I love my kids! Today we stopped by SA to take advantage of the 79 cent mega drinks and a man stopped me to ask, "Are those ALL your kids?" I turned to him and smiled, saying "Yes, I'm so blessed to be their mom." He gave me a bit of a shocked look and then recovered, saying, "Yes, I guess you are."


Sometimes they can be annoying. Sometimes they get in the way of training. Sometimes they make huge messes that they don't clean up. Sometimes they make me so mad I want to (ok, I confess, I do) scream!


But, in the end, I feel so blessed to be their mom. Yesterday afternoon I was able to read to them for two hours. We are getting close (finally) to finishing HP and the Order of the Phoneix. We laughed and laughed and laughed at Dumbledore's manner of getting away from Fudge and Umbridge and I think someone came dangerously close to wetting their pants during Fred and George's antics with the fireworks. It was a fun afternoon, and I got some well needed rest and time with my children.


They are growing up so fast, and I'm so happy that I am able to be a part of their lives.


I love you Jonathan, Andrew, Caleb, and Rachel!

Here's my schedule for the week. I will probably not take today (Monday) off as I really feel the need to do an easy spin. Also, I may do a long ez bike after HOTL on Sunday.

7/9/2007

Day Off -- I was going to do an ez spin after the kids' soccer games tonight, but I totally crashed. I could barely make dinner and clean up before I collapsed in bed. Man am I ever tired.

30 minute ez swim

7/10/2007

Swim 1:00
300 ch 4x50 k/dr @ 1:20 1x800 fr @ 16:00 (2:00) 4x50 nf/fr @ 1:15 1x400 fr @ 7:40 (1:55) 4x50 ch @ 1:10 100 ez 2200 -- done. I felt reasonably good while I was doing this, but was definately getting hungry and tired by the end. When I got home I took a brief cat nap and ate a huge bowl of brown rice and chicken before going to work.


Run 0:30 -- done! I can tell that I am still tired, but I was able to run and nothing hurts!
AEROBIC

7/11/2007

Swim 15 minutes -- I just jumped in the pool and practiced breathing on the right side for about 15 minutes of Rachel's swim lesson. I was too tired to do more than that this morning.

Bike 1:00 -- this was a great ride. I laid down and read to the kids for 2 hours this afternoon, which was the best thing I could have done for all of us. I finally felt rested when I got up! I almost didn't think I was going to get it done, but Brit came and watched the kids during Rachel's soccer game so I could get a ride in. It was wonderful. Headwind on the way out and tailwind on the way back. Just how I like it. I felt really strong!

Strength 15 minutes -- Did my PT exercises, which are quickly becoming a decent strength workout, so I'm counting it. I really hope I can be consistent with these, as I think they will make a positive difference in my ability to run and bike without getting hurt.

7/12/2007

Swim 0:45
400 fr, 100ch 4x75 (dr 50, s 25) @ 1:35 500 fr @ 8:15 400 fr @ 6:00 50 kick 300 fr @ 4:55 200 fr @ 3:20 100 fr @1:35 1x50 EZ 4x50 k @ 1:15 2x50 dps @ 1:10 50ez 2700 -- I didn't get all of this done, but my time was really short today. I also didn't come any where to close to making those times. In my dreams!!! But I felt good and strong, which at the moment is good enough for me.

Run 0:30
25-30 MINS AEROBIC RIGHT AFTER SWIM -- done -- although I did it before my swim instead. Really nice cool morning, perfect for a run. It's mornings like these when I remember why I run.

7/13/2007

Swim 0:60 OPEN WATER WITH GROUP -- done -- swam about 3000 yards.

Brick 1:00 tech
15 MINS BIKE WITH LAST 2 MINS AT RACE PACE 5 MINS JOG WITH 1ST (2MINS) AT RACE PACE REPEAT THREE TIMES EZ 10 MINS EZ JOG AFTER LAST EFFORT DO ON TRAINERI WILL HAVE YOU DO THIS BRICK BEFORE EVERY RACE- GOOD TUNE UP -- didn't do this --was too tired!

7/14/2007


Day Off

7/15/2007


Race
HOLT -- GREAT RACE! See race report for details.

Did an ez ride in the evening -- 90 minutes, very ez spinning on flat country roads. Got my first flat of the season, too! At least it wasn't during the race.

Formulas Just don't Work

So, I'm doing lots of tutoring this summer in Math. I have been very surprised at how quickly my alegebra knowledge came back. I love working with the neat little formulas and seeing how neat and orderly math can be. Unfortunately, life just isn't like that for me. It isn't neat and tidy at the end of the day. Many days I feel like a hopeless mess!

I'm reading a new book -- Searching for God Knows What, by Donald Miller where he talks about this very thing (at least in the first chapter -- I still can't really figure out where he is going, maybe that's the point?) He writes, "My friend who owns the coffe shop told us, in a tone of kindness and trugh, that nobody he knows who is successful gambles; rather, they work hard, they accept the facts of reality, they enjoy life as it is. 'But the facts of reality stink,' I told him. 'Reality is like a fine wine,' he said to me. 'It will not appeal to children.' And I am grateful my friend stung me in that way, because this truth helped me understand and appreciate life itself, as it is, without the false hope formulas offer" (11).

I really like this quote. As I grow up (finally!) I'm finding that more and more I need to accept myself and my truth for what it is -- instead of trying to make myself fit someone else's mold for my life. My truth and my reality are important and I need to find a way to live with it -- not try to change myself to fit. I'm not sure where this book will lead me, but I think that the journey will be good for me.

Training for and completing IMs the past two summers has really taught me that I can do far more than I give myself credit for. Reaching for a goal that seems out of sight -- and then reaching that goal has been a powerful force in my life. IM has made me physically fitter than I've ever been (resting HR at doctor yesterday was 56!), but it has also had a power affect on other areas of my life, including personal, emotional, and spiritual.

My Weekly Schedule

I'm going to try to post my schedule each week (and how I do with it) to help keep me honest!
Planned is in Green. Actual is in Red.

7/2/2007 Monday


Day Off

Actual was 60 Minute Bike -- this week is going to be all screwy because of the 4th of July and my attempts to make up a long bike I missed this past weekend.

7/3/2007 Tuesday

Swim 1:00
200 s, 100 k, 100 p 2x 100 kick @ 2:50 50 swim @ 1:05 (Last 25 of kick and swim are sprint) 5x300 @ 6:00 #1= 25 sprint/75 smooth #2= 50 sprint/50smooth #3= 100 sprint/100 smooth #4= 50 smooth/50 swim w/over kicking #5= 25 smooth/75 swim w/over kicking 2x100 as: #1= pull rb every 5-7 strokes @2:05 #2= kick @ 2:50 100 ez 2500

Actual Swim was 35 minutes straight with some drills. Forgot my workout book at home and didn't want to think up anything clever to swim.

Bike 1:00
AEROBIC SPIN DO 5 MINS STANDING ON THE FLATS -- did this on Monday

Actual was a 40 minute run, did the bike yesterday.

7/4/2007 Wednesday

Run 0:40
AEROBIC WITH 4X4 MINS AT LT PACE WITH 2 MINS EZ BTW -- already did this on Tuesday.

Brick 3:00

Today was a make up from a long brick that I didn't do last weekend

30 minute swim, 2 hour ride, 30 minute run. Done and over with. The swim felt great -- it pays off to swim almost everyday. Now if only I could have time to do that with my biking and running I'd be in great shape. The bike was fine, although I got tired of it after only about 90 minutes. The last 45 were all on a trail, so that might explain something. While I don't enjoy climbing hills, at least it offers a change of position. The run was awful -- I had no energy for this at all and could never get rid of the "my legs feel like concrete" feeling. Then I was tired the rest of the day. Oh, well. We all have off days. Except for the swim, this felt like an "off" day.

7/5/2007 Thursday

Bike 1:15
AEROBIC WITH 6X2 MINS AT LT EFFORT WITH 2 MIN EZ BTW -- planning to do this tomorrow. Thursdays are too busy.

Swim 0:45 as 200 warm / 100 kick / 100 IM / 100 pull / 8x25 (odds nf, evens free) / 200 -- 25 drill, 25 swim / 500 at 10:25) / 150 cool -- total 1550 yards -- this was suprising a fun workout. Can I hear myself saying that I like to swim????

Run 0:30
AEROBIC BEFORE BIKE -- one of the few this week that I actually did as scheduled! Felt pretty tired -- couldn't find a groove at all. No knee pain, just couldn't get into the run today.

7/6/2007 Friday

Swim 0:45
OPEN WATER WITH GROUP- DO STARTS 3-4 TIMES- ENTER AND GO HARD FOR 200 YARDS THEN SWIM BACK EZ REPEAT

7/7/2007 Saturday

Run 1:20 80-90 MINS AEROBIC -- ugh. This was really hard. Really really really hard. I walked way too much. It was so hot and humid and I was so very tired. I need to work on staying positive when I feel so awful.

Bike 3:00
AEROBIC WITH 4X10 MINS AT HALF IM PACE WITH 5 MINS EZ BTW -- doing on Sunday


Run 0:15
TRANSITION RUN HARD EFFORT- 5 K RACE PACE FOR LAST 10 MINS

7/8/2007 Sunday

Run 1:20
80-90 MINS AEROBIC -- did yesterday

Bike 3:00 AEROBIC WITH 4X10 MINS AT HALF IM PACE WITH 5 MINS EZ BTW -- done and this felt really good -- even with the head wind for 20 miles. Did the Apple Du course and the River Road.

Run 0:15 TRANSITION RUN HARD EFFORT- 5 K RACE PACE FOR LAST 10 MINS -- felt great on this.

TRY AND GET AN EZ 30 MIN OPEN WATER SWIM IN SOMETIME DURING WEEKEND -- didn't get to this.


Bike 0:45
AEROBIC TRAINER RIDE SMALL RING ONLY -- will do on Monday

Way too long

It has been way too long since I've last been here. Once school was out for the kids, my life swung into high gear and I've been running full steam ahead for the past six weeks!

After the Apple Du, my ITBS started acting up big time. After a number of visits to the chiropractor and the PT, I think we finally have it under control. I was able to run 90 minutes (run 8, walk 2)this past weekend with NO pain and to top it off I got home seven minutes faster than I did last year when I ran the whole loop!

I really love the IM lifestyle. Although I was planning not to race one this year, when Hawaii became a possibility I said yes with no hesitation. Now that I'm back in serious training mode I've realized how much I love training for long distance races, and I can't imagine a summer without long runs, long rides, and long open water swims. I probably should start thinking about what IM I'm going to do next summer since they fill up so fast! Two of my friends are planning to do IM Florida in 2008, so maybe I should join them -- or else go back to Madison since that is such a close race for me.

Two weekends ago I did the Chippewa Trail race with Marcia. 14 miles of canoeing, 30 miles of mountain biking, and 6 miles of trail running. Man, was that race ever hard! I was so done canoeing about 2 hours before we actually finished. I went flying over my handlebars on the bike (ouch!), and finished so late that the aid stations were closed on the run. Fortunately someone had abandoned a water bottle by the side of the road and I was so dehydrated that I didn't care what was in it. That water bottle saved my race. I marked my second last place finish -- and I'm proud of it. Considering the fact that I had been mountain biking exactly 3 times, and canoeing 2, and hadn't run at all since the Apple Du, I was awfully lucky to finish at all.

I'll try to get back to regular posting. It's going to take more discipline that training, though, I'm afraid!

Cold Water

It's not nearly so easy to be faithful to writing in this blog now that I'm not on the computer every day. I'm really enjoying my time off -- maybe a bit too much. All those projects that I've sworn I would do once I was done with school are just simply not getting done. Instead I'm volunteering at the kids' school, going to soccer practice, reading books, hanging out with friends, cooking and training. I still don't seem to have a huge interest in getting the housework done!

This week, for the first time ever, I swam five times! I am really concerned about that ocean swim in Hawaii, so I'm going to spend a lot of time in the pool/lake between now and then. I can already tell that I'm swimming better now that I'm swimming on a regular basis. I can't promise five times a week for the next 16 weeks, but I do think I can get wet more often than I had in the past.

Today I had a wonderful day with Marcia and Amy. We went down to Gear West to get Marcia a wetsuit -- of course I had to pick up a few thing too :-) On the way home we stopped at Warner Lake and did our first open water swim of the season. Brrr. The first five minutes were "take your breath away" cold. After awhile I found my grove and actually enjoyed it. It is still strange to hear the words "I", "enjoy" and "open water swims" coming out of my mouth.

Tomorrow is my first race of the season -- the Apple Du. I'm not very excited about it. It's supposed to be cold, wet, and windy -- sounds like IM Wisconsin 06 to me. I'm not a big fan of duathalons anyway and being cold during one just doesn't really appeal to me. Oh, well -- it will be a way to get a good training day in and ensure that I actually do train tomorrow.

Ordinary Days

School is done (for me), and I am quickly adjusting to the calm after the storm. It has been so very nice to have a little extra time to just do what I want. I've been running at such a high speed for so long -- I can't believe how good it feels to wake up in the morning and to know that I don't HAVE to be anywhere. Of course this will get old after a while, but it feels great right now.

Training is going great. Yesterday I broke a huge barrier for me in the swim as I swam a 500 yard TT in 9:55. My previous best at this distance was 10:25. So, despite the fact that I don't feel faster, I guess I am getting there little by little. I still think about that ocean swim at least once a day, but I think that I will be able to get in the training that I need to feel confident about it by the time October 13 rolls around.

I had the wonderful opportunty to see an old friend yesterday, Jenny. She is one of those people who make you want to be a better person just by being in their presence. She has such a gentle spirit and leads in such an amazing way. I've really missed her the past four years. She and her husband took in the twins after Jonathan was diagnosed with leukemia. I think she took care of them for almost four months. She is also the one who encouraged me to pursue a friendship with Marcia when I was feeling so lonely after moving back to St. Cloud. Her awareness of the fact that Marcia and I were perfect for each is an incredible example of the person that she is. I miss Jenny alot -- but she didn't leave me alone when she moved. She walked with me through some very difficult days and by the time she left I had an amazing support network of friends. She is one of my heros.

Jonathan had one of his regular follow-up visits last Friday -- still cancer free and in excellent health. He had an echo on his heart, which looked great. I finally got up the nerve to ask when they will use the "c-word" (cure) with him. The doctor told me that they don't consider kids cured until they are five years off treatment -- so we have three more to go. But she also gave me a great deal of hope by saying that with the treatments these days, kids who don't relapse on therapy have an excellent chance of never relapsing. I felt really light and free after leaving Children's last Friday. He doesn't have to go back for another SIX MONTHS!

Mother's day was great. We spent the day at my parent's house and the kids were wonderful. I'm so blessed to be their mom. They've put up with a lot from me while I've gone back to school. I'm really proud of how mature they are becoming. All parents say this, but I have to say that my kids are amazing.

I went running with the boys last night. Andrew rode his bike and Caleb and Jonathan ran "with" me. Well, actually they ran in front of me. I thought that this would be a good night to take them as I'm in a rest week and I was supposed to run really slow. I learned last night that I need to take them on speed workouts instead. They would run way ahead of me and turn around and wait. Then I overheard Caleb say to Andrew, "Look! I can even run faster than mom when I"m running backwards." HaHa Caleb! Anyway, it was really fun to share my love for running with them. Caleb told me that he wants to do this three times a week. Again -- I am so incredibly blessed.

That's all for now.