and only get paid for one.
8. I got a subscription to US Weekly (also known as the greatest publication of all time) and therefore for one night a week, I am busy. Reading about the Kardashians. And the Real Housewives of Whatever City. And the Beiber. GLORIOUS.
7. I have this rugrat who requires inordinate amounts of attention and prefers to be outside with the mosquitoes. And it's hard to play on the computer when you spend 100% of your time batting mosquitoes away from your child's face. And then she STILL looks like an assault victim. And then we both spend the next two days walking around swearing that we just ran into a door...our husbands did NOT beat us.
6. I am running. Or biking. Or lifting weights. Or TRYING to do some form of calorie expenditure.
5. I am lounging on the couch, watching the Beibers, Kardashians, and Housewives with my cute husband who moans and groans the whole time, which means that I have to rewind and re-watch, which means that we all get double the time with the Kardashian family. Winning!
4. I've been sick. Which is sad. And means that I walk around with kleenex stuck up my nose. Lucky for me, Tommy finds women with kleenex hanging out of their noses irresistible.
3. Anna is hysterical and wild and still isn't taking naps. Which means I am not taking naps. And when Mama don't take naps, ain't nobody happy. And ain't nobody having no time to blog. I just bought a book about how to get your baby to nap. Basically, it's all puppies and rainbows and "just love your baby to sleep" and makes me want to hurl the book across the room. If love put the kid to sleep, she'd be freaking Sleeping Beauty.
2. I apparently have arthritis in my feet and am wearing old lady shoes. From the ugly shoe aisle at DSW. I don't respect myself. At all. But man, these puppies are comfy.
And the number one reason why I haven't blogged since Before Kim Kardashian Got Married:
1. I just haven't felt like it.
Quick update:
Tommy and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary last week. The traditional gift for 4 years is fruit or flowers, so I got him an Edible Arrangement and he planted flowers in our garden in the shape of a 4. We are so cute. My mom is coming in town this week to hang with me, since Tommy is going to Amsterdam for work and then when he gets back, we are going to a friends wedding and staying at a hotel for the night while Nana hangs with the nugget. I plan on taking 14 naps before I head home in the morning. Ha.
The Don is doing SO much better. He has been diagnosed with Addison's disease and for the small price of $400 a month, he is healthy and happy. Don needs to get a job. But seriously, Addison's is a very dangerous disease, but it's similar to diabetes in that it is deadly, but VERY manageable ($$$)...so we are managing it. And Anna will have to pay for her own college, but that's an entirely different issue.
Work is seriously kicking my butt. I miss blogging. But then again, I also miss having a waist, so it just goes to show that we can't have everything.
Okay. Love. And puppies. And I'll get back to it eventually.
Showing posts with label Biking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Biking. Show all posts
Monday, November 07, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
No Apologies.
I SHOULD be apologetic, and I DO feel a little guilty, but alas, life has once again gotten in the way of me spreading the word. And by "the word", I mean "verbal diarrhea" and by "spreading", I mean "like herpes".
Nonetheless, thanks for everyone's concern at my absence. I've just been busy, pre-occupied, and just generally playing about. We have implemented Margarita Fridays at our house (we make margaritas and sit in the driveway like the classy folks we were raised to be), and therefore I spend most of my week dreaming about 5PM on Friday...which leaves little time for blogging. Tommy mixes up a batch of sugary goodness, we take the exersaucer to the field and everyone relaxes and enjoys life.
What's that you say? You live in Texas and it's about 237 degrees outside right now? Yeah, this does not stop us from field sitting. Anna is only happy when she is about catch on fire, so out to the field we go...with margaritas. For us. Not her.
To recap the exersizing in the last month-ish:
I re-injured myself running. Shocking. I was doing really well running 3-4 miles and then when my running club started up for the season running 6/8/10 miles, I was all, "Hey yeah, I can totally run 39 miles with you guys tomorrow. No prob." And lo and behold, I hurt myself. I should know better, but I got caught up in all. Oops. Soooo, now I'm back to 3-4 miles with walk breaks....it's going eh. I'm having fun though, so I am trying not to care too much.
Due to my injury, my race at Bridgeland Sprint Tri went sub-optimally. That said, I would have won the Athena division had I remembered to sign up for it (idiot)...instead I got like 9 millionth place in my normal division. Which, by the way, doesn't feel as good as first. In case you were curious.
I swam okay (as expected...can't expect great things when you swim twice a year), biked okay (it took me 5 miles to warm up...and in a 13 mile ride, that's too long!), and ran pretty crappily (mostly because I walked most of it). So, eh.
I took about 2 weeks off (you know, kind of...) of working out and it was pretty glorious. It was probably the first time off I've taken in a few years and I really enjoyed it. I didn't feel guilty and it was good. I don't have any races until the spring, so there's no real reason to push the envelope now. I felt like I needed a break and I took it. GLORIOUS. And during that time, Tommy and I were able to run together for the first time in about a year - it was great to be able to do that again. Now that the weather is cooling off (it's only 168 today instead of 237), I'm hoping we can take Anna out for runs together.
Point of the story is that I:
A.) Am alive
B.) Am well
C.) Have about 37 blogs started but not finished from over the last month
D.) Am wishing that each day had about 3 more hours in it
E. ) All of the above
No one likes all of the above.
And, of course, gratuitous photos of my adorable nugget, whom we have nicknamed NuNu (it's short for Nugget. Duh.)
Nonetheless, thanks for everyone's concern at my absence. I've just been busy, pre-occupied, and just generally playing about. We have implemented Margarita Fridays at our house (we make margaritas and sit in the driveway like the classy folks we were raised to be), and therefore I spend most of my week dreaming about 5PM on Friday...which leaves little time for blogging. Tommy mixes up a batch of sugary goodness, we take the exersaucer to the field and everyone relaxes and enjoys life.
What's that you say? You live in Texas and it's about 237 degrees outside right now? Yeah, this does not stop us from field sitting. Anna is only happy when she is about catch on fire, so out to the field we go...with margaritas. For us. Not her.
To recap the exersizing in the last month-ish:
I re-injured myself running. Shocking. I was doing really well running 3-4 miles and then when my running club started up for the season running 6/8/10 miles, I was all, "Hey yeah, I can totally run 39 miles with you guys tomorrow. No prob." And lo and behold, I hurt myself. I should know better, but I got caught up in all. Oops. Soooo, now I'm back to 3-4 miles with walk breaks....it's going eh. I'm having fun though, so I am trying not to care too much.
Due to my injury, my race at Bridgeland Sprint Tri went sub-optimally. That said, I would have won the Athena division had I remembered to sign up for it (idiot)...instead I got like 9 millionth place in my normal division. Which, by the way, doesn't feel as good as first. In case you were curious.
I swam okay (as expected...can't expect great things when you swim twice a year), biked okay (it took me 5 miles to warm up...and in a 13 mile ride, that's too long!), and ran pretty crappily (mostly because I walked most of it). So, eh.
I took about 2 weeks off (you know, kind of...) of working out and it was pretty glorious. It was probably the first time off I've taken in a few years and I really enjoyed it. I didn't feel guilty and it was good. I don't have any races until the spring, so there's no real reason to push the envelope now. I felt like I needed a break and I took it. GLORIOUS. And during that time, Tommy and I were able to run together for the first time in about a year - it was great to be able to do that again. Now that the weather is cooling off (it's only 168 today instead of 237), I'm hoping we can take Anna out for runs together.
Point of the story is that I:
A.) Am alive
B.) Am well
C.) Have about 37 blogs started but not finished from over the last month
D.) Am wishing that each day had about 3 more hours in it
E. ) All of the above
No one likes all of the above.
And, of course, gratuitous photos of my adorable nugget, whom we have nicknamed NuNu (it's short for Nugget. Duh.)
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| First Trip to the Beach. Lovin' Life. |
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| Best. Party. Ever. |
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| A Daddy and His Girl! |
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| Baptism Day! |
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Quick Updates...Only Because It's Been Forever Since I Last Blogged.
I'm really glad I bought semi-stylish maternity clothes. I had no idea that I would STILL be wearing them. My entire outfit today is maternity. Stretchy pants rock, but I kind of miss belts.
Apparently, I can't remember to put on deodorant anymore. This is the third day since I've been back at work that I've forgotten to put it on. Thank goodness for my gym bag.
What to do when people make TERRIBLE spelling mistakes on Facebook? Not just a typo, but like, the wrong word all together? Should you help them? I hate seeing my friends get dummer*. "Conscience" and "conscious" are not the same word. FYI. Nor are "affect" and "effect". And don't get me started on "irregardless".
Since my belly button is so freakishly deep now (it was freakishly deep before...now it's even worse...if you can possibly fathom that), it is collecting all sorts of artifacts. I wouldn't be surprised to find a dinosaur fossil in there.
Lucky for me, newborns are not quite as fragile as they appear to be. There are just too many damn instructions to read - no one could keep up. No pregnant woman knows what to read and no new mom actually has that kind of time...soooo, my house is kind of one giant booby trap.
The best thing about being back at work is morning talk radio. Oh, how I missed morning talk radio.
Had my first hangover on Saturday morning. Learned my lesson! Hangovers and babies do not mix. Nor do long runs in the heat of the day or massages. All of which I did with a hangover. Not optimal. Game night was fun...Things in a Park that start with J??
****************************
Workouts are going GREAT! My running group started up for the season and I quickly realized A. how much I missed working out with people and B. that running while talking is hard. I will attempt to run 6 miles on Saturday with them (and my BFF who is coming in town to play!)...we will see how that goes. It is a 50% increase over my longest run lately. I think we can safely say that that is higher the recommended 10% increase. (not to be redundant for you math geniuses out there) Ooops. Bridgeland Sprint Tri is in 3 weeks...and since I forgot to sign up for the Athena division (CRAP!), I will attempt to be more competitive so I don't embarrass myself. Probably should have thought that through a little more. Probably should go to the pool. At least once. Probably.
*Yes, I no that's not how you speel it.
Apparently, I can't remember to put on deodorant anymore. This is the third day since I've been back at work that I've forgotten to put it on. Thank goodness for my gym bag.
What to do when people make TERRIBLE spelling mistakes on Facebook? Not just a typo, but like, the wrong word all together? Should you help them? I hate seeing my friends get dummer*. "Conscience" and "conscious" are not the same word. FYI. Nor are "affect" and "effect". And don't get me started on "irregardless".
Since my belly button is so freakishly deep now (it was freakishly deep before...now it's even worse...if you can possibly fathom that), it is collecting all sorts of artifacts. I wouldn't be surprised to find a dinosaur fossil in there.
It's Anna's 3 month birthday! Happy birthday Miss Anna! I'd buy you cupcakes (because any excuse for cupcakes is a good one), but I can't wear stretchy pants forever and I can't afford a new wardrobe, so Project Weight Loss is underway. And in case you didn't follow, Project Weight Loss does not include the consumption of cupcakes.
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| Dear lord mom. That outfit...[shudder]... |
We started giving the beast bottles pretty early on (which was awesome, btw)...and we couldn't figure out why sometimes she would choke and sputter and drool and splatter milk everywhere. Then one day, I was like, "Hey Tommy, some of these nipples have numbers on them". And Tommy was all, "Hey, let's google it". And we determined that we had been feeding her with nipples fit for a 3 year old. No wonder the kid couldn't keep it all down.
Lucky for me, newborns are not quite as fragile as they appear to be. There are just too many damn instructions to read - no one could keep up. No pregnant woman knows what to read and no new mom actually has that kind of time...soooo, my house is kind of one giant booby trap.
The best thing about being back at work is morning talk radio. Oh, how I missed morning talk radio.
Had my first hangover on Saturday morning. Learned my lesson! Hangovers and babies do not mix. Nor do long runs in the heat of the day or massages. All of which I did with a hangover. Not optimal. Game night was fun...Things in a Park that start with J??
****************************
Workouts are going GREAT! My running group started up for the season and I quickly realized A. how much I missed working out with people and B. that running while talking is hard. I will attempt to run 6 miles on Saturday with them (and my BFF who is coming in town to play!)...we will see how that goes. It is a 50% increase over my longest run lately. I think we can safely say that that is higher the recommended 10% increase. (not to be redundant for you math geniuses out there) Ooops. Bridgeland Sprint Tri is in 3 weeks...and since I forgot to sign up for the Athena division (CRAP!), I will attempt to be more competitive so I don't embarrass myself. Probably should have thought that through a little more. Probably should go to the pool. At least once. Probably.
*Yes, I no that's not how you speel it.
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
This is dumb.
My Ironman envy has led me to sign up for a triathlon. On Sunday. 7 weeks after hatching a nugget. 3 months since I last rode a bike. 10 months since I actually rode outside. 3 months since I last swam. And about a year since I actually looked decent in spandex. It's not gonna be pretty.
I will be heading to the Tejas Tri on Sunday morning for my first triathlon since Anna arrived. What was I thinking? In addition to the fact that I am WILDLY under prepared, me in spandex is something no one should ever see right now. I'm gonna bring blindfolds to pass out to the spectators, lest they be blinded by the sight of me. [shudder]
I got the wild hair to register on Monday (race is the coming Sunday). Before I registered I wanted to get on my bike to make sure I was capable of actually biking 12 miles. But since I have a baby, I wasn't able to get out on the roads, so I just made sure I could bike for 45 minutes on the trainer. CHECK! I used to be able to bike 12 miles in about 34 minutes...now I think I will be lucky to conquer the distance in 45. If I can average 18mph, I will feel like a rockstar. I wasn't able to get to the pool this week, so the first time I swim will be right before the race when I warm up. I don't normally warm up, but I will probably make an exception this time. It seems like the safe thing to do. And the running will be questionable...I know I can run 3 miles with walk breaks, but I have no idea what that will look like after swimming and biking. I've done 0 swim workouts, 0 bricks and 1 bike workout in preparation for this race. To say that I am underprepared would be an understatement.
Nonetheless, I am super excited. I love to race (although, I'm not sure you can say that I will do tomorrow will technically be racing). I can't wait to get back in the swing of things. Unfortunately, as I type this I am not feeling too hot, so tomorrow is even more questionable than it was a few hours ago. Hahaha. Either way, I know I will have fun. AND because I am officially overweight now, I get to race in the Athena division - hooray!
If I can swim in 15 minutes, bike in 45 and run in about 35, I will be happy. I have absolutely no idea if this is a reasonable goal.
***********
I wrote the above post on Saturday and raced on Sunday but never got around to posting. Sooooo, here it is/was.
The race was AWESOME. I had so much fun. I was so excited to be in the midst of it all again - the race excitement is always a crazy boost! It was a small local race, which means a small field, but lots of friends racing and spectating. Because I haven't lost all (or any) of my baby weight, I qualified to race in the Athena division - 150+ pounders - which I figured would make me more competitive. Last year I raced in the 25-29ers and got 4th place and I knew I wouldn't be able to duplicate that performance...especially since I aged up to the 30-34ers and that's a much harder age group.
Race morning we loaded up the beast in her Under Armor gear (OMG - so freaking cute) and drove 40 minutes to the suburbs. I got my bike all set up, peed about 4 times and got into the nasty subdivision pond for a warm up swim. Holy crap. I am out of shape. I swam about 200 yards to warm up and my arms were BURNING. This didn't bode well, but I knew that regardless, I could survive swimming 600yards...I just may tread water and breast stroke to make it happen.
I was in the 4th wave - with the Athenas and the 40+ women - and the gun went off! I started out near the back of the pack and kind of stayed there but battling with the people was a real challenge. Not only am I not used to swimming, I'm not used to having to fight for my right to swim. It was tough going. I was very glad I was still able to breathe bi-laterally. Once I got warm, I actually felt okay...the water was too gross to really enjoy it, but overall, it was nice. I finished in 12:43...about 30 seconds slower than I swam it last year. Moral of the story, swim training does me absolutely no good. I was in amazing shape last year...and saved myself 30 seconds. I doubt you will catch me doing much swim training this year!
Getting out of the water was tough - you forget how hard going from horizontal to vertical can be - and I was off running! I got my bike and headed out for 12 miles of flat Texas roads! The bike was pretty fun...I LOVE biking fast. I had no idea what an appropriate speed was, so I just pedalled at a moderate pace and was having fun. The some guy passed me and commented on my fancy bike and I realized I was not doing my full carbon beauty justice with my slow speed so I picked it up. Haha. Sometimes it just takes a little motivation. I missed the turnaround and ended up biking about an extra half mile but I think I averaged about 20mph for 12 miles. I was happy with my time but I had no idea how that would affect my run!
I saw Tommy and Anna coming in off the bike and I threw on my running shoes and started running. I knew I was going out WAY too fast - an 8 minute mile is just ridiculous - but I wasn't able to really slow down. My plan was to run about 9 min mile-ish and then walk for a minute through the water stops. When I got the first stop, I got my water and was planning to walk but then I saw Tommy and couldn't make myself do it. Haha. Stupid pride. I kept running but slowed down finally. I walked quite a bit on the last mile but still averaged about 9 minute miles overall.
I finished in 1:16:35...about 5 minutes slower than my time last year. I cannot believe it. I am so happy that not only did I do well, but that I had fun. I was so worried I wouldn't have fun and my motivation would go away but I loved it and it was fabulous (minus the spandex part of the day) and I CANNOT wait until August when I get to race again. And the best part is that I got 1st place in the Athena division! Hahaha. Who knew?
I love racing. I am so so SO happy to be back in the game. I can't wait to see what the rest of the season holds.
I will be heading to the Tejas Tri on Sunday morning for my first triathlon since Anna arrived. What was I thinking? In addition to the fact that I am WILDLY under prepared, me in spandex is something no one should ever see right now. I'm gonna bring blindfolds to pass out to the spectators, lest they be blinded by the sight of me. [shudder]
I got the wild hair to register on Monday (race is the coming Sunday). Before I registered I wanted to get on my bike to make sure I was capable of actually biking 12 miles. But since I have a baby, I wasn't able to get out on the roads, so I just made sure I could bike for 45 minutes on the trainer. CHECK! I used to be able to bike 12 miles in about 34 minutes...now I think I will be lucky to conquer the distance in 45. If I can average 18mph, I will feel like a rockstar. I wasn't able to get to the pool this week, so the first time I swim will be right before the race when I warm up. I don't normally warm up, but I will probably make an exception this time. It seems like the safe thing to do. And the running will be questionable...I know I can run 3 miles with walk breaks, but I have no idea what that will look like after swimming and biking. I've done 0 swim workouts, 0 bricks and 1 bike workout in preparation for this race. To say that I am underprepared would be an understatement.
Nonetheless, I am super excited. I love to race (although, I'm not sure you can say that I will do tomorrow will technically be racing). I can't wait to get back in the swing of things. Unfortunately, as I type this I am not feeling too hot, so tomorrow is even more questionable than it was a few hours ago. Hahaha. Either way, I know I will have fun. AND because I am officially overweight now, I get to race in the Athena division - hooray!
If I can swim in 15 minutes, bike in 45 and run in about 35, I will be happy. I have absolutely no idea if this is a reasonable goal.
***********
I wrote the above post on Saturday and raced on Sunday but never got around to posting. Sooooo, here it is/was.
The race was AWESOME. I had so much fun. I was so excited to be in the midst of it all again - the race excitement is always a crazy boost! It was a small local race, which means a small field, but lots of friends racing and spectating. Because I haven't lost all (or any) of my baby weight, I qualified to race in the Athena division - 150+ pounders - which I figured would make me more competitive. Last year I raced in the 25-29ers and got 4th place and I knew I wouldn't be able to duplicate that performance...especially since I aged up to the 30-34ers and that's a much harder age group.
Race morning we loaded up the beast in her Under Armor gear (OMG - so freaking cute) and drove 40 minutes to the suburbs. I got my bike all set up, peed about 4 times and got into the nasty subdivision pond for a warm up swim. Holy crap. I am out of shape. I swam about 200 yards to warm up and my arms were BURNING. This didn't bode well, but I knew that regardless, I could survive swimming 600yards...I just may tread water and breast stroke to make it happen.
I was in the 4th wave - with the Athenas and the 40+ women - and the gun went off! I started out near the back of the pack and kind of stayed there but battling with the people was a real challenge. Not only am I not used to swimming, I'm not used to having to fight for my right to swim. It was tough going. I was very glad I was still able to breathe bi-laterally. Once I got warm, I actually felt okay...the water was too gross to really enjoy it, but overall, it was nice. I finished in 12:43...about 30 seconds slower than I swam it last year. Moral of the story, swim training does me absolutely no good. I was in amazing shape last year...and saved myself 30 seconds. I doubt you will catch me doing much swim training this year!
Getting out of the water was tough - you forget how hard going from horizontal to vertical can be - and I was off running! I got my bike and headed out for 12 miles of flat Texas roads! The bike was pretty fun...I LOVE biking fast. I had no idea what an appropriate speed was, so I just pedalled at a moderate pace and was having fun. The some guy passed me and commented on my fancy bike and I realized I was not doing my full carbon beauty justice with my slow speed so I picked it up. Haha. Sometimes it just takes a little motivation. I missed the turnaround and ended up biking about an extra half mile but I think I averaged about 20mph for 12 miles. I was happy with my time but I had no idea how that would affect my run!
I saw Tommy and Anna coming in off the bike and I threw on my running shoes and started running. I knew I was going out WAY too fast - an 8 minute mile is just ridiculous - but I wasn't able to really slow down. My plan was to run about 9 min mile-ish and then walk for a minute through the water stops. When I got the first stop, I got my water and was planning to walk but then I saw Tommy and couldn't make myself do it. Haha. Stupid pride. I kept running but slowed down finally. I walked quite a bit on the last mile but still averaged about 9 minute miles overall.
I finished in 1:16:35...about 5 minutes slower than my time last year. I cannot believe it. I am so happy that not only did I do well, but that I had fun. I was so worried I wouldn't have fun and my motivation would go away but I loved it and it was fabulous (minus the spandex part of the day) and I CANNOT wait until August when I get to race again. And the best part is that I got 1st place in the Athena division! Hahaha. Who knew?
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| 1st Place Athena! |
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| Anna the Beast at 7 Weeks Old |
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Ironman Envy!
Ironman Texas was this past weekend and now that the initial exhaustion is over, I can blog. I'm telling you now, spectating Ironman is almost as hard as racing it. Spectating is a sport and I am sore from my participation.
Tommy raced like a champ and I know we are all glad the race is over and behind us! He didn't really want to race (he did not enjoy his experience in Cozumel) but signed up because I wanted him to...and then I got pregnant. Ooops. But he put in the long hours of training before Anna arrived and did what he could once she was here. It wasn't the optimal training season, but it is what it is!
I dropped Tommy off in the Woodlands on Friday night so he could stay at the hotel and get a decent nights sleep before the race. I came home and spent the evening packing for a day in the sun with a newborn. Ha.
I wasn't sure Anna and I would make it for the swim in the morning, but we did! We got there in time to see the 1st pro get out of the water and to see Tommy get his bike! I had to wake up at 2AM to get there, but I am so glad we did. She had this adorable UnderArmour outfit that my mom's BFF sent to me...she wore it for all of 20 seconds before she shat all over it.
He gave us a kiss before rolling out. It was then that I realized I was covered in poop. So romantic. I didn't see many of my other friends get on their bikes because I spent the next 30 minutes cleaning poop off my hands, my camera, the Anna, the diaper bag and the carseat. I stuck her in the Bjorn so the carseat could dry out a little and we watched the end of the swim. And then I had to go to the port-a-potty. With Anna in the Bjorn. Triathlon is a nasty nasty sport.
After most of the people had left for the bike, Anna and I went to the hotel for snacks and naptime. And air conditioning. I love air conditioning.
The hardest part of the day was not actually toting a 5 week old baby around outside all day (alone), but the logistics of it all. How do you pack enough cold breastmilk to last all day without breaking your back or tipping over your stroller? How do you pump without having to go back to the hotel every 3 hours? How do you pack enough food and drink for yourself? How do you plan on enough diapers and clothes for blowouts? What if the stroller gets too hot? Don't forget the Bjorn. Or the clip-on fan. Or the mosquito netting. Or your camera. Or phone. Or wallet. Oh dear lord. The logistics of it all were enough to essplode the brains of a small village of geniuses. Let's be honest though, I LOVE logistics and I was kind of in hog heaven planning for all the possible risks and doing it all as minimalistically as possible. I even remembered toilet paper for port-a-potty trips and a small jar of dish soap so I could wash bottles. I mean, if you ever need a logistics planner, I'm your gal. That said, if I had to do it all over again, I would have packed her powdered formula for the day so I wouldn't have to worry about keeping breastmilk cold...but I didn't think of that genius idea until 2am when I was getting ready to leave, and I decided 2am was not the appropriate time to learn how to make a bottle of formula. The milk thing worked out just fine though. It was messy, but the Anna had food!
Anna and I spent the day wandering between groups of friends, tracking down Tommy and just enjoying the great outdoors. It was balls hot, but we were expecting WAY worse, so all in all, it was a gorgeous day. the breeze on the canal made things very bearable. And the heat kind of made Anna comatose (bonus!)...she was a champ all day long!
After naptime, our first stop was to hang out at the end of the bike course so we could see Tommy coming into T2. He finished looking strong!! Then we went to join our friends to hang out on the run course at about mile 0.5. The run course was 3 loops - each about 8 miles long - so I was able to see Tommy at mile 0.5 and then cross the canal and see him again at about mile 5.
Anna and I crossed the canal and caught up with him around mile 5!
We spent the day wandering between groups of friends...I walked at LEAST 10 miles (if not 13-15), pushing a jogging stroller in flip flops. The flops were not my smartest decision. I had a blast seeing friends, watching the race and tracking down Tommy at various points on the course. I may or may not have cried several times throughout the day - sometimes due to jealousy and sometimes just because I get so overcome by Ironman. I just love it soooo much!
We saw Tommy for the last time around mile 22 and walked with him for a mile or so. He was really hurting but was almost done!! I had realized earlier in the day that there was no way I was going to be able to get close to the finish line with my giant stroller so I jumped ship when we got close to transition and headed down to get his bike and gear bags so I could take them back to the hotel and he wouldn't have to worry about them when he was done. Unfortunately, at this point, I was kind of done - Anna was chillin' in the Bjorn and my shoulders were hurting, my feet were hurting because I was an idiot and wore flip flops, and I kept picking the wrong side of transition to try to get into. Pushing that stroller through sh1ttons of people is like trying to fit my post-partum ass in my pre-pregnancy jeans. Unpleasant for everyone involved.
I ran into an old friend of mine from college, the lovely and wonderful Cayla (who gets her meat for free) and her mom and sister. They asked if there was anything if they could do for me and offered to get Tommy's bike and gear bags for me. I didn't realize exactly how tired I was until that moment. I started crying out of gratitude. They saved me another quarter mile of walking through transition and then Cayla helped me steer Tommy's bike back to the hotel. These women pretty much saved my sanity that night. I seriously had no idea how exhausted I was until they offered to help. Apparently spectating Ironman with an infant on 3 hours of sleep is less than optimal. Ha. I seriously owe them big time. THANKYOUGUYSSOMUCH.
I got back to the hotel and was planning on taking a quick shower and then packing up the Anna in the bjorn to try to brave the finish line, but Tommy called and said he was done and was heading back so I just packed up the room.
He didn't quite have the race he had hoped for, but he still did amazingly well considering the heat and his training hadn't been optimal at the end. I am so proud of him for sticking it out and finishing despite not really wanting to. He is so strong!
We realized when we got back that his morning clothes bag was not in the gear bags we got from transition so I had to trek back down to the finish line to find that bag...whoever decided not to put all the gear bags in the same place is a dumbass and I hate them. But whatever. We got packed up and headed out and finally got home around 11:30PM. I bathed Anna and put her to bed and finally, after being awake for 24 hours, I crawled into bed around 2...and slept like I had just finished an Ironman.
I am so proud of Tommy for putting in the hours of training required to finish this race. And not only that, he did it while being an amazing husband becoming a new father. He is amazing and goes above and beyond in loving and taking care of Anna and I. We are so lucky to have him.
And now we are all so lucky that it's over. Haha. It was a huge stress on all of us the last few months and I think we are all glad that it is finally over. Tommy can relax, focus on work, us, and some Honey-dos that have been stressing him out...and I get to take advantage of his lack of exercising to focus on my own fitness and my race in August. :)
Congrats to the most wonderful husband, bestest friend, and loving father in the whole world - you are an Ironman! Again!
Tommy raced like a champ and I know we are all glad the race is over and behind us! He didn't really want to race (he did not enjoy his experience in Cozumel) but signed up because I wanted him to...and then I got pregnant. Ooops. But he put in the long hours of training before Anna arrived and did what he could once she was here. It wasn't the optimal training season, but it is what it is!
I dropped Tommy off in the Woodlands on Friday night so he could stay at the hotel and get a decent nights sleep before the race. I came home and spent the evening packing for a day in the sun with a newborn. Ha.
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| #915 Ready to Rock!! |
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| In traditional triathlon fashion, we ran into just about everyone we know at bike check in. I heart the tri community. |
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| #160 will be using a stroller for the bike portion of the race. Anna was not amused. |
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| Baby running gear. OMG. |
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| Heat makes baby comatose. |
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| Tommy headed out for 112 beautiful miles! |
After most of the people had left for the bike, Anna and I went to the hotel for snacks and naptime. And air conditioning. I love air conditioning.
The hardest part of the day was not actually toting a 5 week old baby around outside all day (alone), but the logistics of it all. How do you pack enough cold breastmilk to last all day without breaking your back or tipping over your stroller? How do you pump without having to go back to the hotel every 3 hours? How do you pack enough food and drink for yourself? How do you plan on enough diapers and clothes for blowouts? What if the stroller gets too hot? Don't forget the Bjorn. Or the clip-on fan. Or the mosquito netting. Or your camera. Or phone. Or wallet. Oh dear lord. The logistics of it all were enough to essplode the brains of a small village of geniuses. Let's be honest though, I LOVE logistics and I was kind of in hog heaven planning for all the possible risks and doing it all as minimalistically as possible. I even remembered toilet paper for port-a-potty trips and a small jar of dish soap so I could wash bottles. I mean, if you ever need a logistics planner, I'm your gal. That said, if I had to do it all over again, I would have packed her powdered formula for the day so I wouldn't have to worry about keeping breastmilk cold...but I didn't think of that genius idea until 2am when I was getting ready to leave, and I decided 2am was not the appropriate time to learn how to make a bottle of formula. The milk thing worked out just fine though. It was messy, but the Anna had food!
Anna and I spent the day wandering between groups of friends, tracking down Tommy and just enjoying the great outdoors. It was balls hot, but we were expecting WAY worse, so all in all, it was a gorgeous day. the breeze on the canal made things very bearable. And the heat kind of made Anna comatose (bonus!)...she was a champ all day long!
After naptime, our first stop was to hang out at the end of the bike course so we could see Tommy coming into T2. He finished looking strong!! Then we went to join our friends to hang out on the run course at about mile 0.5. The run course was 3 loops - each about 8 miles long - so I was able to see Tommy at mile 0.5 and then cross the canal and see him again at about mile 5.
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| Mile 0.5ish. Looking strong but says he feels like death. |
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| Looking good at Mile 5! |
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| That's one good lookin' piece of ace right there. |
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| A daddy and his girl. She says, "Dad, this triathlon sh1t is hot. Can we go home now?" |
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| He loves the horsey dance. |
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| My husband is hot. |
I ran into an old friend of mine from college, the lovely and wonderful Cayla (who gets her meat for free) and her mom and sister. They asked if there was anything if they could do for me and offered to get Tommy's bike and gear bags for me. I didn't realize exactly how tired I was until that moment. I started crying out of gratitude. They saved me another quarter mile of walking through transition and then Cayla helped me steer Tommy's bike back to the hotel. These women pretty much saved my sanity that night. I seriously had no idea how exhausted I was until they offered to help. Apparently spectating Ironman with an infant on 3 hours of sleep is less than optimal. Ha. I seriously owe them big time. THANKYOUGUYSSOMUCH.
I got back to the hotel and was planning on taking a quick shower and then packing up the Anna in the bjorn to try to brave the finish line, but Tommy called and said he was done and was heading back so I just packed up the room.
He didn't quite have the race he had hoped for, but he still did amazingly well considering the heat and his training hadn't been optimal at the end. I am so proud of him for sticking it out and finishing despite not really wanting to. He is so strong!
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| The finishers chute of Ironman Texas. There is really nothing like it. A.Maze.Ing. |
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| Tommy, you are an Ironman! |
I am so proud of Tommy for putting in the hours of training required to finish this race. And not only that, he did it while being an amazing husband becoming a new father. He is amazing and goes above and beyond in loving and taking care of Anna and I. We are so lucky to have him.
And now we are all so lucky that it's over. Haha. It was a huge stress on all of us the last few months and I think we are all glad that it is finally over. Tommy can relax, focus on work, us, and some Honey-dos that have been stressing him out...and I get to take advantage of his lack of exercising to focus on my own fitness and my race in August. :)
Congrats to the most wonderful husband, bestest friend, and loving father in the whole world - you are an Ironman! Again!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
It's Like a Hotel, Except That It Sucks
So, I'm in the hospital...got my IV, my blood pressure cuff, and my fetal monitor all hooked up, and the nurse is surprised that I can't sleep. Ha.
We are seriously hoping that Anna is pretty because looks may be all she has if she isn't smart enough to find her way out of my womb. I'm pretty sure we can count on her living with us until she is 50.
iPads are cool. Blogging on them is less than cool.
Hopefully Anna arrives more quickly than my doctor expects...labor on 30 minutes of sleep and no caffeine could amount to a surge of obscenities. Such is life...I'm just starting the sleep deprivation one day early. Oh, and FYI, sneezing during a contraction hurts. Badly. I do not recommend it.
Good luck to all my wonderful friends running Boston, biking the MS150, and racing the NOLA 70.3! Much love and luck to you all!
We are seriously hoping that Anna is pretty because looks may be all she has if she isn't smart enough to find her way out of my womb. I'm pretty sure we can count on her living with us until she is 50.
iPads are cool. Blogging on them is less than cool.
Hopefully Anna arrives more quickly than my doctor expects...labor on 30 minutes of sleep and no caffeine could amount to a surge of obscenities. Such is life...I'm just starting the sleep deprivation one day early. Oh, and FYI, sneezing during a contraction hurts. Badly. I do not recommend it.
Good luck to all my wonderful friends running Boston, biking the MS150, and racing the NOLA 70.3! Much love and luck to you all!
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Due to doctor's orders, I am not allowed to run until for the next two weeks...it'd be too painful anyway, so I don't really want to, but in 2 weeks, it's on! I'll walk through the pain if it will make me hatch sooner rather than later! But until the running/walking can begin again, I am stuck in the pool or on the bike...and bored out of my freaking mind. It's FAR too gorgeous outside to be inside and stationary. Steve Harvey and Family Feud can only get me so far.
Alas, I've been swimming and biking and today I tried aqua jogging.
The swimming is going okay...I mean, I can swim all day, but where the belly used to make me more bouyant, lately, it's DEFINITELY dragging my butt down. AND I'm having to wear a bikini because there are no swimsuits that will accomodate this monstrosity anymore...and no one wants to see a 34 weeks pregnant lady traipsing around the pool in a bikini. Trust me. And then, I can't push off the wall because it makes my bottoms fall off. Ha. Oh the drama!
I tried aqua jogging today - which is easily the most awkward/boring/strange activity you can possibly do. But it was a nice change. What I really determined is that even in water, I require a sports bra. Ow.
The biking is kind of fun still because I can rock out to music and go to a class and socialize...which is my favorite part of exercise...I love the people! But my hugeness means I am sitting wierd on the bike and I think I pinched a nerve in my back last week. It's feeling better and better everyday, so hopefully I can bike again tomorrow. 2 days at the pool in a row is about 2 days too many for me.
My 30th birthday is in 2 weeks and I plan on spending the day walking and walking and walking...drinking mass quantities of wine sounds like a much more enjoyable birthday activity, but the quicker this little one evacuates, the quicker I can have mass quantities of wine...so walking it is. The wine can wait. It gets better with age anyway!
We have our final ultrasound scheduled for March 17th - I CANNOT wait. This will get me confirmation that she does not have a weener and will estimate her size...and about 37 other things that are way more important regarding our overall health. I can't wait to see her one last time before she gets here!
Alas, I've been swimming and biking and today I tried aqua jogging.
The swimming is going okay...I mean, I can swim all day, but where the belly used to make me more bouyant, lately, it's DEFINITELY dragging my butt down. AND I'm having to wear a bikini because there are no swimsuits that will accomodate this monstrosity anymore...and no one wants to see a 34 weeks pregnant lady traipsing around the pool in a bikini. Trust me. And then, I can't push off the wall because it makes my bottoms fall off. Ha. Oh the drama!
I tried aqua jogging today - which is easily the most awkward/boring/strange activity you can possibly do. But it was a nice change. What I really determined is that even in water, I require a sports bra. Ow.
The biking is kind of fun still because I can rock out to music and go to a class and socialize...which is my favorite part of exercise...I love the people! But my hugeness means I am sitting wierd on the bike and I think I pinched a nerve in my back last week. It's feeling better and better everyday, so hopefully I can bike again tomorrow. 2 days at the pool in a row is about 2 days too many for me.
My 30th birthday is in 2 weeks and I plan on spending the day walking and walking and walking...drinking mass quantities of wine sounds like a much more enjoyable birthday activity, but the quicker this little one evacuates, the quicker I can have mass quantities of wine...so walking it is. The wine can wait. It gets better with age anyway!
We have our final ultrasound scheduled for March 17th - I CANNOT wait. This will get me confirmation that she does not have a weener and will estimate her size...and about 37 other things that are way more important regarding our overall health. I can't wait to see her one last time before she gets here!
Friday, January 14, 2011
The Horror.
Blogger has been blocked at my office all week.
It has been a very dramatic week, to say the least. A week without Blogger is like a week without, well, happiness. I mean, I can still read everyone's blogs, but A.)I can't see the pictures, B.)I can't comment C.) I can't update my own blog and D.) I just don't like reading them on the RSS feed. It hurts my eyes.
And normally I would play catch up in the evenings, but this week was crazy busy after work. We normally limit our weekly after work activities to one night out (you know, dinner or drinks with friends, whathave you), but this week, we had plans every.single.night. I am pooped. It was all fun, but dude, I wasn't made to be a party animal. And I especially wasn't made to be a sober party animal. This much I know.
Alas. Blogger is open again for my enjoyment and tonight I plan on putting on PJ's and catching up on all the quality TV that I missed during the week. Don't worry Brad Womack, I won't make you wait this long next week.
Updates. I know you are dying to know what is going on with me. Don't hurt yourself, I'll just tell you.
I am officially on the downhill slope of this pregnancy gig. Today is January 14 and I am due on April 14 which gives me 3 months left. Hooray!! I also FINALLY started feeling good, for the first time the whole pregnancy...I'm hoping this means I paid my dues and I will feel awesome during the third trimester because I felt like general death during the 1st and 2nd, but I doubt this is how it will go down. I will revel in my 2 weeks of Feel Good and hope for a 3rd! Keep your fingers crossed!
I quit one of my gyms. I joined there to swim, but the indoor pool is always crowded and the outdoor pool isn't really heated and there are no lifeguards. This ultimately means that last week, I was swimming in 50 degree air temps, 65 degree water, in the dark, all by myself...at 6 months pregnant. If this doesn't sound like a recipe for disaster, I don't know what does. So I quit. Oh well. Looks like I will just have to schlep to the YMCA in the mornings again. Ugh.
I am done running. It's official. I'm not saying I won't be running 2 miles here and there, but my days of 6-10 milers are over for the time being. I am going to attempt to walk 10 miles this weekend in training for the half in weeks, but I don't have high hopes of completion. Walking is just about the most boring time consuming activity I can think of and I just hate it. I've got my iPod ready to go though and I'm hoping I can stick it out. All that said, there is no way I can walk the race fast enough to finish within the alloted time (13:45 pace)...so I'm not sure of my plan of attack on that yet.
We have decided on a name for our little one! I won't tell you it here because, well, you are a bunch of stalkers, but for those curious, it's very traditional, it's a family name, and it's very Catholic...and we aren't Catholic. But should we decide to become Catholic, she is ready to go!
A woman got kicked out of a bar because she was pregnant. Discrimination or good/safe call?
Da Baby's crib bedding arrived this week and it looks SOOO good! I will eventually take pictures and post them for you to critique. Her colors are lime green and aqua...I bought a lime green rug and I think it might be too much...I may be on the hunt for an aqua rug. Keep your eyes peeled. Oh, and if you see any cute owl wall paraphenalia (ie birdcages (yes, I know owls don't live in cages, but WHATEVER), cool art or crafty ideas), please send them!
I haven't been hating on the elliptical as much as I used to...maybe because it's so freaking hard when you are 20 pounds heavier than you are used to being. I've also been walking on the treadmill at lunch while reading How Not To Kill Your Newborn books. Such entertaining reading.
I am still baffled by the number of people who voluntarily choose not to vaccinate their children.
Maternity tights are the greatest invention of all time. I will only purchase maternity tights from now on.
I am kind of over my fantasies about sleeping on my belly. Now I daydream about appletinis and salmon sushi. When this girl hatches, my recovery meal besta be a giant slab of raw salmon and a giant vat of appletini (preferably from Mafreless, but I doubt they deliver).
Tommy's IM training is fully underway and I am fully jealous. His goal is to get most of the big training days in before the baby comes and then anything that happens after she gets here will be a bonus. It's kind of nice though - because Ironman is kind of like pregnancy, we are both exhausted and sore all the time, always hungry, have too much laundry and too many dishes, and no one wants to walk the dog. The bad news is that I have 12 blueberry muffins to eat all by myself on Saturdays because he is gone riding his bike all day. Danger danger.
Okay, that's about it. Here's hoping Blogger works next week. I don't think I can survive another week without it.
It has been a very dramatic week, to say the least. A week without Blogger is like a week without, well, happiness. I mean, I can still read everyone's blogs, but A.)I can't see the pictures, B.)I can't comment C.) I can't update my own blog and D.) I just don't like reading them on the RSS feed. It hurts my eyes.
And normally I would play catch up in the evenings, but this week was crazy busy after work. We normally limit our weekly after work activities to one night out (you know, dinner or drinks with friends, whathave you), but this week, we had plans every.single.night. I am pooped. It was all fun, but dude, I wasn't made to be a party animal. And I especially wasn't made to be a sober party animal. This much I know.
Alas. Blogger is open again for my enjoyment and tonight I plan on putting on PJ's and catching up on all the quality TV that I missed during the week. Don't worry Brad Womack, I won't make you wait this long next week.
Updates. I know you are dying to know what is going on with me. Don't hurt yourself, I'll just tell you.
I am officially on the downhill slope of this pregnancy gig. Today is January 14 and I am due on April 14 which gives me 3 months left. Hooray!! I also FINALLY started feeling good, for the first time the whole pregnancy...I'm hoping this means I paid my dues and I will feel awesome during the third trimester because I felt like general death during the 1st and 2nd, but I doubt this is how it will go down. I will revel in my 2 weeks of Feel Good and hope for a 3rd! Keep your fingers crossed!
I quit one of my gyms. I joined there to swim, but the indoor pool is always crowded and the outdoor pool isn't really heated and there are no lifeguards. This ultimately means that last week, I was swimming in 50 degree air temps, 65 degree water, in the dark, all by myself...at 6 months pregnant. If this doesn't sound like a recipe for disaster, I don't know what does. So I quit. Oh well. Looks like I will just have to schlep to the YMCA in the mornings again. Ugh.
I am done running. It's official. I'm not saying I won't be running 2 miles here and there, but my days of 6-10 milers are over for the time being. I am going to attempt to walk 10 miles this weekend in training for the half in weeks, but I don't have high hopes of completion. Walking is just about the most boring time consuming activity I can think of and I just hate it. I've got my iPod ready to go though and I'm hoping I can stick it out. All that said, there is no way I can walk the race fast enough to finish within the alloted time (13:45 pace)...so I'm not sure of my plan of attack on that yet.
We have decided on a name for our little one! I won't tell you it here because, well, you are a bunch of stalkers, but for those curious, it's very traditional, it's a family name, and it's very Catholic...and we aren't Catholic. But should we decide to become Catholic, she is ready to go!
A woman got kicked out of a bar because she was pregnant. Discrimination or good/safe call?
Da Baby's crib bedding arrived this week and it looks SOOO good! I will eventually take pictures and post them for you to critique. Her colors are lime green and aqua...I bought a lime green rug and I think it might be too much...I may be on the hunt for an aqua rug. Keep your eyes peeled. Oh, and if you see any cute owl wall paraphenalia (ie birdcages (yes, I know owls don't live in cages, but WHATEVER), cool art or crafty ideas), please send them!
I haven't been hating on the elliptical as much as I used to...maybe because it's so freaking hard when you are 20 pounds heavier than you are used to being. I've also been walking on the treadmill at lunch while reading How Not To Kill Your Newborn books. Such entertaining reading.
I am still baffled by the number of people who voluntarily choose not to vaccinate their children.
Maternity tights are the greatest invention of all time. I will only purchase maternity tights from now on.
I am kind of over my fantasies about sleeping on my belly. Now I daydream about appletinis and salmon sushi. When this girl hatches, my recovery meal besta be a giant slab of raw salmon and a giant vat of appletini (preferably from Mafreless, but I doubt they deliver).
Tommy's IM training is fully underway and I am fully jealous. His goal is to get most of the big training days in before the baby comes and then anything that happens after she gets here will be a bonus. It's kind of nice though - because Ironman is kind of like pregnancy, we are both exhausted and sore all the time, always hungry, have too much laundry and too many dishes, and no one wants to walk the dog. The bad news is that I have 12 blueberry muffins to eat all by myself on Saturdays because he is gone riding his bike all day. Danger danger.
Okay, that's about it. Here's hoping Blogger works next week. I don't think I can survive another week without it.
Monday, January 03, 2011
What I Miss Most.
Being pregnant has its perks.
Everyone is always willing to share their dessert with the pregnant lady (it's a shame I'm not a huge dessert fan).
Even the rudest of people will hold the door open for a pregnant lady.
You can always convince your husband to drop you off at the door while he goes to find a parking space during Christmas shopping...regardless of weather.
You get to wear your Thanksgiving pants all the time!
Napping is encouraged.
Oh, and you get a baby at the end. Hooray!
But the perks don't quite overshadow the joys of pregnancy (once the baby arrives, all the bad stuff is forgotten...which is the only way people would actually go through this again. The first time, it's ignorance, the second time, you are too busy with the first one and their cute little smiles have made you forget.)
I found this list last night of the 12 Things Women Miss Most During Pregnancy.
Their list looks like this:
Sense of Smell
Booze
Off-Limits Foods
Peaceful Sleep
Cute Shoes
Feeling Sexy
A Rockin' Sex Life
Feeling Strong and Independent
Being Included
Pre-pregnancy Body
Emotional Control
Caffinating Like You Used To
My list looks like this:
Sleeping on my Stomach
Running Comfortably
Booze
A Rockin' Sex Life
Being Included
Pre-pregnancy Body
Caffinating Like You Used To
Emotional Control
Racing Triathlon
Feeling Sexy
Sense of Smell
What I determined over the Christmas holiday is that I would rather be able to sleep on my stomach rather than drink. Yes, everyone, you heard it here first. I would give up booze if it meant that I could sleep on my stomach. I have sex dreams about sleeping on my stomach...except that there is no sex, just sleeping. On my stomach. And it's amazing. And then I wake up. On my side. And I lay there fantasizing about how amazing it would be if I were on my stomach. And then, of course, I can't go back to sleep. This equates to about 3 hours of sleep per night.
I would even rather sleep on my stomach than be able to run.
Yeah, that's how much I miss laying on my stomach. I'm tearing up just thinking about it.
That said, I think I realized this weekend that my running days are over...or at least close to it. On Christmas I went for a 6 mile run. It was a gorgeous day - cold and sunny, no wind and I was feeling GREAT! I only had to pee twice (WHOA!)...I ended up going a third time because I was passing City Hall and it was open and heated and why would you pass up an opportunity like that?!?, but I could have skipped it. Regardless, my run was great. I hit the 6 mile mark about 2 blocks from my parents house, so I stopped to walk the rest of the way to cool down. And the minute I stopped, I had the most excruciating pain in my groin-ish area. It hadn't been hurting while I was running but now I could barely walk. I finally made it home where I put on a happy face so as not to alarm anyone and promptly got in the shower and took a long hot bath. I felt marginally better after that and some Tylenol, but the pain was still probably around a 7 on the Pain Scale of Terror. I laid around for the next two days and finally felt a little better on the third day...so instead of running I broke into the local YMCA and hit up the elliptical machine (riveting). I felt okay after that.
When we got back to Houston, I hit up the gym for the elliptical two days in a row because I was afraid of running. But on New Years Day, the Y didn't open till noon and I had plans during the day, so I decided that would be the day I would try running again. I headed to the park with plans of running 2 loops (3 miles each) but knowing that I would have to make adjustments as needed.
Once again, I felt amazing while I was running. The day was gorgeous! Shorts and a thin long-sleeve shirt and gloves and I was a happy fat runner. I was slow, but my legs felt great and I felt great and the day felt great and I just loved being out there. And it may or may not give me a sick sense of satisfaction to pass people and then them realize I am pregnant and then try to pass me back but they can't. Muuuuhahaha. Alas, after 3 miles, I stopped to use the indoor restrooms and while I was waiting in line the groin pain started again. Not quite as bad as the last time, but still very painful. I peed and headed back out, my dreams of running 2 loops dashed. But I thought maybe I could at least walk another mile or so...it was too gorgeous to go inside! I made it about 50 ft when I realized that walking more wasn't going to do anyone any good. I called it quits and went home. :(
The pain was pretty bad, but I wasn't laid up like the first time. We went to BabiesRUs and I got a maternity support band, which surprisinly, took my pain from about a 6 or 7 to a 3 or 4 just by putting it on. I couldn't really sit in it though, so wearing around the house is kind of tough. I'll try it though! I also ordered Gabrialla from FitMaternity...we will see what that one is about. I will stick with spinning/swimming/elliticalling for the next week or so and then try out running with the band to see if that solves it. Otherwise, I think we can safely say that I am done running. 26 weeks of glory, but the pain is too much.
What they don't tell you is that, yes, you CAN keep running through your pregnancy, but you might not WANT to. I know not everyone experiences this pain, but I think it is a lot more common than anyone lets you believe. Runner don't quit running because they feel like it...they quit because they just can't do it anymore. I'm gonna give it one last Hail Mary effort, but I think I'm done.
I've got a half marathon on the schedule for end of January, which I was planning on run/walking anyway, but I think it's safe to say that I will be doing one of 4 options at this point:
1: Walking it, very quickly, and hoping to finish within the alloted 3 hours (13:45 pace)
2: Run/walking it, with the emPHAsis on the walking and hoping the pain doesn't get to be so much that I have to call for a ride home.
3: Walking it, at whatever pace I feel like and cuting the course short (making it about 10 miles)
4: Sleeping in. (Although, really, I would still go spectate, so at best, not racing buys me like 20 more minutes of sleep)
We will see what the next month brings. My original plans were to run the first 3 miles to let the crowd thin out and then run/walk as needed and wanted...but that's a pipe dream at this point I think.
I know I'll get it back...that's not really my fear anymore. I just miss it. Running keeps me sane. It helps me sleep. It helps me eat better. It let's me play outside. It lets me people watch. It's my outlet. I just miss it.
But I'd give it all up if I could just sleep on my stomach.
Everyone is always willing to share their dessert with the pregnant lady (it's a shame I'm not a huge dessert fan).
Even the rudest of people will hold the door open for a pregnant lady.
You can always convince your husband to drop you off at the door while he goes to find a parking space during Christmas shopping...regardless of weather.
You get to wear your Thanksgiving pants all the time!
Napping is encouraged.
Oh, and you get a baby at the end. Hooray!
But the perks don't quite overshadow the joys of pregnancy (once the baby arrives, all the bad stuff is forgotten...which is the only way people would actually go through this again. The first time, it's ignorance, the second time, you are too busy with the first one and their cute little smiles have made you forget.)
I found this list last night of the 12 Things Women Miss Most During Pregnancy.
Their list looks like this:
Sense of Smell
Booze
Off-Limits Foods
Peaceful Sleep
Cute Shoes
Feeling Sexy
A Rockin' Sex Life
Feeling Strong and Independent
Being Included
Pre-pregnancy Body
Emotional Control
Caffinating Like You Used To
My list looks like this:
Sleeping on my Stomach
Running Comfortably
Booze
A Rockin' Sex Life
Being Included
Pre-pregnancy Body
Caffinating Like You Used To
Emotional Control
Racing Triathlon
Feeling Sexy
Sense of Smell
What I determined over the Christmas holiday is that I would rather be able to sleep on my stomach rather than drink. Yes, everyone, you heard it here first. I would give up booze if it meant that I could sleep on my stomach. I have sex dreams about sleeping on my stomach...except that there is no sex, just sleeping. On my stomach. And it's amazing. And then I wake up. On my side. And I lay there fantasizing about how amazing it would be if I were on my stomach. And then, of course, I can't go back to sleep. This equates to about 3 hours of sleep per night.
I would even rather sleep on my stomach than be able to run.
Yeah, that's how much I miss laying on my stomach. I'm tearing up just thinking about it.
That said, I think I realized this weekend that my running days are over...or at least close to it. On Christmas I went for a 6 mile run. It was a gorgeous day - cold and sunny, no wind and I was feeling GREAT! I only had to pee twice (WHOA!)...I ended up going a third time because I was passing City Hall and it was open and heated and why would you pass up an opportunity like that?!?, but I could have skipped it. Regardless, my run was great. I hit the 6 mile mark about 2 blocks from my parents house, so I stopped to walk the rest of the way to cool down. And the minute I stopped, I had the most excruciating pain in my groin-ish area. It hadn't been hurting while I was running but now I could barely walk. I finally made it home where I put on a happy face so as not to alarm anyone and promptly got in the shower and took a long hot bath. I felt marginally better after that and some Tylenol, but the pain was still probably around a 7 on the Pain Scale of Terror. I laid around for the next two days and finally felt a little better on the third day...so instead of running I broke into the local YMCA and hit up the elliptical machine (riveting). I felt okay after that.
When we got back to Houston, I hit up the gym for the elliptical two days in a row because I was afraid of running. But on New Years Day, the Y didn't open till noon and I had plans during the day, so I decided that would be the day I would try running again. I headed to the park with plans of running 2 loops (3 miles each) but knowing that I would have to make adjustments as needed.
Once again, I felt amazing while I was running. The day was gorgeous! Shorts and a thin long-sleeve shirt and gloves and I was a happy fat runner. I was slow, but my legs felt great and I felt great and the day felt great and I just loved being out there. And it may or may not give me a sick sense of satisfaction to pass people and then them realize I am pregnant and then try to pass me back but they can't. Muuuuhahaha. Alas, after 3 miles, I stopped to use the indoor restrooms and while I was waiting in line the groin pain started again. Not quite as bad as the last time, but still very painful. I peed and headed back out, my dreams of running 2 loops dashed. But I thought maybe I could at least walk another mile or so...it was too gorgeous to go inside! I made it about 50 ft when I realized that walking more wasn't going to do anyone any good. I called it quits and went home. :(
The pain was pretty bad, but I wasn't laid up like the first time. We went to BabiesRUs and I got a maternity support band, which surprisinly, took my pain from about a 6 or 7 to a 3 or 4 just by putting it on. I couldn't really sit in it though, so wearing around the house is kind of tough. I'll try it though! I also ordered Gabrialla from FitMaternity...we will see what that one is about. I will stick with spinning/swimming/elliticalling for the next week or so and then try out running with the band to see if that solves it. Otherwise, I think we can safely say that I am done running. 26 weeks of glory, but the pain is too much.
What they don't tell you is that, yes, you CAN keep running through your pregnancy, but you might not WANT to. I know not everyone experiences this pain, but I think it is a lot more common than anyone lets you believe. Runner don't quit running because they feel like it...they quit because they just can't do it anymore. I'm gonna give it one last Hail Mary effort, but I think I'm done.
I've got a half marathon on the schedule for end of January, which I was planning on run/walking anyway, but I think it's safe to say that I will be doing one of 4 options at this point:
1: Walking it, very quickly, and hoping to finish within the alloted 3 hours (13:45 pace)
2: Run/walking it, with the emPHAsis on the walking and hoping the pain doesn't get to be so much that I have to call for a ride home.
3: Walking it, at whatever pace I feel like and cuting the course short (making it about 10 miles)
4: Sleeping in. (Although, really, I would still go spectate, so at best, not racing buys me like 20 more minutes of sleep)
We will see what the next month brings. My original plans were to run the first 3 miles to let the crowd thin out and then run/walk as needed and wanted...but that's a pipe dream at this point I think.
I know I'll get it back...that's not really my fear anymore. I just miss it. Running keeps me sane. It helps me sleep. It helps me eat better. It let's me play outside. It lets me people watch. It's my outlet. I just miss it.
But I'd give it all up if I could just sleep on my stomach.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Training Updates
I know that both of my followers are on the edges of their seats to know about how my training is going, so without further adeiu...
My training is going, "meh". I mean, I'm doing some form of a workout at least 4 days a week...usually 5. I've been doing a long run on the weekends - usually 6-10 miles - a spin class mid-week, a couple of runs, a body pump class and at some point, I will throw a swim in there.
I was all set to swim last week, but on my way to the pool I was taking off my jewelry to put in my purse (saves time in the locker room), when I dropped my wedding ring in between the seat and the center console. OMG. I was a wreck. My ring was Tommy's mom's wedding band, so losing it is just not an option. My swim got nixed and we spent the evening taking the driver seat out of my car to find the ring. We found it and all is good with the world again. Phew. I will attempt the pool again today. Wish me luck. I very well may sink.
My runs have been going well for the most part. My legs feel great and I have been really enjoying them (they LOVE the reduced mileage and intensity!)...but I have to pee about every quarter mile. Do you have any idea how long it takes to run a 3 miles loop around the park when you have to pee every quarter mile? OMG. It takes a long ass time. Luckily, I ran 9 miles this past weekend and I only had to pee every mile and a half-ish. Big improvement!! I'm still planning on running (and walking) the half marathon in January...but we shall see.
The biking is a challenge because I can't fit on my tri bike anymore and I hate spin class...so I haven't been doing that nearly as much as I should. I really need to suck it up and just go to the stupid classes. Somebody slap some sense into me.
Body pump is going well, but it's getting more challenging since I can't do half the exercises anymore. I can't lay on my back for too long because I feel puke-y and I can't lay on my stomach because, well, there is a baby there. I think I will have to forfeit this class soon to save the rest of my classmates sanity.
All in all, I am enjoying staying active and am still doing activities that I love...but it's getting harder. I hope I am able to stay active up until the day I deliver...fingers crossed. Christy when she hasn't worked out is not a pretty sight.
My BFF asked me yesterday if my doc is okay with my level of exercise. I said, "Yeah, that's why I go to her". My theory is that there are about 9 million different views on how you should act/be/eat during your pregnancy. You need to figure out where you stand on that spectrum and find a doctor who agrees with you...because I promise you, there is a doctor our there who will support you in whatever you believe. Unless you are just dying to smoke some crack...you might have trouble finding a doc who supports that. But you never know.
My training is going, "meh". I mean, I'm doing some form of a workout at least 4 days a week...usually 5. I've been doing a long run on the weekends - usually 6-10 miles - a spin class mid-week, a couple of runs, a body pump class and at some point, I will throw a swim in there.
I was all set to swim last week, but on my way to the pool I was taking off my jewelry to put in my purse (saves time in the locker room), when I dropped my wedding ring in between the seat and the center console. OMG. I was a wreck. My ring was Tommy's mom's wedding band, so losing it is just not an option. My swim got nixed and we spent the evening taking the driver seat out of my car to find the ring. We found it and all is good with the world again. Phew. I will attempt the pool again today. Wish me luck. I very well may sink.
My runs have been going well for the most part. My legs feel great and I have been really enjoying them (they LOVE the reduced mileage and intensity!)...but I have to pee about every quarter mile. Do you have any idea how long it takes to run a 3 miles loop around the park when you have to pee every quarter mile? OMG. It takes a long ass time. Luckily, I ran 9 miles this past weekend and I only had to pee every mile and a half-ish. Big improvement!! I'm still planning on running (and walking) the half marathon in January...but we shall see.
The biking is a challenge because I can't fit on my tri bike anymore and I hate spin class...so I haven't been doing that nearly as much as I should. I really need to suck it up and just go to the stupid classes. Somebody slap some sense into me.
Body pump is going well, but it's getting more challenging since I can't do half the exercises anymore. I can't lay on my back for too long because I feel puke-y and I can't lay on my stomach because, well, there is a baby there. I think I will have to forfeit this class soon to save the rest of my classmates sanity.
All in all, I am enjoying staying active and am still doing activities that I love...but it's getting harder. I hope I am able to stay active up until the day I deliver...fingers crossed. Christy when she hasn't worked out is not a pretty sight.
My BFF asked me yesterday if my doc is okay with my level of exercise. I said, "Yeah, that's why I go to her". My theory is that there are about 9 million different views on how you should act/be/eat during your pregnancy. You need to figure out where you stand on that spectrum and find a doctor who agrees with you...because I promise you, there is a doctor our there who will support you in whatever you believe. Unless you are just dying to smoke some crack...you might have trouble finding a doc who supports that. But you never know.
Friday, October 22, 2010
My Name Is Christy And I Have A Problem.
You know those weird things you do when you hope no else is looking? Like, reenacting a conversation with someone out loud? Or picking your nose in the car? Or licking the mayonnaise jar? Or unbuttoning your pants before you are all the way in the bathroom stall? Yeah, those things. Those things are weird and socially unacceptable...but everyone does them. (I'd like to point out that mayonnaise is absolutely and complete repulsive and I neither own a jar of mayonnaise nor have I ever eaten mayonnaise just, but you get the idea).
Well, I have a problem.
Before I got pregnant, it wasn't really a problem...it was more of a feature. But now, it's kind of an issue.
I can pee anywhere.
No seriously. I can pee anywhere. I have no problems with dropping trou in broad daylight on the side of the road. I can pee in lakes. I can pee my pants during a run (if necessary to achieve a PR). I can pee my pants during a run if its pouring down rain because, hey, that's just efficient. I have never tried to pee in (or out of) a moving vehicle, but I am certain that should this necessity ever arise, I will rise to the occasion.
The only place I can't pee is while cycling. This is surprisingly kind of an issue when you have the smallest bladder on the planet and your ride partners don't want to stop every 10 miles.
Alas, this life skill has never let me down. The world is my urinal and I am thankful. Thus far in my pregnancy, this skill has been a bonus, because as we all know, pregnancy is a mean, mean trick that life plays on your bladder and you are constantly thirsty and constantly have to pee. On runs I can just run my normal routes and hope that I dn't get arrested when I pee in the yards of the politicians who live in River Oaks...it's a feature. No need to wait for the port-a-cans the homeless people stink up at the park. The world is out there and needs to be watered!
This feature has never let me down...until yesterday.
Yesterday I was running errands after work when, lo and behold, I had to pee (for the 97 thousandth time that day). As I walked between Michaels and REI, I crossed over a nice patch of grass with some shrubberies and I thought to myself, "Oh, I could just pee here". No, I really considered just peeing in the parking lot of the store.
WTF?
It's 6PM. It's light outside. I'm at a strip mall. It's a small shrubbery. It's illegal, inappropriate and THERE ARE BATHROOMS IN THE FRIGGIN STORE! (The bathrooms are probably in the back or the store and not nearly as convenient as this shrubbery, but seriously? Seriously?!)
Yeah, that was one of those stupid things you hope no one ever sees you do (or think). I was mortified that it even crossed my mind. Apparently I have been too free with my peeing experiences. My bladder is starting to forget what is appropriate and what is not. I think my bladder may need to be held back.
For the record, I did not pee in the parking lot. Nor did I pee in the store. I was too embarrassed. I got my new BOB Ironman Stroller from REI and ran out of there! First baby purchase = COMPLETE!
Well, I have a problem.
Before I got pregnant, it wasn't really a problem...it was more of a feature. But now, it's kind of an issue.
I can pee anywhere.
No seriously. I can pee anywhere. I have no problems with dropping trou in broad daylight on the side of the road. I can pee in lakes. I can pee my pants during a run (if necessary to achieve a PR). I can pee my pants during a run if its pouring down rain because, hey, that's just efficient. I have never tried to pee in (or out of) a moving vehicle, but I am certain that should this necessity ever arise, I will rise to the occasion.
The only place I can't pee is while cycling. This is surprisingly kind of an issue when you have the smallest bladder on the planet and your ride partners don't want to stop every 10 miles.
Alas, this life skill has never let me down. The world is my urinal and I am thankful. Thus far in my pregnancy, this skill has been a bonus, because as we all know, pregnancy is a mean, mean trick that life plays on your bladder and you are constantly thirsty and constantly have to pee. On runs I can just run my normal routes and hope that I dn't get arrested when I pee in the yards of the politicians who live in River Oaks...it's a feature. No need to wait for the port-a-cans the homeless people stink up at the park. The world is out there and needs to be watered!
This feature has never let me down...until yesterday.
Yesterday I was running errands after work when, lo and behold, I had to pee (for the 97 thousandth time that day). As I walked between Michaels and REI, I crossed over a nice patch of grass with some shrubberies and I thought to myself, "Oh, I could just pee here". No, I really considered just peeing in the parking lot of the store.
WTF?
It's 6PM. It's light outside. I'm at a strip mall. It's a small shrubbery. It's illegal, inappropriate and THERE ARE BATHROOMS IN THE FRIGGIN STORE! (The bathrooms are probably in the back or the store and not nearly as convenient as this shrubbery, but seriously? Seriously?!)
Yeah, that was one of those stupid things you hope no one ever sees you do (or think). I was mortified that it even crossed my mind. Apparently I have been too free with my peeing experiences. My bladder is starting to forget what is appropriate and what is not. I think my bladder may need to be held back.
For the record, I did not pee in the parking lot. Nor did I pee in the store. I was too embarrassed. I got my new BOB Ironman Stroller from REI and ran out of there! First baby purchase = COMPLETE!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
How Do I Love Thee?
I love the Ironman. I LOVE the Ironman. Ironman is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Beer is also this proof, but I am a wine girl, so eh, I'll stick with Ironman.
I know it's a for-profit corporation that gets free manual labor on race day and exploits the little guy, yada yada yada...it's like Wal-mart, except that unlike Wal-mart, I will allow you to participate.
I could never quite put into words why I preferred the Ironman branded races over other "iron-distances" races, but having attended Redman full iron distance race, I can safely say that the extra $400 is $400 well spent. Dude, just fork over the dough, get your Ironman branded gear and call it day. Call yourself an Ironman.
Kona was last weekend, my Superbowl, and I spent my evening, on my couch, watching the live feed, and crying as people crossed the finish line. Maybe its the pregnancy hormones. Maybe it's because I always cry when I talk about triathlon...I just love it!
I am super sad to be missing out on IMTexas in May...but Cletus and I will be there to cheer on Papa Blain (who I hope has as much fun as I had in Cozumel!) I'd like to point out that the only purchase we have made thus far for our growing child is the Ironman BOB Stroller. Yeah, it's a problem. I could care less about Gucci and Louis Vuitton, but brand it with an M-dot and I'll pay a fortune for it. Ridiculous.
We will be in Cozumel to cheer on all our friends this year at the race and I can only imagine the jealousy I will have for all of them. I'm green just thinking about it!
I'm not going to do the indoor triathlon this weekend...I'm just gonna suck it up and do the half marathon that Tommy is doing. It will be more fun anyway since everyone I know is doing it. Poor Tommy will finish in about 1:30...and then I will finish sometime before noon. Haha. He will have plenty of time to go get me some lunch before I finish. I miss my speed!!
I know it's a for-profit corporation that gets free manual labor on race day and exploits the little guy, yada yada yada...it's like Wal-mart, except that unlike Wal-mart, I will allow you to participate.
I could never quite put into words why I preferred the Ironman branded races over other "iron-distances" races, but having attended Redman full iron distance race, I can safely say that the extra $400 is $400 well spent. Dude, just fork over the dough, get your Ironman branded gear and call it day. Call yourself an Ironman.
Kona was last weekend, my Superbowl, and I spent my evening, on my couch, watching the live feed, and crying as people crossed the finish line. Maybe its the pregnancy hormones. Maybe it's because I always cry when I talk about triathlon...I just love it!
I am super sad to be missing out on IMTexas in May...but Cletus and I will be there to cheer on Papa Blain (who I hope has as much fun as I had in Cozumel!) I'd like to point out that the only purchase we have made thus far for our growing child is the Ironman BOB Stroller. Yeah, it's a problem. I could care less about Gucci and Louis Vuitton, but brand it with an M-dot and I'll pay a fortune for it. Ridiculous.
We will be in Cozumel to cheer on all our friends this year at the race and I can only imagine the jealousy I will have for all of them. I'm green just thinking about it!
I'm not going to do the indoor triathlon this weekend...I'm just gonna suck it up and do the half marathon that Tommy is doing. It will be more fun anyway since everyone I know is doing it. Poor Tommy will finish in about 1:30...and then I will finish sometime before noon. Haha. He will have plenty of time to go get me some lunch before I finish. I miss my speed!!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tiger in the Tank!
It's true.
I am with child.
I have a tiger in my tank.
I'm knocked up.
I am harboring a fugitive.
I am developing a crotch parasite.
I have a bun in the oven.
I've been screwed.
Tommy and I found out on August 9th that not only do pregnancy tests NOT take 5 minutes to give a postive result, but that I am also pregnant.
I am addicted to pregnancy tests have been taking at least one a month for forever, much to Tommy's chagrin ("they're expensive!"). I can't help it. But on this particularly joyous day, the test did not stop at one pink line...but immediately (and I mean IMMEDIATELY) registered 2 pink lines. If I hadn't already peed in the toilet, I would have just peed my pants.
I called Tommy, he came home (where I presented him with two pee filled sticks...he was thrilled) and we went to dinner to celebrate and gossip about our impending bundle of joy...AHH!
The signs that I should have seen:
The first sign that indicated I might be pregnant is when ShopItToMe had a 1/2 off sale on skinny jeans and the only size they had in stock was mine. It was FATE! Of course I purchased them and took them to get them altered. Only fate would have you alter your first pair of skinny jeans on the day you find out you're pregnant. So now, of course, I can't return them. So, I've pretty much been wearing skinny jeans every single day and plan to squeeze myself into them until I can no longer suck in my gut anymore.
The second sign was that Kroger had Black Box wine on sale the previous weekend. Tommy and I, being the classy folk that we are, purchased 6 (yes, 6) boxes (yes, boxes) of wine (yes, that's 6 BOXES of wine), because well, they were on sale and if you buy 6 you get an additional 10% off.
The third sign was that I joined a 3rd gym the week prior to finding out I was "with child". Luckily, I joined this gym for it's pool and since I plan on swimming up until the day I give birth, this wasn't a terrible move...but lately I've been to disgustingly sick to even think about swimming. So I am a member of 3 gyms...and I haven't been to a single one of these gyms in the last 12 weeks.
And the fourth and final sign was that I accidentally purchased a pair of childrens shoes. I think this is the universe telling me that my child will be punk/grunge. This does not bode well for me.
Alas, despite all these signs, I was still surprised when that second pink line appeared on the stick. Nobody gets lucky enough to find 1/2 off skinny jeans or sales on wine all in the same week...unless they won't be able to use them. Damn you Universe!!
****************
Now for some rules:
Do not touch my belly. Unless I like you. But even then, it's best not to touch the belly. I will remove your arms with my teeth.
Do not use the words "preggo" or "preggy" or "hubby". Unless you are 5. If you are older than 5, it is time to learn to speak properly. Update: This also includes "preggers" and any other variations of fake words.
Do not tell me your labor horror stories. Not sure who you think you are helping here.
****************
In other news: When training for Ironman, I compared the training to pregnancy and the race to labor. The rules for me racing Ironman were similar to the rules listed above. No touching the belly, no "preggo" or "hubby", and no racing horror stories. So, so far, I'm right on the mark!!
But really, so far, it's been pretty similar. I'm on information overload, the result is still too far away to really grasp, I feel like total horse sh1t and I am exhausted. This is all pretty much like Ironman!
Speaking of Ironman, I doubt I will be racing IMTX in May. While I do planning on keeping up my volume (as much as possible), I have no intent of keeping it up to the level that would be required to complete an Ironman. In addition to that, after pushing a baby out of my vagina in April, I seriously doubt that sitting on a very small bike seat for 6+ hours in May will sound appealling. Soooo, that's in the toilet. I plan on appealling to the WTC to see if I can defer until 2012, but even then, I'm not sure I will be ready to race with an infant either. We will see!! Either way, Cletus the Fetus and I will be there on race day to cheer on Daddy Blain and all our friends!
I am with child.
I have a tiger in my tank.
I'm knocked up.
I am harboring a fugitive.
I am developing a crotch parasite.
I have a bun in the oven.
I've been screwed.
Tommy and I found out on August 9th that not only do pregnancy tests NOT take 5 minutes to give a postive result, but that I am also pregnant.
I am addicted to pregnancy tests have been taking at least one a month for forever, much to Tommy's chagrin ("they're expensive!"). I can't help it. But on this particularly joyous day, the test did not stop at one pink line...but immediately (and I mean IMMEDIATELY) registered 2 pink lines. If I hadn't already peed in the toilet, I would have just peed my pants.
I called Tommy, he came home (where I presented him with two pee filled sticks...he was thrilled) and we went to dinner to celebrate and gossip about our impending bundle of joy...AHH!
The signs that I should have seen:
The first sign that indicated I might be pregnant is when ShopItToMe had a 1/2 off sale on skinny jeans and the only size they had in stock was mine. It was FATE! Of course I purchased them and took them to get them altered. Only fate would have you alter your first pair of skinny jeans on the day you find out you're pregnant. So now, of course, I can't return them. So, I've pretty much been wearing skinny jeans every single day and plan to squeeze myself into them until I can no longer suck in my gut anymore.
The second sign was that Kroger had Black Box wine on sale the previous weekend. Tommy and I, being the classy folk that we are, purchased 6 (yes, 6) boxes (yes, boxes) of wine (yes, that's 6 BOXES of wine), because well, they were on sale and if you buy 6 you get an additional 10% off.
The third sign was that I joined a 3rd gym the week prior to finding out I was "with child". Luckily, I joined this gym for it's pool and since I plan on swimming up until the day I give birth, this wasn't a terrible move...but lately I've been to disgustingly sick to even think about swimming. So I am a member of 3 gyms...and I haven't been to a single one of these gyms in the last 12 weeks.
And the fourth and final sign was that I accidentally purchased a pair of childrens shoes. I think this is the universe telling me that my child will be punk/grunge. This does not bode well for me.
Alas, despite all these signs, I was still surprised when that second pink line appeared on the stick. Nobody gets lucky enough to find 1/2 off skinny jeans or sales on wine all in the same week...unless they won't be able to use them. Damn you Universe!!
****************
Now for some rules:
Do not touch my belly. Unless I like you. But even then, it's best not to touch the belly. I will remove your arms with my teeth.
Do not use the words "preggo" or "preggy" or "hubby". Unless you are 5. If you are older than 5, it is time to learn to speak properly. Update: This also includes "preggers" and any other variations of fake words.
Do not tell me your labor horror stories. Not sure who you think you are helping here.
****************
In other news: When training for Ironman, I compared the training to pregnancy and the race to labor. The rules for me racing Ironman were similar to the rules listed above. No touching the belly, no "preggo" or "hubby", and no racing horror stories. So, so far, I'm right on the mark!!
But really, so far, it's been pretty similar. I'm on information overload, the result is still too far away to really grasp, I feel like total horse sh1t and I am exhausted. This is all pretty much like Ironman!
Speaking of Ironman, I doubt I will be racing IMTX in May. While I do planning on keeping up my volume (as much as possible), I have no intent of keeping it up to the level that would be required to complete an Ironman. In addition to that, after pushing a baby out of my vagina in April, I seriously doubt that sitting on a very small bike seat for 6+ hours in May will sound appealling. Soooo, that's in the toilet. I plan on appealling to the WTC to see if I can defer until 2012, but even then, I'm not sure I will be ready to race with an infant either. We will see!! Either way, Cletus the Fetus and I will be there on race day to cheer on Daddy Blain and all our friends!
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
The Universe.
The universe is against me.
Today, I overslept because I accidentally set my alarm for 4:30PM instead of AM. I awoke at 6:15AM, fully refreshed for the day ahead. And missed my workout.
I took it in stride - obviously my body wanted more sleep. Darn!
I packed my gym bag with two options for the afternoon - I could either bike at a spin class or hit the pool.
I arrived at work only to realize that I forgot tennis shoes (I blame Tommy for cleaning the house and hiding my shoes in the garage, "where they belong". No good deed goes unpunished!). Sooo, cycling was out. Guess I'm going to the pool!
And then it rained all day. Which means the pool is closed. [shaking fist at Tropical Storm Hermoine]
3 attempts to work out today and all 3 were shot down. The universe obviously wants me to sit on the couch, eat a giant vat of ice cream, and call it day.
Done and done.
Today, I overslept because I accidentally set my alarm for 4:30PM instead of AM. I awoke at 6:15AM, fully refreshed for the day ahead. And missed my workout.
I took it in stride - obviously my body wanted more sleep. Darn!
I packed my gym bag with two options for the afternoon - I could either bike at a spin class or hit the pool.
I arrived at work only to realize that I forgot tennis shoes (I blame Tommy for cleaning the house and hiding my shoes in the garage, "where they belong". No good deed goes unpunished!). Sooo, cycling was out. Guess I'm going to the pool!
And then it rained all day. Which means the pool is closed. [shaking fist at Tropical Storm Hermoine]
3 attempts to work out today and all 3 were shot down. The universe obviously wants me to sit on the couch, eat a giant vat of ice cream, and call it day.
Done and done.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Recluse.
I haven't been writting because I haven't really left my house much in the last few weeks. Therefore, I have nothing to write about. Sorry kiddos! I know you are tragically sad.
I've been hole-ing up in my casa because I just got tired from all the travelling and the working out and the blah! My grandma passed away and Tommy I drove to Dallas after work on a Friday, to Odessa on Monday after working from my parents house all day, and then back to Houston on Tuesday after the funeral. We both worked most of Monday and Tuesday, got back in town around 1am Tuesday night, worked Wed-Fri and then packed up to drive to New Orleans for the weekend. That's over 2000 miles of car trip, in one week, while working 40 hours, attending a funeral and a high school reunion. No wonder my face looked like a giant zit at the reunion.
Hence, I am exhausted. I don't want to get in the car to drive ANYWHERE anytime soon. We were supposed to go to Dallas this weekend for my first attempt at a 1:50 half marathon, but the thought of driving there makes me want to hurl a little, sooo, there are two bibs up for grabs if anyone wants them.
In other news, Tommy and I scored free 10th row seats on the first baseline to the Astros game. This game started off precariously when the beer man refused to serve me beer. I am 29 years old for crying out loud. Give me the dam beer. And then the baked potato line didn't have any cheese. WTF. What the hell kind of baseball game IS this?
But then things turned around.
I caught a ball!! Well, actually it landed in my chicken fingers (I WANTED a baked potato, but a potato without cheese, well, that's just sad) but I figure I can say that I caught it. But THEN the guy next to me leans over and asks if I have kids. I say no. He says he has a 6 year old and an 8 year old and can he have my ball. I hand it to him. 5 minutes later I ask for it back. Asshole didn't even bring his kids with him to the game. He can let his kids have a ball when he decides to bring them. What a jerk.
BUT THEN THINGS TURNED AROUND.
We got on the kiss cam. WHAT? This was approximately 2 seconds after I said there was no way we could be on the kiss cam. And then my friend called to tell me he saw me and I was famous.
Tommy wore his new fancy jersey (three men complemented him on it...I think I did good!) and I am now famous. Go me.
And then the next day we got to run the bases at the park.
BEST. WEEK. IN. BASEBALL. EVER.
But pretty much after that, I haven't left my house. I mean, how can you top that? You can't. And I'm not gonna try. I'm pooped and all I want to do is sleep in and go to the movies.
I've been hole-ing up in my casa because I just got tired from all the travelling and the working out and the blah! My grandma passed away and Tommy I drove to Dallas after work on a Friday, to Odessa on Monday after working from my parents house all day, and then back to Houston on Tuesday after the funeral. We both worked most of Monday and Tuesday, got back in town around 1am Tuesday night, worked Wed-Fri and then packed up to drive to New Orleans for the weekend. That's over 2000 miles of car trip, in one week, while working 40 hours, attending a funeral and a high school reunion. No wonder my face looked like a giant zit at the reunion.
Hence, I am exhausted. I don't want to get in the car to drive ANYWHERE anytime soon. We were supposed to go to Dallas this weekend for my first attempt at a 1:50 half marathon, but the thought of driving there makes me want to hurl a little, sooo, there are two bibs up for grabs if anyone wants them.
In other news, Tommy and I scored free 10th row seats on the first baseline to the Astros game. This game started off precariously when the beer man refused to serve me beer. I am 29 years old for crying out loud. Give me the dam beer. And then the baked potato line didn't have any cheese. WTF. What the hell kind of baseball game IS this?
But then things turned around.
I caught a ball!! Well, actually it landed in my chicken fingers (I WANTED a baked potato, but a potato without cheese, well, that's just sad) but I figure I can say that I caught it. But THEN the guy next to me leans over and asks if I have kids. I say no. He says he has a 6 year old and an 8 year old and can he have my ball. I hand it to him. 5 minutes later I ask for it back. Asshole didn't even bring his kids with him to the game. He can let his kids have a ball when he decides to bring them. What a jerk.
BUT THEN THINGS TURNED AROUND.
We got on the kiss cam. WHAT? This was approximately 2 seconds after I said there was no way we could be on the kiss cam. And then my friend called to tell me he saw me and I was famous.
Tommy wore his new fancy jersey (three men complemented him on it...I think I did good!) and I am now famous. Go me.
And then the next day we got to run the bases at the park.
BEST. WEEK. IN. BASEBALL. EVER.
But pretty much after that, I haven't left my house. I mean, how can you top that? You can't. And I'm not gonna try. I'm pooped and all I want to do is sleep in and go to the movies.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Life. It Happens.
To fill you in on my several week absence:
I signed up for Ironman Texas. Tommy signed up for Ironman Texas. Pretty much every triathlete we know signed up for Ironman Texas. The training will be very fun...but very cold. The race will be very fun...but very hot. I'm really looking forward to training with all my friends, racing in town and completing my second Ironman. The pressure is off this time...if I suck, I suck, but hey, I'm already an Ironman!! Who cares?!?!
We got to take a staycation over the 4th of July and it was so awesome. We took a cab downtown and stayed at the Four Seasons where we got a free upgrade to a pool side room. We spent the afternoons lounging by the pool, getting spritzed with Evian (wtf?!?) and ordering $14 margaritas (we only had 1). The best part of a vacation in town is that it's super easy to bring your own wine!
We came home to a new puppy - Dixie - that we were allowed to foster for a few days to decide if we wanted to adopt her (what a great option!) and of course, once we got adjusted to life with a puppy, we fell in love with her!
Dixie the Dog is here to stay.
As far as workouts go, we are trying to get back into it and get some consistency. My swimming is pretty much an epic fail...but I don't really know what I can expect when I only swim once a month. My biking is staying pretty consistent and I can't complain there. My running isn't going as well as I would like...but again, this is entirely because I haven't actually been running. I think my goal of completing a 1:50 half marathon is pretty much ridiculous at this point. That said, we participated in HRTC's BassAckWards Triathlon this past weekend and did really well...and had a blast. Swimming after biking and running is much harder than you would think.
And we hit up an Astro's game - thanks to Melissa - Tommy wore his new fancy jersey, I caught a ball AND we were on the KissCam. I mean, really? All in one day?!? (I think this was the ballpark apologizing for not serving me beer at the concession stand despite the fact that I am 29 years old and my ID looks JUST like me).
So, things are going well - I feel refreshed after our staycation and I am ready to tackle the world!! I just need to get home today so I can play with my puppies!!
I signed up for Ironman Texas. Tommy signed up for Ironman Texas. Pretty much every triathlete we know signed up for Ironman Texas. The training will be very fun...but very cold. The race will be very fun...but very hot. I'm really looking forward to training with all my friends, racing in town and completing my second Ironman. The pressure is off this time...if I suck, I suck, but hey, I'm already an Ironman!! Who cares?!?!
We got to take a staycation over the 4th of July and it was so awesome. We took a cab downtown and stayed at the Four Seasons where we got a free upgrade to a pool side room. We spent the afternoons lounging by the pool, getting spritzed with Evian (wtf?!?) and ordering $14 margaritas (we only had 1). The best part of a vacation in town is that it's super easy to bring your own wine!
We came home to a new puppy - Dixie - that we were allowed to foster for a few days to decide if we wanted to adopt her (what a great option!) and of course, once we got adjusted to life with a puppy, we fell in love with her!
Dixie the Dog is here to stay.As far as workouts go, we are trying to get back into it and get some consistency. My swimming is pretty much an epic fail...but I don't really know what I can expect when I only swim once a month. My biking is staying pretty consistent and I can't complain there. My running isn't going as well as I would like...but again, this is entirely because I haven't actually been running. I think my goal of completing a 1:50 half marathon is pretty much ridiculous at this point. That said, we participated in HRTC's BassAckWards Triathlon this past weekend and did really well...and had a blast. Swimming after biking and running is much harder than you would think.
And we hit up an Astro's game - thanks to Melissa - Tommy wore his new fancy jersey, I caught a ball AND we were on the KissCam. I mean, really? All in one day?!? (I think this was the ballpark apologizing for not serving me beer at the concession stand despite the fact that I am 29 years old and my ID looks JUST like me).
So, things are going well - I feel refreshed after our staycation and I am ready to tackle the world!! I just need to get home today so I can play with my puppies!!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
HYPERVENTILATING!
OMG. Ironman is coming to Houston!
Ironman Texas will be in the Woodlands on May 21, 2011. Registration opens tomorrow and you can bet your bottom dollar that my finger will be poised over submit at precisely 12:01PM.
I'm too excited to sleep!
Ironman Texas will be in the Woodlands on May 21, 2011. Registration opens tomorrow and you can bet your bottom dollar that my finger will be poised over submit at precisely 12:01PM.
I'm too excited to sleep!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
I Apologize to my Adoring Fans.
Ha. But seriously. I hate not blogging for such a long time. But sadly for me, they have blocked blogger at my office (OMG!!). This is good for my company because I will no longer waste time scouring the blogs of my internet friends, but bad for my company because in reality, I will find something else to look at or consume more than my fair share of Flavia. And that sh1t ain't cheap.
Nonetheless, I haven't blogged in almost a month. Holy crap.
To recap my uneventful life, this month I have:
Started all the medications associated with PCOS and insulin resistance. Thus far, this has not gone well. Metformin is an evil drug.
Raced the first half ironman event of the year - missed my goal my 26 minutes (I blame the Metformin), but PRed by 30 minutes...so not all was lost. I hate Mickey Mouse.
Hung out on the beach and acheived a sunburn. Quite impressive if you are me.
Swam with stingrays, got pinched by a crab (and then ate his siblings), watched a pod of dolphins.
Ate crawfish bread, boiled crabs, hung out with the in-laws and just generally relaxed. I have yet to bathe today. And I ran 5 miles this morning.
Driven (and by drive, I mean, be a passenger) almost 2000 miles in less than a week. My butt hurts.
I will update with anecdotes and race reports soon. Until then, can you all please just start emailing me your blogs? Stupid work firewall.
Nonetheless, I haven't blogged in almost a month. Holy crap.
To recap my uneventful life, this month I have:
Started all the medications associated with PCOS and insulin resistance. Thus far, this has not gone well. Metformin is an evil drug.
Raced the first half ironman event of the year - missed my goal my 26 minutes (I blame the Metformin), but PRed by 30 minutes...so not all was lost. I hate Mickey Mouse.
Hung out on the beach and acheived a sunburn. Quite impressive if you are me.
Swam with stingrays, got pinched by a crab (and then ate his siblings), watched a pod of dolphins.
Ate crawfish bread, boiled crabs, hung out with the in-laws and just generally relaxed. I have yet to bathe today. And I ran 5 miles this morning.
Driven (and by drive, I mean, be a passenger) almost 2000 miles in less than a week. My butt hurts.
I will update with anecdotes and race reports soon. Until then, can you all please just start emailing me your blogs? Stupid work firewall.
Monday, April 19, 2010
The Olympic
Last weekend, we raced the Sprint distance tri on Saturday, went home, took a nap, hung out with Tiffany and Harold and then drove out to Richmond for Bill and Amber's wedding...where drank wine and danced our little hearts out! We got home around 11pm, packed our bags for Sunday's Olympic distance race (1500m swim, 25 mile bike, and 10K run) and set the alarm for 3:30am. 3.5 hours of sleep is not IDEAL for proper recovery and fueling for a race, but eh, that's what we had!
Alarms went off and I skipped my ritual pre-race shower (I need wet hair for my braids) in an effort to sleep more...I TOTALLY did not want to go. Between the allergies, the wedding, and the sheer exhaustion, if Tommy had given me even the slightest hestitation about going to the race, I totally would have bailed. I sooooo did not want to be racing and I knew the day was going to be rough considering how hard I had pushed myself the day before.
We drove to Kemah (AGAIN), set up transition, squished into wetsuits, wandered down to the docks and boarded our respective boats for the swim start. This particular race is a qualifier for Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon and it starts with party barges dropping us off in the middle of the ocean (like the Escape) and then we get to swim to shore. While we were waiting to board our respective boats, Andy Potts (a super cutie professional triathlete) walked up and I was able to score a piture with him. I'm also pretty sure I grabbed his butt (totally on accident...and it was nice...although, that could have been the neoprene). I, unfortunately, am not good when talking to famous people...I tend to stutter and do stupid things (like grab people's butts) when I get nervous, so our conversation went a little like this:
Me: Heehee (snort) hehuhhaaheehee
Andy: Yeah, so, um, wanna take a picture?
Me: Heeheheh (snort/butt grab)
As you can see, I am totally geeked out and I have my crazy eyes on. I do not have many social skillz.
After all the Andy Potts butt-grabbing, I boarded my boat with all the women from the race. We spent about an hour on the boat, gossiping and freaking each other out. Merry peed in her wetsuit and while we encouraged her to stick her legs off the side of the boat to let it drain out, she opted to wallow in it. Triathlon is a dirty, dirty, disgusting sport.
We hopped in the water and I was pleased to find out that the water was not nearly as bad as the day before. It was still choppy, but not as bad and since we were only swimming with the current (never against it) it just wasn't as bad. This swim, however, was one of the most aggressive swims I have ever been on - women were punching and I swear to you that I got b1tch slapped across the face. It was insane. And the waves were big enough and the bouys were small enough that you couldn't really sight much of anything. My swim still sucked, but not NEARLY as bad as it did the day before...getting the crap beat out of me by some hoes really sucked up my adrenaline and wore me out! I finished the swim in a respectable (but not good) 36:25.1. Definitely not my best effort - I should be swimming below 30 minutes, but considering the effor the day before, the sickness and the late night of partying, I will call it a wash!
T1 was quicker than the day before, but I had to stop and pee (in my pants...why waste time in a portacan?) but I figured out the wetsuit thing a little better...into bike shoes and I was off.
The bike was not as good as the day before - as to be expected - and I didn't pass nearly as many people, but up and over Kemah twice and I was to the flat part for 12 miles (my specialty!). Then up and over Kemah twice more and 12 more miles of flat...I gained a lot of ground on the bike and pushed it as hard as I could go. My legs were feeling okay, but I just couldn't make them go any faster...so, I only averaged 19.9mph on the bike. I was really hoping to break 20mph again, but all things considered, I will just shut my mouth! I biked in 1:25.1 and moved from 7th to 3rd place.
In T2, I put on socks (I was glad I had done this the day before) and off I went.
I didn't wear my garmin or heart rate monitor again - I just didn't want to know. I was going to run as hard as I could for as long as I could and I didn't need a watch telling me anything! My plan was to kill the run as best as I could...but since I had PR'ed my 5K the day before (by 2 minutes!) I wasn't expecting much. Tommy passed me on my way out (he was on his way home) and he told me that Francis was the guy in front of me. I couldn't see anyone in front of me, so I just kept on trucking...eventually I caught up to Francis - we were both hurting pretty bad! I saw Merry and Ingrid on the run as well...and everyone was looking pretty good (considering!). I was able to maintain my speed at about an 8:30 mile for the whole 10K (I just used the lap timing feature on my watch) and finished up the 10K in 52:13.6. I felt like death - I have never ever felt that bad after a run. I couldn't smile, I couldn't wave, I couldn't pick it up for a mad dash to the finish...I was DONE. And it felt amazing. My run wasn't great compared to the rest of the field, but once again, considered my PR the day before, I will shut my mouth and be happy!
I held onto 3rd place to get a spot on the podium and scored a qualifying spot to Alcatraz!! A 2:48 finish wouldn't have placed me in any of the other age groups, but it is very respectable and a significant improvement over my other olympic distance times...I'm very proud of what I have accomplished this year!
All in all, I had a super exhausting sick weekend and had the best races I could have hoped for! No complaints here!!
I always tend to race better when I'm a little under the weather...it just doesn't make sense!
Congrats to Tommy who scred 5th in his age group, Kim who got 5th in our age group, Team Jam got 2nd in the relay, and to Ingrid and Merry for racing so well!
Alarms went off and I skipped my ritual pre-race shower (I need wet hair for my braids) in an effort to sleep more...I TOTALLY did not want to go. Between the allergies, the wedding, and the sheer exhaustion, if Tommy had given me even the slightest hestitation about going to the race, I totally would have bailed. I sooooo did not want to be racing and I knew the day was going to be rough considering how hard I had pushed myself the day before.
We drove to Kemah (AGAIN), set up transition, squished into wetsuits, wandered down to the docks and boarded our respective boats for the swim start. This particular race is a qualifier for Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon and it starts with party barges dropping us off in the middle of the ocean (like the Escape) and then we get to swim to shore. While we were waiting to board our respective boats, Andy Potts (a super cutie professional triathlete) walked up and I was able to score a piture with him. I'm also pretty sure I grabbed his butt (totally on accident...and it was nice...although, that could have been the neoprene). I, unfortunately, am not good when talking to famous people...I tend to stutter and do stupid things (like grab people's butts) when I get nervous, so our conversation went a little like this:
Me: Heehee (snort) hehuhhaaheehee
Andy: Yeah, so, um, wanna take a picture?
Me: Heeheheh (snort/butt grab)
As you can see, I am totally geeked out and I have my crazy eyes on. I do not have many social skillz.
After all the Andy Potts butt-grabbing, I boarded my boat with all the women from the race. We spent about an hour on the boat, gossiping and freaking each other out. Merry peed in her wetsuit and while we encouraged her to stick her legs off the side of the boat to let it drain out, she opted to wallow in it. Triathlon is a dirty, dirty, disgusting sport.
We hopped in the water and I was pleased to find out that the water was not nearly as bad as the day before. It was still choppy, but not as bad and since we were only swimming with the current (never against it) it just wasn't as bad. This swim, however, was one of the most aggressive swims I have ever been on - women were punching and I swear to you that I got b1tch slapped across the face. It was insane. And the waves were big enough and the bouys were small enough that you couldn't really sight much of anything. My swim still sucked, but not NEARLY as bad as it did the day before...getting the crap beat out of me by some hoes really sucked up my adrenaline and wore me out! I finished the swim in a respectable (but not good) 36:25.1. Definitely not my best effort - I should be swimming below 30 minutes, but considering the effor the day before, the sickness and the late night of partying, I will call it a wash!
T1 was quicker than the day before, but I had to stop and pee (in my pants...why waste time in a portacan?) but I figured out the wetsuit thing a little better...into bike shoes and I was off.
The bike was not as good as the day before - as to be expected - and I didn't pass nearly as many people, but up and over Kemah twice and I was to the flat part for 12 miles (my specialty!). Then up and over Kemah twice more and 12 more miles of flat...I gained a lot of ground on the bike and pushed it as hard as I could go. My legs were feeling okay, but I just couldn't make them go any faster...so, I only averaged 19.9mph on the bike. I was really hoping to break 20mph again, but all things considered, I will just shut my mouth! I biked in 1:25.1 and moved from 7th to 3rd place.
In T2, I put on socks (I was glad I had done this the day before) and off I went.
I didn't wear my garmin or heart rate monitor again - I just didn't want to know. I was going to run as hard as I could for as long as I could and I didn't need a watch telling me anything! My plan was to kill the run as best as I could...but since I had PR'ed my 5K the day before (by 2 minutes!) I wasn't expecting much. Tommy passed me on my way out (he was on his way home) and he told me that Francis was the guy in front of me. I couldn't see anyone in front of me, so I just kept on trucking...eventually I caught up to Francis - we were both hurting pretty bad! I saw Merry and Ingrid on the run as well...and everyone was looking pretty good (considering!). I was able to maintain my speed at about an 8:30 mile for the whole 10K (I just used the lap timing feature on my watch) and finished up the 10K in 52:13.6. I felt like death - I have never ever felt that bad after a run. I couldn't smile, I couldn't wave, I couldn't pick it up for a mad dash to the finish...I was DONE. And it felt amazing. My run wasn't great compared to the rest of the field, but once again, considered my PR the day before, I will shut my mouth and be happy!
I held onto 3rd place to get a spot on the podium and scored a qualifying spot to Alcatraz!! A 2:48 finish wouldn't have placed me in any of the other age groups, but it is very respectable and a significant improvement over my other olympic distance times...I'm very proud of what I have accomplished this year!
All in all, I had a super exhausting sick weekend and had the best races I could have hoped for! No complaints here!!
I always tend to race better when I'm a little under the weather...it just doesn't make sense!
Congrats to Tommy who scred 5th in his age group, Kim who got 5th in our age group, Team Jam got 2nd in the relay, and to Ingrid and Merry for racing so well!
Monday, April 12, 2010
The Limit
I pushed myself to the limit and it was awesome!
In the midst of Weddingpalooza 2010, Tommy and I had this bright idea to sign up for Gateway to the Bay Triathlon (both the sprint and the olympic distance races)...and then I got sick and then I had dinner with my BFF...not exactly the most genius of plans. Ooopsie daisy!
I started feeling crappy on Thursday - allergies, cough, runny nose, the whole wonderful nine yards...of snot. But since I tend to race better when I am sick, I figured I would forge onward with my racing plans...
Saturday morning, Tommy and woke up when the kids were coming home from the bar and drove to Kemah for the Sprint distance race (500m swim, 12.5 mile bike, and 5K run). It was cold and dark and windy and I was sick and tired and super cranky...
We set up transition and squished ourselves into our wetsuits and headed down to the swim start only to find SUPER choppy water. Ugh! Jessica and Grizz showed up (Jess
was very stylish in neon) and the race began!
My wave started just as Tommy's was finishing, so I got to see him leading the pack up the to the ramp (it's amazing how you can still recognize your friends when they are in head to toe neoprene, goggles and swim caps). And then my swim wave began...and dear lord it was hard. The water was choppy and the current was pushing us all to the middle of the rectangle we were trying to swim around - I was eating water, sucking wind and just generally crapping my pants. It was a scary swim. Easily the most difficult swim I have ever done in a triathlon. But I survived and came out of the water 5th in my age group in 12:11.4 for 500m. Not a great swim, but seriously, it was about survival...and since I was still 5th, that goes to show you how hard it was!
My first attempt at taking off my wetsuit quickly proved to be a challenge, but I learned a few things that I would put into practice on Sunday. First and foremost, wait till the wetsuit is off to pull of your cap and goggles!
Ran to T1 where I made a game time decision to bike without socks...smart or brave? I dunno.
Headed out to the bike course where I realized that we would be heading up the Kemah bridge right away...no time to build speed and momentum. CRAP! Surprisingly, I was able to get up and over (and pass lots of people), turn around and do it again...and then it was home free, smooth sailing, flat as a pancake riding (my specialty). I was able to pass all the girls in my swim wave and put enough of a gain on them that my crappy run wouldn't matter. I felt awesome on the bike...and maintained an average speed of 20.3 mph! Bike time 37:02 (3rd fastest female bike of the day!!)
Head into T2 and I was the first female bike on the rack...now THAT was a wierd sight! Gametime decision to put on socks and not risk the blisters and I was off and away!
I didn't wear my garmin or my heartrate monitor for this race. I figured that my heartrate should be pretty much redlined, so I couldn't justify having a constant reminder on my wrist that my heart was about to explode out of my chest and I didn't want to know my speed. My plan for the run was to go as hard as I could for as long as I could...and it was ugly.
I was hurting, real real bad. When I got close to the finish line, I tried to speed up, but frankly, redline is redline and I couldn't go any faster. But I finished that 5K run with a 5K PR (shaved 2 minutes of my previous stand-alone 5K time) of 23:27 - average pace of 7:49.
I placed 1st in my age group, 5th overall, hit my goal time of 1:17 exactly (although the ratios of sports was not quite right).
HOLY CRAP!
I have always sworn that I didn't have whatever "it" was that made people go hard and leave it all out there...but on Saturday, I found it. I found "it" and it was amazing. I went as hard as I could for as long as I could and left every ounce of energy I had on that race course. I have never been so proud of an accomplishment.
And then of course, the awards ceremony got rained out and I didn't get to be worshipped by my adoring fans. Siiiigh. Haha. Such is life!
And congrats to all the other HRTCers that placed at the race - Kathleen (third in our age group!), Cassie (1st of the Athenas) and Tommy and Francis who rocked it!
In the midst of Weddingpalooza 2010, Tommy and I had this bright idea to sign up for Gateway to the Bay Triathlon (both the sprint and the olympic distance races)...and then I got sick and then I had dinner with my BFF...not exactly the most genius of plans. Ooopsie daisy!
I started feeling crappy on Thursday - allergies, cough, runny nose, the whole wonderful nine yards...of snot. But since I tend to race better when I am sick, I figured I would forge onward with my racing plans...
Saturday morning, Tommy and woke up when the kids were coming home from the bar and drove to Kemah for the Sprint distance race (500m swim, 12.5 mile bike, and 5K run). It was cold and dark and windy and I was sick and tired and super cranky...
We set up transition and squished ourselves into our wetsuits and headed down to the swim start only to find SUPER choppy water. Ugh! Jessica and Grizz showed up (Jess
was very stylish in neon) and the race began!
My wave started just as Tommy's was finishing, so I got to see him leading the pack up the to the ramp (it's amazing how you can still recognize your friends when they are in head to toe neoprene, goggles and swim caps). And then my swim wave began...and dear lord it was hard. The water was choppy and the current was pushing us all to the middle of the rectangle we were trying to swim around - I was eating water, sucking wind and just generally crapping my pants. It was a scary swim. Easily the most difficult swim I have ever done in a triathlon. But I survived and came out of the water 5th in my age group in 12:11.4 for 500m. Not a great swim, but seriously, it was about survival...and since I was still 5th, that goes to show you how hard it was!
My first attempt at taking off my wetsuit quickly proved to be a challenge, but I learned a few things that I would put into practice on Sunday. First and foremost, wait till the wetsuit is off to pull of your cap and goggles!
Ran to T1 where I made a game time decision to bike without socks...smart or brave? I dunno.
Headed out to the bike course where I realized that we would be heading up the Kemah bridge right away...no time to build speed and momentum. CRAP! Surprisingly, I was able to get up and over (and pass lots of people), turn around and do it again...and then it was home free, smooth sailing, flat as a pancake riding (my specialty). I was able to pass all the girls in my swim wave and put enough of a gain on them that my crappy run wouldn't matter. I felt awesome on the bike...and maintained an average speed of 20.3 mph! Bike time 37:02 (3rd fastest female bike of the day!!)
Head into T2 and I was the first female bike on the rack...now THAT was a wierd sight! Gametime decision to put on socks and not risk the blisters and I was off and away!
I didn't wear my garmin or my heartrate monitor for this race. I figured that my heartrate should be pretty much redlined, so I couldn't justify having a constant reminder on my wrist that my heart was about to explode out of my chest and I didn't want to know my speed. My plan for the run was to go as hard as I could for as long as I could...and it was ugly.
I was hurting, real real bad. When I got close to the finish line, I tried to speed up, but frankly, redline is redline and I couldn't go any faster. But I finished that 5K run with a 5K PR (shaved 2 minutes of my previous stand-alone 5K time) of 23:27 - average pace of 7:49.
I placed 1st in my age group, 5th overall, hit my goal time of 1:17 exactly (although the ratios of sports was not quite right).
HOLY CRAP!
I have always sworn that I didn't have whatever "it" was that made people go hard and leave it all out there...but on Saturday, I found it. I found "it" and it was amazing. I went as hard as I could for as long as I could and left every ounce of energy I had on that race course. I have never been so proud of an accomplishment.
And then of course, the awards ceremony got rained out and I didn't get to be worshipped by my adoring fans. Siiiigh. Haha. Such is life!
And congrats to all the other HRTCers that placed at the race - Kathleen (third in our age group!), Cassie (1st of the Athenas) and Tommy and Francis who rocked it!
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