Polgara19

Older sprog broke her arm so have had no time. Will hopefully be back into things later. Haven't done anything since triathlon. No excuse. Just none. Oops.

Oh man... meditation is hard with kiddos. Not sure how I'm supposed to squeeze this in!!!

BMI is definitely just one diagnostic tool and doesn't give the whole picture of a person. I agree with @Agnarr, it's just easier to use. It's too bad it's become a mainstream method of judging people though.

Yay! So glad your trip up here was such a success (even though I'm bummed I didn't get to meet you due to tri-ing). Keep up the ass kicking!

Triathlon Day!! So on Saturday morning, I got up, packed up, loaded younger sprog in the car, and started the 4 hour drive up to the triathlon location. Made pretty good time actually, had to stop after 2 hours, mostly to stretch out and get moving, and then did the final stretch up to the location. Arrived before registration opened, so got a primo parking spot, and settled in to wait for the rest of the family! When my sister got there, we registered, and then went to grab something to eat. Then, we got body marked, set up our transition, and went to the course orientation. The calm before the storm... Then, we had to make our way to the swim start. The swim was started on the far side of the river, then you would swim out and back to the other side of the river. We were going to walk around the bridge, but turns out that everyone was just swimming across (was very short) so we hopped in and swam to the start. The water was a balmy 21-22C so it was lovely just hanging out chatting with each other and the other participants. The triathlon is quite relaxed, so people were joking and playing in the water. The men started first, but then we lined up and we were off! The swim went really well at the start. I swam steady all the way to the turn buoy, breathing every third stroke and staying pretty well out of the scrum. It got crowded at the buoy though, so I slowed up and came up for a break. Then I realized that I was super dizzy!! Probably from breathing on both sides with not break. Was really disorienting and kind crazy. After we turned I breathed on only one side for a bit, and was also distracted by the setting sun right in my eyes. Couldn't even see the second buoy. The dizziness and blindness means that I wasn't able to swim as steadily, but still made good time to the exit point, and got out. Ran the 100m to transition and found I had beaten my sister and aunt there. Yes! There I am sitting on the ground putting on my shoes, but Ack! That's my sister running up behind me. Move! Move! Move! Out onto the bike, and I'm off! I usually bike/run with my phone giving me audio cues on time and distance, and since this wasn't allowed since it was an open road race, I had no idea how far/fast I was going. I was the only person I saw with a hybrid bike, and in the first 5k or so, I was passed by about 25 people. Including my sister. Crap. Me on my inappropriate bike.... Oh well, kept going, and I just kept pushing as hard as I could, and tried to time my water intake so that I would finish the bottle just before the finish. I could tell I was getting dehydrated since I hadn't drunk enough earlier in the day. What can I say, I was driving with a toddler and didn't want to be the reason we stopped constantly. I was really looking forward to my gatorade bottle in my transition area! I think I surprised my cheering contingent when I finally made it back to transition. There are only photos of my back as I ran the bike back in. Go go go! I only really had to take my helmet off, so my transition was super fast, and it was off on the run. The first part of this run was horrible. The first water station wasn't until 2.5km, and I really wanted to die. I wanted to dive into the river and just swim again. Ugh. Luckily, I knew that if I just pushed on, I would feel better after about 1km, so I did. I ran steadily until the water, and then walked while I drank a little water. This moistened my mouth, and I was able to keep going. I walked for about 30 sec not that long after that, but then I ran the rest of the way. Interestingly, when I stopped that second time, I was quickly passed by a woman who clapped me on the shoulder as she passed and said something along the lines of "Keep it up since I'm counting on you", later on, she walked and I passed her, and we shared another - "using you as pace bunny" moment! In the final 200-300m, she picked up the pace and passed me, but I couldn't. I ran the rest of the way, but didn't have anything left in the tank. My excitement about finishing though started to constrict my chest, and for the first time I started to have trouble breathing. I did it though. I high fived my sister (yeah, never saw her after she passed me. Dang.), brother in law, various other people as I approached the finish line, and crossed the line in under 2 hours (I checked the clock as I crossed!). Yes! We celebrated, packed up, and headed for our very important recovery meal: McDonald's french fries and a Dairy Queen blizzard! Then, it was home for a shower and a well deserved rest. Ooof. My final times were Swim 500 m - 14:09 Bike 20 k - 50:52 Run 5 k - 33:45 Total: 1:38 I'm thrilled with these times! They don't include transition, but even still, I'm so pleased I was under an hour on the bike! My sister was 10 min faster than me on the bike, probably because she actually had a road bike, and we did the same run. So I probably would have beaten her with a better bike. Even still, how awesome is that! The swim was a bit longer than I hoped, but includes transition, so is probably much closer to what I'm actually doing in a pool (11min ish) since it also included the 100 m run, changing, struggling to get my bike down, a bit of sister trash talk, and then the mount. Anyways, super pleased, and even more so when the numbers didn't come off in the wash, and then the next morning while out for coffee someone asked me if I had been in a triathlon! Still marked! Yesterday I drove home - had to stop a lot since I was so tired, but today I'm just resting.... Yay!

Yay more swamp zombies! You're doing great!

You guys! YOU GUYS!!! Did you know that a triathlon is hard? I feel completely zonked, totally exhilarated, and like a total badass! However, I'm on my way back home and only have a phone, so details will have to wait. Suffice to say it was a blast (well, in hindsight) and that I destroyed my goal of 1:50 with a finish time of 1:38!! Pictures and details to come! Stay tuned!

6pm race start means a LONG time to fret... Made it 3/4 way there, last stretch of drive to come... So excited!!!

I think pleasure seeking is a good idea. Sometimes, I find working my body hard can help me get my mind off things that are stressing me out too! Then I can have even more brownie!

I'm not pulling my weight this week guys, I'm sorry. I'm doing my first triathlon tomorrow, and just can't have DOMS! If I'm not in too rough shape on Sunday, I'll try to do some more!

Week 2 Day 4/5 Well, tomorrow's the big day. I'd say that yesterday and today have been rest days, but yesterday I worked and then ended up running to and from yet another board meeting. 3k in 21min. Quite fast for what was supposed to be a rest/taper, but whatever. It's done now. For the past week or so, I've been fighting pain in the tendons of both my big toes. They seem to be triggered by different things/different shoes, so not quite sure what's going on. Been trying to avoid triggers, and giving them a good massage every time I think of it. Might be quite painful tomorrow though! Found out that there are only 79 people registered for the triathlon tomorrow! I find that quite intimidating as it means there is less space to hide (i.e. more chance of coming last)... Whatever, I'm doing better than the people who never started and I'm there to have fun! Med students as a pack of gazelles But it will be fun! Except for the heat, which is forecasted to be 31C. Ouch. ETA - need to remember to take off my ring tomorrow so as not to have to pick it out of the bottom of the river. But then, will I be distracted by my missing ring? Or maybe just distracted enough?

This is the most awesomely crazy thing to watch!

Oh man, those boots are amazing! You totally need them!

Yeah, the start is at 6pm because it take place in a fairly busy River and can only stop traffic after the locks close at 6pm. So I'm leaving at 9 and will hopefully have enough time when I arrive to sort myself out. Just need something easy so as not to tire myself out but still get the blood moving! A very serious warm up I guess!

Glad the medicine is helping, hope you're feeling almost 100% by now!

Yeah, seriously! You're hired!

I have been doing a few squats, but I'm supposed to be tapering for a race on Saturday! I can't have DOMS!!

Thanks! She's 3, and I'm not worried about her so much. We make the drive fairly frequently, but I always arrive glassy-eyed and stiff! Not in any state to give a good physical performance!

That's amazing that they are going to put up your photos! How exciting! And you absolutely look like Kara in that photo!

Thanks! I'll try to remember to my headgear straight! Ack, I'm starting to get nervous now...

Week 2 Day 2/3 The past two days have been . . . busy. I have been adulting like crazy. On Tuesday, I had to take the car in for device at 7:30, then to nursery to do end of year cleaning, and board meeting things, then home with kiddo, then pick up car, then pick up other kiddo, shopping, dinner, and then I really just wanted to collapse. But I had to prepare for an evaluation I had today, and if I didn't go for a swim, then I wasn't going to swim again before the triathlon. So I packed up, ran the 2k to the pool, swam, and got a cinnabon on the way home. Winning. Today then, I had my evaluation (successful!) and I am home again. Youngest kiddo is still suffering from whatever gave her the fever this weekend - she is whiny, miserable, and now has a chesty cough. Poor thing. But it means she needs constant attention. Not sure I'll get any real training done today, but I hope to get a bike ride in sometime in the next 24 hours. Then it will be resting up for the race on Saturday. Now I just have to figure out how to survive the 4 hour drive (longer with toddler) to the race site. How do you do that long a drive, solo with kiddo, and arrive in any state to hold a conversation, let alone race??! Do I grit my teeth, bomb it, and home I have time to work loose the kinks on arrival? Stop frequently to shake out? Knock myself out and hope someone else drives me?

A sprint, my first triathlon! 500m swim, 20km bike (eek!!), and 5k run. The worst part is that it has a 4 hr drive before hand (that's adult driving, I have the 3yo in tow, so it will take significantly longer...). Not sure how to make sure I'm ready to go when I arrive!

Quick update to say I haven't fallen off the face of the planet. I don't particularly like updating on my phone and haven't had time at the laptop! Swam for the last time pre-tri tonight, and ran the 2k there. Now to bed!

I am taking Week 2 by the dangly bits since it has my triathlon at the end of it! Charge!!

I agree completely! The Dresden Files are excellent! My favourite part about them is the fact that after 15 books of excitement and adventure, all the main characters have changed in response to the events. Too often in long running series I find that the characters don't seem to actually have lived through the previous books. That is not the case with Butcher books! Bonus: THE AERONAUTS WINDLASS, THE CODEX ALERA, and THE DRESDEN FILES are all completely different and awesome in different ways!