Racing

Alright, I know I've been slacking on my training blog.  I'll update with a racing recap.

On 4th of July, me, April and the hubby headed to St. Louis for the Freedom Four Miler.  It started and ended on Market street and ran all through the streets of the city.  It was hot, sweaty, and fun.  I wanted to run 7:45-8:00 pace for the race.  Didn't wanna kill myself, just wanted to have a good even pace. Finished the four mile race in 30:45. So 7:42 min/mile pace.  :)  I got 16th in my age group of 216 women, 37th out of all the women...700+.  I was happy.  April and Jordan did great as well!  A great start to our Fourth of July.

Then today we ran the Red Bud Triathlon!  Jordan, Adam (my cousin's husband) and I headed to Red Bud at 5:30am to check in and set up for our race.  Jordan and Adam were racing a triathlon for the first time.  I laid out the different rules of the racing and how to set up your transition area as we drove over.  We knew it would be a small race and figured they would be pretty lenient on the rules and transition set up.

The race was a 200 meter swim, a 9.5 mile bike, and a 2 mile run.  I hoped to finish under 1 hour.  I figured I would swim about 4 minutes, ride about 37 minutes and run around 17 minutes or so.  Timing splits were done by me, the race was in it's first year so they didn't have all the timing capabilities to track splits and transition times, which was fine.

The swim felt great, much better than the Ste. Gen tri.  I was better at keeping my head down and breathing every other stroke, which helped my speed.  I ran into some people during the last couple of laps, and had to slow down to wait to pass.  I think I could have swam a little faster, but was happy with my 4:15 swim time.  Then down to the transition area.  My T1 time was 1:44.  Off on the bike I went.  I knew Adam would be coming after me on the bike, not that I minded him catching me, but my goal was to stay ahead of him, that way I knew I was riding faster than my Ste. Gen pace of 14mph.  (Adam started his swim 2 minutes behind me in the pool, so even if he didn't catch me, he still had a good chance of beating me.)  The beginning of the bike was full of rolling hills.  I clicked in and out of gears, sure to keep it in a good gear for pedaling downhills too instead of just coasting.  At the turn around point I really hit the bike hard (hard for me, I'm still not a confident cyclist) and knew I only had 4.75 miles until my favorite part, the run.  I got to transition and forgot to hit my watch for a split time, so my bike time of 36:14 includes my T2 transition.  I figure it's around 45 seconds or so, so I'm calling my bike time 35:30 (approximately 16mph for my average pace, awesome!). Off on the run I went, ugh, lead in the legs.  I could not get my damn legs to move for anything.  I was "running" but my stride was pathetic and I felt like my legs would never loosen up.  Thankfully around the mile mark they did loosen up and I was able to pick up the pace a bit.  I felt like I had a gallon of water in my stomach, I could hear and feel it jostling around and was quite aggravated by it, I hadn't drank THAT much before the race.  Had I felt better I would have tried to run harder here, but didn't for fear of getting a side stitch with the extra water on board.  I finished up the run in 19:42 for a total time of 1:01:56.  At first I was quite unhappy with my run time, but wasn't convinced it was only 2 miles.  When I got home I mapped the run via my hand dandy Runkeeper App to find out the run was 2.3 miles.  So I ran 8:37 min/mile pace for the run.  Awesome. 

I think I got 2nd in my age group and was in the top 10 females to finish, but won't know for sure until they post the results on their website.  Pretty happy with my second triathlon. Especially since I've only swam twice and biked a few times since my last race.  I've been focusing on running for the half marathon in September. 

Adam and Jordan finished well also.  Adam didn't ever catch me to pass, but he did end up finishing only a minute behind my time.  So he beat me, which is great!  He's in incredible shape, is a great athlete, and a great triathlete now as well. :) Jordan had a goal of finishing in 1:15 or under, and ended up finishing in 1:16.  The run got the best of him, his shins and calves were hurting him pretty good when I passed him on the run.  I'm very proud of both the boys, they did great in their first triathlon.  Welcome to the club guys!  :)

Jordan finishing up his first triathlon! So proud!

Me and my training partner before the race.

Still smiling, after the race. So fun!

seize the day 5k

I've really been slacking on this poor training blog lately. I've been running a lot. How about that.  :) I ran 27 miles last week including a 5k race. Have run 16 miles this week so far and I have four days to go. :) It feels good to be logging more miles. My groin still hurts, but I ice it at night and apply heat before I run.

So April and I ran another race this weekend. It was in kirkwood and was a lot of fun. I saw a college teammate of mine, Maureen Conley. She is incredible. She is a triathlete, including multiple Ironman's as well as a ridiculously fast runner. She makes me feel like a turtle I'm so slow. She couldnt race due to an injury but it was great to see her and chat a bit.

So the race. I finally ran under 24!!! I ran 23:27. A minute faster than my last 5k. Guess pushing the stroller has helped. :) I got 10th overall and 2nd in my age group.  We had a ton of fun as usual. I love racing!!!

Training easy

Here is our week in review so far...

Sunday we woke up early, headed over into Illinois and bought a bike trailer for $40 off of Craigslist. Then we headed to the MCT trails to ride with April.  We rode six miles, even little man brayden! It was a lot of fun. That evening we went to the park and ran a mile in 9:03 then walked a mile. Jordan is running now too. He's been sticking to a mile but has progressed this week.

So monday when I got home from work we went to the park again and ran two miles. Jordan wanted to walk some but it only ended up being about 100 yards or so. Then I did sit ups and push ups when we got home.

Took tuesday off...I had to work again.

Wednesday I did 50 pushups without stopping. Ended up doing 100 all together along with 100 situps and some squats lunges and stretching. Then in the evening we headed to the park and I pushed the stroller again while we ran...three miles this time. I was really proud of Jordan,  he didn't walk at all. I ran a little over three because I turned around to meet back up with him. I ran slow, 32:20 but am okay with that. I want to get over this groin injury,  not make it worse. Jordan ran in 34:17. His goal was under 35. Bray rode his bike all week as we ran. Will probably run again tomorrow too. Then I work all weekend. Not a lot of miles this week but I'm getting back into it slowly.

Weight lifting

I'm still resting the sore groin muscle, so no running for me.  I usually find reasons to slack off and lately all I want to do is run!  But I'm hoping to heal and come back faster in the long run.  All of this core work and upper body lifting should help my swim as well as my all around performance. 

Started the day off with some upper body lifting.  I usually do a circuit series of exercises instead of doing each exercise in 3 sets at once.  It's just how I like to lift, I'm not sure if it makes a difference.  I say lift, but I don't really "lift" anything.  I use resistance bands.  We have a few free weights...5lb, 15lb and 20lb.  I'm so weak I can only really utilize the 5lb weights for a lot of things.  I need 10 or 12's...but why spend more money when we have two resistance bands.  So I did a circuit of shoulder, back and chest exercises, 10 reps of each exercise, 3 sets total.  I try to pull the bands pretty tight to give myself a harder workout...although I don't sweat near as much as when I'm running. I miss my cardio!

Circuit included:
Standing Rows
Forward shoulder press
Fly's
Upright rows
Lateral Rear Deltoid Raises
One Arm rows

Then I did 100 pushups...I can do 40 in a row without feeling like I might die, I did 40, then 20, then 40 again. :)  And 100 situps/ab exercises. 

Last I did 60 calf raises, I need to do some more, but they burn and I'm a slacker.

And finished it up with some light stretching.  My groin feels fine now, no pain today at all.  Gonna ice it and wrap it up, take a few more days off and hope to go for a long ride this weekend.  :) 

Happy training.

Racing and Injuries

I am well aware that I've slacked on my training blogging, I've been meaning to get back into it since my race.  The last week before race day was pretty light, I swam one day, biked a very short course, and ran 3.5 miles on Thursday before my race.  My hip no longer hurt, but my groin was still achy so I didn't want to push it too hard. 

Morning of the race I woke up early, I could barely sleep the night before, and had some PB on a toasted bagel, one of my favorite pre-race breakfasts.  I had my bag packed already and checked it over once more.  I had attended the transition clinic the day before and felt pretty prepared for the race.  I got the family up and moving and we hit the road at 7am, the race was planned to start at 9. 

When I got to Ste. Gen my friend and fellow racer was already there and set up in the transition area.  We loaded the kids into the stroller and I pushed my bike to the rickety bike rack and set up my stuff.  At 8:30 or so we headed to the gym for a pre-race meeting and then to the pool. 

It was a time trial start, and seeing as I'm slower than a sloth when it comes to swimming, I planned on swimming around 3 minutes for the teeny tiny 150 meter swim portion.  I skipped the swim cap and just went with goggles, something I won't do again as I got a ton of water in my ears.  When it was my turn I took a deep breath, ran and hopped in the water, pushing off the bottom of the pool and off I went.  It was a serpentine swim and the girl behind me swam straight into me on my return swim down the lane, but I wasn't swimming extraordinarily well so it didn't really affect much.  I hoped to get out of the pool in right around 3 minutes.  Chip time: 2:59. Score!  I'm not fast, I didn't intend to swim fast.  I was happy.

T1 was fine. I skipped the socks as had been suggested by many other triathlete friends, and got onto the bike quickly for a T1 time of 1:25.  Not bad for my first tri.  I knew I wouldn't be extremely fast on the bike either.  I actually just hoped to ride the 9 mile course under 39 minutes.  It was an out and back course x3...very boring.  Plus it was pretty hilly with one monster hill...and all had to be done 3 times!  My family was there cheering for me, they were near the turn around point so they had plenty of time to cheer me on and take pictures. 

 

I hoped to ride under 39 minutes, actual chip split time: 37:48!  I was happy with this. As I said before, I knew it wouldn't be fast.  I'm not a cyclist.  Hell, I'm afraid half the time I'm riding!  Although I think I look alright on the bike, and my cycling computer said I got up to 30mph on the big descent, so I was proud of my bike split. 

 

T2 was easier than T1, but my bike kept falling over due to the crappy bike racks.  I didn't want it totally laying on the ground...it's brand new!...so I spent a few seconds getting it to at least hang on the rack by one handle bar.  T2 time: 51.9 seconds.

 

On to the run...which also covered the same out and back course for the 3 mile run, so going out I knew I'd have that monster hill to run towards the finish.  I felt okay though, it only took about a 1/2 mile for my legs to feel loose and the weather was great so I wasn't feeling over heated at all.  I kept my eyes on the runners ahead, trying to pick them off one by one, even though it was a time trial start so I was mainly just racing the clock.  At the turn around point I grabbed a cup of water, took a sip, then dumped the rest over my head.  Only 1.5 miles left in my first triathlon!  I tried to pick up the pace and passed a group of runners on the next couple rolling hills.  The big hill was much easier to conquer on foot than on the bike, mainly because I'm a runner, not a cyclist.  I felt good finishing, although my groin was tight and achy, the rest of my body felt fine.  I wasn't even huffing and puffing that I could tell.  Although my husband, who isn't a runner, ever so sweetly told my family that I look like a stroke patient when I run.  So encouraging.  I tilt my head to the right when I run, don't know why, always have.  Guess I'll have to try correcting that.  So my goal for the 3 mile run was under 26 minutes, I smashed that, finishing in 23:22, faster pace than my usual 5K's.  For a total time of 1:06:27!  My goal was to finish under 1:10!  I was quite proud of my finish. 

 

 

And was happy to have my cheering section to keep me going. 

 

 

 

Overall it was a great race.  I got 2nd in my age group and was the 6th female finisher overall.  I am already planning my next race.  :)  But since the race I've been nursing this darn groin injury.  I've stayed away from running and cycling, and have been swimming a little and weightlifting, along with some pilates and lots of ice and compression in hopes of healing quickly.  I can't wait to get back out there!

It's almost race time!

It's almost here!  After almost three months of training off and on, my first triathlon is almost here.  :)  I say off and on because of course, I've lacked motivation some days, had to work, and felt bad throughout the past few months on occasion. I had to take off most of last week because of my left hip and groin killing me.  I talked to some PT friends and did a lot of exercises and stretching,  icing and even using a TENS unit.  My last PT friend that I consulted suggested that I was hyperflexing my hip because my bicycle seat was too low.  So I took Wednesday through Sunday off, iced often and took Ibuprofen.  I had by bike fit today, raised the seat and moved it forward slightly, it helped a ton, no more hip pain!!!

Yesterday I went to the YMCA to swim.  I swam for about an hour, practicing kicking only with a kick board, not kicking and only using my arms some of the time, and just the plain old freestyle.  I also practiced my open turns and going under the lane ropes without as much delay as before.  I think I'll be alright for the swim.  I may not be the fastest, but I'll survive.

After I had my bike fitted today I went out for a short ride.  I only rode 5 miles, and wasn't gone too long.  My bike is now making a funny squeaky noise in the handlebars.  I'll have to take it back to the shop Thursday before the race.  But I felt good riding, I was up to 22-23mph on flat terrain some of the time and always 20+mph on downhills.  Uphill is a different story, usually 9-11mph.  Just gotta make up for the time on the downhills. 

Just a couple more days of training before the race...then on to the next. :)

Running in the heat

Well today was an awful day for running.  We're used to 70 degree days, sometimes even cooler. Today it jumped up to 90+ degrees!  I waited until 6pm to go running, thinking it would be better.  Wrong...the sun was going down and was just at the level that it blinds you as you look to the top of a hill or the horizon as you run.  I planned to run 8 miles, but the heat was killing me and I had a really tight groin muscle.  So I ended up only going 5.7 miles.  Ran it slow, in 54:21. It was 9:32 min/mile pace.  It was horrible.  I felt awful when I got home so I took a cool bath, chugged a bunch of water and took some Ibuprofen.  I think the slow running made my body feel worse than usual.  There's always tomorrow.

Road Bike!

Saturday, May 11 I bought my very first road bike!  :)  I love it. While I'm not a huge cyclist, I am very intrigued by the sport of triathlons and even though I haven't finished my first race yet, I'm sure there will be more to come.  I like to compete, even if it's just competing with myself to race better/faster each time. 

So I didn't ride on Mother's Day, we were busy.  But I took it out yesterday, around the streets of Herky, and road 10 miles.  I rode slow, in 48:58.  I'm still not super comfortable on the bike, I'll get there eventually.  I was really just out riding around exploring new streets that I hadn't been on before.  Then in the evening I went to the Y and swam.  I swam about 800 meters all together.  I only swam the 150 meter distance once.  I didn't even time myself.  I'm trying to get better at my form.  I can swim 50 meters with my head down without totally giving up.  I practiced doing that a lot.  I want to practice my open turns too.  I usually reach the end, hang on for a second and then push off on top of the water.  An open turn is where you grab the wall, draw up your legs to push off the wall hard, turn and go into a streamline position underwater.  I think this will definitely help, especially with the turns that involve going under the ropes....if I can push off and go under the ropes through the turn I'll have a significantly faster time.  I only have one more day to really train, next Monday. So I guess I better get to the Y and train! 

Thinking of doing another tri in August.  Trying to convince the sis to do it with me.  We'll see, she thinks I'm crazy.  Maybe I am, but it's fun! :)

Edgar Road School 5k

Ran another 5k race this morning. It was pretty hilly and I wish I had worn sunglasses, but overall was a lot of fun. I had to start out a little slower than usual, there were elementary sxhool kids everywhere at the starting line. They took of sprinting at the start. I caught most of them. :) So my goal was sub 24....fail. I ran a 24:48. I ran the second and third mile better than the first I think. Oh well. I'll get there eventually. I'd like to be running 22's by the fall...not likely though. April also ran great...especially since she partied all night. Haha. She went out for a much deserved night with friends and was pretty tired. She still did great andfinished in 34:11. Did I mention she rocks?! Down 35+ pounds...and the real accomplishment, getting healthy.

Stroller running

Pushed the kids in the stroller this morning. I knew I didn't want to have to run up our massive hill pushing that thing, so I went out two miles with the intention to stop once I got back to our subdivision. It was my first time pushing the kids out in Herky...much better than sticking to the subdivision roads. I ran 3.67 miles in 34:28. 9:24 min/mile pace. I'm actually proud of this time. I ran considerably slower yesterday considering I wasn't pushing 100lbs in front of me.  After running I stretched and did some light weight lifting for my wimpy arms. :) 5k tomorrow...gonna push it hard.  Hoping to run under 24 minutes. Wish me luck!!

Running in the rain

Today I went 6.5 miles in 60 minutes.  Not fast, but still fun.  9:14min/mile pace.  I headed out towards the highway, went up Scenic, into Festus, down North Mill, to Festus Main Street and back.  It started misting rain a little, and then some bigger drops started falling on the way back.  I love running in the rain.  Not a thunderstorm, but a good steady rain feels great when you're working hard.  The rain didn't last long, and I got home just in time to stretch on the back deck before it started pouring.  It's hard to keep up a decent pace when you're alone.  I catch myself thinking of things and then realize I've slowed way down.  It also didn't help that I walked about 100 yards up the very top of the hill on North Mill on the way back.  I was dead and just needed to catch my breath.  Miles are miles though, better than sitting on the couch.  We have a 5K Saturday.  April is supposed to be making shirts for the race.  She got her inspiration from a picture my cousin posted on my Facebook page.

 

Happy running. :)

Swimming

After my run on Monday I went to the YMCA to swim laps.  I swam 150 meters twice for time, and then swam multiple laps for technique. I think I probably swam around 500-600 meters total.  I only had 30 minutes to swim because Jordan had plans to go to the gym also.  Gotta take turns with the kiddos.  I'm better at swimming with my head down and kicking with my legs straight instead of bent knees. But it's hard for me to swim the entire 150 meters with my head down, I get out of breath and feel like I need to turn my head out of the water with each stroke, which is ridiculous.  So I usually give up and just swim with my head out of the water part of the time, slowing me down.  The fact of the matter is, it's only 3 minutes of the race.  Swimming it a whole minute faster isn't going to happen at this point, and I can make up for it later.  I need to start practicing my transitions so I can make up that time there.  I didn't train yesterday because I had to work 12 hours. So hopefully I'll get out there and run today.  :)

Long run

Today I went for a "long run".  Now, this was short in comparison to my long runs in the past.  But I felt pretty good running this far, and hope to continue increasing my long runs each week.  I want to run a 1/2 marathon in October.  I've got plenty of time to build up to it.  Today I ran 5.75 miles in 50:27. 8:47 pace. Felt pretty good doing it too.  Mile 3 was all up hill, from 2 miles to 2.87 miles was an uphill climb in front of Herky High School.  Then I got to run down hill for 0.87 miles.  That was nice. :)  The last 0.3 miles of the run is a pretty steep uphill climb also.  All of my runs end uphill, thanks to the road I live on.  The triathlon ends uphill, so I guess it's good preparation.  Gonna go swim this evening.  Will post about the swim later.

Inspiration

Lately I've been watching videos on YouTube...tutorials on swimming tips, transition set ups, track and field races of incredible runners, etc.  They have all been great.  My husband decided to give me some of his own inspiration today.  This evening he said to me, "Just run until your heart pops babe.  If your legs hurt, run faster."  I laughed and said, "hmmm, okay."  He then responds, "You know how to do that, you've done it before.  I don't know how, I just get tired and quit."  Haha, great inspiration right there.  Obviously he's not a runner.  :)   He is taking off work for my triathlon, upon my request.  We've been married 9 years, he hasn't seen me race one time.  Now, he's seen me run...we went to high school together, he was on the track team with me.  But throughout our married life I've run tons of races, and he's never been to one.  So I'm pretty excited to have a cheering section for once. :) 

Today I had to work but the department was going to be closing early so I brought the bike down to Ste. Gen so I could try out the course for the race.  I got off of work around noon and headed to the community center to train.  It was misting outside, but not too bad.  I knew I was still on call until 7pm so I turned up the volume on my cell phone ringer, and hit the bike path.  I had to take my glasses off halfway through the ride, they were covered in rain drops and I felt like I needed mini windshield wipers to see.  By mile 5 the rain was coming down harder, so I only did the three mile loop twice.  I did each loop in about 13 minutes, so I'm hoping to race in under 40 minutes.  There is a killer hill on the back portion of the loop, and I get to ride it three times, and then hop off and run it once too!  Gotta get some more hills in before race day!  After the ride I put the bike in the car and decided to go for a short run.  I was still on call, but thought I could do 3 miles since I was so close to the hospital still.  (Have to stay within 30 minutes when I'm on call.) I ended up going about a mile, I realized shortly after I started running down the trail that I'd forgotten to lock the car.  My purse, keys, and a very expensive borrowed road bike were there for the taking.  So I headed back.  By the time I got back I wasn't in the running mood anymore, and it was starting to pour rain.  I grabbed my bag and went inside to swim some laps.  I thought biking was my weakness.  Now I'm thinking it's swimming.  I really need to practice.  I swam 150 meters 3 times for time.  3:05, 3:17, and 3:15.  The second and third time I went under the lane ropes, the way I'll have to do for the race.  I'd love to swim it under 3 minutes, but I don't know if I'll improve that much in 3 weeks.  I need a lot of work on my technique. 

At the end of the day, I did all three sports.  I'm tired, and satisfied.  I may not be the fastest triathlete, or even the fastest version of myself...but after having two babies, I'm pretty happy with my current fitness level.  :) 

And a green drink to top off the day.

 

Handful of baby spinach, an apple, a banana, ginger root, strawberries, sliced cucumber, splash of v8 juice, fresh squeezed lemon juice, 2 scoops of greens, cinnamon, and some local honey.  Yum yum, talk about vitamins!

Brick

Today I hit the road on my (borrowed) road bike.  I planned to go 9 miles but the odometer stopped during mile 5 and I didn't get it going again until mile 8 so I ended up only going 8.6 miles.  Since the odometer stopped, so did the timer.  :(  But I used my average time from the first 5 miles to figure that it probably took me around 42 minutes or so...maybe faster, I'm not sure.  I am still afraid and extra cautious on my ride.  I average around 14 mph but get up to 22-23 mph going down hill, which feels awesome.  I coast most of the time downhill, trying to NOT brake down the hills. :)  I could kick it into high gear and pedal faster down the hills but I'm weenie. 

After the ride I pushed the bike into the garage, grabbed a sip of water and headed back out to run.  My legs felt like lead, again.  I don't think that feeling will ever go away.  I got the lead out finally around the 1 mile mark.  I ran my first mile in 8:55, I was feeling the warmer weather and my allergies have been horrendous lately.  But no excuses, I should have run faster.  I slacked the second mile, even stopping to catch a breather at the top of a hill.  I finished the run in 29:31.  My last brick was much better.  My problem is I don't have enough days in a row to train. Or at least I make excuses that I can't train.  Jordan works a lot, and I hate to push the kids in the stroller.  But that is going to make me better....a lot better than sitting on the couch. 

So, another day of training completed.  I WILL train tomorrow.  I have to force myself out there.  23 days til race day!

APA Fastest and the Furriest 5K

More fun than running was the excitement my friends brought along this weekend.  Yesterday was my good friend's wedding...what a wedding it was.  We had so much fun, the wedding was beautiful, the couple was gorgeous, food was delicious, and a good time was had by all.  After the ceremony, my other good friend, who was 40 weeks pregnant and due yesterday (as well as being the maid of honor) went into labor and headed to the hospital to have her beautiful baby girl.  :) The OB nurse in me couldn't sleep last night, so I was up texting her at 2am asking how labor was going, she gladly text me back with details as she couldn't sleep from all of the excitement either.  It was a fun sleepless night. 

So this morning, after little sleep, I hauled my butt up to Tower Grove Park to run a 5K race.  There were dogs EVERYWHERE!!!  Caroline and Brayden were loving it.  Caroline squealed "DOH!" over and over all day.  And Brayden loved watching them all trot around.  I ran my 5K in 24:27, not as fast as I'd wanted to, but still okay.  It apparently was slightly farther than 3.1 miles, by how much I'm not sure, but it couldn't have been much farther.  I was the 9th female finisher, and 2nd in my age group.  We had a great morning running.  April ran unregistered, 5K entry fees start adding up, it's an expensive endeavor. She also did awesome.  Finished in just over 32 minutes.  I hope to get under 24 minutes still for my next race.  I'm planning to start running more miles.  So far I haven't been running much more than 4 miles at a time. I need to throw in some 5-6 milers and a long run every once in awhile.  Yay for training and racing! 

 

 

 

Brick!

Bricks suck! But I felt wonderful after I had succeeded. For those of you not hip on the triathlon lingo, a brick is when you ride the bike and then run right afterwards.

So today I rode 9.5 miles around town...in 46:46. Not super fast, but I had to stop for cars and cross traffic quite a bit. I'm pretty timid on the road. Running on two feet is easy, I've done it .  But riding a bike on the road, next to cars, makes me nervous. So after the bike I hopped off and within 20 seconds was running. My legs felt like they weighed 200 pounds each...and it took about a mile for them to loosen up. Wow, those ironman athletes are something else...I don't know how anyone bikes so far and can still run afterwards. I ran 3.1 miles in 26:56. I was quite proud of myself. :) If I hadn't been so afraid of the cars I may have biked faster. And the run was an out and back run on the outer road...wind the whole way...sucks! My legs are sore and my right in step is killing me. No training tomorrow, gotta work. It will be a much needed day off.

Happy training.

Swim, Bike, Run

I've been throwing in some extra work-outs: crossfit, Insanity, to help build the muscles that always get ignored when I'm training for a race.  In track, the sprinters and jumpers always did extra stuff like that, speed drills and such--so I thought it would be a good idea to do the same and really prepare my body for my triathlon (and future triathlons I hope).  However, I'm a wimp.  My right ankle has been hurting since my box jumping, and as of yesterday my left quad is really tight.  I am going to do some circuit training/crossfit stuff with sit-ups, push-ups, squats--that sort of thing, but am going to cool it on the jumping and everything for now I think.  Don't want to hurt myself too badly and have to skip the race! 

So yesterday I started an Insanity video at 0630....after 10 minutes I wasn't feeling it, so I just turned it off.  At first I felt bad, but I knew I'd work out later, I just wasn't in the mood yet.  So instead I sewed.  I made three beautiful diapers out of my favorite Apple Dapple PUL print.  A pocket diaper for my cousin Brooke, an all in one diaper for her friend Erica, and a swim diaper for Rachel at work.  They are adorable, Caroline needs one now. :) 

At lunch I set Caroline and Brayden up to eat their lunch in the garage, with the door open, facing the street--so that I could do my crossfit workout from last week.  They were happy, and I was happy.  I did my 140 yard sprint (70 downhill, 70 uphill), 25 sit ups, 20 push ups, and 10 squats.  I did this for 5 rounds in 10 minutes.  I planned to go for 20 again but Caroline wanted out of her high chair, so I stopped early to keep her from screeching.

Then, when she went to bed for her afternoon nap, I headed out the door for a run.  Jordan was home, so no, I didn't leave Brayden home alone.  They were in the back yard, staining the deck.  I ran from my house to the Herky track.  4.06 miles according to RunKeeper online.  I ran it in 37:08, pretty slow, 9:09 minute miles.  My darn ankle hurt, and it was a lot warmer than I thought.  So either way, I worked out, I got it done. 

I really want to get faster, but it's hard training by yourself, when you have so many other commitments.  I work 12 hour shifts as a Labor and Delivery Nurse, I have a husband and two kids to take care of and spend time with, I have my hobby/side business of sewing, and now triathlon training....oh, and I'm attempting to participate in an advancement program at work takes a fair amount of time and effort as well...add something else to the plate.  I'm not really whining, I like being busy, but I'm just not sure how serious I can be about my racing when I have so many other things going on.

Oh, such is the life of a busy woman. :)

Summer Race Calendar

Well, I've been hunting for races constantly, problem is I work every other weekend, and most of the local tri's are on my weekend to work. Boo! However, I've got 5k's lined up also, so that helps. :)

So here it is, my race schedule so far...I'm sure I'll add to it. Racing is expensive, I should have quite the t-shirt collection after this summer. :)

April 28: APA 5k in St. Louis
May 11: 5K in Webster Groves
May 25: Ste. Gen Sprint Triathlon
June 8: 5K in Bonne Terre
June 22: 5K in Fenton
July 13: Moonlight 10K (my weekend to work, but the race is at 10pm) :)
Oct 27: Rock n' Roll Half Marathon in St. Louis

I'm pumped. Now to keep up the training!

Two a days

Twice this week I've done two a days. It was awesome! And exhausting. :) Yesterday I woke up before the kids and did Max Cardio with Insanity. 45 minutes of non stop, extreme exercising exhaustion. I had to take extra breaks, and my legs were killing me by the time it was over. After my workout I had a coffee protein shake, mmmm, my favorite.

Coffee protein shake:
2 cups of strong coffee
1/2 frozen banana
Almond milk
1 scoop of protein powder
Ice
Blend and enjoy!!

I love it and drink one regularly for breakfast. In the evening I loaded up the kids and the stroller and April and I headed to town for my 3.1 mile loop. It also kicked my butt, I have a love/hate relationship with stroller running at this point. I think I'm getting stronger from it, but I feel horribly slow doing it, and my shoulders cramp from not being able to swing my arms. But enough whining, because I did it. I ran the loop in about 32 minutes, slow, but oh well. I have a 5k next weekend, hoping to run it in 23ish minutes. :) After my run I had a green smoothie, inspired by my cousin Brooke. It was also delicious and I will be having more.

Green smoothie:
Handful of baby spinach
Strawberries
1 Apple, peeled
1 banana
Splash of juice, I used cranberry
2 scoops of my "greens" powder from It Works.
Blend and enjoy.

Yum. Happy training!

Box jumps are scary

I am well aware that I'm a weenie. I did more crossfit today, this time with my cousin Brooke. And the box jumps are hard...and scary. But let's start from the beginning. This morning April and I ran at West City, we ran the same 5k course as our race Saturday, with my handy dandy runkeeper app, to ensure it was a full 3.1 miles, and it was. So I ran that in 29:40. I was sore from crossfit yesterday so I used the first mile to warm up, ran the second mile harder...doing fartleks the whole mile, and ran the last mile easy. Then we stretched and called it a day. This evening we went to visit Brooke and Adam and we did some awesome crossfitting. We did box jumps, double unders (jumping a jump rope twice in one hop...hard, and I suck at them) good mornings, and then I finished up with some leg assisted pull ups. We did four rounds of the first three exercises, as many reps as we could. The box jumps are horrible. My first round I was a wimp, my second round I flipped the box over and fell on my ass (and banged up my wimpy arm), my third round I had better form and felt better doing them, and my fourth round sucked because my legs were tired. The double unders are hard to time, throughout four rounds I only did 3 double unders successfully. But just jumping rope was a good work out. The good mornings weren't hard, but I'm sure my legs will feel it tomorrow. And the pull ups, whew. I did 3 before our rounds, and 5 after. I want to be able to do them without Brooke holding my feet, but for now they are hard enough. My sternum is even sore, she kicked my butt! Then we went for a one mile run/walk. I gladly walked some of it as I was pushing Caroline in the stroller. All in all, it was a great work out day. Going to hopefully bike tomorrow after work. :)

Cross fitting it up

Whew, talk about a work out!  Thanks to Pinterest and Google, I reviewed lots of cross fit work outs and decided I'd try some on my own at home.  Since I have two little kids, my work outs are limited to pushing the stroller while running, doing a workout DVD in the living room, and now my DIY cross fit workouts in the front yard.

So I decided to do AMRAP in 20 minutes (as many rounds as possible).  Each round consisted of running 70 yards down hill, then 70 yards up hill (140 yards total, duh), 25 sit-ups, 20 push-ups, and 10 squats.  I started by running 1/4 of a mile and stretching, not a great warm up, but better than nothing.  Mind you, I couldn't go very far, Caroline was napping and Bray was in the living room watching tv--Jordan is working today, so I had to stay pretty close to the house.  After warming up and stretching a bit I started my stopwatch and got moving.  The first few rounds weren't so bad, I even found myself really sprinting up the hills.  Towards the end of the workout I was gasping for air as I pushed it up the hill, and slowed my sit-ups as I was enjoying laying down. :)  I did 9 rounds of everything in 20 minutes exactly.  I was pretty proud of myself for doing it all alone, and in the cold rainy weather--as you all know, I hate the cold.

So there it is, my first cross fit workout.  Can't wait for more! :)

Student Loans

I am like most 20 something's in that I owe money for my higher education, or should I say owed. As of today, Jordan and I have finished paying off my student loans!!!  We worked hard to pay large sums of money each month to pay them off faster, and in 12 short months we accomplished our goal!  :) 

I added up quite a load of debt for my mere associate's degree.  2 years at a private university, Maryville University, for PT school, 1 semester at SDSU when I lived in California, and 2 years at Jefferson College for my Associate's Degree in Nursing to finally become an RN.  5 years of school, over $14,000 dollars in debt, and I finally had a degree.  While I would love to get my BSN, I'm basking in the glory of being student loan free.  I never intended to jump schools so much, but life happened.  I got married at 19, finished my sophomore year at Maryville with intentions to transfer to SDSU when I moved to Cali after Jordan's 1st tour in Iraq.  Then, upon transferring into the Athletic Trainer's program, SDSU informed me they would only be accepting somewhere around 20 of my 70+ college credits, so I would basically have to start over....something I had no desire to do, could not afford, nor did I have the time...Jordan only had 2 years left at Camp Pendleton when SDSU informed me of this.  So I took spring semester off, moved home during Jordan's second tour in Iraq, got into JeffCo's nursing program and prepared for becoming a nurse.  Then, wouldn't you know it, more life happened.  During my second semester of nursing school, shortly after Jordan had been home for Christmas, I found out we were expecting our first bundle of joy!  Just a slight bump in the road, I finished my LPN certificate, took the year off of school to work as a nurse and have my sweet boy, Brayden.  Then, in 2008 I went back to finish, and in 2009 I FINALLY had a degree.  Now, after less than 4 years, I've paid for all of those 100+ college credits. :)  Feels good. 

Going the distance-5k

April and I ran our 5k this morning and had so much fun!! I decided to race it fast and April did fantastic without me, she doesn't need me. :) I ran it in 24:24 according to my watch, their chip timer said 24:27, whatever. I got first in my age group, 3rd for the females, and 8th overall. it was great. I didn't run my fastest time ever or anything, but I ran a lot faster than I have in any recent race and it felt good. I got a trophy for 3rd female finisher, Brayden thinks that it is incredible. Haha, glad to be his superstar. The race was at West City Park, not super hilly, but not totally flat either. Now that I raced, I want to get fast again! I would love to run a 5k under 22 minutes again, doubtful that will ever happen. I'd settle for 22's. :) April ran her race right around 31-32 minutes, her personal best. She ran the entire race and didn't need me to push her to keep going, quite proud of my runner sister. :) Great start to a beautiful spring day.

Training

Ran this morning, amidst the wind and my allergies being on the verge of exploding.  April and I headed out of the subdivision for a 3-4 mile run.  We ran out towards Shell, ran by the golf course, over to the high school and back.  It's a good course for sure, not too hilly, but not entirely flat either.  The last hill kicked our butts, of course, finishing up hill is always hard.  I ended up running 4.35 miles in 41:49...so 9:36 pace.  I'm tired.  I ran back to April a few times, so it made my distance a little farther--she ran 3.8 miles in 12 minute pace.  She is doing AWESOME!  She ran her first mile under 10 minutes I believe.  She rocks.  :)  I work the next two days, so training may be hard...but I'll try.  5K race Saturday, they always make the training that much more fun. :)  

Sneezing and more running

My silly little princess is smacking my cheeks and laughing uncontrollably as I try to type, so forgive any mistakes. :) 

Good-ness, all of this running lately has me worn out!  :)  And I like it.  Today Sarah and I loaded up the kids and met in town to run again.  We opted for a less hilly course today.  I'm quite the wimp and can't handle a ton of hills, as you all have heard me whine about recently.  So we ran the 3.1 mile course from last week, finishing in 31:14.  I had to walk up two of the hills, tried to keep the walking to a minimum, but my calves were on fire from me recent Insanity workouts.  Like I said, I'm loving the sore muscles, but I could only take so much today.  I was pouring with sweat by the time we finished.  But it was fun, and I love having a running buddy.  April and I don't always get time to run together because she works 6 days a week. We have a 5K on Saturday that I'm excited for.  :) 

After running I came home and had a busy day with the kids, feeding, diaper changing, feeding, feeding, naps, feeding.  I swear, all I do is feed them food, clean up the kitchen, and repeat--they are bottomless pits! 

And the sneezing, ugh!  I love warm weather, hate spring.  I've always wondered why allergies exist--mine were extra pleasant today.  I HATE Bradford Pear trees!  They are everywhere!  I love looking at flowers, and wish I had a greener thumb...but in all honesty, I hate anything that contributes to my excessive sneezing. Fun stuff.

I did some more abs from Insanity today as well, I didn't use the DVD, just did some of the exercises from the abs workout.  Caroline rudely interrupted me and cut my session short, my abs thank her I'm sure. 

47 days til my triathlon!

Insanity

For weeks I have been blowing off exercise on the days Jordan works, because I loathe pushing the kids in the stroller, as you all know.  But yesterday I got motivation to exercise, aside from being home alone with the kids, and aside from being on call.  I risked getting called in to work all sweaty and stinky and pulled out our dusty cd case full of Insanity DVD's.  Shawn T. is INSANE for sure....and in shape.  Man, those people look good! :)  I don't know that I'll look that good in 2 months, especially since I don't know that I'll do it daily, but I'm sure it will get me in better shape regardless.

So yesterday I did a plyometric cardio workout--40 minutes of butt kicking exercise.  At one point Shawn T. reminded me, "Come on, only 20 more seconds." To wish I responded, "Until what? I die?"  Haha, in all seriousness though, it was awesome.  I woke up this morning with aching sore muscles and plans to do it again.  Hoping this motivation sticks! 

Thankfully the rain held off today and I got to hit the roads with my new running buddy, Sarah Puhse.  She is an awesome triathlete that is teaching me the ropes in preparation for my first--47 days to go!  She and I left West City for the same 4.1 mile course I ran on Saturday.  The sun was shining bright, and having someone to talk to was wonderful.  Poor Sarah had to push her sweet little Gracie in a stroller up and down some tough hills, I lucked out, Jordan stayed home with the kiddos.  We finished in 41 minutes, 10 minute pace.  When I got home I decided to do another Insanity workout, went for the Insanity Abs DVD since I'd already ran and was sore as could be from yesterday's workout.  16 minutes of abs, ugh!  I had to take more breaks than preferred, but I finished it.  :) 

Two days in a row of working out good, I feel great!  :)

Running!

Well, after whining and expecting it to get easier, I sucked it up and got out there to run.  My fabulous cousin helped by sending me some virtual motivation. :)

Haha, funny stuff.  So, working three days in a row really kills training--you see I get up at 5am, leave the house at 6am, and get home at 8pm--not a lot of time to train.  So before my three day stretch I hauled the double stroller into town and pushed my monkey's around town for 3.1 miles.  I tried to avoid big hills, but totally avoiding hills is impossible.  Although I hated every minute of it, I was so happy to have finished, and felt a million times better after running.  It wasn't fast, it was actually painfully slow.  I ran 3.14 miles in 31:07, averaging 9:54 minute/mile pace....like I said, slow.  But I was pushing 100 pounds of children and stroller in front of me....so I didn't feel quite as bad.  Then I took the kids to West City to play for an hour before lunch.  I enjoyed our time together, outside, enjoying the sunshine!

Also during my motivation I headed up to West County to the Swim, Bike, Run store to find some tri-shorts.  I knew going in that I'd be spending about $50 or so on shorts...holy crap, when I got there most of them were $90!  I found one pair that was $59 and grabbed them to try on, still not convinced I would be making a purchase.  Then  I saw it, the 75% off rack. :)  I'm a sucker for sales.  I found a pair of black and red tri shorts and a black fitted spandex top--got both for $36!  I was pumped, this just added to my glorious day.  Never again will I find such a great deal, I'm sure, and the lady at the counter also agreed I was getting a steal. 

So back to running.  Yesterday I got off early, and was home by 6:15, awesome!  It was still sunny and warm out so Jordan and I loaded up the babies and headed to the park so Brayden could ride his power wheels 4 wheeler...our yard is too tiny so we usually go to the park.  Jordan was awesome and hung out with "Big Baby" (Caroline) and let Bray ride around the big soccer field, and I head out to run.  I wanted to run 4 miles, and couldn't bare the thought of running a million laps around the park, so I left West City and headed into town.  I ran past the high school, past the track, across the West Main overpass, and down to Sunset Park and back.  It was 4.1 miles.  I ran it in 36 minutes, so just under 9 minute/mile pace. My first 3.1 miles was in 28:15, not fast, but faster than on Thursday with the kids/stroller.  Hoping to get my time down, gotta keep logging the miles for that to happen though. 

Also, I have blisters on my feet again.  Only a runner would recognize the love hate relationship one can have with a fluid filled foot lesion--they are proof that I'm running again. :) 

Training & Peanut Butter

Well, I have missed quite a bit on here lately.  So let me try to recap the last week or so.

1. I'm avoiding coupons already.  I realized quickly that while I might be hunting for great deals, I was spending too much time doing it, and not necessarily finding things we absolutely needed.  I don't have room in my house for a storage closet filled with overflow couponing deals.  So, I've learned the basics of extreme couponing, next time we need something I'll try to use my skills, but I'm not going to regularly worry about coupons. Whew, that was a short obsession.

2. We got a storm door on the back door FINALLY!  After 7 years in this house we finally have a storm door. :)  It looks great, thanks Jordan and Dad. :)

3. I made my own peanut butter.  I have to admit, I copied off of my awesome cousin Brooke, who has recently made her own peanut butter and almond butter.  I found a tutorial on Pinterest and went for it.  The tutorial was quite long and had a lot of pictures, in summary it said: buy peanuts already shelled, put in food processor, blend until creamy, eat.  :)  I got honey roasted peanuts from Aldi, added them to my knock off magic bullet blender, and let them grind until smooth and creamy.  It is delicious!  Nothing added, just peanuts.  The family loves it as well.  I had a big scoop of it this morning with my breakfast, mmmmm.

4.  Training: Blah!  I've had the goal to eat healthier, Easter killed that.  I've had the goal to train harder, the cool weather has been killing that, along with my laziness.  But on Friday, after 9 days of slacking, I went and ran at West City.  Only 3.1 miles, but I ran, finally.  And then on Easter Sunday, April and I ran an early morning 5K race in Crestwood.  It was actually 3.5 miles because the race coordinator measured wrong.  Haha.  It was fun, and a great start to our Easter.  April ran her fastest mile at 10:03, during the first mile of the race...she was excited. :)  Side note: she rocks...down 30 pounds in a little over 2 months, she is incredible.  So now it is Thursday and I have yet to train again this week.  I need warm weather, and motivation.  So I've put on my sports bra and compression shorts this morning, hoping that dressing appropriately will keep me motivated to get my butt in gear today. :)  51 days until my first triathlon!

5. My kids are awesome.  :)  Brayden has been playing more with Caroline, and they're enjoying the little bits of sunshine we've been having.  Caroline is talking non stop and becoming very vocal and bossy, which is hilarious coming out of her tiny 23 pound body.  Brayden is growing way too fast, we can't believe he starts Kindergarten in the fall. He did great with his kindergarten registration and testing.  Summer school starts May 28th.  He's going just to get the hang of school, Pevely Primary does a fun pre-K summer school program...it's not because he is behind or needs extra schooling.  :) 

Now, back to the kiddos and housework.  :) 

CVS splurge

I'm trying to control my obsessions and limit my couponing to things that we need. :) However, I got some air fresheners at CVS today that we didn't really need, but who doesn't love the smell of warm apple pie in their house? So I did 5 transactions, I felt like a huge nut job, but the girl at the counter said she was used to it and didn't mind at all, she was happy for me to keep her busy. :)

 

My first transaction was for the Air Wick stuff, I got the air freshener gadget, and two refills for $20, used 3 $1 off coupons, used my $3 extra bucks I earned last week, and spent $13.33 after tax for the transaction...also earning $10 in extra bucks.

My second transaction was for Vaseline lotion. I bought two big bottles of lotion, on sale 2/$12 this week at CVS, and had two coupons for Buy one 23 oz bottle, get one 10 oz bottle free. So I used both of those, got my 4 bottles for $12, and used my $10 from transaction #1 to total $2.17 out of pocket after tax. Also earned another $5 in extra bucks with this transaction.

Transaction three was for Irish Spring body wash for Jordan. This week it is on sale for 3/$9, I had 2 $1 off coupons that I used, plus my $5 extra bucks from transaction #2 to total $2.17 out of pocket after tax again. Also earned another $3 extra bucks with this one.

Transaction four was for a Schick HydroSilk razor with 3 cartridges. Regularly $12.49, but I had a $4 off coupon, and used my $3 extra bucks from transaction #3, for an out of pocket total of $5.96. Also earned another $4 extra bucks with this one.

Transaction five, last one, was for another Schick HydroSilk razor with 3 cartridges. This time I used another $4 off coupon, and used my $4 extra bucks from transaction #4, for an out of pocket total of $4.88. No more extra bucks to use, so I quit there. :)

Total was $28.51 for over $70 in merchandise. I was PUMPED! Yes, I'm now a crazy coupon lady.

Couponing...among other things

Well, as if I don't have enough things to obsess over...sewing, cloth diapers, triathlon training--along with caring for a house with kids and a husband...now I've become obsessed with coupons as well. I never thought it was saving too much by using a coupon until I realized, you don't just use a 55 cent coupon on a $3.50 name brand item at Wal-Mart. You keep that coupon and hunt for when that item is on sale, hopefully finding a store coupon along the way...and then get it for cheaper or sometimes even free. And with the triple coupons at Schnucks, I was totally convinced. So I headed to Schnuck's today, with my 18 coupons in hand, searching the aisles like many other moms I saw. Some had HUGE binders full, others had little handfuls like me. One sweet young woman even stopped to ask a question. I admitted it was my first time couponing as well and couldn't be of much help, but wished her good luck. I was pretty excited to say the least. So I ended up spending $66 total at Schnuck's, but bought produce and other items that weren't a part of my couponing plan. Of the items pictured above, I only spent around $11 out of pocket. I got 4 boxes of cereal, regularly atleast $2.50, for around 85 cents/each. I got a box of Huggies wipes (Huggies are my favorite, I'm not usually a name brand girl--but I have to have Huggies wipes) that is regularly $2.50 or more, for $1.00. Yoplait yogurts are usually close to $1.00/each. I got mine for 45 cents/each. The Dole fruit crunch cups were on sale for $2, but I had a tripled 50 cent coupon, so I got that for 50 cents total. The toothpaste was a splurge, on sale for $2.99, had a 50 cent coupon that triped for $1.50 off, so only spent $1.49 for that one...yay for white teeth. And the Bisquick would have been free for a smaller box--but all the other crazy coupon ladies got to the 20oz boxes first. So I got a 40oz box of Bisquick for $2.09. So I spent around $11 for all of my pictured items, saving $14 or so in coupons. I was quite proud of myself. Our cabinets are going to be packed full if I keep this up. We may need an overflow closet in the basement if it ever gets finished. :) I've been scoping out the printable coupons for more...but I need to stop. I'm good at wasting time on the internet...Facebook, Pinterest, email, and now coupons?! I need help. Aside from my shopping spree, we had quite the eventful day. Ms. Caroline didn't like my computer time as I was printing all of my coupons, so she soaked herself in Cherry Limeade Crystal Light 30 minutes before I had to meet someone to drop off a Sweetest Caroline's order. When I say soaked, I mean head to toe, clothes, diaper and floor soaked. Her hands were stained red, her arms were stained red, her BUTT and back of her thighs were stained red. It was ridiculous! We made it out on time though. Just keeping things interesting I guess. Her interesting-ness continued into the evening. I let her go diaper-free sometimes to air out her bottom. Today she decided to hide behind the buffet table in the kitchen when I wasn't looking, squat on the floor and leave a pile of poo. Now, the upside is I didn't have to scrub a diaper, and she did it on the vinyl floor instead of the carpet. The bad side, before I knew she had done it, I heard the dog licking up something on the floor, and then the smell hit me. I was disguisted! And also amused. Dogs are disgusting creatures. Our older dog loves to roll in poop, anyone's poop--her's, Jax's, the neighbor dogs, other animals, poopy diapers if she can find them--she's a sick individual. So my poop obsessed dogs served up some amusement tonight as well. Jax growled at Maggie as she came to investigate, must have been some good shit, he didn't want her interrupting him. Gross, disgusting animals. Long story short, my house is a zoo, I maintained my sanity (err, something) in the virtual world today, and am now obsessed with coupons. Ha! Goodnight.

More of the bike

Woke up early and headed to the gym before work this morning. Only had a little bit of time to ride, so I went 3 miles hard, in 11:42. My ride yesterday would have flown by had I been able to ride that fast on the road! It was a good quick ride, got my heart rate going and got me sweating. Only problem is, now I have to work 12 hours...sorry to those around me if I stink. :) I'm seriously considering a new bike, gotta get some orders done for Sweetest Caroline's, save up some extra $, before I can make a hefty purchase like that. I honestly don't know if my mountain bike will make it through my race. The darn chain fell off yesterday after 10 minutes of riding, don't want that happening in a race if I can help it. So, off to work now. More training and blogging later.

Bike Day

Well, today proved to be an interesting ride. April and I went out on our trusty, ahem cheap, mountain bikes for a ride on the roads. I'm quite nervous riding on the road as it is, just because I'm wobbly and haven't ridden on the roads since highschool. But to make it worse we were on country roads, that's right, no sidewalks...riding along with traffic. People fly up behind you so fast you fear for your life as you see cars coming in the opposite lane! But, we survived...the cars and the ride. We headed out of my subdivision, out McNutt street, towards our mom's house. We passed her house and went down into Pevely towards the I-55 raceway. Turned around and came back. Let me tell you, the hills damn near killed us. Our Wal-Mart bicycles were not intended for hill and road riding. I already want a new bike! I'm a wimp, what I need to do is train on the bike more. But I truly believe a better bike would do me some good as well. So we rode 6.4 miles, took us way to long...45 minutes, I used to be able to RUN that distance at that pace. Again, I'm blaming the bike. :) But, at the end of the day, we rode 6 miles, got in a good work out, and had fun. Also, bought myself a pair of racing flats today as well, Brooks PureConnect 2's, only 6 ounces per shoe. My intention is to wear the flats during the bike and run of my triathlon. Got some dry fit socks as well...pretty pumped. I may not be a fast runner anymore, but don't tell me feet that. :)

week 3

Alright, on to week three of training. I havent been sticking to my training schedule well, mainly because lack ofopportunity due to our work schedules. And i have been a little lazy. :) But today after work I headed to the cardiac rehab gym at the hospital, very thankful for the free gym access on work days, and planned to ride and run. I biked hard for 30 minutes, covering 7.6 phantom miles on the stationary bike. Then I hopped off and headed for the treadmill. Ack, I hate treadmills. I had a goal to run for 30 minutes, but after 14 minutes and a slow 1.5 miles, I couldnt bear the thought of 6 more electronic laps on that thing. So i decided to stretch and call it a day. I hope to get outside next time, that always makes the run more enjoyable and bearable! But overall I felt good. I know the bike wasnt the best simulation, because there werent any indoor hills to climb on the simplistic stationary at the gym. And the run could have been longer, but my hands were numb from holding them higher than usual...I dont have the best form anyway, but the treadmill makes it awful. I run too close to the front, hold my shoulders tight and high, and have a shorter, choppier stride than usual. Long story short, I cant wait for warm weather!my legs didnt feel too terribly lead like as I started my run, hoping to keep that up. Overall it was a good day of training. Would like to get in the pool, but the college is on spring break and the pool is closed. The ymca is just outrageously priced for a day pass...$10 for a pool session....no way!!! Oh well, run and bike this week, back to the pool next week. Onto more training planning. And to find a race top. :) Also, I'm lazy and since I types this on my nook without auto correct, punctuation is a mess, haha. Get over it. :)

More training, and other things...

I'm loving training this week. :) Finding time is hard, but I'll make it work. Thinking of buying a stationary bike, for the days when I can't get outside with the kids. We'll see. Yesterday after work I headed to the rehab gym and rode the stationary bike for 30 minutes, then ran a 1/4 mile on the treadmill, just to see how my legs would feel after biking. Not too bad. But I also didn't ride 9 miles, nor did I run 3 miles afterwards. I'll get there. :) Now to try to get outside to run today. I didn't swim at all this week, hoping to get in the pool again soon. Also, yesterday before work I made some more home made laundry soap. It was quite the mess the last time I made it, the water boiled over and my kitchen was soaked in laundry soap....but it smelled good. :) So this time I decided to make dry soap. I used one bar of Fels Naptha soap, one cup of Borax, and one cup of washing soda. I grated the bar of soap, then added all of my ingredients to the blender and ground it up nice and fine. Added it to one of my beloved Blue Ball Mason Jars...and voila. :) I haven't tried it yet...hoping I like it as well as the liquid. And last, but not least, today is my 28th Birthday! :) 28 years ago the world was blessed with this creation...haha. As a mother now, I realize birthday's celebrate the birth of a person, as well as the birth of a mother. So happy 28 years of motherhood to my momma. :)

Week 2

Well, so far I've been extremely motivated, and back to extremely lazy all in a week's time. :) Last week I trained 3 days in a row, then had to work a couple days, had a family day, a wedding shower, and basically slacked all weekend. I whined to my training partner that I'd lost motivation...she threatened me about quitting on her, haha. It was never my intention to quit, I just really wish it would warm up, I hate running in the cold. I'd rather run in a thunderstorm than run when it's 30 degrees outside. So I ordered some tri-shorts Sunday, and got back to running yesterday. Yesterday, in 30 degree freezing cold, I pushed the heavy children in their heavy stroller around West City Park. I wanted to run 3 miles, but the wind was about to cause deafness in my right ear, so I went 21 minutes instead. Now, before you worry about my children's well being, they were in huge coats with hoods, and each had thick blankets wrapped around them, buckled into the stroller with the sun shade up to help block some wind. They didn't complain one bit. In fact, they get along better in the stroller than any other time of the day. So my run yesterday ended up being 2.05 miles. Not far, and not fast...but the wind and the stroller slowed me down. I still can't run up a big hill pushing them, I'll get there eventually. Today I was unmotivated after work, but my awesome sister came over, after running with her dog, to run with me again. :) We headed out of my subdivision, into the heavy winds on the outer road...it sucked. I thought the way back would be less windy, since the wind had been in my face the whole way out...somehow that didn't happen. The wind changed direction or something. I ran face first into the wind for 3.1 miles, running to the Prairies subdivision, trying to pick up the pace on the way back. I passed a dead, rotting cat on the way back, somehow I missed that on the way out...gross. At the entrance to my subdivision I wanted to walk, the wind was killing me...but with only 0.3 miles to go, I pushed ahead. I finished in 28:35...a pathetic time for a 5K, but okay to me...second week of training, running in the horrific wind, by myself. Goals for the training: To swim 150 meters in 1:45 To ride 9 miles on the bike in 40 minutes...don't know if I'll reach this one. To run 3.1 miles in 26 minutes. I'd be happy to do all of that seperately at those times, completing it all in those times in one big race may kill me. Think I can do it? I hope so. :) And so my insanity continues...

Training

Day 3 of official triathlon training and I'm whooped. I swam yesterday, talk about a workout!!! The pool at Jeffco claims to be Olympic size, 50 meters. I swam about 20 laps. Did three timed 150 meter swims, fastest in 1:45. Somehow I feel like that is fast, so the pool must be smaller than that...I dunno. Regardless, it was hard and I have sore arms today. Last night I bought a bicycle off of Craigslist, $20! Works great, my brother is going to fine tune it for me, it is just a mountain bike, but should work fine for now. I rode it around the subdivision at 7am, in 31 degree weather, cold, and wobbly, but felt good. I haven't ridden since college when we had bike days in cross country. So this evening after work I headed to the cardiac rehab gym at the hospital (free for employees, woohoo!) And rode a stationary bike. Only 30 minutes, but my thighs were burning. Jogged down the hall to get some water afterwards, legs felt like jello, but not too bad. Not sure how far my ride was, the bike didn't have a lot of digital functions. Oh well, better than nothing! I am tired and happy. :) But I do have to say, I'm getting busier by the day...wife, mother of two little ones, L&D nurse, sewing fanatic and aspiring triathlete, among other commitments! :)

Back on the wagon

Well it has been quite a while since I dedicated any time to my poor pitiful blog, so I thought I'd get back at it. 

Recently my little sister has started a healthy lifestyle routine, eating better, exercising and losing weight...she rocks!  Along with her new lifestyle, we've begun running together again.  I know that some of you may be aware of my past life as a runner, heck, I still claim myself as a runner.  The fact of the matter is, I'm far from it.  Can I physically run, yes. Do I enjoy it, yes.  Do I do it enough, NO!  To call oneself a runner, you must actually RUN, consistently.  That is my new goal.  :)  On March 2, April (little sister) and I ran a 5K (3.1 miles) in the freezing bitter cold and snow...and it was FUN!

We ran a few races back in 2009, and I have slacked since then.  So, we are currently signing up for 3 more 5K's this spring, and I've dedicated myself to running a sprint triathlon in May!  I'm quite intimidated by the triathlon, but also excited for the challenge.  I've mapped out my workouts for the next month, and am hoping with the support of family, I'll be able to stick to it.  A great running buddy from my previous running life has also decided to race in the triathlon. It should be a good time. :)  Now on to finding gear, training, and kicking butt! 

Yesterday, I strapped the kids into my second hand, in fair shape, running stroller and went at it.  Now remember, Brayden weighs 51 pounds, Caroline weighs 23-24 pounds...and the stroller weighs atleast 25-30 pounds!  so I was pushing quite a load in front of me.  And the front wheel is fixed, which means you have to lean it back to turn it even the slightest bit. Our subdivision is also quite hilly, so I thought this to be a great workout no matter how far I went.  I am proud to say that I ran most of my 1.4 mile treck, however the ginormous hill in front of my house about killed me--and I walked!  My goal is to be able to push their heavy butts up that hill while running...we'll see. 

So today I plan to go swimming, should be fun, considering it's SNOWING outside!  I can't wait for summer! I have to swim 150 yards in the sprint tri--not too far, but farther than I'm used to swimming for sure.  Tomorrow I will bike. 

I'm excited about the next few months of training, from what I hear, triathlons are quite addictive, I may just be hooked. :)