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.

What a Weekend!

Well, it has been awhile. Parker is cutting his top two teeth and has had a really tough time sleeping which means we all have had a tough time sleeping.

On Thursday we loaded up the kids after Andrew finished preschool and headed to Nashville to see Johanna and to run in the Nashville Half Marathon. Wednesday night had been particularly rough on Parker/Me, and I was going on about 3 1/2 hrs of sleep. The car ride was going really well with about an hour left in the trip. Parker had been napping really well, and suddenly woke up screaming. I reached back and he was burning up-103.9. I had planned for the possibility of this and had a thermometer and medication within easy reach. In the process of giving Parker ibuprofen, I dropped the bottle and spilled it all over me. It made for a sticky rest of the ride. Thursday night was very rough with Parker waking frequently and being quite fussy. By 4 AM, both kids were up. Kevin was kind enough to take both of them and keep them entertained so I could get a few more hours of sleep.

Friday after the expo/packet pickup for the 1/2, we had some downtime while the boys napped. Then we headed off to the Nashville zoo with Johanna. We had a great time there. I forgot my camera but Andrew and Parker both had a blast on the very kid friendly play area.

Saturday was the big day. We had a pretty decent night sleep wise with the kids and woke up as refreshed as you can feel at 4:30 AM. After battling with 35,000 (seriously this run is HUGE) half and full marathoners for a parking spot and a less than enjoyable trip to the port-a-potties, we were ready to race. Johanna was a speed machine and was in a faster corral, but my runny buddy Jennifer and I ran together. The run was HOT, sunny, hilly, and HOT. When we left my car it said 75 and when we got back in it post race, it read 89. Seriously, it was brutally hot. The race was mentally and physically difficult, but we kept going, and the last mile I was even able to pick up the pace quite a bit and have a good finish. I am still sore, but I am already looking forward to the next half, some triathlons, and a full marathon in the near future.

Since the boys were so challenging with their sleep, we decided to head home on Saturday afternoon instead of doing battle with them that night. It worked out for the best because we were able to get a lot of yardwork and housework done. The weather was amazing, and we had alot of outside fun with the boys too. We even took out the play pool.

Today was a return to our normal routine. I headed to the gym for a brick workout of 60 minutes of spin class followed with 15 minutes of running. I am astonished that I had a great run because my legs are still pretty sore, but by the time I hit the treadmill, I felt great. I am still in a post race high.

I registered for the Outer Banks marathon in November. I know I have a lot of training ahead of me, but I am looking forward to the challenge, and the feeling that will come as I cross the finish line.

Here are some pictures from this weekend.

This will have to be a quick one because I am worn out. Yesterday I did a brick at the gym-60 minutes of cycling and what was supposed to be 15 minutes on the treadmill. I was in a lousy mood going into my workout. It has been rainy here for a few days, and at certain times when it rains or when it snows (usually in Wisconsin), I get arthritic type pain in my left lower leg where I broke my leg and had a plate put in. In addition to that discomfort, the music that the instructor was playing during spin class was horrible. I found myself looking at the clock the entire class. I was looking forward to the run, but wouldn't you know I picked the one treadmill left that was next to a man who had apparently BATHED in cologne prior to coming to the gym. After 7 1/2 minutes, I called it a day.

Today after dropping Andrew off at preschool, I ran some errands with Parker. After picking Andrew up, both boys took an afternoon nap of about 3 hours together. I took that time to paint the ceiling in the playroom from where our roof had leaked about a year ago. I have done a lot of painting of walls, but this was my first time doing a ceiling and there was a definite learning curve involved and it is done. Tonight I headed over to the pool and swam. It was a good swim. There was a swim team practicing while I swam and I was 'rocked' all over the place, so it was great practice for my open water swim. Tomorrow will be another inside workout at the gym of 45 minute cycling. I am planning to take it easy since the half marathon is on Saturday.

I think I may have had life easy with Andrew at this age. Today Parker crawled over to a stool, stood up and grabbed onto the windowsill and pulled his legs up onto the stool and stood up. Yep, my just barely 10 month old stood up on a stool today. He did it in less than 2 seconds. I am not sure Andrew was brave enough to stand on his stool until he was 18 months old. I think it may be a tough ride.

I bought a children's gardening kit to grow sunflowers with Andrew. I showed him it today and said we would do it tomorrow after the gym while Parker napped. He said we would need stuff. I explained that everything we needed in the kit. Andrew then explained to me we would need his hat, glasses and sunscreen. It took me a few minutes, but then I realized we needed that stuff because we were growing SUNflowers. I don't know where this kid comes up with this stuff. On a similar note, I am not sure if I mentioned just before Easter we did a grow a kit with basil and oregano and it is growing really well.

Okay, I guess I had more in me than I thought.

It's gonna be a long one.

Thursday I planted the garden, and here it is in all its glory. Most of the vegetables cannot be seen yet, but they are there. I am hoping to document the progress every few weeks.

Saturday morning Jennifer and I did our 6 mile run. We decided to tough it out and did a hilly workout since we were only running 6. I had lifted the day before so my legs were feeling kind of shot, but we did it, and I feel much better going into next Saturday's half marathon in Nashville. I know I won't be intimidated by the hills on the course. After the run I did get out for an easy bike ride. I was feeling good and took the hilly route. It was a great day for a bike ride, but by the time I was done, I was exhausted. Kevin had the boys at the gym for about an hour after I came home from the bike ride, so I had time to shower and stretch.

Parker went down for his nap, and Kevin did yard work while Andrew and I played outside. It is hard not to be in a fantastic mood when it is 75 and sunny. Against my better judgement, I decided to water the garden with Andrew's 'help'. It started out pleasant enough with Andrew "washing" the broccoli.

After Andrew took control of the hose, the fun really started.

He had an absolute blast. I had the nozzle turned to mist, so he only got me a little wet........

But not for lack of trying.

Here are some pictures of Parker from this week. He turned 10 months on Friday. He is such a joy to have. He is saying Mamamama and looking at me, but Kevin thinks he is just babbling still. On Friday he did say dididi at Kevin, so I am not so sure he does not know what he is trying to say. He is also a moving machine. He has been crawling and standing for a few months, and I am convinced he will be walking soon. He has to, so he can keep up with his brother.


Finally here are two pictures from bath tonight. Andrew loves to help wash Parker's back and give him toys to play with. Despite protests from Kevin and I, Parker likes to stand in the tub.

Unfortunately, things did not end so well. Parker was trying to stand up (yes, he is trying to bite the tub), and before Kevin and I could get him to stop, Andrew attempted to help him stand up. Poor Parker was so slippery that Andrew lifted him up and Parker slid right over the side of the bath tub. Luckily I was sitting on the floor and I basically caught Parker, but it was definitely the end of bath night.

Yesterday was an absolutely perfect day here. I dropped Andrew off at preschool and hit the grocery store and Lowe's to pick up some plants for the vegetable garden. Afternoon naps for both boys lasted over 2 hours TOGETHER. If you have more than one child, you realize this is HUGE. I ended up getting the whole garden planted and was just getting washed up as they both began to stir. I planted a lot, and I am not terribly confident in all that I planted. I saw asparagus in bulb like bags at Lowe's and decided to give those a try. I have not grown it before, but to me, the "bulbs" looked pretty sickly. In addition to that, I did 5 varieties of tomatoes (I am still figuring out what grows well here), cucumbers, yellow and zucchini squash, basil, cilantro, shallots, onions, green peppers, broccoli, and lettuce. Some of the plants definitely looked better yesterday than they did this morning, but only time will tell.

After my planting adventure and dinner, I headed over to the pool for some speed work. I kind of felt lousy in the water and even woke up today with sore shoulders and a sore upper back. At that point I realized it was due to the 2 hours of gardening and not the 45 minutes in the water.

Today I did weights and core. I am definitely ready to mix it up a bit and looking forward to some new exercises in a week. Tomorrow will be a 6 mile run with Jennifer. We have an easy workout due to next week being the 1/2 marathon in Nashville. I am using the 1/2 more as a training run for my half ironman in June, so I am going to bike after the run tomorrow while the boys are at the gym with dad. It is supposed to be another beautiful day weather wise, so we will be taking full advantage of it.

Three a days????

Okay, so not really, but yesterday I did. After dropping Andrew off at school, I hit the gym for a quick treadmill run since it was raining outside. I had a really good run and got in some good speed work. About a month ago, I was at the gym and running (I was more like jogging at 5.5 mph) and the woman next to me was running at 6.5 mph. I thought, I remember when I could run that fast comfortably. Well, that was me today. I topped out my speeds at 7.6 mph (7:53 mile pace) and felt quite good there.

After some errands and picking up Andrew, I did my second workout of the day-weights and core, while the boys napped. In 1 1/2 weeks my weight lifting exercises will change and I am right on schedule for it as I increased the amount of weight I was lifting on almost all my exercises. Workout #2 DONE.

Finally that evening I did my 3rd workout when I went to swim laps. I had a decent swim, but the weights and run had taken their toll. I did some kicking, but my legs were beat, so I mainly stuck to stroke work and pulling.

Today I did a 60 minute bike ride at the gym so I don't have to worry about getting in another ride on Sunday. I am hoping to get out, but in the morning after church, we are going to a friend's baptism and right now there is a chance of rain, so it may not happen. Tomorrow will be a swim of mostly speed work and another weight/core workout.

In addition to all the working out, I have been enjoying the boys a lot this week. They are both at such different but enjoyable stages. Parker has finally gotten really good at clapping and does so frequently. Yesterday he was crying because he fell down (he is trying to take steps) and as he was screaming, he was also clapping his hands. It was too cute. Today at the gym when I went to pick up the boys after my bike session, a man was coming in with his daughter. Andrew said, "That's Grace and her dad. She cries a lot and has snot in her nose." Yep, could not get out of there fast enough.

A Good Day and a Great Workout

This morning I loaded up the kids and headed to the gym. Parker is working on his two upper teeth and had a tough night which meant I had a tough night, so I was not in the best of moods this morning. On top of my sleeplessness, Andrew was being a typical two year old, who had been spoiled rotten by grandparents for the last few days, so life was not fun in the wee hours here. I did not have high hopes for a great workout but figured the worst case scenario would be a break from the cycle of crabbiness that was looming.

I did 15 minutes on the spin bike on my own followed by a really good 60 minute spin class and then hopped on the treadmill for a short run. I felt fantastic on the run and was able to really pick up some speed which is something that has been lacking lately in my runs. I was only on the treadmill for 15 minutes. The purpose is to get my legs used to switching quickly from a bike to a run motion. I had to get Parker home for a nap but I felt like I could have run a lot longer. I really needed one of those workouts.

During nap time today I found two recipes for the mountains of leftover turkey and ham from our Easter celebration. Tonight is a spaghetti ham bake. I initially skipped over it because the name just sounded too heavy for me, but after looking at the ingredients, I am going to give it a go. I made up one for tonight and two for the freezer, so hopefully we will like it. I had hoped to also get a turkey casserole made up, but Parker had other plans for me. It will probably be for the best because I was going to have to substitute quite a few ingredients with what I had on hand. Tomorrow after a short run (outside if the weather is on my side-I will have Parker while Andrew is at preschool), I am going to do some quick grocery shopping. In addition to the run, I will also be doing my weight and core tomorrow as well as an evening swim. Keep your fingers crossed for a better sleep night in our house. I think I am going to need it.

Still Here

Yes, I am still here. My parents were in visiting from Thursday through this evening. On Thursday before they arrived I did another swim session and it went great. I am so amazed that each time I swim I feel more and more natural and comfortable. I am going to really make an effort to get in a swim at least twice a week.

On Friday I had originally planned to bike after the boys' had their music class, but mother nature was not on board with that plan. It did clear up later in the afternoon, but I had to take advantage of some children free shopping. While Grandma watched Andrew and Parker, Kevin and Grandpa worked on a huge sandbox for the boys and a raised garden for me.

Saturday morning meant another long run with Jennifer. My dad came along and did 10 miles on his own. I picked the route for Jennifer and I. We ended up battling some big hills. We did a total of 11 miles. Going into the run we had talked about doing 12, but at 11, we were back at the cars and my dad was all done with his run. He encouraged us to keep going, but we mutually decided to be done. I take responsibility for making the final call. Since my training plan called for only 6 miles and Jennifer's called for 9, we decided 11 was a job well done. I spent the day painting the boys sandbox and the men continued to work on the raised garden. In the early afternoon, my sister Johanna came for a quick visit.

We had a wonderful Easter today. The Easter bunny came early for the boys so we could get to 8:00 AM mass on time. He visited our home on Saturday after nap time. Today after mass we had lots of playtime outside and enjoyed some nice weather. I was even able to get in a nice bike ride. I ventured a little farther from home and took on a few more tough hills. It went really well even though I did battle with a pair of dogs.

Here are lots of pictures from this weekend and one of Parker from a week ago. If fun was measured by the amount of dirt Andrew was covered in after today, it is obvious he had a blast. (In the final picture, Andrew is holding a worm.)

My swim went really well yesterday and I was able to get in 2000yds. I began to feel more like a swimmer this time around. Today was also a great workout day. I had a good run at the gym, and even picked up some speed. After the gym was a trip to Sam's Club with both boys. It has been fun having Andrew home this week (spring break for preschool), but it is really hard to do errands with both boys. They actually did well and we only had a few difficult moments. After we came home and Parker was put down for his nap, Andrew and I did our second round of Easter Eggs. This time we did a Sesame Street set. It was fun but our eggs did not turn out anything like on the box.

While both boys were napping in the afternoon, I had a good lifting session and core workout. Then I had to make some phone calls. If you have read past posts on my blog, about a month ago I posted that the insurance calamity was over with my back surgery and all bills were to be processed and paid. I continued to receive bills from the hospital and providers, but the insurance representative had stated that may happen since it would take a few days for the insurance to reprocess the statements. Over the past 5 days, I have placed 6 phone calls to the representative to find out why the hospital had not heard anything. I finally asked to speak to a supervisor and was informed they had reopened my case (?????) and the bills were once again pending. That prompted another round of calls to let the hospital and providers know what was going on. What a mess it is once again turning into. Hopefully it will all be over soon....again.

ARGH!!

So, the terminix man showed up today, and unfortunately, I ended up having to turn him away. I had hoped for a treatment of the wasps, but it turns out they do not do a one time treatment. I was not comfortable signing a year contract, so the war is back on. I also think that I can handle them. If I get stung, they may be coming back, but for now, I will take on the problem myself.

This week is Andrew's spring break from preschool. I have realized this for several weeks, but for some reason, I have not prepared well for this. The three of us made a trip to Target today. The problem is Andrew is not big enough to walk alongside the cart if Parker rides in it and Parker is not small enough to ride in his carrier in the large part of the cart. When I worked in the ER I saw several children with cuts on their heads from falling out of the main part of the cart where they cannot be belted in, so that was not an option. I ended up using one of the large carts with the two seats in the front part of the cart and put both boys in the strapped seats. The age is 2-6 yrs for this, so obviously Parker is on the small side for these seats, but it worked out fairly well, and we were quite low on diapers. The trip went well enough that I am planning on a trip to Sam's tomorrow after the gym with both kids. Sam's has the double carts so both boys will be able to ride in the smaller 'basket' area together. I am not sure how well it will go, but my list is short and I am feeling ambitious.

Tonight I am planning on doing my second swim session. I bought two new suits today from DICKS (they are on sale here to get ready for the summer's new stock), so I feel all ready to roll. I am also planning on hitting the grocery store for a few essentials (without the kiddos) before the swim session tonight.

Andrew has been on a roll lately with his imagination and vocabulary. Kevin was singing "Hip Hop Hooray Ho-Ray, Ho, Hip Hop Hooray..." the other night and Andrew said "No, not Ho-Ray, Grandpa Ray". Then today before nap time he was holding his mouth and mumbling. I asked him what he had in his mouth and he responded "I have a woose tooth". The thing is, he didn't. What a character!

After my encounter with the wasps yesterday, I decided to do some research online, and as much as I hate to do it, we are calling in reinforcements in the form of Terminix. I am wondering if we are not going overboard since the man I talked to asked me what type of infestation we had. Does 4-6 wasps flying around outside in the spring count as an infestation? I am none too pleased with the wasps in the exercise area, but to be honest, they really have not attacked me or done anything other than exist in "my" space. So, what prompted the phone call? Turns out wasps like to build nests within the walls of a house or a garage, and I am not having that. Tomorrow afternoon we will officially be wasp free. I was not terribly excited about having pesticides sprayed around the kids, but they assure me the chemicals are not dangerous to pets or humans. Hopefully this will be my last post in regards to wasps other than to report how nice it is to run on the treadmill without wasps.

Today's workout consisted of a brick in the form of 60 minutes of biking immediately followed by 15 minutes of running. I did the 60 minutes as a spin class and then jumped on the inside track at the gym. After 5 minutes, my blister was absolutely killing me. I had originally planned to stop in the running store where I purchased my shoes on Friday, but decided it was ridiculous to keep trying to run through a blister. The store is close to the gym, so I loaded the kids into the stroller and ran into the store to explain my problem. I had anticipated having to purchase an insert or perhaps some sort of special blister pad for my shoes. The salesman went into the back and returned with my shoes in a narrow. He had me remove the Yankz from my shoes and told me to try on the new narrows. They felt great. I then stood in the store and he said "just let me know if those work out for you." I was in shock. I had worn the other shoes for over 3 weeks and put over 50 miles on them-many of them outside. I now have a new pair of really comfy shoes (thus far) in a narrow.

After the kids went down for their nap, I did my weight lifting and core strengthening workout followed by a nice long stretch. Tomorrow I am going to try to get over to the pool for a swim in the evening.

Wasp Update

I fear I am loosing my war with the wasps. Despite fogging the heck out of them, Kevin said he saw another wasp in the room above the garage. As I write this, I am sitting out on my back deck and have had several close encounters with varying varieties of the buggers, or at least varying colors-one was typical yellow/black and the other was a reddish orange color. We bought this foam that states in bold letters "Guaranteed to kill on contact". I sprayed the heck out of one on our roof and coated it in this foam. I watched it crawl out of the foam and after about 15 seconds fly away as though it had not been touched. I also have had several 'misses' on the spraying attempts and also one that snuck up on me and came between me and my bug spray. I am proud to say I have taken out two in the past 30 minutes, but I know there are many more out there. Wish me luck.

I Know This Much is True

1. Riding a bike is like, well, riding a bike. Just because I did not ride my bike for 1 1/2 years did not mean I was starting over.

2. While going up a hill, it is really important to be sure you know how to shift down and how NOT to shift up.

3. No hill is insurmountable but some seem to last a really long time.

4. While travelling at 30 mph (downhill, I am not that good) a bug hitting your cheek hurts and will leave a mark. Just another reason I dislike bugs.

5. Not falling makes for a much more enjoyable first ride back.

6. I need to show more appreciation for road maintenance crews-their job is really important to cyclists.

7. There is a reason bike shorts/apparel is black. I dropped my chain on my first climb, and was able to get it back on fairly quickly/easily, but I got FILTHY.

8. I am much more intimidated going down most hills than up.

9. If you 'listen' to your bike, it is easy to tell when to shift-this is a lesson that has taken me a really long time to learn.

10. I am excited to get back out on my bike on the open road.

So, I did my first real bike ride on an actual road. It went well-no spills, no dog chases, and great weather. It was an easy ride and I basically practiced a lot of shifting, clipping/unclipping, and worked on getting comfortable back in the saddle. I only rode 10 miles, but it went really well and was actually fun. I am looking forward to getting out on some group rides with my triathlon club soon.

Before my ride, we had a great Sunday. We bribed Andrew to be good in church, and he was about as good as he has ever been. The deal was if he behaved we would go to a local playground and have breakfast there before playtime. We were meeting two other families there, so I am really glad Andrew cooperated during mass which was no easy feat being that it was Passion Sunday. It was really nice to meet up with our friends and enjoy this amazing weather we are having. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to turn quite chilly and miserable for 2 days before improving, so I will be back to the gym for a spin class followed by a quick run for a brick workout. I know it is going to be tough being back inside for my workout, but hopefully I will be back outside soon.

Eleven miles down and one BIG blister to show for it. The company was great again, and the pace has picked up slightly. I really do feel great to have completed it, but due to the blister I could feel forming from the beginning, it was slightly less enjoyable than other runs. I have tried to place a blister pad and also a band aid over the spot prerun with no luck on avoiding the blister. It is on the inner arch of my left foot. I am hoping to make it back to the shoe store where I purchased my shoes to see if an insert may help the situation. I have never had blisters in this place before, so hopefully they can point me in the right direction.

After I returned home, Kevin hightailed it to the gym. Normally he goes with the kids while I am running, but Parker was quite the early bird this morning, and I wanted him to get in a good morning nap, so Kevin put him down while I was gone. Andrew and I played outside for a bit before Parker joined us post nap.

The weather is gorgeous here today, and we are expecting the same for tomorrow. Andrew has been a troublesome two year old in church lately, and we have bribed him with breakfast at the park tomorrow after church if all goes well. I am also hoping to get out on the road on my bike tomorrow for about 45 minutes. Hopefully I won't have any broken bones to show for it!

Well, I didn't drown. The swim actually went alright, but I definitely have misplaced any natural ability I once had. I ended up doing a mile (1650 yards) of mixed stroke work and drills. I was only there for about 30 minutes. I am not sure how I ever swam for 2 or 3 hour practices without losing my mind. I am looking forward to getting back in the water again next week, and then aiming for 1-2 times/week after that.

A funny thing happened as I was leaving. I was swimming at a local high school, and after I was done, a few high school boys stopped me and asked if I went to school there. I was briefly flattered and then realized it has been a VERY VERY long time since I was in high school. There next question was if I was a teacher there.

Tomorrow will be another long run of 11 miles. It is actually the last time that my 1/2 marathon plan calls for a double digit run. I need to see what Jennifer's plan calls for and may do at least one more 10+ mile run before the half marathon.

Nice quotes

Not too much going on today. It is a pleasant day weather wise-low 70s so the windows are open and there is a nice breeze, but rain seems imminent. I lifted and did a nice long stretch this morning and tonight I am off to the pool to get in some laps.

I wanted to share two quotes which I found today in my Triathlete magazine:

"The walls in life are there not to stop us but to deter those who aren't determined enough to climb over them."

"The important thing in life is not to avoid falling, which is impossible, but to keep getting up."

Love The Spring....

HATE the bugs. Today my enemy is the wasp. I had initially planned to do an outdoor run this morning with the kids in the jogger. The meteorologist on our local news and weather.com told me the rain would stop by 10, but as of 1 PM, it was still drizzling. I would have been up for the run if I did not have the kids along to get wet too. During the afternoon nap while both boys were asleep, I headed up to the room above our garage (it is an unfinished area of about 800 sq ft) where we have the treadmill. I only had to run 30 minutes today and was feeling pretty good. I had an episode of Law and Order on the TV, the kids were asleep, the laundry was done, and basically life was good. Fifteen minutes into the run, I went to open a window and was horrified to see two very large wasps crawling around. I took them out quickly with some Raid and hopped back on the treadmill. About five minutes later I saw wasp number 3. I had used up the can of Raid on the first two (I did mention I HATE them, right?), so I was stuck smashing the heck out of it with a paint stirrer. I jumped back on the treadmill and with only 2 1/2 minutes left, I saw #4 out of the corner of my eye. The treadmill run was DONE. I fogged the room and will look for more wasp corpses in the morning.

Other than that, yesterday ended up being a pretty good day of lifting and today's run though 2 1/2 minutes short was good too. I am really looking forward to tomorrow. I am planning to lift while Andrew is at school and Parker is napping. Then tomorrow evening head out for my first swim in a very long time. I have swum once since I had Parker. It did not go very well. It was pre-back surgery and every time I pushed off the wall I saw stars. I am confident tomorrow night will go much better.