JCC Team Magic Tri!

This is Tammy, me and Wayne. Tammy didn't look this happy after the race. Read on!

This is Michele, Lana, Patrick and Me. There is another girl pictured here I did not know. I think her name is Amy.
This is me coming in for the finish.

Just wanted to give a quick update. I placed 1st in the beginner's category of my age group! I am completely STUNNED by this considering the stress I was feeling over it. And the best part was the swimming! Here are a couple of photos and there are a few more to come! It was GREAT to finally meet Lana and Patrick. I felt like I knew them already, though. I saw David again and we ran together for a little ways for the last mile of the race. The swim was so much easier than I expected it to be. I was comfortable through-out the whole thing.. Then I ran to the transistion area and didn't even bother drying off. I just put on my bike shoes, helmet, and race number and took off. The biking was a whole lot harder than I expected it to be, but it was cool because I could see people's ages on the back of their calf so I picked them off one by one. There were a few steep hills and the finish was downhill.
Back at the trans area I re-racked the bike and put my running shoes on and my sports bra over my speedo. I was so tired at this point and I hadn't practiced any bricks so that first .5 mile was rough. I didn't have an iPod either so I was hurtin'. Once again I focused on picking off my age groupers and passed nearly everyone this way. Then David caught up with me and ran with me for most of the last mile. I saw Christy at the finish line! And my friend Valerie. (Valerie is the one who talked me into this whole thing and she didn't even get to do it due to the race filling up. ) I decided to stick around for the awards ceremony and I am so glad I did! I could not believe it when they said I was first because I felt like I did awful...(But I always feel that way in a race).
Here are my splits: Swim-5:14 Bike-35:47.74 Run-18:35.74
Non of those look impressive me me..but they somehow got my in first place in the beginner category..so I'll take it! The run was especially hard on me due to me not having my iPod/crutch and never practicing bricks. It shows in my time.

Update: I just got an email which said they had tecnical difficulties with the Transition Mats so out Trans times are included in the bike and run times..which means I did better than I thought on those. Whew..I thought I REALLY sucked on the run...But add about 2 or 3 minutes to that. (I was in the transitions FOREVER!)

I saw Tammy (another training partner) at the finish line and she looked like a Mummy. Apparently she had a bad wreck and ended up having a SERIOUS road rash, and they had wrapped her all up. But she's tough because she carried her bike the rest of the way....then ran and finished the race anyway. Lana placed third overall and I think that is awesome! Overall I am very happy with today and I signed up for the Mach Tenn this Saturday. PANIC!!!

Summer..summer..summertime..I just sit back and Unwind.

School is out! They got out Thursday. On Thursday afternoon there was a cook-out for the kids on our street to celebrate the end of the school year . Connor went and Bailey went to my mother-in-laws to swim cause he "wasn't in the mood" for a cook-out. Then yesterday we spent the day at the pool and we did the same thing today. I am already sporting a decent tan..even with SPF 50 on! I refuse to get burned this year. I discovered I still tan through the sport's block lotions so I am going to use those this year and save my 34 year old skin from further damage. I can already tell it's going to be a long summer and I need to find something to do with the kids while I work. they have camp in a few weeks, then we go to Florida for vacation..but that's about it so I am in a panic over what to do with them.

I have been a total slacker this week in every respect. I went swimming once and ran a few times, but that's it. I have a huge fear of the Tri on Monday morning. AAAAHHH! What was I thinking? I don't know why I am stressed over it. My kids Swim, bike, and run every day in the summer and never give it a second thought. I will try to focus on that and just have fun.

I went swimming on Monday morning and I walked Monday afternoon. I also went to the gym and lifted weights. Then yesterday I didn't do anything because of some other issues going on so I ran out of time. I skipped swimming today because I was up too late but I went and did a Speed session work-out w/ Tammy (a girl I met at swimming lessons) and it was a good one. We did a ladder workout. 200..400...800...1600...800..400...200, and we sprinted the last 400 and 200 and raced each other. My hips were on fire!!! (She beat me) I even had that wonderful metallic taste develop during the last 200. I was a good work-out and it gave me a hint of what's coming up in just a couple of weeks. I start the summer Speed sessions with Fleet feet and I CANNOT WAIT!! As much as I dread Tuesday nights in the Summer..I also look forward to them. I have a Love/Hate relationship with Speed Sessions. I love the misery if that makes any sense at all. It's a "good hurt". I came home and wolfed down a Subway and cookie and life is good for another day.

2nd in my age group!!

Here are the results for the Run 4 Kids I did this morning. I placed 2nd out of 41...83 overall!! Woo-Hoo! Bailey (My nine year old) ran it with me, and it was his first 5k. He did it in 30:31. And Connor did the mile run in 8:46. I am so proud of them! I ran it in 25:21 (my Garmin said 25:20) but the girl who beat me REALLY whipped me good with a time of 19:19. Either way..it was a good sized race (479) so I am happy with 2nd place, and I was SHOCKED when they said my name. It has been a goal of mine to place in my age group this year so I guess I can stop running now. HA! And to think I almost didn't go! I haven't been able to sleep any these past few days and when the alarm went off this morning I almost blew the whole thing off. (I was up till 2:00!!) But then I knew Bailey would have been seriously disappointed because he has been training hard for it.(Not really...but he wanted to run it ).so I drug my tired ass outta bed at 6:00 and got motivated. I went in there and woke him up and he shot straight up and got dressed no problem. He was so excited..so that go me more in the mood to run. I am so glad we went! Doug even came to watch us and he was proud of me. Awwww. He NEVER comes to my races. But, I think he came to this one because Bailey was racing for the first time. That's ok....he's almost to his goal weight and he said he'll start running when he gets there so I have a feeling he'll be at more and more of the races in the near future. While I standing in the start line I started talking to David..who I have met before at the Tom King Half through Michele. It was good to see him again and e chatted during the awards ceremony. He placed 3rd in his age group!

I skipped swim practice yesterday morning due to lack of sleep so I went after I got off work and repeated the work-out we did Wednesday morning. I swam a whole hour this time. (well...not non-stop. I would pause here and there) I swam 250 without stopping though, which is a MAJOR accomplishment for me. Stop laughing. I am one of these people who struggles to do a 50 on most days. So I am making improvements! I am feeling more confident about the Tri on May 28th...and I don't dread the pool like I used to. These are all good things.

Yesterday I went for a run to the gym...lifted weights....then ran back to my house. Then I ran another 3 miles. It was about 5 miles total, and I had to walk a bunch of it. BOOOO! Then this morning I got up @ 4:30 and went to Swim team. YAAAYYY! I swam really well today, but I don't have the stamina yet for the entire 1.5 hours. We move outside after memorial day for the long course and I am NOT looking forward to that. The water is 83 degrees in the indoor pool and it feels like ice to me, so the outdoor pool is going to make me scream. I might not ever get the nerve to get in! After Swim practice I came home and went back to bed for a while till my first client came. Then after work I went and got some fins, paddles, and a swim cap because I have been borrowing these things for other team members. I also got a new Speedo two piece. My other "new" one is already looking worn. Then I went and got an awesome micro-dermabrasion treatment which I traded for dog grooming with a girl who does facial's. (I am a fan of the barter system. I got a massage two weeks ago (90 min) from another girl for grooming her dog, too. )Bliss! My next treatment and massage is in two weeks. All is well in my world today. :) (And, I haven't heard a peep out of my crazy- ass neighbor!)

P.S...if you have a chance..make sure you check out Matt the bike store dude's blog. He has an excellent article on why bikes cost so dang much. Interesting!

Bla

Just not feelin' it lately. I went Swimming three times last week..but I really haven't done anything since. Well, I went hiking with the Kids Sunday (mother's day) but that's it. I have attempted to run and my legs continue to feel weighed down..which makes me wonder if I should do my annual Run 4 Kids 5k this weekend. I never do well on this race because it's always the first one after the marathon, and I haven't done any speed work-outs so I always bonk when I run it.

Yesterday I got into a heated argument with our neighborhood drunk. She calls and threatens me and my kids every so often. (When she's drunk) My kids were gone ALL DAY yesterday, yet somehow she witnessed them throwing rocks at her dog numerous times and harrassing her. (Somehow they are always supposedly in her yard on the days she's drunk) She's crazy..but she's fair game if she calls me up wasted. She never calls anyone else about their kids. Just mine. (But she has my business magnet on her her fridge..that's my theory) I started off semi-nice to her but by the end of the call there might have been some foul language involved. (That's the red-neck in me) I ended up calling the police this time though, because she said she wished they were dead and they'd be sorry if she saw them out running around again. SCARY!! She has a dog I used to groom for her, and after her drunken phone calls she'll usually call me to book an appointment the next day. Last year I told her I wouldn't groom her dog anymore because she can't threaten to burn my house down one minute and have me groom her dog the next. I feel sorry for her more than anything. It was Mother's Day and her son moved to Washington state a long time ago..and her daughter was killed in an accident 18 years ago...so I know it's got to be hard for her. I do feel kind of bad for calling the cops on her...But still...I can't let her threaten my children...drunk or not. You start messing with my kids or even threaten to and I WILL TAKE YOUR @SS DOWN!!! (Or die tryin")

And that's about it here at the camp!

Still Swimming

I got up yesterday morning again at 4:45 to swim with the MAster's team and I actually enjoyed it. I "swam" for 1:15...But I couldn't swim the last 15 mins. because I was freezing in the pool and so I got in the hot tub to warm up before hitting the showers. I am going to do it again in the morning which will be 3 swims for me this week! Maybe I will be ready just in time for the Tri on Memorial day. I am thinking about skipping the Mach Tenn because it's only a few days later and there's just no way I'll be ready for open h2o by then. I still haven't decided yet.

I want to wish Patrick and Michele Good Luck on the Half IronMan this weekend. You guys are CRAZY!!!

Swimming...FINALLY!

Well I did it...I got up at 4:45 and went swimming. And the ONLY reason I actually got up is that I had to pee...but whatever..I got up and I went. I met my friend Tammy there (A girl I met at swim class) and I didn't swim very long..but I am going to try again tomorrow morning with the swim team. They practice for 1.5 hours so maybe I won't wus out with them. Then I went and did the hill training with Christy. If you are from around here..there is a hill off of Franklin road called Lynnwood, and it's almost a mile up with a 9% grade. I thought she would hit me for it..but she ran the WHOLE THING without any breaks! I was impressed. And it was steaming hot outside for even more enjoyment. Then we walked down it and there is another shorter, steeper hill that shoots off to the right that she did 4 repeats on. I really didn't run any of these except for 2 of the repeats because I am supposed to go run 6 miles later this afternoon with another group so I wanted to save my legs. (That's my story and I am sticking to it..ha!)

Yesterday I ran 2 miles and it took me 18:00!!! That's pitiful. BUT..the day before (Sunday) I went biking almost 40 miles with a group so my legs felt like lead! (My first brick...24 hours later!) I know..it doesn't count. But man I am dreading the run after biking. I can't imagine I'll be ready for it in 3 weeks. If my legs were that dead after 24 hours..what are they going to be like immediately after the ride? Jello!!

Run for Cinco de Mayo 5k

Well...Christy has completed her first 5k! She was shooting for a 35:00 but that last half of it was all upHill so she ended up with a 42:00. She was disappointed but honestly..if I had been trying for a 23:00 I would have probably finished in 27:00. It was a tough course....especially for a new runner. The start line was at the bottom of a hill, and hills continued through-out..then coming back was ALL uphill. And she hasn't done any hill training at all so now we know what to work on starting next week. She said she thought she was going to die..and I reminded her that she will ALWAYS feel that way if she's trying to beat a time so get used to it. It never gets any easier unless you are just running for the fun of it...so it's not a sign of weakness to think you are going to die. That's how it's supposed to feel! Welcome to running! During the run I kept telling her to turn around and look at all the people she was in front of! (A ton!) She ran most of the distance without stopping. In fact, I don't think she took any walk breaks till after mile 2..which was a MAJOR hill. On her shoulder I wrote "My first 5k" with a Sharpie and so people where cheering her on..and lots of people came up to her and said it was their first, too. And, we were right on pace for the first part of it..my leg never cramped. ( I've been having some issues with my left thigh since Saturday....But I ran this at a much slower pace than usual so I was fine.) After the race she was happy because she knew she gave it everything she had..so she did her best. Now she has a time to beat. And she said she's hooked for sure!

There was a huge block-party after the race and it was fun. Lots of free food, margaritas, and beer! So she has her first 5k under her belt. Congratulations Christy!! I am so proud of you!

On Tuesday I went on the field trip to the AG Fair with Bailey's 3rd grade class. Here is a pic of Bailey and I sitting together on the bus. AWWWW. I kept rubbing his head and mom stuff and he kept swatting me away because his buddies were laughing at him..so that made me do it even more.HA!


Here is a photo of the kids on the bus. Bring back any memories? And if you look closely, you can see someone in green hiding from the camera. THAT'S the "meanie mom". She was fine with everyone else taking pictures..except for me. She would hide. What's that all about? So Numerous times through-out the day I would pretend to snap a photo her way..just to see her sqirm. (I am ALSO in the 3rd grade) HEHE!


Here is a photo a Bailey in front of a combine that cost $250,000.00 in 1993! Can you imagine what it would cost today?
Here is a momma cow , and below is the baby . SO STINKIN' CUTE!
And this a pic of farmer John shearing down a sheep. That was fun to watch.

Later thatt afternoon there was a hot air balloon hovering over my neighborhood. It looked like it would land on our street it got so close!I learned a lot at the Ag fair. It was really interesting. I haven't done much in the way if exercise since the CMM. I walked everyday, but I never went swimming although I did make an attempt. I got up at 4:30 Wednesday morning and couldn't find my suit so I went back to bed. Then yesterday I decided to try to run, and my leg cramped at mile 2..the same was it did at mile 12 Saturday. It stopped me in my tracks yesterday though. Christy has a 5 k tomorrow that I am supposed to be pacing her in. She MAY be pacing me instead!