Back to the Grind

Yesterday was the first day back to working out after my 70.3. My bike was filthy after my race, so I took it in for a total overhaul and I was anxious to try it out. The mechanic was shocked that I had ridden it 56 miles given the grit and grime that was in the chain, he assured me I was going to wish I had it cleaned before the race and he was right. The ride was so incredibly smooth. I ended up going 25.5 miles on a great trail that runs along the Mississippi River. It was a nice ride.

Today I took out my running shoes. I only ran 2 miles since I was still pretty achy (knees, ankles, feet) as well as nursing a few blisters. It felt good to get moving again.

Tomorrow I am meeting up with two of my sisters to do an open water swim. I am doing the 3 mile option. It will be the first time I have done an open water swim outside of a triathlon so it should be interesting.

I guess that is all for now. The boys are absolutely LOVING Wisconsin. I think it may have a little to do with dessert every night, late bedtimes, and all the grandparent playmates. Who knows, but we are all enjoying the break.

I am slowly recovering from my half ironman adventure last Saturday. I am still fairly blistered but the muscle soreness has subsided and I am preparing to start up my training again, but first, a recap.

On Sunday, the 14th, the adventure began with a solo drive with the boys to Nashville where we spent the night at my sister's house before the long (12 hrs +) drive to my parents' cottage in Wisconsin. The kids were excellent and it helped that my mom joined our group and rode in the back with the kids the whole way. I enjoyed two books on my IPOD while they read, watched TV, and snacked in the back. Tuesday I took out the boat and caught a 14 1/2 inch crappie. I have been fishing that lake for many years and never pulled anything of that size out. It is currently being mounted so it can hang, God only knows where, somewhere in my house. Wednesday I went out for a bike ride and more than enjoyed the flat flat flat roads of Wisconsin. I was thrilled with my speed and felt great. Thursday morning brought more of the same love of the flat roads of Wisconsin during my run. Friday I headed to Appleton and stayed at my Aunt and Uncle's house to shorten the drive time Saturday morning.



I was pretty excited to get going on Saturday and arrived very early. It turns out I was not the only one with that idea. The nice cool 50 degree weather we had enjoyed earlier in the week was gone and at 5:45 AM, it was 74. I knew this was not good. I had hoped that would end up being the high for the day. I set up my transition space and headed to the water. That was probably about the time that I realized things were going to be slightly more challenging than I thought. The water was ROUGH on Lake Winnebago-waves were 3-4 feet. They actually had to pull some of the kayaks because they were having a rough time. The swim was definitely like being in a wash machine and I was glad to have my swimming base. I ended up spending a considerable amount of energy on the swim, but I had a good time. I ended up going 33 minutes on the 1.2 mile swim which given the conditions I would take.

From the swim, it was on to the bike. This is definitely my weakest leg, and also where the majority of the race is spent. At mile 4, I had a fantastic surprise when I saw my Aunt Kathy along with my cousins Leah, Molly, and Nicole at an intersection cheering me on (I ended up seeing them 4 times more on the bike as well as several times on the run). The bike started out well. The majority of the course was either flat, rolling hills, or mild climbs. The problem with the course became apparent after the 8th (out of 56 miles) mile when I noticed the fields and fields of windmills (for collecting wind energy) lining the bike course. The wind was very challenging. I have not really trained in these conditions and it was very aggravating. I had a goal time of 3 hrs and 30 minutes for the bike and I finished in 3 hrs 30 min 23 seconds. Again, after 56 miles, I will take that.

I felt fine on the bike. As I came into transition on the bike to run, I was confused. A few of the guys who were set up around my bike were standing around and talking. I ran in, changed my shoes, and headed out. I was in shock thinking they were done which meant they were 2 hours ahead of me. I found out later in the run when I saw one of them on the course that they had not yet started their run. They were just taking their time in transition. The run started out very difficult with the largest climb occurring in the first 1/2 mile. I NEVER walk a hill, but did that day. I just could not get my legs going. Once I crested the hill, I started to run again. By the 2 mile mark, I felt like I was in trouble. I was very nauseous, alternating between chills and heat flushes, and very dizzy and confused. I took a hammer gel and started to walk to calm down. After .1 mile, the chills had stopped and I began to run again. After about .5 mile the symptoms started to return, so for the first 5 miles, I ran .5 mile, then walked .1. I knew I was not looking so good when at mile 4 the volunteer working the aid station told me I should probably drink two glasses of gatorade. I really had to dig deep and remind myself that my primary goal was to finish. I had two secondary goals-1. Finish in under 2:30 and 2. Run the whole 13.1 miles. I had already missed the 2nd goal and assumed the first goal was also done, but I was going to make sure I finished the race. By mile 7, I was feeling really pretty great and was able to run at a good pace until about mile 9.5. At this point, things really started to hurt a lot. I could feel blisters and chafing everywhere. I had anticipated being tired and sore, but I had no idea it could hurt so bad. I had to go back to a walk until I reached mile 10. From that point on I was able to run slowly basically the rest of the race. There were several places where I was able to see my aunt and cousins, as well as my parents, my mom-in-law and my boys to help keep me going. I crossed the finish line, and hit stop on my Garmin. I was shocked to see I was under 2:30! Officially my run time was 2 hrs 26 min. I was very happy.

I ended up second in my division with a finish time of 6 hours 35 minutes 39 seconds. I had countless blisters in places I would rather not discuss, a very bad sunburn and an absolute elation for accomplishing a very challenging task.

I am beginning to heal and will resume my workouts tomorrow. I am hoping to get in a long bike ride in the morning before the heat kicks in. Friday if my blisters have healed sufficiently, I will also get in a mid range run, and Saturday brings about another race. I will be doing a long distance open water swim with my oldest and youngest sister while we await the arrival of the younger sister's flight in from France for a week. I will be in the water for a long time doing a 3 mile swim challenge. I am hoping the waves are much calmer than Winnebago's last weekend. I think the most difficult part will be the water temperature. It is estimated to be 70 degrees. Normally I would wear a wetsuit, but if you do, you cannot place, and I would like to keep that option open.

Well, that is all for now. I am relaxing this week at my parents' house and very much looking forward to reuniting with Kevin on Saturday. We will have been apart for 12 days which is the longest since we have been married.

On my way...........

This week has been particularly stress filled. Nothing major, but lots of minor issues. Parker has been a great AM napper, but lousy come the afternoon when big brother is asleep, so I have been accomplishing very little. I am working on getting packed to take off for 3 weeks in Wisconsin in about 2 hours. Basically all the little things have been adding up as the time winds down. Friday things came to a head. I went out to check my bike for Saturday's triathlon to find my back tire was once again FLAT!! I am not sure if it is user error (most likely) or equipment problems, but one thing was for sure, I did not need this. We called around to the local bike shops all of which were willing to fix it....in a week. My running buddy's husband Scott came through for me and changed my flat. What a relief. Thanks so much Scott. I was still pretty stressed about it on the off chance there was something else going on that was leading to my continuous flat tire. Once I get through my half ironman, I am going to have to have someone watch and critique me to make sure I am not just pinching the tube and causing the flats.

So Saturday very early (3:30 AM), I woke, grabbed coffee, and hit the road for my first triathlon back in just under 2 years. I made sure to have lots and lots of time to battle my bike if I did discover any problems with my bike upon my arrival to Asheville. Everything went fine with the bike. I spent too much time and energy waiting and worrying about my bike. It did not help that .5 mile into the 17.5 mile bike ride I dropped my chain (due to user error), so that was another thing I was worried about throughout the ride. All in all, the swim went excellent, bike went okay, and the run went well.

I will be leaving shortly for Wisconsin. I may be writing some, but definitely not much. Less than 6 days until my half ironman!!

Scary Stuff

So a few mornings ago, I was getting ready and had Anderson Cooper on in the bathroom. Yes, we have a TV in our bathroom. Yes, it is totally ridiculous. HOWEVER, it comes in very handy for catching the news in the morning. So, anyways, I had on AC and they went to a recent story about the drug cartels in Mexico. There were some hostages taken and tanks in the street, and all kinds of scary stuff. (A more tech savvy person would have a link.) I started drying my hair when Kevin came in. I turned to him and said, "Do you still want to go on vacation?" and his response, "Yeah, but not in Iraq." Just then AC began talking about the shooting in the streets in Acapulco. SCARY STUFF!



Workout wise, I am tapering. I am feeling lousy this week, but I have been doing this tapering stuff long enough to know that this is all normal and necessary. I am not sleeping well because I am just not tired enough to sleep and I am just missing those natural endorphins. On the flip side, I am looking very much forward to my trip to Wisconsin in a few days

Here are some more pictures from Saturday's birthday.

Andrew helping to finish the decorations.
Andrew enjoying Happy Birthday being sung to him.

Parker just enjoyed watching the other kids. It is so hard to believe he is already ONE (well almost).

Two of the younger guests-Julia and Quinn. The youngest baby Katelynn had not yet arrived.

Above the kids playing in the sandbox. Below is friend Jackson watching the action from the playhouse.

John, Meredith, and Jake taking a break on a bench.

All the kids piled onto a blanket for cupcakes and ice cream.

Becky with all the kids.

Andrew and Jackson enjoying their treats.

Amy, Quinn, Andrew, Rachel, and Katelynn relaxing in the shade. Andrew just loves to be near the babies.

Fonda holding little Julia.

Today I met Jennifer for a 6 mile run. It was very hot and humid. It makes me glad my half-ironman will be in Wisconsin and hopefully much cooler. Tomorrow I have the day off, and I am hoping to get some last minute necessities for the trip back to Wisconsin.

Let Them Eat Cake

Last week was a very busy week for me. I was working to get things prepared for Andrew and Parker's birthday party on Saturday and finishing my last week of Peak workouts. To complicate things further, on Thursday I also had a bit of a stomach bug. I was able to get in most of my workouts and feel ready to race. In less than a week I will have my first triathlon back in about 2 years, and in two weeks my big race-the half ironman.

Saturday was the boys' birthday party. We could not have asked for better weather. It was in the low 70s and very comfortable with no signs of rain. We had the party at our home and had 8 children Andrew's age and even 3 under 1 year olds for Parker's friends. We had the backyard set up with lots of play toys, the sandbox, and the swing set. The kids all seemed to play well together and had a great time. I don't think I could have asked for it to go any better.

I woke up early this morning to head out on my FINAL long bike ride. I noticed my back tire was a little low. I added air to both tires, but did not think too much of the back tire since it was not flat nor did it seem to be leaking. I should have investigated it a bit more because it was the tire that Johanna and I had changed multiple times last weekend. I was having a great bike ride and had rode just over 15 miles when my bike started to make a different and also 'pull' a little bit. I pulled over to the side and sure enough, flat tire. I went to work pretty relaxed changing it. I was able to get the old tube out and started to put the new one in when I noticed the valve on my spare was broken and I would not be able to inflate it. Kevin came and picked me up to take me to my open water swim with my triathlon club. He ran with the boys while I finished my swim. I would have liked to get more time in on my bike, but all in all, it was still a good day.

Here are some cupcake pictures from the birthday party. I am hoping to have time and energy to get some more up this week. Parker obviously took great joy in his first bites of cupcake and ice cream.

Andrew's 3rd Birthday

Here are the pictures from our family's celebration of Andrew's birthday party. The 'festivities' began a few days early when a gift from Aunt Johanna arrived in the mail-a pirate ship pool. The boys love it! The first day we had it set up, it began pouring. Andrew insisted on playing in the pool so Kevin got out an umbrella. (Please disregard the naked butt-we are going through a naked stage with Andrew.)
Andrew's favorite part of birthdays is cake.Here are Andrew's presents from mom and dad. There is also a really cool sit and spin from his Aunt Rebecca.

Parker kept trying to get Andrew's strawberries and waffles that he had for his birthday breakfast.The big gift for Andrew was a bike.

Kevin setting up the train table from the grandparents.

There is already a constant battle of Andrew building the tracks and Parker pulling them down.

Happy Birthday

We have had a fantastic weekend. It started out with a LONG LONG workout morning on Saturday. I met my friend Jennifer for an 11 mile run, headed home, changed into dry clothes, and set out on my bike for a 30 mile ride. I love living in the south, particularly the weather, but boy do I miss the flat lands of Wisconsin. The main reason I wanted to finish up early was Johanna came for a visit for Andrew's third birthday.

We started out the celebration by doing his presents with him on Saturday afternoon. He was one lucky little fella this year. His big present from mom and dad was a bike. He is still working on coordinating the pedals, but he loves to sit on it. His grandparents bought him a train table and train set which he is having so much fun playing with, but I think Parker enjoys knocking the tracks down more. His aunt Johanna sent him a large blow up pool with a water slide. It is supposed to be really hot this week, so I am sure we will spend a lot of time in it. He has also been having a lot of fun with the gift from his Aunt Rebecca-a musical sit and spin. He likes to spin it enough to get the music started and then stands up to dance.

This week is the last hard week of workouts. I am starting to get very excited for the races to start up again. This next Saturday we are having a birthday party for the boys with their friends. It will be a busy week getting ready and hopefully getting in some great workouts too.

I will try to get some pictures uploaded tomorrow of the birthday celebration.

Where did this come from?

This morning when I went into Andrew's room he said "Momma, I am sorry I broke your heart. I DO love you."



I have no idea where this would have come from.



Yesterday, Andrew said to Parker "I am only going to tell you this one more time."



I know EXACTLY where this came from.

Busy Busy Busy

This last week has been incredibly busy. I completed week #1 of 3 Peak weeks in my training and am now down to 4 weeks until my half ironman. Parker's top teeth have finally come through and I am thrilled to report we are all once again sleeping through the night.

Since I cannot remember much of last week (in the peak of training/teething), I will begin my updates with this weekend.

I met my friend Jennifer for a run on Saturday morning. We ran 11miles, and then I ran into another friend and her two daughters and walked another 1.2 miles with them to cool down. Saturday was a gorgeous but very hot day. Andrew and I washed both cars. I don't think I will be "renting" him out for this anytime soon, but we had a lot of fun and cooled off. We went to church that evening and attended another friends' baptism after that. We had a really nice time catching up with friends and watching all the children play.

Sunday, I woke up early and headed out the door on my bike. The majority of the ride was uneventful, but as I was finishing up, I entered into the state park where Kevin was meeting me with the boys. I passed an elderly gentleman who was walking his dachshund who was all over chasing squirrels and birds, etc. I let him know I was coming past him, but his dog did not get the message and wrapped himself around the man's feet. He fell pretty hard and broke his glasses and cut his hand. In the process of me helping him up, the dog took off. I went after the dog and the man tried to stand up again and fell again. He ended up making it to his car okay and assured me he was fine. I forgot to check my mileage after that, but I biked for 2 hours and 15 minutes followed by a quick 1 mile run with Parker in the stroller. Kevin took Andrew to the playground and then we swapped kids and Kevin headed out on his run. We had a really nice Sunday playing outside with the kids. It was cooler than Saturday and a lot more comfortable.

Finally, this morning was the 3rd and final day of early AM workouts. I was up at 5 AM so I could meet up with Jennifer. I was pretty exhausted and am not sure I made for much of a running buddy today, but we did some hills and ended up completing 5.5 miles. I came home to check on the boys and made breakfast and then was out the door for a 1 mile open water swim with my tri club. I wore my new wetsuit for the first time. I really like it and am looking forward to using it in competition very soon.

Below are some pictures of the boys playing on a rocking "horse" motorcycle a few nights ago. It is hard to believe how fast they are both growing.

So, that in a nutshell is my life in the last week. I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. (FYI, I am having some issues with the layout, so please disregard the strange way the pictures are posted.)

First off, CONGRATULATIONS to my family and friends that ran in Green Bay this weekend. I am amazed and impressed. I wish I could have been there running with you, or at least cheering you all on. Great work.

This is a picture of Andrew on Friday. Andrew used to love to hide in the cupboard when he was little, and recently has started playing in it again. He keeps all kinds of toys in it. I think he likes it because Parker won't get into HIS stuff.
Saturday morning I got out for a quick bike ride. It was an "extra" ride that was not called for in my training plan. I am trying to add an extra bike in each week since that is my definite weakness in triathlon. After that we headed to the Bristol dragway. A friend of ours invited us to come and watch the NHRA national championship races (if you know anything about racing, you know what this means, if you don't -like me, it is a ton of short fast races that are really entertaining) in their suite with them. It was a fun filled day. Andrew was able to get in some rambunctious playtime with their son and watch some "loud cars go real real fast."

Above Kevin is trying to corral Andrew and Jackson while still watching the race. What a guy!

Sunday Parker was 11 months old. It is really hard to believe. He has changed so much and is such a sweet boy. I hate that this is the only picture I was able to get of him (with carrot on his butt) on his day, but we are still dealing with one of his upper teeth breaking through, so he has not be in the best of moods or sleeping all that well.

I had planned to run very very early on Sunday with Jen, but we had an absolute downpour. Jen had been aware of the possibility and we had decided to postpone our run if it was raining. When my alarm went off at 4:30 AM, I cannot say I was disappointed that it was POURING. By mid-morning it had cleared and we were able to run at 4. I am definitely more of a morning runner and I was struggled a bit.

Today marks 7 years that I have been married. Where the time has gone, I am not sure. We celebrated the date by purchasing an infrared grill on Saturday. If you are in the market for a new grill, this is most definitely the way to go. It cooks the food very fast, very evenly and leaves it very juicy. The grill we had was a wedding present from our parents, so I guess it is fitting that we replace it on our anniversary. The other portion of our 'gift' to each other is even less romantic (if that is possible). Over the winter we did a complete remodel on our master bath and had them put a cable hook up on the wall so you can watch tv while getting ready or taking a bath in the jacuzzi tub, and we finally bought the tv/mounting kit for it.

Today also marks just under 5 weeks until my half ironman triathlon (70.3). I started the PEAK portion of my training today with an hour bike at the gym (still do one short and one long bike and run each week and this was the short) and lifting and core. The lifting associated with this portion is definitely amped up and I am excited to make more progress in my training.

I am looking forward to this evening and a night out with the girls. Normally I would not leave Kevin on our anniversary, but we are done celebrating for this year, and who can't use a girls' night out. We are heading to dinner at my favorite sushi restaurant. Good times!

GOOD LUCK IN GB

Just a quick good luck shout out to a whole lot of my running family this weekend running anywhere from the Green Bay 5K, 1/2 marathon, and full marathon.

I apologize if I leave anyone out, but here we go:

5K-Nancy Michel (mom), Val Provost (sister-in-law), and Mark Provost (brother-in-law)

1/2 Marathon- Leah Heier (cousin), Laura Michel (sister), and Connie Milz (mother-in-law)

Full Marathon- Johanna Michel (sister) and Joe Michel (dad)

Wish I was there running with you guys. I am hoping to get my run over with early so I can track you all online. Go Strong!

We must need more toys.

This week has been a pretty good workout week. I am very anxious for warmer weather and some open water swims with my tri club. The pool I swim in, and was supposed to swim in tonight, has not worked out as well as I had hoped. I arrived tonight to discover there was a swim meet going on and there would be no lap swim. I was aggravated since I had planned to do my long swim of 3000 yds for the week tonight. Yesterday I had a good cycle workout at the gym, and earlier in the morning while Parker was napping and Andrew was at school, I did my lifting and core work. If I had known there would be no swim, I would have tried to work in an additional run workout this week. Oh well. Tomorrow will be a short fast run. I am hoping we can have another rain free morning and I can take the boys in the stroller for a little more of a challenge.

Below are some pictures of the boys playing under our kitchen table. Apparently there are not enough toys in their playroom.

It started with Parker climbing under the table after he was done eating lunch. I took him back out and he immediately climbed back underneath.

Andrew had to join in on the fun when he was done eating. It is somewhat hard to tell in this picture, but for the first time, Parker hugged Andrew. Andrew is constantly hugging Parker, but this was definitely a first. It lasted for about 30 seconds and Andrew was so happy.

A Big Onion

Pretty sure I am done writing on a daily basis. It is just not practical. Sunday ended up being an absolutely gorgeous day. I was slow to get out the door because it was a bit cool out and I wanted to get the kids situated with Kevin before I left them. I drove to the state park so I could avoid some really busy intersections on the way to my bike route. I wanted to do a challenging and hilly ride. I ended up biking for 2 hours. It was a good ride. Since I started out a bit late, I had to contend with the 9:30 AM and 10 AM church drivers. Other cyclists had warned me that this was the most dangerous group of drivers to deal with and they were right. I survived and feel much better now approaching just about 5 weeks left until the half ironman. When I arrived home, we loaded up the kids and headed out for lunch and then Lowes for a few more vegetable plants for the garden. The boys took great naps and after some gardening, I sat out in the sun for about an hour reading a book while they snoozed. It was a wonderful mother's day.

Yesterday was a long workout day. I headed to the gym for a brick- 60 minutes of cycling followed by 15 minutes of running. While the boys napped, I did my lifting and core workout. Finally that night I headed over to the pool for some laps. Needless to say, I slept quite well last night. Today was my day off and I needed it. Tomorrow will take me back to the gym for 45 minutes of cycling, and if time allows I will do my lifting and core tomorrow. If it does not work, I will do the lifting and core work on Thursday before swimming.

I guess that is all I have been up to. Andrew said a very cute thing this afternoon. I bought a watermelon at Sam's Club today. Andrew walked into the kitchen and said "Mom, look at this big big big onion." I guess I need to keep working with him.

This morning Jennifer and I headed out for a run route that had a challenging hill every 5 K (3.1 miles). It was pretty warm and humid, so we mutually decided to run two laps (6.2 miles/10K) and walk the final lap. It was not the 10 miles I had initially hoped for, but I needed to step back and take a small break. After our run, the boys were still at the gym with dad, so I headed out on a quick bike ride since the rain was still holding out. I am not entirely optimistic about getting out for a 2 hour ride tomorrow. According to weather.com, we are supposed to stay dry tomorrow, but it has been so rainy for so long that I am afraid to get too excited. If it does rain I will be heading to the gym for an inside ride. We are heading to church tonight so if the weather looks good I can head out first thing in the morning.

We had lots of playtime outside this morning before the rain came. Parker napped, Kevin mowed, and Andrew and I planted mammoth sunflower seeds in various areas throughout the yard. We don't get a ton of sun, but I am hoping at least a few flowers will come up. They are supposed to get 12 feet high. For anyone who is worried about the demise of our little snake friend from last night, rest assured that there are more where that one came from. Kevin mowed the lawn this morning and came across two more. I think I am going to have to learn to live with them.

Finally, here are some pictures of the boys from a few nights ago while I was getting bath ready. Warning, there is some minor nudity.........

Two Questions: 1. Do butts get any cuter? 2. Will Parker speak to me as a teenager?

I have not been very good about writing this week, but it has not been the best of weeks. The boys have been sleeping better through the night, but both boys have been up by 5:30 or earlier every morning. I am trying to get better about letting them stay in bed for a bit in the morning before getting them up, but it does not seem to be helping.

Wednesday was an unusually early morning (5 AM for both) and a rough day regardless. It was the fourth birthday for our darling angel Carson. This day is harder on me than the anniversary of his death because I am reminded of the devastation I felt in knowing the fight that was before him. I spent a lot of time that day hugging the babies that I do have. We also spent some time at the gym. I did an hour of cycling and then did weights and core at home during afternoon nap. That afternoon we took the boys to get their hair cut and picked up dinner on the way home. It was a good family day.

Yesterday was supposed to be a swim day, but I received news that the pool was closed for maintenance problems for the rest of the week. While Andrew was at school, I ran errands with Parker and did some gardening work. Today was my "official" day off. Fridays are always hard to sneak a workout in since the boys have music class in the morning. Tomorrow will take me for a run with my friend Jenn. I am hoping we can have a rain free hour or two to get in 10 miles. Then Sunday, depending on the weather, I need to do my first long bike of 2 hours. If the rain does not let up, I am either going to be forced to bike at the gym or on my trainer at home. My training program only calls for 5 long (2-3 1/2 hour) bikes, so I need to get them all in.

The only other excitement that occurred today hapened tonight. The rain let up for a few hours and we had the boys out playing in the yard. Kevin called me over to show me a 3-4 foot snake. I identified it as a Garter Snake. I am not a snake expert by any means, nor am I much of a fan, but I once kept a garter snake as a pet. Still, living in the south, I was not 100% positive on my identification. I brought Andrew over to see it. He was intrigued but did not attempt to go near it. I tossed a stick at it to scare it off since Andrew was still running around. The snake made a fatal move and took on an aggressive pose. I was really starting to doubt whether it was a harmless garter snake. I watched the snake and kept Andrew back while Kevin went to get a shovel. My "brave" husband walked over, handed me the shovel, and said take care of it. I took a 'stab' at it and missed....3 times. I even resorted to trying to hit it over the head which did stun it enough to slow it down. I still could not kill it because it had slithered into the flower bed which was very very soft from all the rain we have been getting. I was standing on the shovel at one point and still could not kill it. Finally Kevin returned to finish off the job. As we went in for the night, Andrew kept saying we killed that naughty snake. I just wonder what tonight taught him. I don't want him to be afraid of snakes (but I don't want them as a pet in my house either). I did check online and the snake was in fact a garter snake that will actually kill other more dangerous snakes. Ooops!

As a side note, the wasp problem seems to have been eliminated, at least for the time being. I have been meaning to mention an interesting fact I came across. When you kill a wasp, it is best not to squish it as that will release pheromones that will attract more wasps.

Is there a conspiracy?

I am wondering if the boys (the little ones) are already conspiring against me. For the last few weeks Parker has been having a rough time sleeping, ie. I have been having a tough time sleeping. He is getting his top two teeth in, and is suffering for it. The only saving grace has been that Andrew is such a fabulous sleeper. The last two nights have been pretty good for Parker but now Andrew has been up. Last night he kept kicking his blankets off and from 1 AM on, every hour he would wake up crying because he wanted to be covered up. This is very unusual behavior for him. I am exhausted and can feel a bad attitude coming on. I can only hope tonight is better.

Today after dropping Andrew off at preschool, Parker and I went for a run. It has been non-stop rain here, but this morning for about 2 hours it cleared. It felt so good to get in an outside workout. Now if I can only get some sleep!

Tonight after dinner I am heading to the pool for my long swim workout. In a few weeks my triathlon club will start their open water (ie lake) swims. I am definitely looking forward to those.

It's Contagious

We had a great Sunday yesterday despite the rain. After church two good friends came over with their kids and helped our kids to burn off some energy while the adults enjoyed good food, coffee and mimosas. Kevin ended up being the only dad and took over childcare duties so the moms could chat. It was really nice to connect with other adults again. The rest of the day was spent cooking and enjoying the weekend.

Today after a spin class at the gym, Andrew and I played in the garage (still raining) while Parker napped. Andrew rode his trike while I cleaned/greased my bike chain and added some air to my tires. I am doing everything I can to be ready for a nice long ride on Sunday if mother nature cooperates. This evening after supper we piled into the car to deliver dinner to some good friends who just had their second daughter. She is a beautiful little girl with very dark black hair which is funny since mom and dad are both very light and her sister has strawberry blond hair.

November 8th will be my first marathon. It is still several months away, but several family members and friends have already signed up, and we added one more tonight. Kevin registered. I am not sure how easy it will be for both of us to get in runs, but we will manage.

Update

I have been bad about writing, but I have been really good about working out this week and enjoying it. Wednesday took me back to the gym where I biked for 75 minutes. It is a long time to be on a stationary bike, but it has been really rainy here this week. I followed that up with a lifting session while the boys napped. This week was the first week that my plan called for my lifting exercises to change. I am currently in the BUILD phase of my program. Monday my quads were still sore from the 1/2 marathon so I took it easy and only did one set of the lunges. Wednesday I was able to do them all. I was sore after that but in a good way. Thursday I swam and my workout consisted mainly of breathing and speed sets. Aerobically I am not where I want to be in the pool, but that has a lot to do with the temperature of the pool (it is kept pretty warm). Friday was my day off and today was a long run day. Jennifer and I did the hilly route and ran 11 miles. It was a little bit tough for me to get "fired" up for the run with the half ironman being so far away, but we got it done and it was just a little easier than it had been the last time we ran that route.

Enjoy some more pictures from the kids this week.

An Unplanned Recovery Day

After dropping Andrew off at preschool today, I headed out on a run with Parker. My legs were still pretty tender from Saturday and it took a long time to start feeling good. My plan only called for a 30 minute run. At 17 minutes, I was really starting to feel good. At that point my phone rang. It was a friend who is being induced tomorrow with her second child. I continued to walk at a brisk pace while I wished her luck and discussed how we could help to make the arrival of their new daughter go a little smoother. The next thing I knew 30 minutes had passed, I was back at my car, and running late on running errands. Since my prep work for the half marathon more than exceeded my running requirements for this stage of my half ironman training, I called it a day. I did get in a good long swim workout of 3000 yards this evening. I am definitely beginning to feel like a swimmer again. I registered for the 3 mile open water swim in Wisconsin in June. I don't think it will be very fast, but it will be an experience.

I am including more boy pictures from some playtime on our screen porch last night. It is hard to tell, but the boys were playing with bubbles. They definitely have their difficult moments, but they really do seem to enjoy one another. The final picture is how Andrew greets Parker in the mornings. I don't think Parker would mind if it did not delay his breakfast.