Let's Get Dirty!

Ten Days ago we ran the Dirty Dash with some friends.  I still have the bruises and scabs to prove it.  

The race was a 10k up at the top of a mountain.  The run was on trails with lots of hills.  And oh, there was the occasional stack of hay bales to hurdle, or tubes to crawl through, or walls to climb over, or even beer to chug.  And mud.  Lots and lots of mud.  

Our team name was The Baby Makers.  (Because we've all made babies...get it?)  Hence the "dirty" pose before we even got muddy.

The course went all over the mountain, so our photographer/babysitter (we had Braxton with us) could only get photos at the start and near the finish.  

This is shortly after the beer chug "obstacle", downhill run, and ladder climb.  We then headed up a small hill, while people threw water balloons at us and a fire hose sprayed us.  

The top of that hill was the giant, inflatable water slide.  I'm not gonna lie...sliding face first, covered in mud, wearing shorts, while the little bits of gravel scrape down your legs, doesn't feel the best.

 You can click on this image to get a better view of the guys just getting off the slide, and the gals near the end of it.

The last obstacle was the giant mud pit.  While people flung mud at us.  Something you don't know is that right after this race, Brian and I had to head to the airport to catch a flight to San Francisco.  With no time to stop home first for a shower.  So by this point I was kind of trying to preserve my upper body.

All done!  Muddy, bloody, and happy!

And of course, what would a muddy race be without a giant group shower? 

We made it to our flight, but all day long kept finding mud all over each other's bodies.  Plus some serious bruises and scrapes.  But it was all worth it...I think we'll do it next year!

Splash, Pedal and Dash!

We didn't make it out to Chelan this year for the Chelanman events, so we promised the kids they could do our local kids triathlon, the Splash, Pedal and Dash.  A few of our neighbors joined in as well.


We had three seven-year-olds representin'...

 One almost-five-year-old...

And two three-year-olds.

The start was staggered to avoid too much congestion.  The little boys are getting ready for their big moment.

And they're off!

 This race wasn't the traditional Swim Bike Run of a triathlon.  To accommodate the little kids (and our lack of a nearby lake) the race started with the bike, then transitioned to the run, followed by a giant water slide for the "swim".

Here comes Emma, finishing the run portion.

It was HOT out.  Poor kids were bright red.

Isaiah at the end of his run.

Noah coming in from the run.

Poor kid was SWEATY.

Celebrating his first-ever medal.

My three finishers!  Isaiah couldn't be bothered to smile...he was too busy enjoying his ice cream sandwich.

All the neighbor kids together.  What a great team!

Tuesday

We enjoyed our long weekend, although we didn't really do anything too exciting.  On Saturday, Brian and I went for our "long" training run of the week.  We were scheduled to do 8 miles.  I secretly had it in my head that I would be happy with 7 miles, but I didn't inform Brian of that until we were around mile 5.  He tried to convince me that I should push through and do the whole run, but I had no intention.  The run was hard.  I slowed to take a couple walking steps a couple of times.  And one time I full-on stopped and caught my breath for about a minute.  I really feel like I was low on energy and would have done better with some running supplements (goo, sports drink, whatever).  I ate a few dried cranberries that I had brought, which did seem to help a little.

We brought Braxton along on the run in the stroller.  It was pretty cold out - we could see our breath - so we bundled him up in double jammies, a swaddler, a blanket, a hat, and another blanket over his seat.  He stayed plenty warm, and didn't fuss until the very end, which gave me an excuse to head home.  I ended up doing 7.35 miles.

We did lots of organizing in the garage, and some yard work.  See?  Not too exciting.  We did slip away for a date to Starbuck's on Sunday night.  While we were there we fell in love with a house we found on the MLS.  Turns out there are already a few offers on the house, so we don't think we are going to try to pursue anything.

Oh I almost forgot, on Sunday morning Emma's church choir had their last of four Spring performances. They did great!  Despite being somewhat shy at times, Emma loves to perform, and I am so proud when I get to watch her.

On Monday morning I met some girlfriends for a run along the river.  It was a beautiful morning, and it was great having their company for the run.  We did about 4.2 miles, and it again kicked my butt.  But I finally realized that I was getting sick (sore throat, stuffy nose), so hopefully that explains why my last few runs have been so hard.  Next week I will fly, right?

Braxton hit the two-month milestone last week.  Now that he is feeling better and growing, he is so much more active and engaging.  He even fusses a little now and then, which is fine with us!  He is just barely starting to give us occasional smiles (on purpose), one of which I caught on his two-month "birthday".

This boy blesses me so much.  I just adore him!

Whoops - I'm back!

Whoa, didn't mean to take such a long break from blogging.  I've been both slowly adjusting back to life at home, and also frantically trying to get caught up on things.

My sister in law was still here for the first two days we were home.  I was so appreciative, as I was kind of stuck in a I-finally-have-my-baby-home-and-tube-free bliss.  I had so much fun walking all over the house while holding Braxton.  Still am.

Now I'm back to reality.  Yesterday Emma and I counted how many lessons she had of school left.  Then we looked at the calendar.  10 school days.  137 lessons.  Do the math.

Braxton is finally doing really well.  Towards the end of last week his weight was down to just under 7 pounds.  That was very concerning, as that was only 5.5 ounces gained since birth.  But given the rough start he had, it wasn't too surprising.  We had been exclusively breastfeeding since coming home from the hospital last Monday.  So we added some small bottle feedings after some of his breastfeeding.  By Monday this week he was up to 7 pounds, 5 ounces, and today he is 7 pounds, 7 ounces.  We are finally on the right track.  Woo hoo!

Oh, one more thing.  Last week I decided that I would join my sister in law and Brian in training for a half marathon, that we plan on running in July.  Keep in mind I am still ramping up to get back to where I was before getting pregnant.  I had only just barely gotten my distances up to just over 3 miles when I decided to do this half marathon training.  I was supposed to do 6 miles on Saturday, but ended up only doing 4.1.  I consoled myself by saying it was a mile further than I'd done so far.  But the nasty chafing from shorts that used to fit me, definitely made me stop.  And also I wanted to die.  Right now I am off to do a 4 mile tempo run.  Wish me luck!

Life this week

It's been confirmed that Braxton has Hirschsprung's disease.  He is scheduled to have surgery in a couple of months.  Our biggest challenge right now is getting him to gain weight so he is strong enough for surgery.  So far his weight keeps going up and down, so we are now adding formula to his tube-supplements to increase the calories a bit.

Aside from the health issues, Braxton is doing really well.  He is super sweet, and such a content baby.  He is becoming more alert and responsive to our voices and movement.  He is the best snuggler and can sleep anywhere when he's tired.  He's also becoming an excellent nurser which is so great, as that was one of my major concerns.  Praise the Lord!

In other news, I have been working on getting back into shape.  I've talked about some of the races I have planned for this year, which I'm super excited about.  Want to know one of the first thoughts that went through my mind when I went into labor three weeks early?  "Great - I get three extra weeks of training in!"  I know, I'm sick.  I went for my first run exactly two weeks after Braxton was born.  He was in the hospital, the kids were out of town, and I just needed to do something "normal".  The run was pathetic - more like a "trot" with about six walking breaks over a 2 1/2 mile loop.  But I've been getting better quickly, and yesterday ran two miles in 20 minutes.  Not that that's anything to brag about, but considering three weeks ago I was probably at a 13+ minute pace, I am improving quickly.  Now I just need to find the time to start increasing my distances.

Races

One of the main things that keeps me motivated to stay in shape is competing in races.  I like running races and triathlons.

I've been getting excited for this year's race season.  I know it's a little weird to be so excited for races given the fact that I'm six-months pregnant and all.  But in some ways that's what is making me more excited.  Before I got pregnant I was in the best shape of my life.  So I am excited to have a goal to get me back into shape.  And I am excited to see my body's "memory" come back and see how long it will take to get back to where I was.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not talking all vanity here.  I fully expect that it will take a while for me to "look" like I did before I got pregnant.  I am actually more interested in getting my body's abilities back.  I was really proud of being able to run and swim and bike the way I could, and I can't wait to do it again.

So this year I am focusing on some totally do-able goals that are also going to be really fun.

In June I will be running this 5k.  What could be better than having champagne and chocolate at the end of a race?  It will certainly keep me motivated!  And since I will only be around 8 weeks postpartum I figured a fun, 5k would be the perfect way to get started.

In July I will be doing the Chelanman sprint triathlon again.  I don't plan to break any records or anything since again, I will only be about 12 weeks postpartum.  But I do want to finish strong.

The race I am probably the most excited about is the Dirty Dash in August.  What could be more fun than running a 10k through obstacles, mud, and water balloons?  I honestly can't wait.  Interestingly, this will be the longest distance running race I've ever done.  (Remember I was training for a 1/2 marathon last year but got knocked-up and had to quit training.)  :)

What about you?  What keeps you motivated to stay in shape?

If only I had two bottoms

Tonight the kids and I headed out to the gym to reinstate our membership.  We canceled back in June, since we primarily use the gym for swimming, and could swim for free for the summer in our subdivision pool. 

I was really excited to get back in the water since it's been over a month.  We headed out right after dinner, which by the time my paperwork was done would give me just enough time to drop the kids in childcare and get my swim in before I had to pick the kids up again. 

Finish paperwork:  check
Drop kids off:  check
Put my stuff in my locker:  check
Take my clothes off:  check
Pull out black swim bottoms:  check
Pull out red swim.....BOTTOMS:  what the - ??

That's right.  I packed two swim bottoms.  No top.  I thought about swimming in my hot-pink, padded push-up bra, but ultimately decided against it. 

So, five minutes after dropping the kids off, I walked in and picked them back up.

Triathlon or Bust: Bust

Well it looks to be official...I am not racing in the triathlon this weekend.  The one that I've been training for over the past year.  The one that I borrowed a road bike for and have been getting the feel of over the past 8 weeks.  The one that I was the group-organizer for a bunch of friends who are racing. 

I am bummed.  Majorly bummed. 

I have no one to blame but myself.  "Self, I blame you." 

I will be okay.  It's just kind of strange wrapping my mind around all of it.  This race has truly been my fitness motivator and goal for the past 12 months, when it whet my triathlon appetite last year. 

Brian is going to be in Japan anyway, during the race, so I would have been doing it without him, which was a bummer also.  So maybe it's all working out for the best.  We are considering doing a local race together around the first week in August. 

I will still be attending the race this weekend and cheering everyone on.  You better believe I will be the loudest (and most trained) non-racer there!

Training update: taper down

I've made it to the taper-down portion of my triathlon training.  Taper-down is the last two or so weeks before a race when you begin to rest your body by reducing the amount of time you train each day.  Taper-down is always a welcome break following peak week.

So I'm enjoying my light workout schedule this week.  Except there's one thing I haven't shared yet.  That is, as of right now I don't actually get to race in the triathlon I've been training for.  Here's the thing.  It's a popular race, and I know that, and I've been meaning to register for quite some time, but one thing led to another and, well, the race is full.  Bum.Mer. 

So I'm doing what I can, like emailing the race director and waiting for a spot to open up, and mostly praying.  I know this sounds trivial, but would you pray, too?  I really want to race in this race.  Plus no matter what, I am making the 7-hour drive to the event since I have coordinated a group of people from here that are doing it. 

Hopefully I haven't done all this training to be a spectator!

This week (random updates)

We had a blast on Wednesday at the water park.  We were there from open 'till close, and were POOPED.  The kids all slept until 9:30 yesterday morning, which never happens.  Emma went on every single adult ride, including the Avalanche, which is such an adrenaline rush I can only handle it once every two years. 

She did it twice. 

This video doesn't even begin to describe the terror one feels on this ride.  It's never a good sign when the ride operator is harnessed in with climbing gear.

This weekend is going to be a busy one, with parties and the start of our church's VBX.  We are nearing the end of our training for our next triathlon, which is three weeks away.  Next week is "peak" week, which is the hardest week in all our training.  Here is my schedule for next week:

Monday:  run 23 minutes; strength training
Tuesday:  swim 23 minutes; bike 46 minutes
Wednesday:  run 31 minutes; strength training
Thursday:  swim 31 minutes; bike 62 minutes
Friday:  run 39 minutes
Saturday:  swim 39 minutes; bike 77 minutes
Sunday:  REST!

Brian and I are working on some exciting changes with our finances, and I can't wait until they're in place.  I'll share just as soon as I can.  I am super motivated and can see the end in sight. 

I'm off to start the day, including working for a couple hours at church and a park date this afternoon.  Happy Friday!

Important Matters

Today is a busy day.  Swimming laps in the morning - in the rain, no less.  Taking Emma to dress rehearsal for her Tap recital.  Bike training this afternoon (maybe, if the winds slow down).  And a gold-for-cash party tonight.  Has anyone ever been to one of those?  I'm kind of excited to get rid of old jewelry in exchange for cash.

But, most importantly...

I currently have this in the crock pot.

And french bread in the bread machine.

And the dough for these homemade tortillas rising on the counter.

My house could not smell any yummier.  Be jealous.

Tidbits

I have had some breakthrough in my swimming recently.  I am working on body positioning and efficiency in the water.  Occasionally I count how many strokes it takes to swim one length of the pool.  Last week I went from a best of 23 strokes down to 17. 

Last night Brian and I swam together.  It was his first time in the water in 5 weeks.  He still smoked me in our sprints.  Grrr.

I am going through the entire house collecting stuff for a garage sale this weekend.  I love de-cluttering!

I am really excited about some new systems we have in place for saving money on groceries.  I will be sharing them in the upcoming days/weeks. 

I recently got a prescription for birth control pills filled.  I can't bring myself to start taking them.  I guess partly it's because I wouldn't really mind if I got pregnant.  But mostly I just don't want to be putting more chemicals into my body.  It's the side-effects I'm really worried about.  Nausea, vomiting, headaches, weight gain, dizziness, and on and on.  Um, no thanks.  Anyone have anything enlightening to share with me about that?

Sorry, Dad, for that last paragraph.

More than you ever wanted to know

I went to the gym tonight and swam laps for a half hour.  Once I got warmed up after about ten minutes, I was feeling pretty good.  I was trying some new technique, and having pretty good success with it.  Except that I noticed that I was occasionally swallowing water on my breath stroke.  It's normal for me to swallow a little water throughout my workout, but tonight I was definitely taking on more water than normal. 

It's also normal for me to get the urge to burp while I'm swimming.  I have tried stopping at the wall and forcing myself to let one out, but it doesn't work.  It's best to just keep going and let the burp come up on its own.  Have you ever burped, mid-stroke, with your face in the water?  Try it. 

Anyway, the additional water caused no harm during my swim.  Until I reached the wall on my last lap and lowered my feet to the bottom, and stood vertical.  Then suddenly the extra water and air bubbles re-dispersed, and I let out a huge belch.  Then I climbed out and attempted to stand up - but OUCH.  I had the worst stomach ache ever.  All I wanted to do was hunch over and let my belly hang over my bikini bottoms and squeeze my stomach and burp as much as possible.  But I couldn't do that.  There were people everywhere.

So I stood up best as I could, attempted to hold in my now three-times-larger stomach, and get to the locker room as soon as possible.  I waddled across the pool deck trying to act cool, then as soon as I got to the steps I released my belly and booked it upstairs. 

I thought the pain would go away after a few minutes, but it only got worse.  And the more upright I stood the more it hurt.  I grabbed my towel and went into a shower stall and hunched over, squeezing and pushing at my belly, trying to get some relief.  Nothing.

So I hobbled across the locker room, got dressed, and sat down at the vanity, waiting to get better.  Still no relief, only now it was time for me to pick up the kids from childcare.  And that meant walking through the cardio and weight area, down the stairs, and through the lobby.  Awesome.  I grabbed my big bag and put it in front of my belly and then tried to walk as normal as possible.  I was SO. SLOW.  Some poor lady got behind me as I was leaving the locker room, and I'm sure thought I was the biggest idiot.  I decided to add a limp to my stride, as it would look like I just got some sort of sports injury and would explain why I was the way that I was.

I got the kids and we had a pow-wow in the hallway before we walked out.  "Kids, mommy has a really, really bad tummy ache, so I need your help while we walk out, making sure Noah stays with us.  Okay?"  They all chimed in and said "okay, mom".  But kids lie.  Within seconds they were having races out of sight.

By the time I reached the car I think Isaiah had figured out that I wasn't kidding, and had a really concerned look on his face.  Thoughts crossed my mind like, "what if I black out right here from the pain" or "if I drove myself to the ER and just parked right at the door, would someone go out and watch my kids for me?".  Then I started thinking about how ER's really should have daycare service. 

Well I got a few burps out on the way home, and by the time I got there I was able to stand about 95% upright.  I sent the kids to the back yard, got out a few more burps, and made dinner.

The end.

Run, run, run.

I'm enjoying my time in Seattle, but missing my gym.  I haven't been in a pool for a week, and that's not good.  I haven't been on a bike in longer than that.  But the good news is I've been having some good runs here.  Yesterday I ran for 67 minutes.  That's the longest duration I've ever run.  And there are nothing but hills everywhere, which always leave me in better shape when I get back home.

Since my triathlon a few weeks ago I have been training consistently, but not following a training plan.  My next triathlon is only about 11 weeks away so I need to get serious about achieving some new goals.  The kids are napping now...maybe I should go find a new training plan!

Spring Sprint Triathlon

Brian and I completed our first triathlon of the year this past weekend.  Last summer we competed in our very first triathlon and had a blast, so it is our goal now to do at least 1-2 a year. 

This was the Spring Sprint Triathlon put on by our local YMCA (where we train).  It is a unique event in that the swim is Friday night, in the pool, and the bike/run are the following morning outside.  I honestly have a hard time even considering it a true triathlon since the events aren't all back-to-back.  And given that, I figured it would not be an extremely competitive event. 

I was wrong.  Most of the competitors are quite elite athletes. 

So Friday night we headed out to the pool where there were five racing lanes and one warm-up lane.  I was scheduled to swim before Brian, so I checked in with my lane timer and found out my lane was running about six minutes ahead of schedule.  So I had to hop in the water right away for my warm-up.  I had a good 7 or 8 minute warm-up and got most of my jitters out.  Then when it was my turn I just hopped in my lane, pushed off the wall and the time started.  The swim was 750 yards, or 15 laps (there and back), or about a half mile.  My goal was to finish in 16:30, and I finished in 16:25.  Brian went in with less confidence but did great and finished in 15:12.

The next morning we got up early, loaded the bikes and headed to the park where the rest of the race took place.  The temperature was hovering around 32 degrees when we got there.  It was COLD.  I am so thankful I brought my down jacket and kept it on until literally "go". 

The athletes all lined up and started the race in order of their swim finish times.  The bike was probably my most intimidating event, as I don't have a road bike so I use my mountain bike with road tires on it.  Not the most ideal set up, but it works for now.  Except that Boise happens to be a major cycling city - we have a reigning Olympic gold-medal cyclist afterall - so there were a lot of serious cyclists in the group.  And they had very, very nice bikes.  But I held my own - I passed all the other mountain bikes I came across, and even passed a few road bikes.  And I got passed by quite a few, too. 

Running is my weakest event, but I have been working on it a lot over the winter and improving.  But I had no idea the run in this race was a "trail run" with a lot of uphill and uneven ground.  The first half of the run was really rough.  I stopped twice to walk briefly, and cursed the person who invented running.  Have you ever tried to run right after biking really hard?  Try it, and see if you look as dumb as you feel. 

As I reached the turn-around point on the run, I was finally getting my legs under me and feeling pretty good.  Then the rest of the race was mostly flat or downhill, so I rocked it.  Running has never felt so good or so fun.  I loved it!  And I passed a lot of people!  As I entered the park and could see the finish line, I did my best to sprint.  I even ignored my fans and just focused on the end.  Brian was right on the other side of the finish line, and caught me as I collapsed in his arms.  And got water for me as I said I wanted to puke.  He's a good guy.  Except when he informed me that my "sprint" was really more of a comfortable jog.  Whatever.  I felt like I was flying.

So we had a great time, got to be around some great competitors, and are ready to get into serious training for the Chelanman in July!

Stats:

750 yard swim, 12.5 mile bike, 3.1 mile run

Shana - overall time:  1:35:49
overall:  228th out of 294
females:  73rd out of 121
division (female 30-39): 32nd out of 51

Brian - overall time:  1:26:30
overall:  162nd out of 294
males:  127th out of 169
divison (male 30-39):  42nd out of 51

Rockin' the mountain bike.

"Sprinting" to the finish.

Brian, looking like a stud on his new road bike.

Is his sprint really any better than mine?  Oh wait, I think that is right after he got off his bike.  Never mind.  He's awesome.


Photos taken from here .

Spring Triathlon

I'm headed out tonight for my first triathlon of the year. It's a two-day event, so honestly I have a hard time calling it a "triathlon". The swim is tonight, in a pool. Then tomorrow the bike and run will weave through downtown Boise. So it's more like a swim meet followed by a duathlon. But whatever, it's given me a good motivator for my training this spring.

In related news, as Brian and I were turning in our registration paperwork the other night we noticed the "Clydesdale" category on the flyer. You see, some racing events offer a category separate from the age/sex divisions that the, shall we say, heavier-set participants can compete in. Those competitors are commonly called Clydesdales. Don't ask me why. I'm not so sure someone who is slightly larger than the "average athlete" would appreciate being compared to a horse with big feet.

Anyway, while scanning the flyer, Brian casually mentions, "hey, the female Clydesdales are 150 pounds or higher - how much do you weigh?"

Silence.

I tried to ignore the twinkle in Brian's eye and the smirk on his face. He full-well knew that I was coming off a rough weekend of no training and indulgent eating. I could think of a few choice names for Brian right then.

Truth is, I am very tall - about 5'-10.5" (that half-inch is important). I am also height-weight proportionate, if not on the slim side. And fit. Most charts show that my "ideal" weight should actually be over 150 pounds. Yet on most days I am about 5 pounds under that. Most days, that is, except the night before we registered when I hopped on the scale right before bed to evaluate the damage from our weekend.

That night, I officially became a Clydesdale.

And Brian continually makes horsey sounds at me.