Tri's, 3 kids and Life

A Day at the Zoo

2011-11-11T21:06:00.010-05:00

I love the Zoo!
I'm sure that is politically incorrect, but I can't help it. I love seeing the animals. Where else will I ever get an opportunity to see elephants and orangutans and polar bears all in one day? Where else can I stand safely with my kids and hear the roar of a tiger, or the laughter of a hyena?
Kevin and I decided last weekend to take the kids to the Bronx Zoo for the day. We knew that it was the last day of the year that many of the special attractions would be running, and we wanted to take advantage of some all inclusive passes that we had.
I'm so glad we went! At the Bronx Zoo, there are a few animals that you can only see if you go on the monorail, which we missed when we went down earlier in the summer. Jack was so happy to see the elephants, and Mack was thrilled by the Rhinos. But, the big surprise was how enamored Shayna was by the Red Panda.

Here are a few pictures from the day.
Mack and Jack being measured near a Tiger.

Family shot in front of the Polar Bear.

Riding the Camel-Jack wouldn't go.

On the monorail.

Here's a picture of Jack and Bentley, who is now 5 months old. Although, it's not a shot from the zoo, some people (and by that, I mean Kevin), would say our house feels like a zoo with 2 kids and 2 large dogs.

I can never chose a favorite animal. I love the monkeys for their antics. The polar bear, because despite his size, he is so stinkin cute. The Giraffes are beautiful to watch. The Tiger manages to be regal, no matter what he's doing. And the seals, swim with such grace and ease, that I love to watch them.
What's your favorite animal at the Zoo?

2011 Tour De Habitat

2011-10-09T20:37:00.001-04:00

Just as I resigned myself to the idea that there would be no Tri for me this year, my husband came along with a crazy new idea. "Let's complete the Tour De Habitat ride on Sept 18th!" Sounds like a great idea. Right? All proceeds for the event were to go to the Albany chapter of Habitat for humanity, and the entry fee was $100, but we could fund raise to cover the entry fees, if we wished.
Did I mention that he came up with this brilliant idea around September 4th? And, did I mention that he wanted to complete the 50 mile ride? Oh, and, he asked his dad and Uncle to join us. AL and Marty have completed the MS 150 on more than one occasion, so 50 miles is a walk in the park for them.
Kevin's enthusiasm was contagious. How could I say no? I've never completed a 50 mile ride before, so it sounded like a great adventure. With only 2 weeks to go before the event, Kevin started fund raising with incredible focus. Just as I was beginning to contemplate backing out of the event, I learned that we had raised close to $1,000. Combined with the fact that his Dad was sneaking out of his house at 5:30AM for training rides (I know, because I was outside with the puppy on several of those mornings), I decided to follow through with my commitment.
And, time marched on. A week before the ride, Kevin bought himself a new bike! It's a beautiful and fast specialized road bike. Here is the only picture we have, because every time he gets on it, he's too impatient to let me take any others.

September 18th arrived; sunny and beautiful. Unfortunately, I woke up sick. Again, I considered canceling. But, I really don't like to give up before I even try. So, I threw my bike on the rack with Kevin's and we met up with Al and Marty at the Albany Pump Station, to register and hand in our donations. As a team, we raised over $1,000! Our team was the highest fund raising team this year.
My plan at the beginning of the ride, was to modify the event and only complete the 25 mile route. Unfortunately, the routes weren't the same for the first 13 miles, and I was so busy talking to Uncle Marty, that I missed my turn for the shorter route. Prepared or not, I was going to do a 50 mile ride!
The ride was beautiful. We took some back country roads through Albany county, that I have never been on before. At mile 13, we stopped for a snack and some water. At that point, I was feeling pretty good, and was glad that I decided to do the 50 miles. From mile 12 to mile 28, the ride was scenic....and hilly! I am not a great hill climber. To make matters worse, Kevin and his Dad are fantastic hill climbers. They were truly good sports about it, and never complained once that I was holding them back.
By mile 32, my butt was pretty sore, and I was starting to get blisters on my palms (now I know why gloves are a good investment). And yet, the conversation was great, and the scenery continued to be beautiful. Around mile 40, my toes went numb. Unfortunately, that's also about the time that we cruised onto some major roads, where the scenery was not as great, and traffic was fairly busy. It was a definite test of my commitment level, and determination, to finish those last 10 miles. We rolled back into the parking lot of the Pump Station, 4.5 hours after we started. Certainly not any speed record, but we were all fairly proud of our accomplishments! We climbed a total of 2,000 feet in elevation during the ride. And, I completed my first 1/2 century!
Sorry, no photos. We didn't think to bring our camera.
I believe we are shooting for the 100 mile ride next year!

The Year Without a Tri.

2011-09-01T20:42:00.006-04:00

So, it turns out that 2011 will be the year without a Tri, for me. I started out with the best intentions: Training hard, focusing on my running, eating healthy. You know, doing all the right things.
Then, in May, I received an email that my favorite Tri was cancelled, due to extensive road work scheduled to be done on the bike course. That sort of took the wind out of my sails, so to speak. But, I pulled myself together and started focusing on the DACC in August. At the same time, I increased my running volume with an eye on completed a half marathon in September.

In late June, I was up to 6.5 miles for my long run! That's a huge deal for me. I have never trained consistently above 4.5 without an injury. So, you guessed it! I got injured. Plantar Fascitis in my left foot. It sidelined me for quite a while, and made me miserable. I fell into old habits and didn't communicate that I was in pain, to my family, so they all just thought I was being a jerk....sorry family.

There we were, in June, training on the back burner due to injury, (and here the story takes a side trip) and I had a night of intense dreams. In at least 6 dreams, I saw the same puppy. I don't remember anything about the dreams, except that the same black puppy, with white on his chest, and wavy fur on his ears was there.I told Kevin that when I meet this puppy, he will be part of our family. He didn't really believe me, so he patronized me and said, ok. Whatever.

Well, in July I met that Puppy! His name is Bentley. and I knew immediately that he is the puppy who was in my dreams. Here he is, on the day we met:

And, here in one of my favorite pictures of him.

Relevance? Well having a puppy is sort of like having a baby. All my personal goals went out the window, to take care of him. He came to us in mid July, when he was 6 weeks old. From that day on, training became almost non-existant.
Between the PF and the new puppy, I ultimately had to decide that Tri training would have to take a back burner this year. But, things are settling down now, and I'm hoping to get back into a training groove. Winter training is a little more forgiving of missed days, and hopefully I'll be ready to go for 2012!
In the meantime, I'll enjoy Bentley and my kids, and focus on being healthy.
-Peace.

Things That Have Kept Me Busy this Summer!

2011-08-23T21:19:00.015-04:00

The top 8 reasons why I haven't blogged this summer:
8:Gardening. Although the next 9 things have also detracted from our time in the garden.

7: Running. I managed to get up to 6 mile runs before I got injured! That's a huge deal for me.

6: Cycling!

5: Reading great books. Like The Help.
4:Hanging with this Chica:

3: Chillin with these two dudes!

2: A week in Cape Cod with the family.

AND, The number one reason why I haven't blogged this sumer is.....
A new addition to our family. His name is Bentley, and hecame to us at 6 week sold, weighing 8 pounds!

Here he is today. He is now 11 weeks old, 18.9 pounds!

Be prepared for more Bentley photos, in the future!

Our 10th Anniversary!

2011-06-22T17:18:00.008-04:00

Kevin and I celebrated our 10th anniversary this past week. We are very fortunate to have Shayna and Andrew living with us right now. They agreed to take full responsibility for the care of Mack, Jack and all our animals, so that we were able to celebrate on Cape Cod.
When looking at the photos from our honeymoon, it looks like we were on separate vacations. We have many pictures that we took f each other 10 years ago, but almost none of the two of us together. So, we promised that this time we would make a concerted effort to ask people to take pictures of us together.
Here are a few of the shots we have from our three day trip!
Sunset from Rock Harbor Bay

We rented bikes, and spent the first half of our anniversary, on a 30 mile ride. We went past the end of the rail trail, and followed "Ocean View Road" It was beautiful. One of the hidden gems of Cape Cod.
Here we are at the beginning of the ride:

And here we are at about the half way point.

Finally, for our main celebration, we went on a sunset sail from Provincetown Harbor, on the Bay Lady II.

It was a beautiful 2 days, and we cn't wait to go back with the kids this summer!

"Make it a Great Day" Half Marathon and One Mile Community Walk-Review

2011-06-12T21:02:00.008-04:00

Let me start by saying that we have currently raised over $8,000 for the NY Oncology and Hematology Cancer Resource Foundation!

Our goal for this first annual event was to raise $5,000, and I'm so excited that we surpassed that! Donations are still rolling in, so we don't yet know what our final total will be.

As far as the events go, it was so much work, but so worth it!
I took Friday off from work, to run around and get everything ready for Saturday. I went to bed on Thursday night with a clear plan for Friday.
Unfortunately, I woke up on Friday morning to an email from the company I had rented the timing system from, stating there was a "mix-up" at UPS, and I would not be receiving the printout stopwatch system. This could definitely be classified as a "Big Deal". I had visions of me standing at the finish line of the half marathon, with my $10 target stop watch, shouting out to the finishers things like, "You were a little more than 2 hours" and "Okay-#4 was about 2:20, and #6 was about 2:30. So, we'll give #5 a 2:25."
Or, "Hey, you all finished! Isn't that what's really important here?"
After three hours of near panic, several emails and phone calls, I had a solution to the problem. Thanks to the Tamarac High School Cross Country coach, and Hudson Mohawk Road Runners Club, I found 2 reliable stop watches to use!
(I'm now a member of HMRRC.)
Then the fun began! It was a day of running around to pick up safety cones, raffle tickets, T-shirts, which look awesome. We still have a few for sale, if any one's interested.

Friday evening, we were joined by Ed and Donna Peck to stuff goodie bags and organize T-shirts for all registered runners/walkers. By 1:20 AM, I was ready for bed!

Saturday morning, I hopped up at 5, loaded up the van, and woke Mack up. We swung over to get my friend Mindy, who had volunteered to spend the day helping out, and made our way to the school. We spent the next 2 hours ( joined by several other volunteers) getting set up, greeting people, registering same day runners, getting the water stations squared away, and before we knew it, it was time to speak to the runners! Ed Peck and I both said a few words.

The runners gathered at the starting line

Remember the time keeping fiasco I mentioned? Well, thanks to these two lovely ladies and Andrew, the timing of the race was smooth as silk!

Here are my two littlest volunteers. They hung in there all day long, and were incredibly helpful!

The first runner came in at 1hour and 25 minutes!
There are a few things I learned from this event, and a few things I'll do differently next year. The first is that I'll choose a weekend that doesn't coincide with a local 5k that draws over 5,000 runners from all around the world. Some of the other changes include, adding mile markers on the course, starting a little earlier, and getting a volunteer to take pictures of the event.
Some of you might be asking, "Where was Kevin during the event?" Well, my awesome husband was competing in the race. And let me brag a little, to say that he finished his first Half Mary in 2:07! That breaks down to 9:45 per mile!
For the most part, I think the day was an incredible success!
Hope to see you at the Second Annual "Make it a Great Day" Half Marathon!
-Heidi

The half marathon course!

2011-04-18T10:46:00.004-04:00

A run mapped on 04/15/2011

Find more Runs in Troy, NY

The two side roads will be run on the first half of the race. For safety, and to prevent runners from having to cross the road. Once you reach Old Siek Road, it's a straight shot back to the school.

Tell me what you think!

"Make it a Great Day" Half marathon and one mile community walk

2011-04-05T21:51:00.003-04:00

I've been working to organize this half marathon and community walk since last October..or maybe September.
The event is in honor of my eighth grade english teacher, Ed Peck.
Here is the original post, where I talk about the beginning of the plan.

Well, things are moving along, and coming together nicely. The date of the event is Saturday June 4, 2011. The half marathon starts at 9 AM, from Tamarac school, where Ed taught. You can now register on-line at

"Make it a Great Day" Half Marathon

The one mile community walk starts at 10 AM and will take place on the school track. The purpose of the walk is to be sure that every one who wants to show their support for Ed, has a way to participate. There is no registration fee for the walk. Anyone who donates $50 or more will get a T-shirt. Donations can be made on the day of the race, or on-line through active.com

I started this process on a whim. And, so far it's been an incredible journey. I've met many new people, who have been kind and supportive, and as excited as I am. Ed Peck was an inspiration to me for many reasons. This event is a fantastic way to honor him, while doing something good for many people in the community.

If at all possible, please consider joining us on June 4, 2011.

As always, thanks for stopping by.

A few updates

2011-03-21T21:11:00.004-04:00

First, there is a post coming soon in honor of my beautiful daughter's 21st birthday. Photos are being uploaded. Sorry for the delay, but this isn't something that can be rushed.
Next- an update on my new years resolution, which was to run 3 times a week.
I did not make it for the month of January, when I averaged 2 runs per week. But since the beginning of February, I have hit the target every week!
Which brings me to the final update:
Those Vibram 5 Fingers (VFF's) shoes that I got for running: They are awesome! I love them. My feet love them. My knees love them! I have had to slow my running pace down a little, while I adjust to running in them. But, I am building up a a solid base. My long run is now 4 miles every week.
Yes, they look funny. And, yes, at least one person comments on them, every time I wear them. But, I don't care. They're so awesome, that I'm thinking about buying a pair in black for work.

I signed up for my first 5k of 2011. It's in Troy on April 9th. I'm ready for it.

So there you have it. Nothing to exciting going on. I'm really trying to stay focused on my running goal, until tri season gets going in full force.

Confidence and Strength

2011-02-26T08:24:00.004-05:00

Recently, I was participating in an online discussion about Tri training, and how it effects other aspects of one's life.

Here is the question that was posed:

"Which brings me to a idea and I'd love to hear what folks think. I've been reflecting on the importance in triathlons to have the confidence to believe you'll do well by whatever standards you set for yourself. Part of that confidence comes from proper training... that is, if you follow a training plan that has been put together by experts, you can be more confident that you'll "do well" in what you trained for. But there's another piece of that confidence, which has to do with how we face and embrace experiences that are new to us, especially ones that in the past where we might have mental roadblocks. Triathlons might be a physical manifestation of this situation (and a simpler one), but there are lots of others in life. Do any of you see taking on triathlons as "training" for breaking through these roadblocks in other parts of our lives?"

And my response:

I've been thinking about this question since you posted it, Stu. The answer is most definitely yes, for me. This past summer, I was in a terrible working environment. The regional managers of the company had made it very clear that their goal was to eliminate my job. I was faced with daily pressure to justify my position, while continuing to do my job.
Every day, before I walked into the office, I would stop at the door and say to myself, "You just completed a 25 mile bike ride last night, up Krumkill hill. You can handle anything they throw at you."
On a funnier note, whenever the regional manager would come into the office, and give me a hard time, I'd picture his pasty white, overweight, flabby body in a wet suit... It made me laugh every time

Today, I am in a much healthier work environment. But it is still extremely stressful, because I deal with life and death situations every day. Sometimes, when I'm in a stressful, new or difficult situation, I'll close my eyes for a second, picture the toughest hill I've ever rode up, and know I have the strength and patience to handle the issue.
So, yes, Tri training has helped me immensely in life.

And now, my question for each of you:

What do you participate in, that improves your confidence and self esteem? What is it that gives you the knowledge that you are strong and competent, and can push through tough times?

Some New Things

2011-02-03T15:49:00.006-05:00

As usual, things have changed a little bit around here. Shayna has gone back to school for the last half of her Junior year. We miss her terribly, but she's happy at school, so we're happy for her. Plus, we have Skype now, so we can see her every day....if she doesn't ignore us :)
But, don't worry about us too much. We aren't suffering from a quiet house, or the absence of a young adult. My nephew moved in with us for a little while. He chose to move up to chilly NY, from Texas. We are so fortunate that he is staying here with us, while he gets on his feet. Mack and Jack love having him around. Kevin and I do, too. I think it's a bigger adjustment for him, than it is for us. I mean, he's never actually lived with little kids before.
He seems to be settling in fairly well. Cammie loves having him around. Mack has convinced him to play Scrabble and Legos with her. Jack has twisted his arm to play army guys ( a game that I dread having to play), and today they created an airplane together.

Everyone's having fun!

On a training note: I've been sidelined by illness.
I haven't had a single workout in over a week now, because of some respiratory thing that I managed to catch. But, in preparation for when I can return to the track, I picked up a pair of these:

Vibram Five Fingers! AKA, Barefoot running shoes. The theory is that with a minimalist shoe, we use our feet in a healthier way. There is a huge movement of runners using these shoes. My hope is that I will have a reduction in injuries, as I slowly transition to these shoes. I've been wearing them around the house every day, and I love them so far! I'll let you know how they feel for running, if I ever get out there again.
That's it for now. Stay healthy and have fun out there!
-Heidi

50th Anniversary Party

2011-01-31T20:26:00.006-05:00

My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on January 14th, 2010. To celebrate, my siblings and I threw them a surprise party this past summer. My sister wrote a wonderful post about the party.
To give the story a different twist, I thought I'd share photos from the exclusive "after party" with all of you. Brace yourself for the glamour and thrill of this top secret event!
The happy couple in their element!

Various grandchildren relaxing and playing together

Performing surgery in the living room

There you have it. A glimpse into the glamor and glory of the private after party.

Washington DC

2011-01-22T11:56:00.009-05:00

I got a new computer this week. The old one was terrible at posting pictures, so there are a few things I've avoided writing about, until now.
The first is my trip to Washington DC in October 2010. I love museums, but rarely get to go to any. Then, in October, I had an opportunity to fly down and spend the weekend in DC: The mecca of Museums...all of which are free!

The icing on the cake was that my cousin (and good friend) was also going to be in DC that same weekend! She's from Phoenix, and we don't see each other as much as we want. Okay, admittedly, I'd like to hang out with her every weekend, so once a year will never be enough for me!

Here are some photos from the first day in DC:

I met Kath for dinner that night, and we took a cab over to the Korean War monument. A friend had told me one of the "must see attractions" in DC is the Korean war Monument at night. The pictures don't do it justice. It was haunting, and eerie, and really captured how it might have felt out in those fields at night.

I'm just going to say that Kath is a pro at getting a cab! It was my first cab ride, and if hailing it had my responsibility...well, we'd still be standing on the corner.
By the time I got back to my hotel that night, I was exhausted from all the walking I had done.
On Saturday, I spent the morning going to a farmers market that was phenomenal. that I could just wander in and out at my Kath and I managed to meet for lunch, in China Town.

Then, I got so wrapped up in everything I was seeing, and just living in the moment, that I sort of forgot to take pictures. But, I did go to a bunch of museums, and just strolled around.
Sunday, I returned to Albany and my awesome family. It was great that Kevin and my Mom were so willing to take care of the kids so that I could have a fantastic weekend exploring a city by myself! DC is definitely on my list of places to return to. I'd like to go with my parents and Kevin, then take the kids in the future.

A Political Comment

2011-01-11T17:05:00.002-05:00

If you follow me, you know I rarely make political statements. But today, I'm going to make one:
Occasionally I hear some one say, "Guns don't kill people. People kill people."
Here is my response: Really? I've never known anyone who could shoot someone without a gun in their hand.

I'm just saying.

Keeping it Simple

2011-01-04T11:29:00.001-05:00

I've decided to make a New Years Resolution. I'm keeping it simple, and making only one. That is not to imply that it will be a simple one for me to keep.

Here it is:

I resolve to run three times a week.

That's it.
Peace.
-Heidi

The Blur that is December

2010-12-23T19:33:00.002-05:00

Hmmm. Where to start.
Our awesome, free spirit, intense Mack is now 8! We celebrated her birthday with a party at the local rock climbing wall. It was a huge hit with all of the kids. I loved that we had 2 hours to climb the walls, and the two employees were fantastic with the kids. Sorry, no pictures because our camera is MIA.

We've spent the month decorating, singing Christmas carols, baking cookies and visiting with family and friends. Shayna is home for winter break, and it's always wonderful to have her here. She got her first car this month too! Thanks to a friend, she now has a 97 Nissan Sentra, and seems very happy with it.

And, now Christmas is a mere 2 days away. The shopping is done. The stockings are hung by the stairs. Requests have been made to Santa. Although, neither Mack or Jack will go anywhere near the mall Santa's, so we rely on letters to him. Jack has been carrying the "Back to Basics" toy catalog around for a month, and is adamant that he wants the ride on excavator- he shows anyone who will look at the picture.
He has also asked for, "More friends. new friends. and better friends. Oh yeah, that and more toys!"
Mack's list consists of batteries and pistachio nuts.
My Christmas wish is for health and happiness for those I love.
Oh yeah- that and a bunch of Tri gear!
-Peace.

Bethlehem 1st Annual Turkey Trot

2010-11-26T19:16:00.006-05:00

Yesterday was Thanksgiving,and I planned to start my day off by running the 1st Annual Bethlehem Turkey Trot. The goal was to take at least 4 minutes off the time of may last race, since I was really sucking wind that day.

Well, I didn't meet my goal. In fact, I added 4 minutes to my last race time. But, I don't care. No, really, I'm happy to have been slower than I was a month ago. Now, I know all you runners are scratching your heads, trying to figure out what the heck has gotten into me.
I can answer that in one word...Mackenzie! That's right. Mack ran the race with me! My seven year old finished her first ever 5k! With no official training. When I woke up yesterday morning, she said she wanted to go with me to the race. I explained to her how far the run would be, and she decided to give it a try!
So, off we went, to register and get our numbers!

She worked really hard to do her best. Here she is in the 3rd mile!

She finished strong, and was happy to see Kevin, Shayna and Jack there to cheer her on! Here we are in our post race excitement.

It was a great morning, an I'm so proud of her for running the race with me.She says she wants to do another one!I'm trying to keep my glee in check, but it's exciting to think she might be my future running partner!

7 Days without Soda

2010-11-19T19:42:00.002-05:00

I am a Diet Coke Fiend. I have been since I was 18. Over the years, it has become almost exclusively, the only thing I drink. I accept no substitutes. If there is no soda in the house when I wake up in the morning, I run to the local Mobile to get some before Kevin leaves for the day.

Sure, I have water after a workout. And, occasionally I have a glass of wine. Rarely do I touch milk. And, I never drink juice. So, probably 98% of all fluid intake is Diet Coke. Over the years, I've tried to cut back every once in a while, but it never works for longer than a few weeks. At most.

Well, last Saturday, I decided that I'm done with Diet Coke. I bought a 20 ounce bottle around lunch time, and by the end of the day, still had about 8 ounces left. I haven't had any soda since.

Has it been hard? Not too bad. Only in the middle of the night when I wake up thirsty. Only during the work day when I hear the vending machine calling my name from the other end of the building. If the office is quiet, I am sure that I can hear those cans spinning around in their slots, waiting for me to come and liberate them from their prison. And it's only a little hard when I'm standing in line at the store, and the person behind me puts a 2 liter on the counter. I thought briefly of offering her $5 for her bottle.

But honestly, by today, it was okay. I only thought of DC 3 or 4 times. But, once I'm home from work, I'm safe. There's no soda here, and I don't want to go out to get any. So, I've made it a whole week!
Will I make it longer? I think so. I don't like to fail at things. And, I did find a delicious tea that has been saving my butt every afternoon.
When I think about getting a soda, I remember what a friend in recovery said to me, "You don't have to commit to the rest of your life. You just have to decide for today that you won't drink."

It's very much like a strategy I use for biking: I don't have to promise to ride up every hill, I only have to commit to the one directly in front of me at the moment.

How bout you? Have you tackled any personal hills lately?

The Dragonfly Adventure

2010-11-12T14:38:00.009-05:00

Once again, the stars align and things in my life fall into place.
In early October, a high school friend and fellow triathlete, asked me if I have any interest in training for a marathon with her. My immediate response was, "well, YEAH!" I looked at the website of the race she is planning to run, an realized that it seems to be a for profit race. Now, that's fine for some, but if I'm going to enter a race, I want my money to go toward making the world a better place.

At the same time, these conversations were occurring, I have been following this blog. Ed Peck is a former teacher of mine, who had a significant impact on my life. Since hearing of his battle with Multiple Myeloma Cancer, I have been feeling the need to do something related to this disease in Ed's honor.

And, the stars align.

My friend and I talked about running the marathon in Ed's honor, and using it as a fund raiser. But, guess what? That's sort of frowned upon, if the race isn't alreay identified as a fund raiser for the cause.

That left me with one option: Create a half marathon in Ed's honor. I put the idea out on facebook, and within an hour, had several Tamarac Alumni voicing support and enthusiasm for the idea! I then contacted the Pecks for their approval of the idea, and they gave me their blessings to pursue the idea!
The next step was to develop an avenue to organize the event through. So, The Dragonfly Adventure was established.

So much work has gone into organizing this event, it's incredible.
The half marathon has evolved into a half marathon, a 10k and a community walk! Ed has identified the Capital District Cancer Resource Foundation as the organization that will receive all proceeds from the day. We met with the Brunswick Town Board last night, and were given preliminary approval to have the race on town roads.The Peck's are choosing a name for the race, and Tamarac teachers and staff have been told of the events.
Stay tuned for more information as this process unfolds.

Troy YMCA 5k report

2010-11-04T21:22:00.002-04:00

On Saturday Oct 30th, I ran the 5th annual Troy YMCA's Monster Madness 5k. Kevin and our friend Ryder joined us.Actually, Ryder roped me into this one. She hadn't run a 5k in 20 years, and wanted some one to plan to run with.

Hmmm. Great idea. Except that she kicked my butt and left me in the dust! She really did fantastic. The first half of this race is mostly uphill, with a few areas of flat grade. Ryder was smart and trained on the course, which paid off for her.

Kevin also did fantastic! He ran sub 9 minute miles, finishing in just over 27 minutes.

As for me, let's just say that I am motivated to run another 5k before the end of 2010. Because I really can't let my time in this race be my best time of the year. The uphills wreaked havoc on my ankle. On several of the hills, I had to walk, because it was locking up on me. When I heard my time at the 2 mile marker, I had to do some serious adjustments to my goals for the day.

The good news is, that I found a first annual Turkey Trot to take part in on Thanksgiving morning. The course is flat, and the flyer welcomes walkers, so I think it won't be super competitive.
Last night I drove over to Bethlehem after work and ran the course. I had the map in my pocket and had to stop twice to be sure I was going in the right direction. I truly have minimal sense of direction and was starting to convince my self I was going the wrong way, when another runner came by, saw the map, and assured me I was heading the right way.

Even after all of that, I took 1:20 minutes off of my time from Saturdays 5k! I'm feeling better already. It's amazing what a flat course can do for me.

In other news, I've been working diligently to organize a half marathon in my home town. I've been asked to present my ideas at the Town meeting next week, and once I have approval to go ahead with the plans, I'll give more details! For now, wish me luck.

Renewed Focus on Running

2010-10-18T22:30:00.005-04:00

Since I broke my foot last March, my running has suffered. I've been hesitant to push too hard. I've allowed the slightest twinge of pain to be reason to stop and evaluate the situation. In short, I have lost my mojo.

Well, mojo or not, I'm being prodded to get my butt in gear. First, my closest friend in life has asked me to do a 5k with her. She hasn't done one in about 20 years, but she wants to do one on October 30. Of course, I said yes! Kevin is going to run it with us also. Let me clarify that: Kevin will be at the starting line with us. He will be eating his third banana by the time we cross the finish line.

Last week, my high school friend that does tri's, Andrea, Face Booked me and asked if I'd be interested in training for a marathon with her. At first I said yes, but upon further thought, I've decided to train for a Half Marathon instead. This has sort of taken on a life of it's own, since a few Tamarac alumni and I have discussed the possibility of organizing a 1/2 Mary as a fund raiser for a former teacher of ours, who is battling Myeloma Cancer.

I completed week one of the training program for the 1/2 marathon, this past Saturday. Week 2 is a repeat of the first week.

Sun- rest/ or bike
Monday- 30 minute run
Tues- bike
Weds- 30 minute pool jogging (to prevent injury)
Thurs- 30 min run
Fri- rest
Sat- 60 minute run.

That's not so hard. This seems like an obtainable goal.

A Combination of Things I love

2010-09-27T21:15:00.006-04:00

My friend Julie shared this link with me on Face Book, and it amazed me so much that I decided to share it with all of you.

This video combines several things near and dear to my heart. Children, dogs, the ocean, and an incredible story of some one with a Traumatic Brain Injury doing something he clearly loves.

Enjoy this video

The Winds of Change Aren't So Strong After All

2010-09-19T08:27:00.005-04:00

Well, I thought the winds of change were blowing in my life, and I was hopeful.
But, it turned out to be more of a slight summer breeze, rather than the major change in weather pattern that I was hoping for.

I have learned a great deal in the past couple of weeks. About myself, my husband, and life in general.

I did meet with the man from the company I wrote a letter to, and I walked away believing it was a great meeting. We seemed to have similar visions for where things could go in this venture. He said that he had to meet with his accountant and put together some numbers. He said that he'd get back to me soon with the next steps in the process. I walked away from the meeting energized and excited.
I came home and shared the news with Kevin. As excited and enthusiastic as I was, he was equally anxious and fearful. There were too many unknowns for him, and he couldn't get comfortable with the idea of believing it will all be okay. As we were talking all of this out over a few days, I also had a job offer from my former employer.

Herein lied my dilemma: The company I used to work for wanted an acceptance or denial of the position by this past Weds. I hadn't heard from the other company by Wednesday night.
And, I was faced with some difficult decisions at the last minute. Do I accept the sure thing, or take the chance?
Continue to listen to my heart, or play it safe?
Do I chose My goals and dreams at the expense of my husbands comfort level?

Ultimately, I chose to accept the job offer from my previous employer. It is a job I know and like. I'm good at it. In today's economy, I was lucky to have three agencies to choose from. So, I chose the one I am most comfortable with.

The dust is still settling from the decision I've made and the events leading up to it. I'm not sure yet what the long term results will be from my decisions. I do know that I'll still pursue getting my USAT Tri Coaching certification. In the spring, I may look to start up another running club for girls, although I don't think it will be through Girls Inc. again.

And the Beat Goes On...

2nd Annual DACC Tri Report

2010-09-11T20:09:00.005-04:00

Well, I'm not really going to give a report. I did terribly. It was the Worst race I've ever had. I've been in a bad mood all day because of it- beating myself up; thinking I shouldn't have even bothered to go.

And then, I got a big slice of humble pie, courtesy of this man.

I woke up this morning, and I felt sick. My husband and kids didn't come to cheer me on. My leg and foot went numb during the bike ride (and stayed that way for most of the run), and I was ridiculously slow in every leg of the race. But, I am healthy enough to be out there. My injuries and illnesses are not life threatening, and even though I woke up sick and injured, I chose to go to the race.

So, I'm working on changing the tapes that have been running in my head all day. I'm working to reframe the experience into something positive. And, I'm working on figuring out how to bounce back to race times that I can be happier with.

Then, I thought of my baby dragonfly. Early in the race, I looked down at my handle bars, and noticed a baby dragonfly hanging out for the ride. He hung on for the entire 10 miles. Some one said, "Hey- they're good luck!" and now I realize, I finished a race under less than ideal physical conditions. I didn't drown, fall off my bike or twist my ankle on the run. Maybe he did bring me good luck. Maybe that was the best I could hope for today.

Saturday's race

2010-09-08T21:38:00.001-04:00

This Saturday is the second annual DACC Tri in Duanesburg. This is the race I did last fall, and the water was so cold, the race organizers would only say "Last week the water temp was about 55".

I hope it's warmer this year.

I will also note, that my training has been spotty and pathetic. So, although I'll post a race report, please do not expect any thing spectacular.

The good news is, the distances are completely manageable, so I should have fun!

The Winds of Change

2010-09-06T08:01:00.004-04:00

Last night I had a dream that I was facing a tornado. The funnel cloud was completely black and filled most of the sky. As I watched it come closer, there was an ominous feeling in the air. I stood in the window and watched it coming right toward me. My mom was there. So were Mack, Jack, and our Dog. Kevin and Shayna were not there, but intuitively, I knew they were safe.

In this dream, I was starting to panic. How will I keep my babies safe? What will we do if the tornado hits? Every thing will change, and life as we know it will never be the same.

And then my Mom took my arm and said, "take care of right now. It's scary, but every thing will be okay." And, I knew she was right.

Well, it doesn't take a dream expert to figure this one out. I've been facing some big changes in my life, and I'll fill you in.

First; work. And, this is a big one. As many of you know, I came to my current job over two years ago. I was recruited by the company to start the department up. Until recently, I loved my job. I felt that the company was working hard to become clinically sound, and to truly put people first in all decisions. I felt that upper management was working to shift the perspective of the company, and I was happy to be part of the shift. I loved going to work. I loved the team that I was working with. Then, sometime this spring, we got a new regional manager. He replaced our office manager with one of his golf buddies. They made it very clear that they see no value in my job- because it doesn't make enough of a profit for the company. They said it loudly, and in front of the entire office. The RM said, he'd like to eliminate the position in every office across the state. Well, that was the gust of wind, that set the stage for the impending Tornado.
Things progressed in a downward spiral from that day on. Finally, 3 weeks ago, I realized that the office I'm in, is the most unhealthy work environment I have ever been in. So, I resigned. I wanted to walk out immediately, but forced myself to be responsible, and gave a notice.

Ahh. The tornado.

I have no job lined up. I have three offers from other area agencies, to do the same job that I am doing now.But here's the truth: I don't know that I want to do it any more. And, in my career, if your heart isn't in it, then you shouldn't be doing it.

Some one asked me what my fantasy job is. It took me about a day to realize where my heart is truly at at this point in my life. The problem is, the career I want doesn't exist. At least not in this area.

So, I did some research, to determine if this area would support the career I want. And, I think it does. I drafted a letter to a local business owner, pitching my idea. He responded this week. He's been thinking along the same lines as me, and he wants to meet with me to see about joining his team!

I would be remiss if I didn't take the time to give a huge thanks to my friend/cousin Kathy, for being willing to read the letter and brainstorm with me about how to approach this idea. So, Thanks Kath! I also want to thank Ryder for taking the time to listen to me, and for walking with my while I started to sort the whole mess out in my head. And Shayna, for being so incredibly supportive of my dream. Of course, Kevin for being willing to listen to me complain about my current situation, before I got up the courage to resign. Finally, to Mary. She asked me what my dream job would be, and didn't laugh when I told her. Since then, she has sent me countless links and sources of information to help me out.

Seperate from that, I have decided to pursue getting my level one coaching certificate from USAT for Triathlon. This will be an extended process, as all the classes are full for the year. 2011 classes have not yet been posted.But, I'm doing some of the preliminary stuff to get going.

I should tell you that the dream ended with the tornado turning at the last minute, and every thing was okay. Different, from the experience; but okay.

Northern Columbia Triathlon

2010-08-09T21:36:00.005-04:00

First, a disclaimer: The entry for my parent 50th anniversary is coming. I've had some challenges with the photos.

Race report:
August 8th was the 6th annual Northern Columbia Tri. It was the second year in a row that I competed. I knew that I was grossly unprepared for the run leg, but the race is for such a great cause, I couldn't resist entering. All proceeds from this race go to research for a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. Every one who works on this event volunteers 100% of their time.

I got to the lake at about 7:30, with a race start time of 8AM. I was in the first wave of swimmers- so all men and women from 35 to 44. That's a huge group of fast swimmers.The lake is pretty, and there aren't a lot of weeds until the end. Good news: I didn't get kicked in the head this year, and my time was a whopping 9 seconds faster than in 2009!

I knew what to expect in the transition this year. And I've learned how much a slow transition can affect your overall time. In this race, there is not transition times. Both swim to bike and bike to run transitions are included in the overall bike time.

This year I had a few successes on the bike. First, I took 8 minutes off my bike time from last year! Second, last year there were 3 hills that I had to walk a portion of. This year, I didn't walk any portion of the bike leg. I climbed all three hills. The only problem I had on the bike was that on the first major hill, my foot came out of my pedal as I was switching gears (about a 100 yards from the top). It threw me off the bike, and I lost about 3 minutes catching my breath and checking my foot that got twisted in the fall.

The run: YUCK! This is the part of this race that always makes me question my sanity. Most sprint Tri's end with a 3.1 mile run. Not this one! Oh no! That would be much to easy! The NCT finishes with a hilly 4.5 mile run! I knew that I was not prepared to run this whole race. I knew I'd need to take a few walk breaks. Really, the first 3 miles of this run are uphill. Part of it is a 7% grade. Because of my foot injuries from March, I have done minimal hill work in training. So, I told myself I'd keep this race fun, and if the run stopped being fun, I' walk.
Ummm- throwing up during a run definitely qualifies as not fun. Throwing up twice is even worse. So, I walked about 1.5 miles of the 4.5 mile run. That's less than half, but more than I wanted to walk. The other disappointing piece of this run, is that I'm pretty sure it's longer than the race lists it at. Both "Mapmyrun" and mapquest show it as 4.8 miles. Trust me, that extra .3 mile makes a significant difference after a hilly 20 mile bike ride. Overall, my run was almost 3 minutes slower than last year.

Overall- I improved my time by 5 minutes! Not bad for still having foot pain that is flaring up pretty regularly.

And today, every bone, muscle, tendon and piece of cartilage from my hips down is aching and demanding ibuprofen! I'd say it qualifies as a great race.

Next up: The 2nd Annual DACC Sprint on September 11th. As an added bonus, my 14 year old niece, Emma has voiced a desire to do the race with me! I'm excited to help her train.

Stay tuned for our adventures.

comparison of rides

2010-07-24T17:31:00.006-04:00

My brother in law is in town for a week. He brought his bike with him. Kevin, Paul and I took a great ride this morning. He took some great photos, so I'll let him give you a ride report. But, I used the ride as a training session for the tri. Here is the ride we did today:
08/16/2009 Route-Kevin's 20 miler
Find more Bike Rides in Albany, New York

In contrast, here is the bike course for the Columbia Tri!
northern Columbia Tri
Find more Bike Rides in Canaan, New York

I think I'll be okay.

A Week at Lewey Lake

2010-07-23T22:10:00.016-04:00

We rented a cabin on Lewey Lake in the Adirondacks this past week. One of the amazing things about where we live, is that we are less than 2 hours away from the Adirondack Park.
Lewey is a small lake just south of Indian Lake. I had some trepidation about this vacation, because in my snobbery, I was worried that it couldn't compare to a week on the Cape. It was not a week on the Cape, but it was great in it's own right.

First, was the fact that we were able to bring Cammie with us. She had a fantastic time. She joined us for almost every outing and adventure that we took for the week. She spent hours on the beach with us, and nights by the fire.
We had opportunities to kayak and canoe several times. Mack and Jack both love to kayak, as do I. They both put a great deal of effort into learning how to paddle and steer this week. I think that Mack is almost ready to tackle a single kayak in calm water.

Shayna was with us for a few days.

The cabin sat on top of a hill. We walked across a beautiful field and were at the small sandy beach. The kids were able to play with a tube in the water, and they loved it!

On Thursday, we went for a short hike to Auger Falls. This is listed in several hiking books a s a child friendly hike, and it proved to be worth the walk.
After our trip to the falls, we were lead back to the car by our Forest Ninjas.

All together, it was a great week!
On a side a note, not much training happened this week!

Melissa Etheridge- Fearless Love

2010-07-08T07:26:00.006-04:00

Last night Kevin and I went to the Opening night of Melissa Etheridge's "Fearless Love" tour.

Let me preface this post by saying that I'm not a musician. I'm just a huge fan who has some thoughts about the show.

Here in Albany, Melissa fans will ask each other, "What's the first show you went to?" If you answer, "Saratoga Winners", You are considered a true fan. I'm not saying I agree with it, but it is what it is.

And, I can proudly tell you that I was at Saratoga Winners that night in 1987! I've seen her half a dozen times since then, but have skipped her shows the last few times she's been in town.

Kevin has never been to a Melissa Show. And, in fact, hasn't been to any "rock concert" (as he endearingly referred to it) since about 1990.

Okay-the show. I love the Palace. I love that there were more men than ever at this show, and that they weren't getting vibed out by most of the women.Which is amazing, since the first show I went to, there were about 3 guys there, and one of them almost got beat up for bumping into someone.

She didn't have an opening act. Just had some really funky music playing, with video of nature scenes in the background. It didn't really cut it for me. And it didn't get any one in the balcony up and on their feet by the time she hit the stage.

She opened with Fearless Love and went to Miss California. I have to admit, that if I hadn't heard an interview with her on NPR, I would never have realized that Miss California is a political statement.

She played through most of the Fearless Love album. She completely rocked the house with "Indiana", and I'm not sure she anticipated the audience response to that song. It was one of the few times during the show that I felt she was really connected to us, and completely in the moment.

She told us a few times that she's okay. I didn't particularly believe her. She was not her usual playful self. She didn't have stories between the songs, to keep us connected and engaged. It seemed that she was just moving through the set list. On one of her older songs (going blank on which one) she actually started with the second verse. She caught herself and kind of laughed- but the Melissa I've seen in the past would have really played that up.

At the end, she did "Bring me some Water: and "Like the Way I do", along with a couple of her other older songs. That got the audience going, but she never got us up on our feet. Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that much of the audience was my age or older, and that no one wanted to stand all night in 100 degree weather. Or, that so many people were trying to "capture the moment" on their iphones, that they weren't actually enjoying the moment as it was occurring.

I'm glad I went. Her voice and talent remain an incredible force to be reckoned with. She plays that Ovation so effortlessly, it tricks you into thinking it's easy.I felt like she needed us last night, that she was drawing on us for strength and comfort. And you know what. I'm happy to give back to her. She's certainly pulled me through many heartaches over the years.

Jack's Fourth Birthday!

2010-06-19T20:43:00.012-04:00

My little guy turned four today! It's been a super fun day for all of us. I'll tell the story primarily through pictures.

6:30 AM- Gift opening time.
Shayna gave him a singing card, that started the day off with all of us laughing.
Mack gave him a baseball bat and glove.

11 AM- Taking part in the 9th annual Hospice Community Walk.
12 PM- The Refrigerators were on stage entertaining the walkers. The kids were thrilled to see Daddy play.
4PM- friends were over for birthday cake and ice cream.

It's been a great day. Jack was asleep by 6:30 tonight. Tomorrow we have part two of the celebrations planned. We're heading up to the lake for the day. Stay tuned for more photos.

Week in Review, and New Goals

2010-06-13T08:21:00.005-04:00

I met almost all of last weeks goals! I missed the third bike ride due to weather and the need for new brakes on my van.

So, here's the break down of how my week went:

Sunday: Bike 25 minutes-Done
Monday: Swim 17 minutes. Pool run 15 minutes- Done-did a 17 min swim/20 min pool run/ 30 min walk
Tuesday: walk/run 20 minutes-done. 22 min walk
Wednesday: Bike- Krumkill rd (hills)- rained all day. SO I did 30 minutes on the trainer.
Thursday: Swim 20 minutes-Made Thursday a rest day. On friday I did 15 min swim and a 20 min pool run.
Saturday: Bike Long ride. Missed.. Rain and car issues prevented this ride.

Over all, I'm pretty happy with the effort of last week. I have no way of gauging if I'm made much progress. Every time I want to slow down, I think of the first hill on the NC bike course. That usually keeps me going.

Looking ahead, here's the plan for this coming week:

3 Rides: 1 trainer, 1 hills, 1 long
2 pool runs
2 swims

I'm not quite sure how I'll fit it all in,because Kevin is gigging on 3 nights this week. But I'll try my best.
-Peace.

Registration Complete!

2010-06-10T19:01:00.002-04:00

I took a few minutes this morning and signed up for the Northern Columbia Tri

There's no going back now!

A Tri Goal

2010-06-07T19:55:00.008-04:00

I've been on the fence about my tri goals for this year. I've been hesitant to sign up for anything, because of the foot issues. Usually, by this time of the year, I've signed up for at least one race, and have been actively following a training plan. Well, it's June 7th, and not a single race organization has got a dime out of me.
Fleet Feet of Albany hasn't made any profit off me in months. No new shoes. No new tri shorts, no Chocolate GU's....nothing.

It's time for me to do my part and help our economy along.

I was out for a walk this morning. Yes, I've become one of those early morning walker women.been reduced to morning walks. I miss my morning runs. But, I digress.

I was walking this morning. Thinking about the races I've been considering. Thinking about what I really want my goal to be. And, I realized, I don't want to sit on the bench this season. I want to be on the course. Specifically, I want to be on the course for the Northern Columbia Tri. How do I make that happen? The answer is amazingly simple.

I focus on the bike leg. It's so simple, I don't know why I didn't think of it before. I've been so focused on getting the clearance to run, that I neglected the biking option. Focusing on the bike leg is a beautiful thing! So, starting this week I'll be biking 3 times a week. My training week will be built around the 3 bikes: 1 long, 1 Hill workout, and 1 random with no focus but to build time in the saddle.

As of yesterday, there are 8 weeks until the race.
Here is this weeks plan:
Sunday: Bike 25 minutes
Monday: Swim 17 minutes. Pool run 15 minutes
Tuesday: walk/run 20 minutes
Wednesday: Bike- Krumkill rd (hills)
Thursday: Swim 20 minutes
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Bike Long ride

Get ready for some Tri focused posts!

Life has Been Busy

2010-06-06T08:13:00.007-04:00

So, what has kept me away from the blog?
Hmmm. First, there is end of the school year chaos to be contended with. Shayna came home from New Paltz a couple of weeks ago. We love that she is home, but the transition always requires some time and attention. Mack has had field trips and concerts, and still has homework. Jack is lovable Jack, rolling along with everything that comes his way.
Then, there is the weather! We've had gorgeous weather here! The pool has been open since the first week of May, and we've been using it. The kids have been in almost daily for the past 2 weeks!
Third, Kevin's schedule and the affects that has on the rest of the family. His school year hasn't ended yet. SO, he continues to have teaching responsibilities. On top of that, he's been gigging extensively. Sometimes 3 or 4 gigs a week. That's a lot of time to be out of the house. And, a huge amount of tasks thrown on to my list, in addition to all the things I do in a normal week.
Finally, my foot. Geeze Louise, will this ever get resolved! I had an MRI done 2 weeks ago, and met with Doc H. this past Friday. The stress fracture has healed. However, the MRI found a second issue that neither of us were expecting. I have bruising of the Talus bone, with significant swelling.

I didn't associate the pain as radiating from that point, but once Doc H. saw the report, he indicated it makes sense that the nerve pain is stemming from that swelling.
So, I was instructed to go buy new shoes for work- most of mine have a strap across the top of the foot that is probably irritating everything. And, again I was told no running (except in the pool) for 2 weeks. Frustrating, to say the least.

But hey....I still have AQUA JOGGING! I try to say it with enthusiasm... sort of the AA philosophy of "fake it til you make it." I'll let you know if it works.

Things that Made me Happy this weekend:

2010-05-16T21:57:00.004-04:00

1. Reading the Sunday paper on my back porch.
2. Celebrating birthdays.
3. Gardening with Mack and Jack.
4. Finding a great new children's book.
5. Talking to my sister.
6. An outside bike ride.
7. Hearing Mack say, "Mommy, will you go for a bike ride with me?"
8. Hearing Jack say, "Mommy, will you go for a run with me?"
9. Hearing Shayna say, "I'm coming home this weekend."
10. Watching my Dad play with his grandchildren.
11. Hearing Kevin play his sax.
12. A walk with my Mom.
13. A trip to the flower market- with my closest friend.

I have to admit, it's been a pretty awesome weekend. How about you?

I Did It!

2010-05-04T07:00:00.003-04:00

I went to the Y tonight with the intention of swimming and doing 20 minutes on the elliptical. But, when I got there, they were having a synchronized swim practice. Ughh! that is the most annoying thing to have to deal with. So, I opted out of the swim.

Went straight upstairs to the elliptical and did that for 15 minutes. I stopped to take a minute and assess how my foot was feeling. It felt great.

At that point, my determination kicked in, and I moved to a treadmill.

You guessed it...I ran!

Okay, it was a 5 minute warm up walk. 4 minute run. 3 min walk. 3 minute run. 3 min walk 2 min run. Then a 2 minute cool down.
22 minutes all together. 9 minutes of running. Which is just under a mile at the pace I was going!

This morning, I feel great!

A day with Shayna

2010-04-29T17:19:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago Kevin took the kids down to New Paltz to see Shayna. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the day.

And, here's one. Just to see if Shayna is actually reading the blog!

Long Overdue Update

2010-04-28T17:58:00.003-04:00

Well, there's good news and not-so-good news. Isn't that the way it usually is?

The not-so-good news: Let's get that out of the way first.
I still do not have clearance to run. It's going to be at least a couple of more weeks. This is extremely frustrating for me.
At this point, I'm having to rethink my ability to race the Northern Columbia Tri in early August. I'm not sure how ready I'll be.

The good news:
I have clearance to bike, and have been taking advantage of the opportunity. I loaned my Coda to a friend, so I put the Fuji on the trainer. It's been great! It is a fairly different feel from the Coda, and I'm using leg muscles in a different way than I do with the Coda.

The waterproof case for the IPod has been a life saver! It works great, and it makes my pool running much more palatable. So, a couple of times a week, I've been hitting 25 minute pool running sessions.

My swim is improving. Last night, I hit 2:30/100 yard for a 600 yard swim. That's about 10 seconds/ 100 faster than my usual times. It's not even close to competitive- but really? Who am I kidding? I'm lucky to not need arm floaties!

So, in the now immortal words of Dorie: I'll "Just keep swimming"

Sometimes, it's the little things.

2010-04-14T17:46:00.002-04:00

Last night was the meeting of "Bookin' Feet". We had a pretty big group of girls this week, and the weather was beautiful. The challenge for me was to find a place where they could run for some distance, and I could stand in the middle and see both ends. We found a hill in the park that is about .10 of a mile long. The goal for them was to run down and back as many times as possible.
We started with some warm up exercises, and two of the girls seemed very uninterested in participating. They were dancing and being fairly inappropriate for being in a park. So, I called them on it pretty quickly. I asked the one girl flat out, "Why are you here?" She didn't have much of an answer, but her whole attitude changed. Girl # 2 tends to follow the first girl. When girl #1 isn't at the group, girl 2, is a great runner. SO, I told her that. She came around pretty quickly too.

Then the real run! Those two girls both ran a mile! Another girl ran 1.2, and another did 1.4!! There were 2 other girls, who each ran about .5 of a mile, but I don't think either one was feeling well.

At the end of the run, I pulled out 4x6 note cards and wrote:
4/13/2010
[name] ran 1 mile today!
And, half of it was uphill!

It was such a little thing. But, you know what: Each of those girls held onto those cards for the rest of the day. They showed their parents when they were picked up, and 2 said they were taking them in to show their PE teachers.

Sometimes, it's the little things that make all the difference.

-Peace

Feelin Groovy

2010-04-09T23:05:00.004-04:00

My foot is still kicking my Arse! I have clearance to swim and do pool running. Let me tell ya, pool running is about as fun as going to the dentist. Okay, it's not quite that bad. But, it's not so great. I did purchase a waterproof case for my I-pod and sprang for the 2 day shipping. So, that will be here on Tuesday, and it should make the whole thing better.

I'll let you know how it works.

In the work world, I've had a great week. It started with a three day NYS TBI conference for all the clinical directors and Program Managers in the state. We were joined by our state director, three regional directors and the VP of clinical services in the northeast. The information covered during the conference was fantastic. I felt like it was the best, most productive conference I've been to in a long time. My colleague and I returned to our office with some great ideas for how to improve the quality of care that we offer. We met yesterday and developed our list of goals and our plans to address them.
This afternoon I forwarded the list to my office mates and our 4 supervisors who had organized the conference. Within 15 minutes, all 4 supervisors responded to the email with incredibly positive feedback. Within 30 minutes, the VP of the company had been sent the email, and responded to our office!
I'm so proud of this. In a national organization that provides health care services, it's pretty amazing to realize that we've put together some plans that are being recognized as "Stellar" by the VP. It was a great way to end the week!

Bookin Feet Part 2

2010-04-01T20:01:00.005-04:00

A few weeks I wrote about Bookin Feet, the group I created for Girls, Inc. in town. I think it's time for an update.

We've been meeting weekly, and it's been awesome! We've been continuing to read "Sahara's Special" and the girls seem to enjoy it. The group can be as big as 7 girls on some weeks, but there are 4 girls that are there every time, and seem to really love running and reading. The fluctuation of attendance has made the reading a little difficult. The books stay at Girl's Inc for the week,so if some one misses a week, they've missed at least a chapter. I'd love to find a sponsor to purchase a book for each of the girls. Then, they could have it when we're done with the group.

They can now run .8 of a mile with out walking! Since we only meet once a week, I think that's pretty good. Many of the girls live in area's of the city that prohibit them from going out to play and run around safely. That means, they only get to exercise at school and during our sessions. As the weather is getting nicer, we'll be able to spend more time outside. That should help us improve our distances.

I love the enthusiasm these girls show. This past week it was raining, windy, and about 40 degrees out. As soon as I walked in the door, they were begging to go outside and run!So we did!Well, they ran. My foot is still broken, so I cheered them on, and kept time for them.

This week, I'm researching some area 5k's that are scheduled for around the end of our session. Next step, for me to contact a few of the races, and see if they will let the girls run for free. Wish me luck on that!

I've created a Facebook group. In the hopes of branching out and finding some people who might want to volunteer time, or purchase books, or help cover the cost of T-shirts for the race. Check it out and join!

Hey- it never hurts to dream!

Digging Deep

2010-03-27T09:03:00.003-04:00

I've been spending time trying to pull some positives out of this forced time off from training. It hasn't been easy, and I'm not finding a lot of positives. But, I am learning some things about myself.
Here are a few of those things:
1. My lifestyle is pretty darned active.
In contrast, Most people my age are not as active as me. Therefore, they don't get why this is a big deal.
2. My kids are pretty darn active.
But,they are content to hang with me and watch a movie in the evening.
3. I have a hard time sitting down to watch a movie.
Even with my kids.
when I'm not injured, I never actually sit when a movie is on.
4. I like coaching/ working with preteen girls.
I've continued to work with the Girl's Inc group that I started. And, it's been great. The girls are fun, and like pushing themselves to run a little better every week.
5. I am not a patient person, when the patience is needed for myself.
I want my foot to be better. Non. I want to be running and biking. Now.
In contrast, I am very patient with the people I work with.
6. I think like a runner/biker.
When I'm driving, I am generally assessing my route in reference to what type of run/bike course it would be. I never really noticed this until now. Probably because it's coupled with the frustration of knowing that I can't run or bike.

That's it for now.
-Heidi

Answers for the Foot Mystery

2010-03-15T18:44:00.008-04:00

Saturday I did a scheduled bike ride. It was a high intensity workout to get a sense of lactation thresh hold- meaning that the purpose of the workout was to go so hard that I wanted to hurl. It was awesome! I averaged 5mph faster than my normal workout- and maintained it for 30 minutes. By the time I finished, I could barely walk. My quads were screaming for a break.My knees ached. My feet throbbed. Even Jack and Mack thought I looked and smelled disgusting:)

I showered, and got dressed to go to my Great Uncle Pete's memorial service (More on that later) I popped a few ibuprofen and went on my way.

Then, later that night, I was sitting on the couch with the kids. I flexed my foot, and something snapped. It sent my foot into immediate muscle spasms, with swelling and a bruise. I iced it, took ibuprofen and elevated it right away. But, I ended up crying myself to sleep with the pain.
Sunday morning the pain and swelling were worse. I waited for urgent care to open, and headed over there for some Xrays. Those showed nothing. The Dr. thought I probably ruptured a tendon. So, she wrapped my foot, gave me crutches and a post-op shoe and instructions to follow up with Ortho.

I woke up this morning, and again the swelling and pain were worse. Despite the fact that my drill sarg...I mean really supportive husband made sure that I iced every 20 minutes, and didn't get off the couch all day.
I managed to get in to ortho this afternoon. This is one of the Dr's who consults with the NY Giants when they are in town for spring training. So, I know he's good. Before I even let him look at my foot, we talked about my lifestyle. I told him that it's important he understands that I'm not a 40 year old soccer mom, who's main goals are to wear cute shoes, and shop in the mall all day.
More xrays ensued. Then a diagnosis. Stress fracture with possible tendon damage. Now, I am in this lovely piece of DME:

I'm looking at 2 weeks in this beautiful piece of hardware. I can try swimming in a week, but nothing before that.When I looked frustrated by the news, the Dr said, "of course, if you want to change your personal goals, and just go shopping for some cute shoes, we can treat this much less conservatively."
He does not play fair!

I think the worst part about this, is that the bike ride I had that day was such a high. I got off the bike that day, knowing that if I could maintain that pace in a race, I'd be placing significantly higher in my races this year.

2010-03-10T18:51:00.007-05:00

No foot injury is ever straight forward for me.

I've been having some pretty extreme foot pain for the past 3 weeks. Wakes me up in the middle of the night sometimes, and if I touch the top of my foot in the right spots; Well, it's excruciating!

But, it doesn't hurt when I run. (Figure that out). So, I finally went to the Dr yesterday. Of course, he took one look at it and said, "hmmm. This is weird, and way out of my league. I'm sending you to a specialist." He sent me for some xrays to rule out an occult fracture...results still pending. Hopefully, I'll get in to see the Podiatrist this week.

In the meantime, my running volume is going to be cut way down.

Oh well, if it was straight forward, it wouldn't be my foot :)

BAnd on Tour...by bike!

2010-02-25T08:16:00.000-05:00

Week in Review

2010-02-21T12:13:00.004-05:00

First, I got 5 days of training in! That's the first time I've done that in a long time.
I hit 199 minutes of training. The goal was 318 minutes, so I'm still not close, but I'm okay with that, and I'll explain why in a little while. I did increase volume by 62 minutes from the previous week, which is significant.
I have 2 concerns when I look at the week. First, I didn't swim at all. It's not a huge deal in terms of the long term goal, but I should be getting in the pool at least once a week. Second, I experienced some sensitivity to touch on the top of my foot. It doesn't hurt to walk, run or bike. But, if even the sheets brushed over the top of my foot, I woke up in pain. And, the last time I did swim, the water pressure hurt during kicks. I'm hoping that it is related to some shoe issues, and will easily resolve itself.

Now, why aren't I worried about missing my training minute goals? 2 reasons. First, I made conscious decisions through out this week, to put my family first on several occasions. It's what I needed/wanted to do. So instead of scrambling to try to make up the missed minutes, I let them go. Second, I am loosely following a Beginner Triathlete 20 week plan for an Oly distance. But for the swim and run, that is over training for what I need.
My "A-list" race is the Northern Columbia Sprint Tri. However, this is not a traditional sprint distance race. The swim is a 1/4 mile. That's standard for a sprint. But the bike is 19.5 miles, which is closer to Oly distance. And the run... The run is a grueling 4.5 with about 3 of it all uphill. Last year, the run killed me!
So, given that the bike and run are in between sprint/Oly distances, there is no real training plan specific to me. If I chose a sprint distance training plan, I will be woefully under prepared. If I follow the oly plan, I have room to not make all my planned minutes each week.

What's up for this week?
3 runs totaling 11 miles. That should be about 110 minutes.
2 bikes, totaling 155 minutes.
1 swim, totaling 30 minutes.

That's it.
Peace.

Bookin' Feet

2010-02-19T19:22:00.005-05:00

I've been keeping a secret.

Now I'm pretty sure my sister is jumping up and down, shouting, "YOU'RE PREGNANT!"

NO! That's not it.

I've been working on a project for a few months now, and it's finally up and running!

In my career, I often work with women who have really had a rough life. Many times, I've met a woman and realized that she has had so much trauma in her life, prior to her injury, that the recovery process is going to be long and difficult.It makes me angry. As I get to know these women, I realize that from the time they were little girls they've been belittled, put down, demoralized, and some times horrifically abused. That's a lot for any woman to get through. Now, add in all the cognitive and behavioral challenges that can occur with a brain injury, and the struggles can seem almost insurmountable. Often I think, "if some one had paid attention when she was a kid,Maybe she'd have a chance now." It's a thought that has haunted me for a long time. A feeling that we need to invest more energy on our children.

Then, back in the early summer, I started to develop an idea. A concept that combines two things I love. Two things that helped me get through tough times in my life. Reading and running. I started to try to figure out how I could work with young girls, combining those 2 activities, to help girls build their self esteem, find a voice, and increase their self confidence.

The idea: To meet weekly with a group of girls, in 4th through 6th grade. We would use a book with a strong girl as the main character. Each week, our time would be broken into 3 segments.
Warm up games/discussion focusing on a specific theme in the book.
Training- some running and walking. Focusing on getting stronger with the ultimate goal of running a 5K.
Cool down/discussion of how our lives are similar to the characters, or how the book relates to our life.

I met with a woman from the local chapter of "Girls Inc" last fall, and pitched my loosely formed idea to her. She loved it. And "Bookin'Feet" was born! I spent time scouring the library for books with girls as the main characters, who are strong in the face of adversity.

The program started 3 weeks ago at our local Girls' inc!

There are 8 girls in this pilot group. I chose the book "Saharra's Special" This week, we will use the book to talk about labels. We'll explore the idea of "Good/bad" labels. I want to expose them to a few concepts:
First, to challenge the idea of "Good and Bad" and suggest the ideas of healthy and unhealthy.
Second, I want to get them to begin to question if any label is actually healthy, or are they all detrimental on some level.
For the cool down, I will ask them about labels other people have put on them, and labels they put on themselves. Is there a difference between the 2 lists? And, how do the labels affect their behaviors and what people expect of them.

I'm so excited to be developing this program. My hope is that we can find a volunteer to expand the program to the Schenectady branch next year.

I have to add a special thanks to my daughter, Shayna. She has been my sounding board through out the planning phase of this project. She's helped me brainstorm for a name, and has listened to my curriculum ideas. She's been supportive and enthusiastic, and has kept me going. Thanks Shay!!

Training Woes

2010-02-15T19:01:00.002-05:00

Man, I've been struggling with getting all my workouts in!
Last week, I was scheduled to do 2 bikes, 3 runs and 2 swims. For a total of 288 minutes of training.
I managed:
2 runs, 1 bike and 1 swim. for a total of 137 minutes. OUCH! Geez Louise- that's not good. So, I took a look at what happened, and here is what I discovered:
1.In the training plan I'm following, Sunday is a long day, with a bike and a swim. I missed both last week.
2. The long swim was scheduled to be 40 minutes. There's no way I can do 40 minutes of swimming right now. I'm just not there.
3. I missed a run. No excuses- I just didn't commit to it.

This is what I'm thinking:
1.I'm following an oly plan right now. But, this might not be the year to tackle that. I might have to drop back to sprint training, because of time commitments and constraints.
2.If I do follow through with the Oly training, I will have to accept that I will always be under the scheduled training minutes, because of the swim issue.
3. Unlike most people, the weekends don't work for my long training sessions. Kevin is much too busy on the weekends, and I just cant fit in a 2 hour training session.
4. Even though I only did 137 minutes last week, it's still more than I've done in the past month. So, from a perspective of injury prevention, jumping to 288 minutes last week would have been foolish.
5. Not related to tri training- but it looks like the 1/2 mary I heard was going to be organized for April, isn't going to happen. So, that makes things a bit easier.

I'll see how this week goes, and if I can identify other trends, then make a decision about how to proceed. And, Once Kevin gets settled into the new band, life should get easier.

Weekend update

2010-02-09T18:51:00.010-05:00

The "Hope for Hannah" black tie affair that I attended with Kevin the other night was fantastic. This was a fund raising event to support research looking for a cure for GAN. Which is a rare genetic neurological disorder. Almost nothing is known about this disease. Hannah's parents started this organization to fund research looking for treatment. We took separate cars, because he had a second gig later in the night, which I chose not to go to.
The preparations for the evening were almost as much fun as the event itself. Shayna came home for the weekend to help me get ready, and to babysit. We went dress shopping, and I had great luck finding this little black dress and the shoes to go with it:

On Saturday, I spent much time pulling all the little details of the outfit together. Shayna did my hair for me. It was much more refined than I generally wear it.
This was Kevin's second official gig with the Refrigerators. All I can say, is what an awesome band! They sound great and have fantastic attitudes. I met several of the wives, and they were all very welcoming to me.

And, at the end of the night, Dexter joined in the fun. He looked quite handsome wearing my bracelet as a crown.

A Conversation at Work

2010-02-08T20:02:00.004-05:00

Sitting in our freezing office, I had this exchange with my coworker:
Me: "If you really want to get warm, go use the ladies room on the next floor. It's like 85 degrees in there."
"How do you know that?"
"Sometimes I use that bathroom so that I can run up a flight of stairs to get my heart rate going."

"You need help." With a look of total disbelief on her face.

Getting up to Speed

2010-02-02T21:32:00.004-05:00

Update time:
After three auditions, Kevin was offered the job I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. Now that he is officially in, i can tell you that he'll be playing with The Refrigerators! These guys are awesome! And it will be a fun opportunity for him. This Saturday I am going with him to the black tie fundraiser that is on their home page. I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little nervous about going to a black tie event. I mean really, what the heck am I supposed to wear?

Shay is back at school, safe and having fun. The kids miss her. Especially Jack, and in the past he hasn't missed her very much. But, every day he tells me the story of when he was "Borning" and he was crying and cold and the only person at the hospital with him was Shayna, and she held him and kissed him and he stopped crying. Because she loves him the best. That's his story, and he's sticking to it.

Mack just received 2 "Student of Character" awards at school. The assembly was today, and my mom was able to go.

My trip to Tampa was fun. I learned quite a bit about the company: it's history and the vision of our new management team. Plus, I got to play beach volleyball for an afternoon!

Although I haven't chosen a half marathon yet, I've started the training this week. Hopefully I'll find something nearby.

That's it for now. More to tell, but I'm tired. So, it'll wait for another day.
Peace.
~Heidi

Swimming Progress

2010-01-26T19:02:00.003-05:00

Back in November I received a copy of "The Essential Triathlon Swimming" DVD from Tri swim coach Kevin Koskella.
I've finally had time to really watch the video a couple of times, and get in the pool to try out the drills.

Last night I went to the Y with the kids. It was the perfect time to try a few things out. I'm here to tell ya- I expect to see some serious improvement in my swim, if I work my way through the video. Thanks Kevin!
Stay tuned for an update in a couple of weeks.

Movin and Shakin

2010-01-19T22:42:00.003-05:00

A few big things have been happening around here. Let me see if I can bring y'all up to speed.
First, Kevin has been asked to audition with a premiere funk band in the area. His audition is this Wednesday, so he's been crankin on the tunes- getting ready. Not to mention, he's spent some time improving his stage image. Shhhh...don't tell him I told you, but he even got his eyebrows waxed! He looks Fantastic! Stay tuned for the results of the audition.

Shay has been getting ready to head back to school this weekend. So, she and the kids have been spending every possible minute together. She's pretty psyched to be going back.

Plus, I have a conference in Tampa that I have to go to from this Thursday through Sunday. It's amazing how much effort it takes to go out of town. We had a conference call today, during which we were told to dress Business casual for the whole weekend. Well, that's a problem for me. I'm supposed to dress that way all the time, but I definately push the envelope into "casual" often. I mean, I'm doing home visits all week long. Sometimes in not so great neighborhoods. So, I'm not kidding when I say that I have to wear shoes and clothes that I can run in if I need to. It's only happened twice in the past 10 years, I promise Mom! Anyway, this meant that I had to go buy some new clothes. I'm never great at buying new clothes, especially when it's under pressure. But, I had great luck today! I found the best dress! And some awesome black boots! I love black boots. I'd have 5 pairs if it wouldn't give poor Kev a heart attack.

Finally: training. I got in the pool last week for the first time since October. I'm hoping I'll be able to swim while in Florida. The hotel web site says their outdoor pool is heated-so we'll see. I've been running 3 times a week pretty consistently. And..And this is exciting...I'm seriously considering running a 1/2 marathon in April! I'm spending some time looking at some training plans and seeing if I can make the time commitment, and make them work with my tri training. The general opinion of the people in my BT mentoring group, is that it is doable. If you have any thoughts or opinions about this, I'd love to hear them!
Okey Dokey- That's it for tonight.
Peace.

"You're Fat!"

2010-01-11T07:06:00.004-05:00

"you're fat!"

That is what one of the boys in Mack's class told her on friday. I found out this morning, because she didn't want to go to school today.

All children are teased at some point, so I've been preparing myself for the day that I would have to console her and help her through something hurtful that some one has said. To be honest, I expected her to be teased about the way she dresses, or her hair. That would make sense. I mean, she wears boys underwear, for goodness sake!
Yet, she has never been teased about her clothes. In fact, the whole class came to her defense earlier this year when a substitute teacher was unkind to her.

How do 6 and 7 year old boys get so mean about weight? How do they know that it is one of the surest ways to cut someone down? So, here is my skinny (and I mean I can count her ribs through her shirt skinny), little 7 year old standing in front of a mirror, questioning her body image.

Ultimately, I guess I'm glad it happened at such a young age, when what her family thinks and says is still more important than what that boy thinks. Now, I know the reality of what girls are up against. Somehow, I was hoping it had changed in the past 10 years. But it hasn't.
Now, we can tackle this head on, and we will. The first thing I did, was send an email to her teacher. He is fantastic, and I'm sure that he will address the issue with the class in a gentle and nonjudgmental way. At home, we will continue to talk about healthy choices, and how to deal with meanness in general.

Etiquette for New Gym Members

2010-01-06T21:08:00.008-05:00

The alternate title for this post is:
"Hey, All you Clueless New Years Resolutionists: Learn some Gym Etiquette!"
Let me start by saying, I understand and accept that the gym is going to be extremely busy in January. I try to be patient with all the new people. After all, at some point in the past most of us started working out because of a resolution we made to ourselves. I joined the gym several years ago to use the pool. My foot had a chronic injury and I needed to find a new type of exercise that I could do. I am very aware that I was clueless about pool etiquette at that time. But, I asked questions. OF every one! I asked lifeguards, and other swimmers, and general staff. You get the point.

I wish my gym would have a letter or post basic etiquette up for beginners to read.This is where I would start:

In the Locker room:
1. There is one bench for 20 lockers. Therefore, it would stand to reason, that said bench is not there for your use exclusively. Please share.
2. If you drag hair on the shower walls, clean it up when you leave the shower.
3. Put some clothes on! There is really no need to blow dry your hair completely naked.
4. If you track mud into the locker room, grab a paper towel and clean it up.
5. The sign that says, "Children are not allowed in the Woman's changing room." Is referring to all children. Your "adorable" 7 year old son does not belong in the woman's locker room.

The Pool:
1. Children do not belong in the lap lanes. I don't care how adorable you think they are.
2. Look at yourself in the mirror before you leave the locker room. If your bathing suit is see through- we don't want to see you!
3. Please don't dive into my lap lane from the deep end. There's no guarantee that I saw you enter my lane.
4. That sign that says "Please shower before entering the pool" Means YOU!

The Fitness Center:
1. Cell phones don't belong in the gym.
2. If you are standing on a treadmill, Use the treadmill.
3. This one is for your own safety: If you are so out of breath that you have to jump onto the side bars of the treadmill, while it keeps going, you're going too fast.
4. It's not cool to drop the free weights, so hard that it gives me a heart attack on the treadmill.

That's it for now. If you are a gym member, I'm sure you have your own list.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T09:50:00.008-05:00

It has been an incredibly busy few weeks for me. Getting ready for, and celebrating Christmas is a whirlwind of activity. I love it, but it has kept me away from blogging; both writing one and reading others.
Now that it's January 2nd, things should begin to quiet down.
Christmas was fantastic! Santa brought the family a great gift. Well, it's really for Kevin, Mack and Jack. I have fun watching and listening to them!

We also have a new firefighter in the house!

And of course, while the drums were being put together, Mack and Jack played with the box the set came in; despite having many new toys unwrapped and waiting for them.

As for me, the kids and Kevin gave me a beautiful silver bracelet, a gift certificate for a massage, and swim lessons at my "Y"! I also got new slippers from Shayna- I love new slippers!

Now, it's time to think about 2010 and perhaps setting a few goals for the new year!
~Peace.
Heidi

It's Good to See you, Old Friend

2009-12-17T19:23:00.007-05:00

My computer's still broke. But luckily, Shay's home for winter break, so I can use hers.

Much has been happening around here. We are getting ready for Christmas! The tree is up! Some shopping is complete, but there's more to do. Kevin came up with an awesome idea for the kids! So, I put him in charge of shopping for it!

It's one of those years where I have a hundred ideas for Shayna, about 20 for Kenz, and I'm struggling to think of things for Jack. The things he shows me in the stores are all incredibly obnoxious talking things. Like the ride-on Lightning McQueen trike that says, "Get outta my way!" When you start to roll forward. It's rude and bossy, and I don't like it.
I tried to convince Kevin that what Jack really needs, is a dog of his own. Kev disagreed. Here's a picture of Jack and Cam to make my case!

Kenzie had a birthday! She's 7 now! It amazes me how much she's grown in the past 7 years. I'm so proud of my smart, strong, beautiful (don't tell her I said that.)little girl.

Training: It hasn't been happening much in the past couple of weeks. I caught a nasty cold. It's not a big deal, except that by 8PM I'm ready for bed, and can't imagine hopping on the bike or heading to the Y for a run. I did join a new mentor group on BT, and I'm hoping that gets me moving once I start to feel bettter.

That's a brief summary. I'll try to be a better blogger than I have been for the past month.

2009-11-29T08:14:00.007-05:00

This whole broken computer thing is a real PITA.
Shayna's been home and has graciously let us use her laptop while she's home for the holiday, but she goes back to school today.

Thanksgiving turned out to be much better than I anticipated (lots of potential family drama) but luckily, it went well. The highlight of the day might have been when my Dad announced to all 15 people present that he couldn't believe Kevin had actually married me. It was one of those times in my life when all I could do was laugh because it was so unbelievable. I think what he was really saying was that he couldn't believe they would be so lucky as to have Kevin for a Son in Law, and that he couldn't believe any one would marry me because I'm so "independent and stubborn" (his words). I take all of those things as compliments, but the way he presented it was pretty comical.

Friday evening 2 of Kevin's siblings and their families came over for dinner and much laughter. His parents stopped in to say hi also. It was great for so many of our nieces and nephews to get together. The age range is from 19 to 3, and I love that they all just have fun together. The teenage girls don't try to go hide in Shayna's room and exclude the middle school and elementary kids.
Here are my three on Friday Night:

And the holiday season is now in full swing!

I've managed to get some running in, I just have to make it a priority for myself, because no one else is going to say, "Hey Heid, why don't you go take a 40 minute run."

On that note, I'm off to the gym!

A Few Quick Notes

2009-11-20T09:06:00.010-05:00

My home computer has caught it's own version of H1N1, and is completely out of commission at this time. Booo!
So, just a few quick notes from me today.

First, the Essential Triathlon Swimming video did arrive. Jack and I have been watching it diligently, as I prepare to get in the pool and try some of the drills soon. Jack is enthralled with this video! Stay tuned for a full post on this.

Second, the 18th was my Mom's birthday! Happy Birthday Mom! A full post is coming on this too, but I want photos. In the meantime, check out my Sister's post honoring our Mom.

Finally, I have committed to a Winter Workout Challenge. It's the Holiday Booty Buster Challenge!I found this through 2 blogs that I've been following for a couple of months now.
I think that both Mel and Runninglaur are taking part in the challenge.
Sorry, for the vague post. I hope to get to the library for some computer time this weekend!

Help is on the Way!

2009-11-12T08:21:00.008-05:00

I need help with my swimming.Desperately.
I learned to swim as a kid, at the town lake. The lessons were free to all town residents. Now don't get me wrong. I am eternally thankful that my Mom took the time to bring me to these lessons every summer. She sat on the cold beach with all the other Mom's and watched us learn to swim, year after year. This was even more special, given the fact that my Mom doesn't swim, and I don't think she likes lakes or pools. I'm also thankful that this was a completely fun, noncompetitive environment, because I was able to develop my love of water and swimming without any stress.
But, with all that being said, the fact remains that I have zero technique. In the past 2 years, I've taught myself a few of the basics. Like, bi-lateral breathing and to keep my head and shoulders down. But truly, I'm clueless.

So, when I saw a post on Beginner Triathlete, looking for people to try this out, I jumped at the chance. I emailed Kevin Koskella of Tri Swim Coach, and told him I'm interested in trying his program. He agreed, and now I'm waitng (anxiously)for the DVD to arrive!Lord knows, I need all the help I can get!

In other news, I ran 4 miles outside today! In shorts and a t-shirt! This is an amazing thing here in upstate NY on November 15!

The Week in Review

2009-11-08T20:26:00.007-05:00

In the Tri world:
I got in 2 runs this week. My pace is picking up, and I feel like I can consistently go longer at a faster pace. I feel like a 10 minute mile is within grasp, for the first time in 7 years! That is exciting for me!
I broke down and put the bike on the trainer last night. Jack loves when I ride the trainer. He stands by and watches me. Plus, he's the best support crew I have. He cheers me on, and then he takes a towel and dries the sweat as it hits the ground.
It's going to be a long winter, so I went to ebay and bid on season 3 of Gilmore Girls. GG's is such a guilty pleasure for me. I started watching the show with Shayna when it first came out, and it struck a chord with me. Hopefully, Season 3will get me through a month or 2 on the trainer.
I'm not sure why I've been avoiding the pool, but I have. The goal this week is to get in the water at least once. We'll see if I make it.

In other news, Jack and Shayna are both feeling better. But Kenz is sick now. She has been spiking fevers since last night, and we are planning to keep her home tomorrow. Let's hope she feels better soon.

Bonus: Picture of the week:

This is my Great Uncle Pete, and his wife, Aunt Nete. Shayna took this picture on Saturday, at Uncle Pete's 90th birthday party.
I want to be them!

Truly, I don't think it's possible to be their age, and not be beautiful.
Peace.

Halloween Fun

2009-11-02T06:43:00.009-05:00

Shayna was home with us for the week before Halloween. Although she was home because she was pretty sick, we were still able to do a few Halloween activities. The kids were thrilled to have her here for an extended stay! She worked on Halloween costumes with Mack. And they did such a great job on the sword, that Mack has now refused to use it as part of her costume. She doesn't want to take any chances that it will get ruined.

We started the week with some pumpkin carving.

Unfortunately, Shayna had to return to school the day before Halloween. So, she didn't get to join us for the trick or treating fun. That was really okay, because Halloween was rainy and cold, so Trick or Treating was cut quite short.
Jack changed his mind daily about what he would be. We have several superhero costumes that I've picked up on clearance in the past few years, to have as dress up clothes.He ran the gamut from firefighter, to police officer, Batman and Spider man. On Halloween morning he decided on Superman. Complete with the fake muscles and the cape.
Here he is, showing off his muscles. Of course, "Favorite Blankie" is never far from Jack's reach.

On the day of Halloween, Mack was a pirate. But the costume was not very interesting, since she wouldn't carry the sword, or wear the bandanna on her head. Luckily, we also had plans for a Halloween festival on Sunday in Saratoga. Sunday morning I did my usual trip to Target, and while there found that all Halloween costumes were 50% off. I picked up a Ninja costume for $5. She loved it, and here she is:

Sorry for the blurriness on this one. But it's pretty cute anyway.

3rd run in a week!

2009-10-31T23:27:00.002-04:00

Or maybe I could count it as 4?

I did the race on Sunday.
Hit the treadmill on Thursday for 30 minutes (plus 10 of walking)
Today, I went out for a long run. Unfortunately, I think I had too much chocolate before heading out the door. Had to walk after 20 minutes of running. So, I walked for about 10 minutes, then ran another 30. That makes today at total of 50 minutes, in 2 separate runs (kinda).

I don't know...What's the general consensus? Is a 10 minute walk break enough to qualify it as 2 runs? Or does it count as one long run?

Along with that, I've decided to take today's route out of the rotation for a while. It's the route I hurt my foot on several years ago, and every time I run it, I have at least one close call with a driver pulling out of a side street without even looking. Today, I almost got knocked down by a FedEx truck, who saw me but didn't want to let me go. Even though I was well into the cross walk by the time he pulled up to it. I've decided that this route is too stressful for me. Oh well. Too bad for me, since it has some nice little hills.

Next week- I'm shooting for 4 runs!
Here's the plan:
Sunday- 30 minutes
Tuesday- treadmill 45 minutes
Thursday- 40 minutes
Saturday- 50 minutes

I have no real rhyme or reason for the times I've chosen on each day. So, if there are any suggestions for a better way to do it, that would be great!
-Peace

Heading Toward Healthy!

2009-10-29T22:33:00.003-04:00

Good news! Jack has his cast off! It looks like he had a hairline fracture in the growth plate of his knee. The Dr. feels it's healed. Jack is still limping, but I'm todl that is normal. Being me, I am worried that it hasn't really healed. So, I'm keeping a close eye on him.

More good news! Shayna is also almost all better! She went back to the ENT today and was cleared to return to school. Since my parents are awesome, they are going to drive her down to NP tomorrow. That way, she doesn't have to be on the bus, and walk up to campus from downtown.

Running news: I managed to get myself to the Y tonight and hit the treadmill. Of course, when I got there, I realized that I didn't have my orthotics with me. This caused a moment of panic for me. Please understand, these are custom made orthotics that I got after I ruptured the tendon in my foot. They are a life saver for me, and the only reason I was able to return to running. I took a deep breath and thought about my options. Going back home wasn't an option. Hitting the bike would work, but I hate the seats on the gym bikes. My current sneakers are brand new, so they haven't conformed to the shape of the orthotic yet. Hmmm- do I dare try to run?

Yep.

I cut my planned workout down, just to be safe. Instead of 45 minutes with a 5 minute walk, I did 10 minutes of walking with 30 minutes of running. I'm glad I took the chance, because so far my foot feels okay.

So, that's 2 runs done this week! My goal is to either do one bike and one run, or two more runs. We'll see how that works out.

Capital Region Special Surgery Race for Hope

2009-10-25T10:10:00.009-04:00

I ran this 5k this morning.
It was a first annual, with a starting line about 3 miles from my home.

First, the good things: I got up and did it!
I didn't walk. Not even 1 step of it!
I passed a few people. That is a first for me. Usually, I'm the one being left in the dust. Don't get me wrong- obviously a few people passed me too. But still..

The challenges:
This race started with one mile uphill climb. I've never entered a race with an uphill start, so I didn't know what to expect. It wasn't easy- that's all I'm gonna say.
My legs have not fully recovered from Thursdays Tri. I know. For those of you who are hard core triathlete's out there- a 5k is a little warm up. For me, it's a workout.
Finally; I spent most of last night in the ER with Shayna. She has tonsillitis that she's been on antibiotics for since Weds. But, last night around 9 o'clock she came to me and said she was having a hard time breathing. Of course, Kevin was at a gig. But, luckily I have an awesome mother in law who came over and stayed with Mack and Jack.
Shayna's tonsils had swollen to dangerous size, and she required IV steroids/anti-inflammatory meds. After blood work, a CAT scan, and some IV meds, her tonsils went down to a more normal size. We were able to come home. I rolled into bed at about 4 AM!
So, given all of that, I'm thinking that getting up at 7:30 to walk the dog and go to the run, is pretty darn impressive! NO PR- but that's okay.
Here's the course:
neurology run
Find more Runs in Albany, New York
I would do it again next year!

2nd Annual Home Tri! Finally!

2009-10-23T07:01:00.013-04:00

I finally was able to run the "2nd Annual Home Tri" yesterday!
The weather was perfect! It was an unseasonably warm 70 degrees out! Due to early sunset time here, I chose to cut the bike course a little short.

Here is a "Cliff Notes" grid of my times, comparing them to last years race:

Oct 22, 2009
Swim Distance: 500 yrds
Time: 14:02
Swim Pace 2:49 (mins/100 yrds)

Bike Distance: 11.50 miles
Time: 42:43 mins
Pace: 16:15 mph

Run 5K: Time: 34:54 mins
Pace: 11:16 mins per mile

In contrast to the Sept 28, 2008 Home Tri:

Swim Distance: 600yards
Time: 16:45
Pace: 2:47 mins/100 yards

Bike Distance: 15.40 miles
Time: 62 mins
PAce: 14:22 mph

Run 5K:
Time: 38 mins
Pace: 12:26 mins per mile.

First, I should point out that I did shorten the swim by 100yards. I haven't been in the pool much, and my neck is still tender, so I opted not to push it. Given those 2 issues, I'm satisfied that I only lost 2 seconds on my splits.

The bike portion was fantastic! The weather was perfect and the sky was gorgeous! Plus, I've hardly been on the bike lately, so I was really happy to be out there. The downside to this course is that much of it is on a major road, and I was racing during rush hour traffic. It did slow me down a little, but not much. I cut 4 miles off last years course for safety reasons, as it was getting dark out pretty fast. Increasing my pace from 14:22 to 16:15 is pretty impressive!

The run: This was the same exact out and back course that we did last year. There is really only one hill, that is about 1/2 a mile long. By the time I got to the run, it was dusk, and just beautiful out! The leaves were crunching under my feet, and I almost forgot about the pain at one point! My goal was to finish the run in under 36 minutes. I hit 34:54! So, I beat my goal by more than a minute! And beat last years run time by just over 3 minutes!

I really love doing this Home Tri! Next year, I might have to hit Cafe Press and make a T-shirt for myself :).

If any one else joined me, I'd love to hear a race report.
Thanks to my Aunt, who made a donation to the "Brain, Head and Neck Cancer Center" here in Albany, to show her support for my efforts!

-Peace.

2009-10-20T07:20:00.002-04:00

First, Jack seems to be doing okay with his cast. He's up and running, and not really letting him slow him down much. We go back next week for the new x-rays.

Second, the Home Tri was postponed. First, due to yucky weather. Then, due to Jack's leg. I just could not leave him for 2 hours this weekend. He really requires significant attention. Not, because he asks for it: More because he doesn't ask. He seems to be completely oblivious to the fact that he can not safely go up and down stairs with out help. I guess the silver lining to the postponement is that the weather is supposed to be much nicer tomorrow, which is when I will actually run the race.

Now, on to the issue of training. It has fallen into the category of "Non issue" It just hasn't been happening. In an effort to be more accountable, I am going to post my workouts here on the blog for a while. So, if you don't see any running minutes for a couple of days in a row- shout at me. Please. I need it.

Here we go:
Last night- treadmill run at the Y. 5k in 34:17. I don't like running in the evening. Actually, my digestive track doesn't like it. I had to slow down a few times, so that I wouldn't lose lunch. I also did 10 minutes of intervals. But, didn't keep track of times.
W-up 5 min walk
5k- 34:17
Intervals- 10 minutes (fastest pace was 9 min mile)
cool down- 5 min walk.

That's it. And, I;m serious about needing some accountability right now. Feel free to give me an earful, if I'm not running over the next couple of weeks..
-Heidi

Nature vs. Nurture?

2009-10-16T08:15:00.006-04:00

Jack fractured his leg. Possibly in 2 places. We have no idea how or when this happened. All we know is that yesterday morning, when he woke up he couldn't put any weight on the leg at all. He seemed fine when he went to bed the night before.

How does that happen?

We know he fell on the hike this past Sunday. But all the bruises and cuts are on the opposite leg. We can't think of any other time in the past week that he really hurt himself. We went to the playground on Weds night. He ran and played and never complained of being hurt. He was cranky when we came home, but I thought it was because he was hungry.

Then yesterday morning he got up, took about 5 steps, and that was it. That was all he could do. I took him to the orthopedist. They feel he fractured the growth plate in his knee, and possibly his tibia also. Xrays were negative, but apparently that is common with "toddler fractures"

I've been trying to figure out how this could have happened. What did we miss? When did it happen?

Then, I started thinking about the whole nature vs. nurture discussion. Our family has a long standing history of "tough guys". My Dad, is the quintessential "tough guy" when it comes to injuries. Several years ago he shattered his hip. He spent the night at home before he was willing to go to the hospital the next day.

When I was a teenager, I fell off my bike and hurt my shoulder. I never told my parents, because I didn't want to go to the Dr. Years later, when I was x-rayed for something else, the Dr informed me that I had broken my collar bone at some point in my life. I assume it was from that fall.

Before we went to the Dr, Jack kept trying to convince me that he was all better, and didn't need to go. He even tried to walk a step to prove the point. It didn't work.
Then at the Dr's Jack didn't complain once. He just sat through the exam, the x-rays, and the casting with his jaw clenched and a look of determination on his face. How does a three year old do that?
Is that Nurture: Something Kevin and I and society have instilled in him at such an early age? Or, is that Nature: some genetic link passed from my Dad to me, to Jack?

It's always an intriguing question to me.
I don't think we'll ever know for sure how or when he broke his leg. For now, we'll be thankful for the quality care he received yesterday, and that he seems to be on the mend.
-Peace.

2 Hikes in 2 Weekends

2009-10-12T07:43:00.015-04:00

I love fall in the Adirondacks! I love being close enough to make day trips there. And, I love hiking in the Adirondacks-especially in the fall. For the past 2 weekends, I took advantage of the weather, and hiked.
On the first weekend, I went hiking with my friends, LC and Ryder. This was a birthday celebration for Ryder, and it has become an annual tradition. I feel so fortunate to be friends with these two smart and strong women. We've known each other our whole adult lives, and have seen each other through many life events. It's great to spend a day together, catching up and just talking about whatever comes to mind.
Here we are, at the summit of Buck Mountain.

The cool thing about this hike was that, at the summit, we were above the cloud line. So, looking down on Lake George, all you could see was clouds.

A few weeks ago, I was in Lake George with the fam. Kenz looked up at one of the mountains, and said, "Someday can you take me to the top of a mountain, Mom?" Well, that was all it took. I really love hiking, and rarely make time to do enough of it. When Shayna was younger, we used to go a couple of times a year. Those are some great memories for me. I told Kenz some of those stories, and we decided to make a plan to go hiking.
That led to yesterday's adventure. We went to Shelving Rock Mountain. The original plan was to hike Sleeping Beauty, and have Jack spend the day at my parents, but Kenz really wanted him to join us, so we changed our plans. Shayna came home for the day, and joined us too.
We did some quick online searching and found that Shelving Rock Ridge,seemed to be a trail that almost any one can do. Of course, we ended up on the wrong trail somehow, and did Shelving Rock Mountain, instead of Ridge. It was cold, but sunny.
Here they are at the trailhead.

The hike was 1.7 miles to the summit, all on a switch back old carriage road. The kids had an awesome time, searching for lizards (they found 2), snakes (they found none), and cool mushrooms.
The summit was nice, but not breathtaking.

The kids felt a huge sense of accomplishment, and were really proud of themselves when we reached the summit. On the way down, Jack took a big fall. He banged up his leg and knee, so that Kevin carried him most of the way down.
Mackenzie climbed this really cool rock that she found.

It was a great day! Kenz and Jack both been to the summit of their first mountain. And they made it to the top all on their own!
Of course, all 3 of them fell asleep in the car before we were back on the highway.

3.7 on the treadmill

2009-10-09T08:04:00.001-04:00

I'm not a big treadmill fan. But, I deal with it when I have too. And, since I won't run outside in the dark, it becomes a regular feature of my winter workouts.

But I found something that makes it more bearable..."The Biggest Loser". That's right: The girl who NEVER turns the TV on, watched an episode of "Biggest Loser". The comercial breaks bug the heck out of me. Okay, lots of things about the show bugged me. But, watching very overweight people fight so hard to lose weight and be fit, is inspiring. It's hard to justify slowing down the pace, when your watching this show. It's hard to justify "I'll call it a day at a 5k" when these guys are giving it all they've got.

So, it might be a weekly routine, if I can remember when it's on.

Melissa and U

2009-10-08T13:51:00.005-04:00

Jack and I spent the day together. I got a little tired of Wiggles videos on youtube, so we found this:

Life is good!

MJM 5K

2009-10-07T21:52:00.003-04:00

A month or so ago I wrote about my plan to organize a local 5k as a fund raiser for the non profit organization That I sit on the board of.
"Mindfull Journeys Mentors" is a brand new 501c3 organization. Our mission is to develop a network of peer supports and various mentoring programs for people with Traumatic Brain Injuries.
I did significant leg work in beginning to organize the event. Then, at our September board meeting, I realized that we would not really be ready to host a fall race. Our "Roll Out Event" will not be until sometime in November. This is when we will introduce ourselves to the Brain Injury Community, and begin to gather members.

So, the MJM 5K has been postponed until the Spring of 2010. We, as a board agreed that the first order of business must be the Roll Out.

Stay tuned for the date and event info. If you are here in the area, we'd love to have you join us!

Calling all Triathletes...and "Wannabe's"

2009-09-28T18:09:00.007-04:00

Take part in the 2nd Annual Home Tri
When: Saturday Oct 10, 2009.
Distances: See Below
Entry Fee: None (unless you make a donation to a Cancer related Charity)

Hmm. This will be a rambling post. I'm just warning you now. This is a story of several things coming together all at once. And right up front, I want to give credit to my Grandmother, Mark, and Running Laur (whom I've never met, but she put a name to the crazy idea I sort of had last year.)

Where to begin? This idea begins with Mark and my Grandmother.
The second anniversary of Mark's death is just around the corner. His memory continues to inspire me: to do my job well, to remain healthy, to be a good parent, to be a good person. All of these things were important to him.
As I mentioned in my original post, Mark was a great athlete. He encouraged every one he met to be healthy. We often walked together at lunch time. Especially as his disease progressed, and he was unable to walk alone due to balance and memory challenges. His legs were so long, that I had to jog to keep up with his walk.

Grandma Jennie was another amazing force in my life. She died several years ago, when I was in my early 20's. She was a loving Matriarch. Strong to the end. She had many grandchildren, so I rarely had time all alone with her. But one day after she was diagnosed with cancer, I did sneak a little quiet time alone with her. I asked her if she was afraid of dying. She seemed genuinely surprised by the idea. And her response was something like this: of course she wasn't. She never let anything in life stop her before, she certainly wasn't going to let dying get in her way. That was a conversation that has greatly affected who I am today.

Around this time last year, I was training for my first tri The memory of Mark and my Grandmother often kept me going, when I wanted to stop and sit down.

Here is where events start to shape each other: The Tri that I was training for was cancelled because of a Hurricane that blew in that weekend. At the time, I was bitterly disappointed. I had trained all summer, and now it was for nothing. But, with encouragement from my family, we planned the First Annual Home Tri

It was incredible fun! Shortly after that, I was out running and I decided that I would send out an email to my extended family members, proposing a family Tri. The idea at the time (although I didn't call it this) was to set up a Virtual Tri. Similar to Running Laurs virtual 5 mile Fall run. I suggested that we do this in honor of my Grandmother, and instead of paying a race fee, we could make a donation to the cancer society in my Grandmothers name. The responses I received were disappointingly negative. It was one, big fat resounding "You're crazy. Thanks but no thanks."

Well, a year has gone by. I still think of Mark and my Grandmother more than I admit to anyone. And, I'm not ready to let the Tri season end for the year yet. So, I'm putting the idea out there to the blogging world.

So, here is my proposal. To anyone who is reading: A 2nd Annual Home Tri. A virtual race. Last years distances were:
600 yard pool swim
15.4 mile bike ride
5k Run.

These are the distances I will stick with, because I want to do the same course as last year. But, here's the great thing about a virtual race: You can make it your race!
Can't swim? do 200 yards.
No bike? Borrow one, or race as a relay team, letting some one else do the bike leg.
Bad knees that don't like running? WALK!

The date is Oct 10th because Mark passed away on Oct 8, 2007. So, this is the closest weekend. But, if that date doesn't work for you, pick a date between 10/8 and 10/18. Leave a comment, letting me know the distances and date you'll commit to.

Honor some one you know and love, who changed your life forever. If you've never done a Tri, this is about as non threatening as it gets. Plus, you'll definately be first in your age group!

Running Laur's Fall 5K Race Report

2009-09-24T19:37:00.013-04:00

Earlier this week, I committed to participating in "Running Laur's 5 miler" -which she graciously also included a 5k distance in.

The idea is that you commit to running one of the distances, within the first week of fall, and then run your race. Site, time and distance all set by each participant.

So, tonight was my 5k. It's the first stand alone 5k I've entered since Teagan's run

I decided to run one of my usual routes, in reverse for this race. Mostly, because I was running during rush hour traffic, and this allowed me to make left hand turns at each intersection.

Here's the course:
09/24/2009 Route-fall 5k
Find more Runs in Albany, New York
Race Report:
Start time: 5:45 PM.
Pre race routine- brushed my teeth. Does any one else out there, brush their teeth before each run? Drank some water. Walked 1/2 a mile to warm up- and took off.It was at least 70' out, and sunny. I felt pretty good. There is a short hill at the beginning of the run, and then maybe 1/2 a mile of a slow incline. Funny, how I never noticed it as a decline when I run this course in the other direction.
The run was fairly uneventful. However, two things happened, just as they would in any other race.
First,I swallowed the necessary bug at about the 1.5 mile mark. YUCK!Too bad for me, there were no water stops on this course. Where the heck were the volunteers when I needed them!
Then, I got passed by 3 or 4 fast guys. I think they were the SUNY CC team. But I can't really be sure of that, since I only saw a streak of purple before they were out of sight.
The rest of the race was quiet. I got into the zone a few times, where I was pretty deep in thought, and wasn't paying attention to much of anything. So, the next thing I knew, I had done another 1/2 mile. That's my favorite part of running, and it rarely happens in a race with 100 people all around me. So, I really appreciated it tonight.

My finish was strong. I had some kick left. I love having a finish line in my driveway! I love having the kids cheering me on. Jack jumping up and down with excitement, shouting, "How was your run Mommy?" and "Running's fun. Right Mommy!"
This was the first time I've ever participated in a virtual race. Thanks Running Laur for organizing it! Jack is right, it is fun!

Finish time: 32:41
Pace: 10:32 per mile.
This is a new PR for me!

Me and Jack after the run.

A Wonderful New Goal

2009-09-20T07:08:00.002-04:00

I was procrastinating this morning, trying to avoid going for a run before the temp hit 55'. So, of course, I was randomly cruising various blogs. That's when I found this!

A virtual race! It's sort of like the Home Tri. Only a a much bigger scale! So, I signed up. How can I resist a race with no entry fee, and such a non competitive environment!

Go ahead- sign up! You know you want to.

Okay- I'm off to go train for it :)

What now?

2009-09-18T07:31:00.006-04:00

The post race glow is wearing off.

Jeez, I'm such a junky!

What the heck am I going to do now?
Train for a 10k? I've never done one.
Train for a faster 5k? I really need one.
Plan for the 2nd annual Home Tri?
Check out my blog on the first annual Home Tri to get a sense of what I'm talking about here.
This would be a pool swim, so I could do it in early October. I like the idea of repeating the course, to get a sense of my improvements over the past year. I mentioned it to Kev, but he didn't seem that enthusiastic. He said," I'm sort of tri'd out right now." GRRR!

The goal is to make a decision by the end of this weekend. Any suggestions?
-Peace.

DACC First Annual Tri- Race Report

2009-09-13T08:46:00.007-04:00

Yesterday, I completed my second Triathlon of the year!

It was the first Annual Duanesburg Area Community Center (DACC) Tri! What a great race! I felt that it was well organized, especially for the first one. I traveled out to the DACC on Friday evening for my packet pick up and to get my body markings. I know it's pretty goofy, but I LOVE body markings!While out there, I drove the bike course. I'm glad I did, because I like to know where I'm going on the bike. And to know if there is anything funky with the road that I have to be careful of. This course had a couple of roads that were not really smooth.

My shoulder, neck and arm have still been bothering me. So I took ibuprofen every 6 hours through the night to stay on top of the pain. I'm not fond of taking ibuprofen, but I felt like this warranted the use.

So, yesterday morning I got up at 6 AM. Grabbed my transition bins, loaded up the bike and took off by 7AM. Hit the bike/run transition area and dropped off my running gear, plus a sweatshirt to throw in at the end of the race. Then I drove over to the bike transition area.

At this point, it's misting and the temp has not yet hit 60'. And, I'm thinking I'm an idiot for doing this. The parking area was about 1/2 mile away from the swim/bike transition, where we had to leave our bikes. From there, we walked about 1/4 mile to the start of the swim. This is when I fully committed to running this race. I thought, "What the heck? SO many people my age would be complaining just about a 3/4 mile walk. I'm already way ahead of the game." Then I thought, "I'm here. I've trained. I paid. Just do it. Commit to it, and get it done."

Every one at the swim start was so friendly. Lots of small talk from lots of people. Plus, I connected with my friend Andrea! I knew she'd be there, because we'd been talking about this race on FaceBook. Andrea is a friend from High school, that I haven't seen since HS. It was awesome! She's such a positive, healthy person, and great to spend a little time with.

One of the great things about this race, was that they kept the swim waves to less than 20 people each. So, no one was getting run over. Or....kicked in the head!! We were the 5th wave of swimmers, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. At least I didn't get passed on the bike course by 50 people.

The swim: The water was freezing! Conveniently, no one knew the actual temperature, but I know it was below 70'- probably more like 65'. I was cold through most of the swim. I really struggled with the swim. My shoulder and arm were so tired. I tried to focus on my stroke, and eventually made it to the other side of the lake.
Time 14.16!
Based on the race organizers estimate of a 550 yard swim, this was a pace of 2:35 per 100 yards. (I think they over estimated the distance, because I don't think I was going that fast.)

Transition One: about 3:30. This is an estimate, because they didn't officially break out the transition times.

The bike: I felt really strong on the bike! There was one hill that gave me a bit of a tough time. Most or all of the guys from the swim wave behind me, passed me. Oh well, that's to be expected! The thing I really loved about this course, was that the last mile was downhill. That meant that my legs felt pretty good for the start of the run.

Time: 40:43. This was a 15.33 pace!

Transition 2:As I pulled in to the transition area, I spotted Kevin and the kids!! Kevin had the video tape, which was awesome. The kids were cheering and clapping for me! In the video, you can see that I'm smiling like a fool!
Time: Approx: 2:15.

The Run: Amazingly, my legs felt pretty good for the run. No knee pain, and no cramping calves. There were 2 challenging hills on the course. I walked part of both of them. Someday, I'll get to the point where I won't walk any of the run. A few times I wanted to stop, and I implemented my "13.01!" script- it kept me going. I like that the run was an out and back course. That meant you were passing runners on the other side of the road fairly frequently. It was a great sense of support to cheer each other on! The run also ended on a down hill! That made it easy to finish strong, and smile as I crossed the finish line!
Run time: 36.23. that's a 11.44 minute mile.

Kev and the kids were there. Cheering and clapping! It was fantastic!

Final stats: overall time: 1:37:08
Finish in Age Group: 7 out of 12
Overall finish: 61 out of 72

Taking a look at the goals I set for myself:
Swim: My fantasy goal was 2:40 minutes per 100 yards. I hit 2:35!!
Bike My fantasy goal was a 16 mph pace, and realistic goal was 14.5 mph pace. I hit 15.33 mph!!
Run: my fantasy goal was 11:10 minute mile, and realistic was 12 min miles. I hit 11:44!!

I'm thrilled with my results from yesterday!! For every leg of the race, My splits were faster than they were in the Northern Columbia Tri last month!

Is that the end of the 2009 Tri season? Stay tuned...I think there's one more race to come!!

A Rant About our Healthcare System

2009-09-11T07:28:00.005-04:00

AS you know, I hurt my neck and back last Sunday. I went to the Chiropractor on Tuesday, and got some relief. Unfortunately, I have continued to have pain, numbness and a feeling that my arm is a dead weight. Yesterday the symptoms worsened and traveled to my fingertips. My arm feels like I swam 1/2 a mile.

The chiropractors office is closed on Thursdays, so I called my primary care Dr. I should say that my PCP is my treatment provider of last resort. I'm not a big fan of the medical Dr's and the insurance and drug companies they are in bed with. But the pain was significant, so I went.

The first issue I had was a big sign at the receptionist desk, stating that effective August 1, a new federal law required that they take a photocopy of my drivers license and scan it into their electronic computer system. That annoyed me for 2 reasons. First, I felt they should have sent a letter out to all their patients letting them know about this. Unfortunately, the second reason it bothered me was initially a gut reaction. That means, I couldn't get it into words while I was standing there at the desk. So, like an idiot, I handed over my license. Hey-I was in pain and not really able to focus on much at the time.

Now that I've had time to process my gut reaction, here's the thing: I think this Dr is misrepresenting the law. I don't think (but I could be wrong) that the law requires them to have a permanent record of my license in their system. Plus, the guise of the law, is that medical identity theft is on the rise. (Okay- I get that, and it opens up a whole other rant that I will avoid at the moment.)So, are you really telling me that the way to prevent identity theft is to add my drivers ID number to the list of things that could be stolen!?! I'm no computer guru- but I think there are a few flaws in this thought process!

The DR. I saw was new to he practice. I felt that she was nice and empathetic. And, while I was there she was thorough. She sent me for an MRI, and told me she would call with the results by the end of the day. She never did tell me what she was concerned about, except possible arthritis.

Sure enough. late in the day, Dr. L. leaves a message on my cell. It goes like this, "Hi. This is Dr. L. I have the results of your MRI and it shows that you have severe arthritis in your neck. At this time we would recommend physical Therapy. You can take ibuprofin for the pain. If you'd like to talk more about this, you could call me in the office tomorrow. I am leaving for the day."

A DR. should answer questions, not leave you with anxiety and 50 new unanswered questions. Like, What type of arthritis? Exactly where in my neck? What are some treatment options? Is this degenerative? What is the long term prognosis? What qualifies it as severe? And how did it get to that point? The list goes on....

It's very frustrating to me that somehow, this Dr. felt that giving me a diagnosis in a voice mail, with no follow up appointment or real instructions, was even remotely acceptable.

So, at this point, I'm still planning to race the Tri tomorrow. I don't see why I shouldn't. I'll see my chiropractor on Tuesday, and discuss everything with him. At least he'll give me some answers, other than "Take ibuprofin."

An Update

2009-09-09T07:08:00.004-04:00

The DACC Triathlon is in 4 days.
This weekend did not quite go as planned. We spent much time on Friday and Saturday doing some home maintenance to get ready for the winter. So no official workouts happened on those days.
I threw my neck/back out on Sunday morning. Of course, that happens on a holiday weekend, when the Chiropractors office is closed until Tuesday. I did manage to ride Krumkill with Kevin later on Sunday, and I felt pretty strong. My pace was faster than last time, and the hills were a little easier.
My neck has continued to hurt, and my arm has felt weak and numb. So I got to the Chiro yesterday. I LOVE this guy! He treats several local triathletes, so he understands what our bodies need. I feel better now- but not 100%.

I sucked it up and ran on the treadmill last night. YUCK!I haven't hit the pool in 2 weeks (it was closed for maintenance)

So, here's what I'm looking at:

Swim- 1/3 mile: This will be slow. I'm okay with that, since I have ignored it lately. Plus, my arm is still feeling chronically tired (for lack of a better term) from whatever I did to my back. So, Maybe 3 minutes per 100 yards.
Fantasy: 2:40
Realistic: 2:50
Definite: 3:10

Bike- 10.4 miles: Last tri was an incredibly slow 12.1 MPH. Assuming I don't get kicked in the head again, I'm hoping to increase that to 14mph.(In my fantasy world, I will smoke that time!)
Fantasy: 16 mph
Realistic: 14.5 mph
Definite: 12.5 MPH

Run- 3.1 miles: Last Tri was a 13.01 pace. Remember that? My goal this time is to hit a 12 minute mile pace. That is still insanely slow, but I'll have the winter to work on my running.
Fantasy: 11:10 minute miles
Realistic: 12 minute miles
Definite: 13 minute miles

I'm curious: If you are a triathlete and your reading this: How do you set your goals for each race?

-Peace.

One week From Today...

2009-09-05T21:04:00.003-04:00

Next week at this time, I will be posting the race report for my second Triathlon of the year.
http://myschalmont.org/swim/documents/2009TriInfo.pdf

I'm ready! This is a shorter course than the last race, which has some benefits. Hopefully, I won't get kicked in the head during the swim this time.

Tomorrow I will ride Krumkill Road and do a 30 minute walk/run as the final hard training session before the race. After that, I'll try to get in the pool at least once this week. And do some running, but all the real work is done by now.

I'm excited because a friend from High School is traveling from Vermont to compete also. We haven't seen each other in years, but it will be great to know some one at the race.

I'll spend some time this week going over my race plan in my head. I have my scripts that I've been using during training sessions,and they seem to be working well for me. Part of my strategy is to look at who is racing, so that I get a sense of what I'm up against. As of yesterday, there were only 57 people registered. 9 of them were women in my age group. That number will probably jump to a total of 70 by the race. We'll see how it all falls together.

Kevin is not entering this race. He still hasn't recovered from the swim experience of the last race, so he will bring the kids to cheer me on.

Things That Make Me Happy: # 41 through 60

2009-09-03T06:57:00.004-04:00

Perhaps I'm not the happiest person around, because this is surprisingly hard. For any one who's new here, I decided in June that I would list 100 things that make me happy. And I decided to break the list into groups of 20. It's not easy!

Any way, here's my next list:

41. Jumping in a mud puddle
42. Remembering that my little brother used to call them, "Muddles"
43. Lunch with my Mom
44. Daily emails from my Aunt Liz.
45. A boss that makes me laugh
46. new socks
47. A pedicure. That reminds me....
48. Watching one of the survivors I work with, Graduate from college.
49. Seeing a Newfoundland.
50. Lying on the beach for an afternoon
51. Raking up a huge pile of leaves
52. Jumping in the huge pile of leaves.
53. My bike.
54. A new bathing suit.
55. Seeing fireworks with Mackenzie and Jack.
56. A phone call from Shayna, when I can hear the happiness in her voice.
57. Eating dinner on my front porch.
58. Real mail- that isn't a bill.
59. Post cards
60. Fresh strawberries from our strawberry patch.

Go on...Start your own list.

Something Big on the Horizon

2009-08-26T21:29:00.005-04:00

This past week I've had an opportunity come my way that I'm pretty excited about.

It combines two areas of my life that I am quite passionate about: Work and working out. I'll explain. As many of you know, I work with adults who have had a Traumatic Brain Injury. I love this job. The guys I work with are incredible. They are strong and true survivors. This past fall I was asked to be a founding board member for a fledgling Not for Profit called "Mindful Journeys Mentoring" (MJM). This is an incredible project for people with TBI's to help each other. But, I'm afraid I am digressing. ANYWAY...we have applied for 501c3 status and are now in the position to begin developing the actual Mentoring program. To do this effectively, we need money. So, as a member of the Development Committee, I have started researching the possibility of having a 5k run/1mile walk as a fund raiser! We're looking at early October, and are in the very early stages of research and planning. But I'm already learning a great deal about organizing an event like this! See the coolness?! Hanging out with people who are incredibly inspiring to me, and organizing a run! How awesome is that?

Here's hoping it works out! There are many pieces of information to bring to our board meeting before I get the approval to go ahead with it. So, keep your fingers crossed, and if you have any experience organizing something like this, please give me some advise about what to do and ask as I go along.

Be safe. Have fun. Peace.

Ready to Roll!

2009-08-25T22:53:00.002-04:00

My shoulder is feelin fine!
I did a brick last week that rocked!
I hit 900 yards in the pool, which is 300 more than I need for the race.

I'm feelin' Ready to Roll!

I have 2 new mantras that are keeping me focused and moving. They are, "What's the goal?"
and "13.01"

"What's the goal?" is all about not letting myself stop or slow up. Sometimes the answer is "To finish faster" or"Not to walk". And Sometimes it's as little as ,"Make it to the next mailbox". whatever the answer is, it keeps me moving.

"13.01" refers to my run splits in the last tri. I was very frustrated that I was at 13.01. If I had been 2 seconds faster per mile, I would've been under 13 minute splits. If I had walke just a few seconds less, and run a few seconds more, I would've met that goal. So, "13.01" reminds me to keep going. Push harder, because I don't want to settle for coming close to a goal, but missing it by just a few seconds.

So, I'm feeling strong. I'm feeling motivated. I'm so excited for my upcoming race, and it's still 2 weeks away!
-Peace

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!

2009-08-21T21:09:00.001-04:00

"I must've slept on it wrong"

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!

My shoulder hurts. It hurt all day long.

Okay, for those of you who don't do Tri's you're saying, "What's the big deal?" Or perhaps,"Suck it up, you big baby!"

The big deal is that the first leg of a Triathlon is the swim! That means use of the shoulders!
Mine is popping and feels tired. I swam tonight, because that's what my plan said to do. But, it hurts more now.

So, I'm telling myself it's because I slept on it wrong. And, in the morning, it will be just dandy!!

Please, send some positive energy my way, if you've got a little to spare. Thanks!

Sentence starters that drive me crazy...

2009-08-19T21:58:00.004-04:00

I was cruising around, lurking on various blogs, and found this one:
http://theunlikelytriathlete.blogspot.com/

She's pretty funny. But, I admit I found some of the comments people left her to be really rude.
And it got me thinking about all the ways people start a sentence when they are going to justify being rude, mean, or dishonest.

So, here are some I thought of:

"I'm going to be totally honest with you..."[Expect a blatent lie after this]
"I'm just going to be honest and say..."{Here comes something really rude}
"I dont want to hurt your feelings, but"...{I'm going to anyway}
"Please don't take this the wrong way..." [I'm going to be mean, but don't be offended]
"Can I be honest with you?"...[Here comes something hurtful]

And one of my all time favorites:
"Okay, this is not an attack or anything, but..." [Look out cause here comes some of the most judgmental stuff you'll hear all week.]

All of this leaves me with 2 final thoughts tonight. First, thanks to everyone who has been supportive of me in the last year of blogging.

Second, Can we all go back to that kindergarten lesson, "If you don't have anything nice to say...blah, blah, blah"

-Peace.

Sunday's Ride

2009-08-17T08:14:00.002-04:00

This was a celebration ride for paying off the first debt in our "Debt Snowball" plan.

Kevin chose the route, and he said,"It's going to be a little hilly. Is that okay?"

08/16/2009 Route-Kevins 20 miler
Find more Bike Rides in Albany, New York

CLick on the "Show elevation" tab in the top right corner of the map. Then, when the elevation box pops up, drag the top green border up, to make the box bigger.

I love his idea of "a little"!

The Next Race

2009-08-15T07:06:00.005-04:00

Because it's so late in the summer, I didn't think I would be doing a second Triathlon this year. Then, I found this one.. http://myschalmont.org/swim/documents/2009TriInfo.pdf
It's the Duanesburgh 1st Annual Sprint Triathlon! 1/3 mile swim, 10.4 mile bike, and 5k run.

So, I'm off and training again. This time I decided to take a look at the elevation and grades of the bike/run. Here are the comparisons between The Northern Columbia Tri Bike course: http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ny/canaan/384124853372762839

And the DACC Ride: http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ny/albany/942125003049083107

This time I'm not fooling myself into thinking it's no big deal! I will train on hills for the next few weeks.

And the run...Well, to hell with it. The run will never be easy for me. I'll just suck it up and deal with it...Or maybe I'll take a look at it next week.

I wasn't last!

2009-08-11T07:24:00.017-04:00

Me at the end of the day! I love body markings!

That crazed look in my eyes is pure adrenaline!

I wasn't last!
But, I was pretty darn close!

"How was the Northern Columbia Tri?" you ask. Thanks for asking!I'll be happy to tell you...

It was brutally awesome! Kevin and I got there with no problem. We drove the course in reverse, as we dropped our stuff off at each transition area. That's when it really set in that some of the hills were pretty tough.

The swim: 440 yards of a lake swim.
There were a lot of weeds for the first 50 yards. I knew that Kevin wasn't doing well with the swim. He got in the water before the race to warm up, and came out freaked! He contemplated not doing the race, at all. I passed him quickly, and some how knew he was heading toward one of the buoys to rest. I got around the 1/2 way turn before I was passed by any one from the second wave of swimmers. That's when I got kicked in the head! Shortly after that, I swallowed water, and I'm pretty sure it went to my lungs. Then, I saw the Sheriffs boat heading toward a buoy to help some one who was in trouble. That threw me for a loop because I was thinking that it might be Kevin, but I kept going.
The timing mat was placed at the edge of the water, so my swim time was "real time" It was 11:52. That's a 2:42 pace, and put me at 133 out of 154 participants.

The bike: 19.8 miles
Bike time started the second you got out of the water- it included the swim to bike transition time. This is where I lost at least 5 minutes, maybe more. I couldn't breathe. My head was pounding from the kick I took. And, I was really worried about Kev at this point, because I heard some one say there was a man down in the water. Let's just say that I was not in "race mode" at this point. Just as I pulled myself together and started to refocus, the milk crate I was sitting on to get my shoes on, shattered underneath me! It's not very confidence boosting to think that my weight shattered a milk crate, as I'm trying to complete a race.

Okay, I pulled it together and got on my bike. I love my bike. I was doing okay. I didn't pass anyone, but I was holding a really good pace. Then, at mile 8, Kevin caught up with me!!! This is when I started dogging it, and now I know that I should've had a GU at that point. But I didn't. I was still fighting the headache and the desire to puke up the lake water. Kevin passed me (I told him to run his own race and not wait for me). Then I hit the first hill! That's where I knew I needed to do a GU earlier. I couldn't make it. But, in my defense, many people around me were walking their bikes too. I made up lots of lost time on the flats and downhills, but never caught Kev. The other hills were rough, but not as bad as the first one. All in all, I think I gave it my all on the bike. The hills were much harder than I estimated. The scenery was absolutely beautiful!The course was well marked and intersections had plenty of volunteers/ state police to keep us safe.

The bike time also included the time for the second transition area. Again, I could've been at least 3 minutes faster in this area, but I just let myself slow down way too much.
So, all in all, my bike time was a pathetic 1:36:40. That gave me a pace of just over 12 miles per hour. It's a very sad time. If the transitions had been separated out, my time would've been more like 1:26:00. So, now I know to push it much harder in transitions, and not slip out of race mode.

The run: 4.5 miles
OH MY LORD!! First of all, at this point in my training, 4.5 miles is a long run. So, even in a stand alone race, that would've been tough for me. The run started on an uphill!I ran most of it, but then my calves froze up on me, and I started to walk. Mile 2 was another uphill. Yep. The entire second mile was uphill- steep. 5% grade for some of it. My knees started hurting a lot- sharp pains. So, I walked part of this hill too. Mile 3 was downhill- some as steep as 7% grade. I went as fast as I could without hurting my knees. Then, the last half mile was uphill again. I know the scenery on the run was beautiful- but I don't remember much of it.
Final run time: 58:36. Ready for this....my mile splits were 13.01.. How frustrating is that? I was so close to being in the 12 minute range.

Overall:
My final time was 2:47:09
Kevin's final time was 2:29:42
I'm so proud of myself and Kevin for doing this!
There are a bunch of things I learned- like don't try to sit on a crappy milk crate for the transition area!
I'm taking some time to process the event and every thing I learned.
I know what to focus on for my next tri- and I have a baseline to set some goals with.
Here's a picture of us at the finish line:

Two Days Before the Tri!

2009-08-07T20:59:00.003-04:00

First, thanks for the kind and supportive words you left in response to my last post.

After I got over my hour of poutiness, I did some research and some planning. I took the advise of one of the women in my Beginner Triathlete mentoring group, and came up with 3 sets of numbers. For each leg of the race I came up with a "best case scenario, every thing's going perfect" time, a realistic goal time, and a "safety net" time.
Here's what I'm looking at:

GOALS FOR NORTHERN COLUMBIA TRI ON 8.9.09

SWIM; 440 YARDS
best: 10:30 Minutes
Probable: 11:30 minutes
definite: 13 minutes

BIKE: 19.8 MILES
best: 1:10 (16.50 mile pace)
Probable: 1:18 (15 mile pace)
definite: 1:25 (13.8 mile pace)

RUN: 4.5 miles
best: 40:30 (11:00 min pace)
probable: 52:30 (11:40 min pace)
definite:54 minutes (12 min pace)

Of course, this is still all guess work because I've never done an official Triathlon, and I didn't factor in transition times. So, if transition times are factored into the leg times, then my times might be longer than I'm anticipating.

Next, I took a look at the results from the last few years. And, I feel a bit better about my prospects. I like this race for my first, because it's not USATF sanctioned. There are some fast competitors in the past years, but there are also several people who are more at my pace.

So, I'm feeling better now!
-Peace.

A Moment of Self Doubt

2009-08-05T21:00:00.003-04:00

Oh Crap! I'm going to finish last on Sunday.

Even my husband, who decided last week to enter this race, and has trained for one week is going to beat me.

Dead. Last. Packing up the Finish line arch as I'm hobbling underneath it. Last.

I'm just warning you all now.

Training Update

2009-07-31T07:19:00.002-04:00

The Northern Columbia Tri is next Sunday!
Since I didn't post my training plan (as I said I would), I'll give you a training update from the past week.

Week totals from Friday 7.25 thru Friday 7.31:
Swim: 1x for 30 minutes
Bike: 3x's for 178 minutes and 39.46 miles
Run: 2x's for 52.12 minutes and 4.75 miles.

I also logged 80 minutes of walking this week.

Some of the week's highlights:

Last Saturday I went out to Canaan and checked out the course. The swim will be beautiful. It's a small lake and seems quite nice. Much of the bike course is flat and some downhill. There are a few hills to climb, but none are bigger than the Krumkill hills I've been training on. So as I pulled up to the identified Bike/run transition area I was feeling pretty good about myself.

Then, I started driving the run course. Keep in mind 2 facts: I am a slow runner, and 4.5 miles is a long run for me. Even on a good day. The run is 4.5 miles long, and I'm pretty sure that 4.3 miles of it is uphill. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

SO, what's a girl to do? After I got over that "I think I'm going to puke" feeling, I came home and ran hill repeats. And, then I did a brick work out. And today, I'll run the hills on Krumkill road. The same ones that I've used to get ready for the bike leg.

Peace.

Who Would've Guessed...

2009-07-28T20:41:00.004-04:00

I'm really not a corporate kinda girl. But I seem to have found a place that's a good fit for me. 'Cause here I go...

I am the new TBI Program Manager for my office!

August 9th is the Day!

2009-07-24T00:44:00.002-04:00

I did it! I finally chose a Triathlon! I registered tonight!

It's a Sprint Distance.

.25 mile swim in a lake
19.8 mile bike
4.5 mile run.

Yes...you read that right. 4.5 mile run. Not the customary 3.1 miles for a Sprint. Hmmm. What was I thinking?

Here's the link: http://www.northerncolumbiatriathlon.com/

I'm so excited, I can't sleep. And, it's almost 1AM.

Training plan details for the next 2 weeks will be discussed soon.

Peace.

Things that Make me Happy: Part 2

2009-07-20T20:56:00.004-04:00

Here's the continuation of my list:

21. An early morning walk with my dog.
22. The first snow storm of the year.
23. Lightning bugs
24. Getting great seats at a sold out movie.
25, New running shoes
26. spending time with my sister.
27. A new book.
28. Running into an old friend.
29. cuddling up with the cat.
30. Hearing my Dad laugh.
31. The smell of fresh cut wood.
32. Finding a bike path to explore.
33. Sticking my toes in the ocean for the first time each year.
34. Swimming in Pecks Lake.
35. A hot fudge sundae with Reese's pieces.
36. The smell of a child's hair after a bath.
37. Reading with Mackenzie and Jack.
38. Lilac bushes.
39. Sunflowers.
40. Watching a butterfly dance across the lawn.

A free give-away!

2009-07-17T22:50:00.018-04:00

Check out this blog:http://windchasers.blogspot.com/
Felicia makes beautiful jewelry, and she's giving this necklace away as a celebration to mark her one year anniversary in the blogging world.

One of the things I love about her blog, is that she is so darn positive! Go to her blog and she has simple instructions for how you can enter to win!

More from Texas

2009-07-16T22:54:00.008-04:00

I have a few more pictures to share from Texas.

First, the 1981 Fuji Mixte that Doohickie found and fixed up! This is the bike I took on our 35 mile ride Saturday morning.

The funny thing about this picture is this: in my home, I keep my bike in the exact same spot as this one. And, it drives both of our spouses crazy that Doohickie and I bring our bikes into the living room. I am luckier than Doohickie, because I also have one in my bedroom, which Mrs. Doohickie has banned from occurring in her home.

On Friday we went to the Fort Worth Zoo. This is a picture of Mackenzie with her two oldest cousins.
One of my cousins joined us at the zoo with her two adorable little ones. However, out of respect for their privacy, I am not posting a photo of them. It was wonderful to see them, and I'm thankful they were willing to make the 2 hour ride down for the day.

Kenz was really looking forward to doing Legos with her big cousins. They graciously obliged and spent a great deal of time building things with her.

Finally, the Doohickie family has a cat. Apparently this cat does not like to be touched or bothered by most people.

Mackenzie appears to be the exception to that rule!

It was a great trip, although much too short.

A Brief Trip

2009-07-13T17:58:00.009-04:00

Mack and I are in Texas for 6 days. We are visiting Doohickie and my sister PennyCandy. Doohickie had a spare bike waiting for me, so I got to go on a club ride with him. Check out his blog for some photos!

We went to the stockyards on Sunday, where Kenz saw some real cowboys.

More photos will follow, once we're home in chilly NY!

Thinking Positive: A List

2009-07-07T18:21:00.007-04:00

This is sort of a morphed version of a recent blog from http://windchasers.blogspot.com/, where she started to develop a "Bucket list". I like that idea, and I'm sure I'll do a version of it in the future.

But for now, I'm feeling like it's a good time to reflect on some of the best things in life. So, my goal is to list 100 things that make me happy.

Here's the start (I doubt I'll get 100 all in one sitting)

Things That Make Me Happy:

Watching a thunderstorm roll across the sky
Hearing the uncontrolled giggles of my children.
Watching Jack learn to swim.
Listening to Mackenzie read to Jack.
A heartfelt conversation with Shayna.
Camping in the Adirondacks...even if it rains.
Spending an afternoon at the Clark Art Institute.
Hiking to the Top of Mount Sleeping Beauty.
Painted toenails.
Holding hands with Kevin.
Cheering Mackenzie on as she caught her first fish.
Shahi Paneer.
Sharing Shahi Paneer with shayna.
Sharing a bottle of Wolf Blass Chardonnay with friends.
Taking a walk with Kevin.
Birthday cake!
My moms Strawberry upside down cake.
Kevin playing the saxophone
A long bike ride by myself.
A long bike ride by myself on a Saturday morning, while every one else is asleep.

Okay-That's 20! Maybe I'll do 20 at a time.

Does any one else have a list?

Re-Evaluating Goals

2009-07-01T07:25:00.006-04:00

As I've mentioned before, my big Tri goal for this year has been to compete in the Fronhofers Olympic Tri. I'm taking a realistic look at where I'm at with training for it, and what it will take to finish the race. At this time, I have to concede that I don't think I'm ready.

Here's the deal: The Fronhofers race is on August 2. The didstances are:
a 1640.42 yard swim,
24.85 mile bike,
and a 6.21 mile run.

I'm not there. Not even close. Okay, I can push the the swim. And the bike distance isn't an issue, but I understand there are some serious hills on the course, along with a time cut-off. But,it's the run that'll kill me! I can not get off the bike and do a 10k. Not yet, anyway. And definately not without walking.

So, "what's the new plan?" you ask.

Well, thans for asking. And since you asked, I'll share my new plan with you! There is a Crystal Cove Sprint Tri on August 29.
http://www.cdtriclub.org/index.php?PHPSESSID=cb626f0a0cfb901f05103a9f2d3810ef&page=Crystal%20Lake%20Race

Crystal Cove is in Averill Park, and the bike course actually goes past my parents road.

Here are the distances:
Swim .5 miles (That's about 900 yards)
Bike 18 miles
Run 5K

The bike course is still incredibly hilly. But the swim and run are half the distance of the other race. I already swim that distance in training, so now I can work on getting faster. Running after a bike ride is always painful, but I can run a stand alone 5k now. This gives me time to get stronger and faster at it.
So, this will be my first ever- official Triathlon.

This will be the race that allows me to claim "I'm a Triathlete!"
-Peace!