My New Motto

Biking in the Basement

My biking has been nonexistent since the weather turned icky and my former gym closed. I started looking into bike trainers so I could bike all winter long. My sister had one she doesn't use, lucky me, and today we got it all set up in the basement. Right in front of the TV. :-)

I wish I could say I set the resistance too hard, but I'm pretty sure it was challenging because I haven't ridden in months. I was sweating within 7 minutes!

I'm so excited to be able to get some indoor exercise at home now! It will make the next four months of winter much more bearable!

Thanks K!

My Circus Act

If I ever joined the circus I'd have a balancing act or juggle. It can't be any harder than the balancing and juggling I do every day as a wife, mom, nurse, and athlete-in-training.

Take today for instance... I worked last night so I got to bed about 2 am. The alarm went off at 7:30 am, although I could hear the kids up already. After the older kids get on the bus and I take the youngest to preschool, I have about two hours all to myself before picking the preschooler up.

Now the conundrum: run, nap, fold the mountain of laundry, or catch up on cleaning?

In the end I went for a run, laid on the couch for 15 minutes while catching up on the news, then used my last free 10 minutes to wrap a few Christmas presents. All while consuming copious amounts of coffee to counteract the lack of sleep.

I folded the hundred baskets of laundry with my toddler's "help." It took at least twice as long with "help" than usual. :-)

As for the basement? Well, it's nice outside. We're going outside to play. The basement isn't going anywhere.

Balance means letting somethings go until a better time, and focusing on the most important things.

So Thankful!

I have so much to be thankful for this year. In no particular order:

1. My husband.
2. My kids. Three sons who keep me on my toes, run with me, and for whom I want to be the best role model I can.
3. God.
4. The freedom to worship as I choose.
5. The freedom to love whom I choose. (And I hope this freedom someday extends to everyone.)
6. My sister. Yeah, YOU, who got me into this. ;-)
7. My brothers. Drinking buddies!
8. My mother, who has persevered through more than her share.
9. My father, whom I miss every day.
10. My other sister, that I've only recently had the pleasure to get to know.
11. My home. Small as it is, it's full of love. And paid off.
12. My car. It gets me from point A to point B safely.
13. My health. I can run, swim, bike, and race.
14. My family's health. Especially my youngest after a sick first year.
15. My brother-in-laws. One beat cancer, one cares for troubled youth.
16. My sister-in-law.
17. DB. Oldest friend, from when we were like 3. Triathlete!
18. Old friends.
19. New friends.
20. Facebook. The way we've reconnected with friends after years.
21. Max, my trainer. My body is in better shape now than in high school.
22. Coworkers/old classmates... Keeping me sane most nights.
23. My job.
24. The wine I drink after my job.
25. My adorable nieces.
26. Hannah, our amazing babysitter for the past 4 years!
27. Chocolate.
28. Wine. Beer. Vodka. Xanax. ;-)
29. Coffee.
30. And last, but not least, all the armed forces that keep us safe and protect our country.

My Turkey Trot 5k this morning was not one of my best (36:38), but I learned a very important lesson: forgetting to hydrate = bad cramping. Now it's time to join my family in celebrating our blessings.

Another 5k to feed the Addiction

It's official. I'm hooked. I'm by no means the fastest, but I LOVE the feeling of racing, and running, and finishing!

I love challenging myself to do a little better every time.

My last race of 2012 is this Thanksgiving. I still can't quite fathom that I went from "Me, running? You're crazy!" to "When's the next one??" in 6 months.

My first race EVER was June 29, and I'm proud to have competed three 5k's, two 3k's, and a triathlon since then.

As 2013 approaches, my goal for next year is two triathlons and seven or eight 5k's, March-November. One of my sons will also be doing his first triathlon in August. :-)

It's going to be a GREAT year!

5k on the Runway

My first official TIMED 5k was yesterday, and I'm very happy with how I did. :D

I've been running at a consistent 11:30 pace, so my goal time was 35 minutes.

My official time was 32:58!!!!! With the exception of three 30 second walk/water breaks, I ran the entire time. My average pace was 10:38, almost a whole minute faster than my "go slow to go fast" pace, and only 38 seconds slower than my old "fast" pace.

I'm hooked now. I realize I have raced in June, July, August, September, and October so far this year. Coming up will be a November Turkey Trot 5k and a December Santa Shuffle 5k.

Nothing Beats a Semi-Custom Wetsuit

I called Promotion a few days after getting my wetsuit with concerns about the fit. They were so amazing! The size I wanted was out of stock (8T), and within minutes they offered to make me one, customizing the size slightly just for me! :-)

Seriously?! Who does that anymore?!

I'm thrilled to report that it fits wonderfully! Very snug but not to the point of "I can't breath." And with enough length and flexibility to FIT.

Now I need an unseasonably warm day for a test swim. ;)