Guess I haven’t blogged in a while… all the sudden it’s almost October! Wow… time really does fly when you get older, ha!
I had my 7th annual girl’s trip last weekend. We went to Memphis this year which worked out perfectly because my friend Elizabeth just moved there a few months ago. I got to see her, Steve (her husband), and the kiddos Julia and William. Julia is Lola’s friend who was born on the same day. I really miss them. A lot. I’m not sure that I realized how much I missed them until I left. I got there on Thursday afternoon and stayed with them, then left to pick up my girlfriends at the airport on Friday morning. I cried the whole way to the airport. Memphis was good…although it was the least favorite of the cities we have been to. We had our usual spa day, a great dinner on Friday night at Restaurant Iris, and then some sightseeing the rest of the weekend at Sun Studios, Civil Rights Museum, and Graceland. Graceland wasn’t what I thought it would be, although I am not sure what I really thought it would be anyway. The house was pretty cool, although we couldn’t go upstairs. What I liked about it was that it was totally frozen in time. Nothing had been changed since Elvis died. It was like walking through time…my favorite was the kitchen. All ‘retro’ appliances to us now, but they were top of the line at that time. You just don’t see completely undisturbed spaces like that anymore. I guess I thought the house would be larger than it was, but for the 60’s I suppose it was pretty nice.
I decided at the end of last weekend that I am going to take Lola to visit Julia in the spring. Just the two of us. She is already excited!
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Olathe Women's triathlon 2012
Well, the first triathlon is officially on the books! The Olathe Medical Center Women’s triathlon 2012 was last Saturday, September 8th. The week leading up to it was terrible…I was very nervous. Once Friday came around, I had to drive to pick up my packet. All I could think about was the logistics of bringing both kids to the race at 5:30am in the morning. What started out as me being annoyed of the inconvenience of dealing with the kids turned out to be a really good distraction. I have watched Ryan race 4 times this summer and I never brought the kids. I left them with my parents. It was soooo much easier to watch him race without the kids. I could run from area to area and focus on him, and not worry about giving the kids a snack or one of the kids dropping their shoes out of the stroller. So Friday night instead of worrying about Saturday morning, I was making a list of things to pack for not only me but the kids! I was making ‘snack packs’ and getting the double jogging stroller put into the car. I was wondering what time to wake them up and what clothes to put them in…
So the morning of the race, I set the alarm for 4:45am. I got up, had a cup of coffee, and made some pancakes. Ryan made extra (small) pancakes and put them in baggies for the girls (easy and fairly mess-less snack idea). I usually have 2 cups of coffee, but decided on 1 cup instead so I would only have to pee 5 times instead of 10. :) I had also planned on taking a GU Gel somewhere during the race, and was going to use one with caffeine, so I knew I would get the rest of my caffeine fix later. We got the girls up literally as we were ready to walk out the door. They weren’t grumpy, just groggy. They both decided they needed to take a ton of extra stuff. Lola ‘needed’ her pillow and 3 blankets. Luca ‘needed’ her lovey (a nasty bunny blanket that usually stays in her crib). Plus we had the diaper bag, snacks, drinks, and a portable folding toilet (for Lola). We took way more things for the girls than we did for me. I sat in the back seat with the girls, in between them, and tried to get them to eat their pancakes. Neither really did, and I can hardly blame them for not wanting to eat breakfast 1.5 hours earlier than normal.
We got to the race parking area and got our huge fleet unloaded! Both girls did really well. We got me to the transition area and I got my bike and stuff set up. Ryan was trying to keep the girls in the stroller so they didn’t get into other peoples’ things. I did have to ask him how to rack my bike because I had never done it before! At this point I was nervous, but once again still focused on the girls that it really helped distract me. It was also really chilly outside, the first time in a while that it had been around 50 degrees. I had a jacket on, but I couldn’t feel my toes. The weather was going to be perfect that day though… cool and sunny! I knew the water would feel warm compared to the air. Once we got me all set up in transition, we wandered around and people-watched. The first wave took off at 7:30 but my wave didn’t take off until 8:05. I was starting to get nervous.
I went down to the swimming warm up area, which was between the buoys of the swim start and swim finish. I couldn’t believe how warm the water felt! It felt like bath water. The air temperature was 52 degrees and the water was 80 degrees. I warmed up for a few minutes, and then realized it was time…the 30-34 age group was lining up to go in the water. Here we go… I lined up along the left. My goal was to hug the buoys and not wander to the right. There were 2 left turns, basically an upside down triangle. The gun went off and away we went. I tried to start swimming but there were people everywhere. I got kicked in the face over and over, and a girl swam on top of me from the side. I tried to move left, but then got caught up in the rope that connected the buoys. Once I finally got to the first turn, I remember thinking “holy crap, I WAY underestimated how hard this swim would be”. And in all honesty, I had always believed the swim would be hard. Nothing could have prepared me for this though…not even the 5 other open water swims I did in the month leading up to the race. I just couldn’t get into a rhythm. Every time I tried to, someone was either in front of me or the darn rope was in my way! I finally made it to the home stretch, and got into somewhat of a rhythm…although I still never felt awesome. I was very frustrated, although I didn’t let it get me down. I came out of the water with a HUGE sigh of relief. I saw Ryan and the girls, and I shouted something about the swim being horrible! Ryan took a picture of me right after that, and I was smiling though…because the hard part was over!
Off into transition I went. This was my first race so this was a new experience for me. My legs were pretty shaky as I put on my bike shoes and helmet. I sucked down a gel (with caffeine!) and took off. Running in bike shoes is hard… maybe someday I can get to the point where I keep my shoes on my bike and just slip in and out of them while on my bike (like the more experienced racers do). But I have only been riding a few months and I can’t even comprehend doing this yet…I can barely reach down and grab a water bottle while riding! I got on my bike and decided to push it a bit. I was frustrated about the swim, but I was bound and determined to make it up on the bike and run. I saw my dad as I was beginning the bike. Mom had dropped him off and he was walking to meet Ryan. I just happened to glance over and there he was. The bike went FAST! It seemed like 10 minutes, even though it was 36.5 minutes. I loved it! I passed over 150 gals on the bike course (yes, I counted), and got passed by only 2 girls. What an addictive feeling! The course was really hilly, with 2 HUGE hills before the final stretch, but I got through it. As I was coming into transition I heard Ryan yelling and cheering.
I ran over to hang my bike up and started to change for the run. Ryan ran over to the fence and was yelling. I couldn’t really tell what he was saying because my legs were shaking as I tried to put on my socks and shoes and I was focused on that. He was talking, but all I heard was “just go”. So I yelled back “I’m trying!”. Turns out he had told me I was in 4th place in my age group and instead of holding back on the first mile of the run, like we had talked about, to instead just go and push it. All I heard was “just go” and I thought he was trying to hurry me out of transition so it made me mad. :) It is hard to take bike shoes off and put running shoes on when you are shaking. I grabbed another gel and ate half of it, and started running. I am a decent runner. I am not a fast runner. It is something I want to work on, and had been working on a bit, but my goal is to work on speed over the winter. I wanted to run this 3 miles in under 8 minute miles and in my dream world it would have been closer to 7 minute miles (I ended up pacing at 7:43/mile). I was surprised at how decent my legs felt after the bike, although the first part of the run course was gentle downhills. I knew the hard part would be coming back up. I passed a lot of people. I didn’t count though like I did on the bike ride. I only got passed by one girl, and it was very frustrating because she was in the age group that started the swim after me! I tried to keep my pace up. Coming back in I felt okay, tired but okay. The last hill up before the finish line was tough. If I could go back and do it again of course I would have tried to push myself harder, but that is how it goes right? You would always do better if you could go back in time! Ha. The finish was all downhill. Uncomfortable downhill, meaning it was a pretty steep slope down. I had to hold back just do I didn’t let my feet get ahead of me, then I sprinted the last 25 yards or so. Whew…all done! I felt really good, which of course made me think that I could have pushed myself even harder on the bike and run. There goes that darn hindsight thing again…
I ended up placing 1st in my age group, although if you really want to get technical and picky (which I do because I’m a perfectionist) I got 3rd in my age group. They gave overall awards and then age group awards. The top 2 finishers in the whole race were in my age group, but they don’t let them ‘double dip’ and also place in their age group, so that is how I ended up with the 1st place trophy for the 30-34 age group. Regardless, I am happy with how I did! I got 26th overall in the whole race which I am still happy with. Now that it is a few days later, I’ve started picking things apart. I just can’t help myself. I know what I need to work on to do better in future races. I need to work on my speed in the swim. I need to go out strong and get ahead of the pack so I don’t get kicked and pushed around. Then I need to slow down and focus on breathing. I need to work on sprints in the pool so I can be comfortable going fast, and then slowing down. I’m not comfortable doing that now…I can’t re-catch my breath. I need to work on becoming quicker in both transitions; swim to bike and bike to run. I need to work on bike speed, and I need to work on run speed. Otherwise, I’m good! Ha ha.
Overall it was a good experience, but I am still a bit freaked out by how difficult the swim was. I guess I have all winter to work on it!
So the morning of the race, I set the alarm for 4:45am. I got up, had a cup of coffee, and made some pancakes. Ryan made extra (small) pancakes and put them in baggies for the girls (easy and fairly mess-less snack idea). I usually have 2 cups of coffee, but decided on 1 cup instead so I would only have to pee 5 times instead of 10. :) I had also planned on taking a GU Gel somewhere during the race, and was going to use one with caffeine, so I knew I would get the rest of my caffeine fix later. We got the girls up literally as we were ready to walk out the door. They weren’t grumpy, just groggy. They both decided they needed to take a ton of extra stuff. Lola ‘needed’ her pillow and 3 blankets. Luca ‘needed’ her lovey (a nasty bunny blanket that usually stays in her crib). Plus we had the diaper bag, snacks, drinks, and a portable folding toilet (for Lola). We took way more things for the girls than we did for me. I sat in the back seat with the girls, in between them, and tried to get them to eat their pancakes. Neither really did, and I can hardly blame them for not wanting to eat breakfast 1.5 hours earlier than normal.
We got to the race parking area and got our huge fleet unloaded! Both girls did really well. We got me to the transition area and I got my bike and stuff set up. Ryan was trying to keep the girls in the stroller so they didn’t get into other peoples’ things. I did have to ask him how to rack my bike because I had never done it before! At this point I was nervous, but once again still focused on the girls that it really helped distract me. It was also really chilly outside, the first time in a while that it had been around 50 degrees. I had a jacket on, but I couldn’t feel my toes. The weather was going to be perfect that day though… cool and sunny! I knew the water would feel warm compared to the air. Once we got me all set up in transition, we wandered around and people-watched. The first wave took off at 7:30 but my wave didn’t take off until 8:05. I was starting to get nervous.
I went down to the swimming warm up area, which was between the buoys of the swim start and swim finish. I couldn’t believe how warm the water felt! It felt like bath water. The air temperature was 52 degrees and the water was 80 degrees. I warmed up for a few minutes, and then realized it was time…the 30-34 age group was lining up to go in the water. Here we go… I lined up along the left. My goal was to hug the buoys and not wander to the right. There were 2 left turns, basically an upside down triangle. The gun went off and away we went. I tried to start swimming but there were people everywhere. I got kicked in the face over and over, and a girl swam on top of me from the side. I tried to move left, but then got caught up in the rope that connected the buoys. Once I finally got to the first turn, I remember thinking “holy crap, I WAY underestimated how hard this swim would be”. And in all honesty, I had always believed the swim would be hard. Nothing could have prepared me for this though…not even the 5 other open water swims I did in the month leading up to the race. I just couldn’t get into a rhythm. Every time I tried to, someone was either in front of me or the darn rope was in my way! I finally made it to the home stretch, and got into somewhat of a rhythm…although I still never felt awesome. I was very frustrated, although I didn’t let it get me down. I came out of the water with a HUGE sigh of relief. I saw Ryan and the girls, and I shouted something about the swim being horrible! Ryan took a picture of me right after that, and I was smiling though…because the hard part was over!
Off into transition I went. This was my first race so this was a new experience for me. My legs were pretty shaky as I put on my bike shoes and helmet. I sucked down a gel (with caffeine!) and took off. Running in bike shoes is hard… maybe someday I can get to the point where I keep my shoes on my bike and just slip in and out of them while on my bike (like the more experienced racers do). But I have only been riding a few months and I can’t even comprehend doing this yet…I can barely reach down and grab a water bottle while riding! I got on my bike and decided to push it a bit. I was frustrated about the swim, but I was bound and determined to make it up on the bike and run. I saw my dad as I was beginning the bike. Mom had dropped him off and he was walking to meet Ryan. I just happened to glance over and there he was. The bike went FAST! It seemed like 10 minutes, even though it was 36.5 minutes. I loved it! I passed over 150 gals on the bike course (yes, I counted), and got passed by only 2 girls. What an addictive feeling! The course was really hilly, with 2 HUGE hills before the final stretch, but I got through it. As I was coming into transition I heard Ryan yelling and cheering.
I ran over to hang my bike up and started to change for the run. Ryan ran over to the fence and was yelling. I couldn’t really tell what he was saying because my legs were shaking as I tried to put on my socks and shoes and I was focused on that. He was talking, but all I heard was “just go”. So I yelled back “I’m trying!”. Turns out he had told me I was in 4th place in my age group and instead of holding back on the first mile of the run, like we had talked about, to instead just go and push it. All I heard was “just go” and I thought he was trying to hurry me out of transition so it made me mad. :) It is hard to take bike shoes off and put running shoes on when you are shaking. I grabbed another gel and ate half of it, and started running. I am a decent runner. I am not a fast runner. It is something I want to work on, and had been working on a bit, but my goal is to work on speed over the winter. I wanted to run this 3 miles in under 8 minute miles and in my dream world it would have been closer to 7 minute miles (I ended up pacing at 7:43/mile). I was surprised at how decent my legs felt after the bike, although the first part of the run course was gentle downhills. I knew the hard part would be coming back up. I passed a lot of people. I didn’t count though like I did on the bike ride. I only got passed by one girl, and it was very frustrating because she was in the age group that started the swim after me! I tried to keep my pace up. Coming back in I felt okay, tired but okay. The last hill up before the finish line was tough. If I could go back and do it again of course I would have tried to push myself harder, but that is how it goes right? You would always do better if you could go back in time! Ha. The finish was all downhill. Uncomfortable downhill, meaning it was a pretty steep slope down. I had to hold back just do I didn’t let my feet get ahead of me, then I sprinted the last 25 yards or so. Whew…all done! I felt really good, which of course made me think that I could have pushed myself even harder on the bike and run. There goes that darn hindsight thing again…
I ended up placing 1st in my age group, although if you really want to get technical and picky (which I do because I’m a perfectionist) I got 3rd in my age group. They gave overall awards and then age group awards. The top 2 finishers in the whole race were in my age group, but they don’t let them ‘double dip’ and also place in their age group, so that is how I ended up with the 1st place trophy for the 30-34 age group. Regardless, I am happy with how I did! I got 26th overall in the whole race which I am still happy with. Now that it is a few days later, I’ve started picking things apart. I just can’t help myself. I know what I need to work on to do better in future races. I need to work on my speed in the swim. I need to go out strong and get ahead of the pack so I don’t get kicked and pushed around. Then I need to slow down and focus on breathing. I need to work on sprints in the pool so I can be comfortable going fast, and then slowing down. I’m not comfortable doing that now…I can’t re-catch my breath. I need to work on becoming quicker in both transitions; swim to bike and bike to run. I need to work on bike speed, and I need to work on run speed. Otherwise, I’m good! Ha ha.
Overall it was a good experience, but I am still a bit freaked out by how difficult the swim was. I guess I have all winter to work on it!
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| Right after unloading all our gear out of the car. Lola just can't smile... she has to make a silly face. |
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| Out of the water....major relief! |
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| Right after I yelled to Ryan, "that was horrible", then I smiled...so it couldn't have been that bad, right!? Hmmmm |
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| I need to work on clipping in...I missed and had to try again. |
_s_jpg.jpg) |
| Apparently I need to spend a bit more time in transition getting my helmet on properly. It's pretty crooked and probably not very safe. |
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| Most people wouldn't have anything funny to say about this photo, but seriously, can the belt holding my race number be any higher up!? Ryan and I joke about this all the time...my 'natural' waist is so high, waaaay above my hips. I spent the whole run trying to pull this stupid thing down and obviously it never stayed down. |
_s_jpg.jpg) |
| All finished! Note, the 1:50 time is from the first wave start. My wave started 35 minutes after the first wave. |
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| Random picture the photographer captured of Ryan and the girls. |
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| Me getting my award from Becky Lavelle, the pro triathlete who was at this race. |
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
5 days and counting...
My first triathlon is in 5 days. I am freaking out more than I can even explain. I went for an open water swim last night and it didn’t go great. I have done 5 open water swims in the past few weeks which I know has helped a TON, but…I still can’t get the comfortable breathing down until I have warmed up a bit. There really isn’t any way to get past that since I can really only warm up by swimming.
Otherwise, we had a good Labor Day weekend. We had some friends over on Sunday to eat. None of them had been to our house before and they hadn’t met our kids yet. Ryan smoked a pork shoulder all day and we had tacos, guacamole, and a corn salad. Very tasty! Lola was pretty good until the evening wore on…then she turned into ‘crazy Lola’ and she wouldn’t calm down. It was to the point of being embarrassing for both me and Ryan. We tried several times to talk to her and tell her to chill out, but she was just freaking out running around, grabbing onto people, basically the best way to describe the way she acted was like we had just given her 1200mg of caffeine. I’ll be surprised if we ever hear from these friends again!
We also finally got some rain last weekend. I was seriously getting sick of my 2nd job of watering our bushes and trees, trying to keep them alive. There is nothing like working all day, then going outside when it’s 90 degrees and humid and watering after the kids go to bed. I was so glad to get a break from that! We have lost several bushes and two trees look pretty bad. I figured the cost of water wouldn’t be nearly as much money as replacing decently sized bushes and trees.
Otherwise, we had a good Labor Day weekend. We had some friends over on Sunday to eat. None of them had been to our house before and they hadn’t met our kids yet. Ryan smoked a pork shoulder all day and we had tacos, guacamole, and a corn salad. Very tasty! Lola was pretty good until the evening wore on…then she turned into ‘crazy Lola’ and she wouldn’t calm down. It was to the point of being embarrassing for both me and Ryan. We tried several times to talk to her and tell her to chill out, but she was just freaking out running around, grabbing onto people, basically the best way to describe the way she acted was like we had just given her 1200mg of caffeine. I’ll be surprised if we ever hear from these friends again!
We also finally got some rain last weekend. I was seriously getting sick of my 2nd job of watering our bushes and trees, trying to keep them alive. There is nothing like working all day, then going outside when it’s 90 degrees and humid and watering after the kids go to bed. I was so glad to get a break from that! We have lost several bushes and two trees look pretty bad. I figured the cost of water wouldn’t be nearly as much money as replacing decently sized bushes and trees.
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