Here is a picture of Helena's new bed. Someday, this will be a guest room. I'm still on the look out for the perfect nightstands, dresser, and bench/chaise to complete the room. For now, though, she is definitely the most spoiled girl out there!
Helena's New Bed
Here is a picture of Helena's new bed. Someday, this will be a guest room. I'm still on the look out for the perfect nightstands, dresser, and bench/chaise to complete the room. For now, though, she is definitely the most spoiled girl out there!
Spring Break 2012
Sorry it has been so long since I posted on here. I have had several ideas about what to write about, but the moment has always passed me by and I miss my opportunity to record my thoughts.
There is lots to talk about, but I'm not sure how much of it I want to share. Parenting is never easy, and there are times when it is downright painfully difficult. We have had some difficult days around here, dealing with teens and school. I'd like to vent, but I don't think it is very productive and may, in fact, do more harm than good. We are in the home stretch now, with only 4 weeks remaining in the school year, so I think it will be best if I just hunker down and battle through to the end with a stiff upper lip and minimal commentary. Someday, when it is all safely in the past and can be laughed about, I'll share the ups and downs of getting teens through their high school years.
In the meantime, let's talk about Spring Break!
Originally, I had planned to take the family on a Mexican cruise for spring break this year. Unfortunately, finances weren't in line for that, so we didn't go. It turned out to probably be a good thing, because this year the cruise lines closed some of the Mexican ports for safety reasons and tried to compensate by adding a US port to the itinerary. Pfft. Who wants a US port? No thanks. Maybe we can do a cruise next year and, who knows? Maybe the ports will be back up by then.
So, we had a staycation. Most of the vacation was pretty lame, really. I spent half of it on getting the taxes done. Yippee. At least we are getting a refund this year. Last year we owed taxes. I was so stressed that we might owe again that I kept putting off the taxes, afraid of what I might discover. So it was a huge relief to discover that we didn't owe after all.
Matt was on leave and spent it up in Idaho trying to find a job and a place to live when he gets out of the Marines in a few months. We had hoped he could stop by here for at least a weekend. We didn't have a spare bed, though, and that bothered me. So, we upgraded Helena's bed to a queen size (her room will become my guest room someday when she moves out), and put her twin bed in the spare room for Matt. You'd think the spare room would be the guest room, but it will become part of the master suite in the remodel, part 2.
So, we were all set up for Matt to arrive, when he sent word that he wasn't able to come, after all. We invited him to Helena's graduation in May, so I hope he can come then.
Our one day of fun spring vacation happened on Thursday. Megan came over and joined us for a family fun day up in Salt Lake City. We went to the new City Creek Center. It is a big, fancy mall. Most of the stores were outrageously expensive. Still, the building itself was pretty impressive, and we all had a good time doing a whole lot of nothing.
The rest of Spring Break was spent at home, just relaxing, sleeping in, and enjoying the time off. To be honest, I don't even remember anymore what we did, because I didn't write it down right away. That is what happens when you let the stresses of life take over. Things fall through the cracks, including memories. :(
There is lots to talk about, but I'm not sure how much of it I want to share. Parenting is never easy, and there are times when it is downright painfully difficult. We have had some difficult days around here, dealing with teens and school. I'd like to vent, but I don't think it is very productive and may, in fact, do more harm than good. We are in the home stretch now, with only 4 weeks remaining in the school year, so I think it will be best if I just hunker down and battle through to the end with a stiff upper lip and minimal commentary. Someday, when it is all safely in the past and can be laughed about, I'll share the ups and downs of getting teens through their high school years.
In the meantime, let's talk about Spring Break!
Originally, I had planned to take the family on a Mexican cruise for spring break this year. Unfortunately, finances weren't in line for that, so we didn't go. It turned out to probably be a good thing, because this year the cruise lines closed some of the Mexican ports for safety reasons and tried to compensate by adding a US port to the itinerary. Pfft. Who wants a US port? No thanks. Maybe we can do a cruise next year and, who knows? Maybe the ports will be back up by then.
So, we had a staycation. Most of the vacation was pretty lame, really. I spent half of it on getting the taxes done. Yippee. At least we are getting a refund this year. Last year we owed taxes. I was so stressed that we might owe again that I kept putting off the taxes, afraid of what I might discover. So it was a huge relief to discover that we didn't owe after all.
Matt was on leave and spent it up in Idaho trying to find a job and a place to live when he gets out of the Marines in a few months. We had hoped he could stop by here for at least a weekend. We didn't have a spare bed, though, and that bothered me. So, we upgraded Helena's bed to a queen size (her room will become my guest room someday when she moves out), and put her twin bed in the spare room for Matt. You'd think the spare room would be the guest room, but it will become part of the master suite in the remodel, part 2.
So, we were all set up for Matt to arrive, when he sent word that he wasn't able to come, after all. We invited him to Helena's graduation in May, so I hope he can come then.
Our one day of fun spring vacation happened on Thursday. Megan came over and joined us for a family fun day up in Salt Lake City. We went to the new City Creek Center. It is a big, fancy mall. Most of the stores were outrageously expensive. Still, the building itself was pretty impressive, and we all had a good time doing a whole lot of nothing.
The rest of Spring Break was spent at home, just relaxing, sleeping in, and enjoying the time off. To be honest, I don't even remember anymore what we did, because I didn't write it down right away. That is what happens when you let the stresses of life take over. Things fall through the cracks, including memories. :(
On April 22nd, we went on a family hike up a trail called Big Springs. It was NOT a big spring. Still, it was a fun time for the whole family, and a beautiful, warm day. It was approximately 6 miles round trip. After we were done, we were all starving, so we enjoyed a lunch out, too! At Rubio's, of course!
Right before getting in the car, Helena decided to try the only deep spot in the stream. She said it was COLD!
IT Band Troubles
I've gone my whole life without knowing what an IT band is, or that I even have one (two, in fact). That is, until my knee started hurting at the end of my 11 mile run today. I started limping pretty badly.
An IT band (iliotibial band) is a tendon on the outside of your thighs connecting the hip bone to the shin bone. It is one long, stretchy ligament. When running or walking, it slides across and over the knee. Overuse (through long distance running, for instance) can cause the IT band to get inflamed from too much rubbing across the knee. So, even though the tendon is all along the side of the thigh, it is the part just next to the knee cap that is giving me pain.
I've read up on everything I can about this condition. I immediately started RICE (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate) and Bill is going to go get me a foam roller used for massaging the IT band to help stretch it out. From my reading, it also sounds like I could be doing some hip abductor weights to strengthen the laterally moving muscles of my legs (a preventative measure). I'll have to spend the next week doing cross training (swim mostly) to give it a rest and time to heal. And, I'm going to have to search out new running routes that don't keep me on the sloped sides of roads. It is the slope of the road that is killing my knee. The leg on the downward side of the road bows inward slightly to compensate, and that is what is causing the aggravation to my knee.
So phooey and double phooey!
But it sure was a nice day for a run.
An IT band (iliotibial band) is a tendon on the outside of your thighs connecting the hip bone to the shin bone. It is one long, stretchy ligament. When running or walking, it slides across and over the knee. Overuse (through long distance running, for instance) can cause the IT band to get inflamed from too much rubbing across the knee. So, even though the tendon is all along the side of the thigh, it is the part just next to the knee cap that is giving me pain.
I've read up on everything I can about this condition. I immediately started RICE (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate) and Bill is going to go get me a foam roller used for massaging the IT band to help stretch it out. From my reading, it also sounds like I could be doing some hip abductor weights to strengthen the laterally moving muscles of my legs (a preventative measure). I'll have to spend the next week doing cross training (swim mostly) to give it a rest and time to heal. And, I'm going to have to search out new running routes that don't keep me on the sloped sides of roads. It is the slope of the road that is killing my knee. The leg on the downward side of the road bows inward slightly to compensate, and that is what is causing the aggravation to my knee.
So phooey and double phooey!
But it sure was a nice day for a run.
The Republican Caucus
There is a place on facebook where you can list your interests. One of the areas to fill out is "Politics". My answer?
I avoid it.
I know. Bad, bad. This is a country that is supposed to be of the people, by the people, and for the people. And if the people don't participate in the system, it stops being by the people and bad stuff happens. I get it.
But let me tell you, I live in such a homogeneous neighborhood that I could shout myself blue in the face and it wouldn't amount to a thing. Not that I feel like shouting. I am more liberal than most of my neighbors, but still on the conservative end of the spectrum. I am actually a registered Republican, if you can believe that. I can't remember why that is.
The truth is, my voice doesn't count for anything here. And I'm mostly okay with that.
So, you might be wondering what in the world would entice me to attend my neighborhood caucus meeting tonight.
Two of Helena's teachers are offering extra credit to seniors over 18 who attend the caucus and report about it...
...and Helena had to work tonight.
So, while I might avoid politics, I am willing to take a bullet for one of my kids and show up to video portions of it for her so she can write up the extra credit report.
Hopefully I can make up for my apathy as a citizen by being an excellent mom?
Anyways, the caucus for all the districts in town were held at the high school. I arrived a tad late, and discovered that I would have to park a couple of blocks away from the school and hike in. It took me a bit of research to figure out which district I'm currently in (due to redistricting, we've been in 3 different districts in the 12 years we've lived in this house). I'm in AF09, now, which was being held in the south side of the cafeteria... while AF06 was being held simultaneously in the north side of the same room! Oi! It was hot, crowded, and noisy in there! I figured I'd missed the prayer and the pledge, but they hadn't even gotten started yet. Since I'm a registered republican, I was given a slip of paper that stated I was an accredited something-something that gave me a right to nominate people, run for office (thanks, but NO!!!), and vote.
I won't bore you with a blow by blow of the hour and a half that I actually stuck around and participated. They were nowhere near done when I bailed. But, while I was there, I got to participate in putting a friend and neighbor in as our committee chair (or head honcho, or whatever the heck you call the person who represents the rest of us at the next level). It felt good to personally know the person who is going to speak for me as a delegate. And the whole thing felt very grass roots. The epitome of grass roots, in fact. The three people nominated each took a turn speaking for 2 minutes and fielding questions from us about political stuff. Only one of the three seemed out of touch and unprepared. Our votes were hand written on slips of paper, collected in a shoe box, and tallied the old fashioned way off in the corner. My friend and neighbor, Reese Day, won the majority in a single round of voting. (Well done, Reese! Congratulations!) The other nominee who seemed intelligently prepared ended up being voted in as the vice chair.
I got some video for Helena to use in writing up her report tonight, but even better, I can now say that I have officially done my civic duty as an American! It was more interesting than I thought it would be, and I'm glad I went. Huzzah.
I avoid it.
I know. Bad, bad. This is a country that is supposed to be of the people, by the people, and for the people. And if the people don't participate in the system, it stops being by the people and bad stuff happens. I get it.
But let me tell you, I live in such a homogeneous neighborhood that I could shout myself blue in the face and it wouldn't amount to a thing. Not that I feel like shouting. I am more liberal than most of my neighbors, but still on the conservative end of the spectrum. I am actually a registered Republican, if you can believe that. I can't remember why that is.
The truth is, my voice doesn't count for anything here. And I'm mostly okay with that.
So, you might be wondering what in the world would entice me to attend my neighborhood caucus meeting tonight.
Two of Helena's teachers are offering extra credit to seniors over 18 who attend the caucus and report about it...
...and Helena had to work tonight.
So, while I might avoid politics, I am willing to take a bullet for one of my kids and show up to video portions of it for her so she can write up the extra credit report.
Hopefully I can make up for my apathy as a citizen by being an excellent mom?
Anyways, the caucus for all the districts in town were held at the high school. I arrived a tad late, and discovered that I would have to park a couple of blocks away from the school and hike in. It took me a bit of research to figure out which district I'm currently in (due to redistricting, we've been in 3 different districts in the 12 years we've lived in this house). I'm in AF09, now, which was being held in the south side of the cafeteria... while AF06 was being held simultaneously in the north side of the same room! Oi! It was hot, crowded, and noisy in there! I figured I'd missed the prayer and the pledge, but they hadn't even gotten started yet. Since I'm a registered republican, I was given a slip of paper that stated I was an accredited something-something that gave me a right to nominate people, run for office (thanks, but NO!!!), and vote.
I won't bore you with a blow by blow of the hour and a half that I actually stuck around and participated. They were nowhere near done when I bailed. But, while I was there, I got to participate in putting a friend and neighbor in as our committee chair (or head honcho, or whatever the heck you call the person who represents the rest of us at the next level). It felt good to personally know the person who is going to speak for me as a delegate. And the whole thing felt very grass roots. The epitome of grass roots, in fact. The three people nominated each took a turn speaking for 2 minutes and fielding questions from us about political stuff. Only one of the three seemed out of touch and unprepared. Our votes were hand written on slips of paper, collected in a shoe box, and tallied the old fashioned way off in the corner. My friend and neighbor, Reese Day, won the majority in a single round of voting. (Well done, Reese! Congratulations!) The other nominee who seemed intelligently prepared ended up being voted in as the vice chair.
I got some video for Helena to use in writing up her report tonight, but even better, I can now say that I have officially done my civic duty as an American! It was more interesting than I thought it would be, and I'm glad I went. Huzzah.
Trail vs. Treadmill
Or rather, outdoor running vs. indoor.
I have spent all winter running either on a treadmill or on the indoor track. I don't mind at all. In fact, I like running on a treadmill for the ability to force myself to new speeds during interval training. I also like the fact that I can run no matter what the weather is doing outside. However, there is a point when indoor running becomes tedious. For me, that point is about 6 miles.
If it is going to take more than an hour to do the run, it gets frustrating to have to reset the machine. Most of the treadmills at the gym have a 60 min. max time allowed in their programming. And, really, who wants to spend more than an hour looking at the same thing while running?
This week my long run is supposed to be 10 miles. I usually do my long run on Mondays, but I noticed that Monday's weather is predicted to be significantly cooler than today (Saturday). Today is one of those beautiful early spring days that makes everyone throw open the windows and head outside. I decided to do my long run today. Outside.
Oh, I forgot how much harder it is to run outside! Variations in slope and running surface take their toll and I find myself having to take a walking break much more often. Most of my run was on the side of the road, on the pavement. That is so much more jarring on my legs and feet than the cushioned treadmill, or even the soft surface of the indoor track. However, I love the live breeze and the sunshine! The constantly changing view is entertaining and keeps my mind so occupied that I chew away the miles without noticing the passage of time. My route took me up into Highland and onto the Alpine Highway before looping back through the neighborhoods and back home. I had a real sense of accomplishment for the distance my body traveled today! You get no perspective on distance on a treadmill. 10 miles looks the same as 5 miles on a treadmill. 10 miles actually covers A LOT of ground!
I love the sunshine and the sun/wind burn on my face! I love the friendly wave from other joggers and cyclists you meet on the road. I love people watching. I watch the people in the cars that drive by, the kids playing in the neighborhoods, and the adults working in their yards. I passed a house with two llamas staked in the front yard. Who has llamas on a tether?!?
To be very honest, I only went 8 miles today. Around mile 7 my legs started giving me problems. The hard surface took its toll and I started feeling pain in my shins and feet. When my route intersected the road I live on, I detoured for home instead of continuing for the last 2 miles. I still have Monday to possibly do an indoor long run, or an outdoor short run to acclimate my legs to the surface. Depending on the weather.
I have spent all winter running either on a treadmill or on the indoor track. I don't mind at all. In fact, I like running on a treadmill for the ability to force myself to new speeds during interval training. I also like the fact that I can run no matter what the weather is doing outside. However, there is a point when indoor running becomes tedious. For me, that point is about 6 miles.
If it is going to take more than an hour to do the run, it gets frustrating to have to reset the machine. Most of the treadmills at the gym have a 60 min. max time allowed in their programming. And, really, who wants to spend more than an hour looking at the same thing while running?
This week my long run is supposed to be 10 miles. I usually do my long run on Mondays, but I noticed that Monday's weather is predicted to be significantly cooler than today (Saturday). Today is one of those beautiful early spring days that makes everyone throw open the windows and head outside. I decided to do my long run today. Outside.
Oh, I forgot how much harder it is to run outside! Variations in slope and running surface take their toll and I find myself having to take a walking break much more often. Most of my run was on the side of the road, on the pavement. That is so much more jarring on my legs and feet than the cushioned treadmill, or even the soft surface of the indoor track. However, I love the live breeze and the sunshine! The constantly changing view is entertaining and keeps my mind so occupied that I chew away the miles without noticing the passage of time. My route took me up into Highland and onto the Alpine Highway before looping back through the neighborhoods and back home. I had a real sense of accomplishment for the distance my body traveled today! You get no perspective on distance on a treadmill. 10 miles looks the same as 5 miles on a treadmill. 10 miles actually covers A LOT of ground!
I love the sunshine and the sun/wind burn on my face! I love the friendly wave from other joggers and cyclists you meet on the road. I love people watching. I watch the people in the cars that drive by, the kids playing in the neighborhoods, and the adults working in their yards. I passed a house with two llamas staked in the front yard. Who has llamas on a tether?!?
To be very honest, I only went 8 miles today. Around mile 7 my legs started giving me problems. The hard surface took its toll and I started feeling pain in my shins and feet. When my route intersected the road I live on, I detoured for home instead of continuing for the last 2 miles. I still have Monday to possibly do an indoor long run, or an outdoor short run to acclimate my legs to the surface. Depending on the weather.
When Sick Isn't Quite the Right Word
So, I'm not really sick. Not really.
I just have a cough... that. won't. go. away.
Grrr!
There's this little rattle in my lungs that crops up throughout the day, and just enough of a cough to keep me from going to sleep at night.
The weird thing is that it isn't hampering my workouts at all. Nine mile run? Done. Hour long cycle class? No problem. I can fill my lungs to capacity with the best of them. So, my lungs are playing at having super human pneumonia, it seems. I don't know. I don't really get it, so I went to the doctor today.
Actually, I HATE going to the doctor. But this cough thing is interrupting Bill's sleep, too. So I went. My normal doctor couldn't see me at a convenient time for me, so I saw another one at the clinic. Her name is Dr. Noonan, and I liked her! I might switch allegiances. Anyways, she was impressed that I was at 98% lung capacity even with the cough, and called it a "residual viral cough", left over from a cold I had two weeks ago. I went home with some codeine laced cough syrup to knock me out at night. Is it bad that I am totally looking forward to taking my medicine tonight?
On a side note, since I was there, I asked her about this lingering localized headache I've had ever since Will and I cracked heads while rough-housing a month ago. She actually got a bit alarmed! She immediately started feeling my skull above the headache sight and grilled me about the incident. She came to the conclusion that a CAT scan a month after the fact would probably be pointless, but I'd better come right in for a scan if it suddenly spikes in pain or the pain doesn't continue to fade.
Bugger.
Leave it to me to go see the doctor about the harmless cough instead of the brain damaging head trauma.
And in case you're wondering, Will is completely fine. He must have a thick skull!
I just have a cough... that. won't. go. away.
Grrr!
There's this little rattle in my lungs that crops up throughout the day, and just enough of a cough to keep me from going to sleep at night.
The weird thing is that it isn't hampering my workouts at all. Nine mile run? Done. Hour long cycle class? No problem. I can fill my lungs to capacity with the best of them. So, my lungs are playing at having super human pneumonia, it seems. I don't know. I don't really get it, so I went to the doctor today.
Actually, I HATE going to the doctor. But this cough thing is interrupting Bill's sleep, too. So I went. My normal doctor couldn't see me at a convenient time for me, so I saw another one at the clinic. Her name is Dr. Noonan, and I liked her! I might switch allegiances. Anyways, she was impressed that I was at 98% lung capacity even with the cough, and called it a "residual viral cough", left over from a cold I had two weeks ago. I went home with some codeine laced cough syrup to knock me out at night. Is it bad that I am totally looking forward to taking my medicine tonight?
On a side note, since I was there, I asked her about this lingering localized headache I've had ever since Will and I cracked heads while rough-housing a month ago. She actually got a bit alarmed! She immediately started feeling my skull above the headache sight and grilled me about the incident. She came to the conclusion that a CAT scan a month after the fact would probably be pointless, but I'd better come right in for a scan if it suddenly spikes in pain or the pain doesn't continue to fade.
Bugger.
Leave it to me to go see the doctor about the harmless cough instead of the brain damaging head trauma.
And in case you're wondering, Will is completely fine. He must have a thick skull!
Elusive "Rest"
I'm sick.
I hate being sick. That being said, I find it horribly unfair that I catch bugs so easily and Bill never gets sick. And by never I mean only once every five years or so, just to prove that he is, in fact, human. We discussed the whys and wherefores of my weak constitution and his strong one. My pet theory is that I am surrounded by mini germ factories for 9 months of the year. His favorite theory is that he grew up in a 'less sterile' environment, and thus developed a stronger immune system over the course of his childhood. Maybe both are valid. Not that it helps. I'm still sick. Phooey.
I stayed home from church today to 'rest'. You ever wish on one of those busy work days that you could just take a nap? It seems like it would be so nice to just sleep the afternoon away. I just can't seem to do it. My brain refuses to shut off during daylight hours. So I sat around all day watching old episodes of Bones on Netflix.
Yesterday I did manage to force myself to the gym for a 5K workout, despite the fact that this cough is steadily working its way into my lungs. I am supposed to do a 9 mile run tomorrow. I hope my lungs will cooperate.
I'll let you know how it goes.
I hate being sick. That being said, I find it horribly unfair that I catch bugs so easily and Bill never gets sick. And by never I mean only once every five years or so, just to prove that he is, in fact, human. We discussed the whys and wherefores of my weak constitution and his strong one. My pet theory is that I am surrounded by mini germ factories for 9 months of the year. His favorite theory is that he grew up in a 'less sterile' environment, and thus developed a stronger immune system over the course of his childhood. Maybe both are valid. Not that it helps. I'm still sick. Phooey.
I stayed home from church today to 'rest'. You ever wish on one of those busy work days that you could just take a nap? It seems like it would be so nice to just sleep the afternoon away. I just can't seem to do it. My brain refuses to shut off during daylight hours. So I sat around all day watching old episodes of Bones on Netflix.
Yesterday I did manage to force myself to the gym for a 5K workout, despite the fact that this cough is steadily working its way into my lungs. I am supposed to do a 9 mile run tomorrow. I hope my lungs will cooperate.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Bargain Hunting
I love a good bargain. I will almost never pay full price for anything. I say 'almost' because it isn't healthy to deal in absolutes. Never say never, and all that. Keep in mind, though, that it is only a bargain if it is something you have been seeking for a while and actually need. 95% off of something you will never use is really spending 100% too much.
I need a triathlon wet suit for my race coming up in August.
I swam the 600m sprint triathlon without one, but felt that 1.2 miles of open water swim in a half-Ironman calls for the added buoyancy and protection of a wet suit. Unfortunately, triathlon wet suits are not cheap. At least, not as cheap as a regular run of the mill water sports wet suit. Those aren't really cheap, either. Triathlon wet suits are designed for swimming, not playing. They are thinner and more flexible in the shoulders for arm rotation and in the ankles for speedy exits from the suit during transitions. They conform to the thickness ratings set forth by USA Triathlon, the governing body that oversees sanctioned races. Some regular sport wet suits are too thick. Triathlon is not a cheap sport, and the wet suit is the second most expensive piece of equipment, next to the bike. So, I've had it in the back of my mind that I need to acquire one. I haven't been looking, just mulling it over.
And then I got the e-mail.
There is a triathlon store in Lehi (one town over). A store dedicated to one obscure sport is pretty rare. I'm on their mailing list and received a notification that they are closing their brick and mortar stores and going online only. As a result, all inventory in the store had to go and was being sold off at 60% off. I just had to go and check it out.
I FOUND A WET SUIT!!! It is a Zoot Fuzion, which means pretty much nothing to you, I am sure, but I am very satisfied that I got a $300 suit for only $128 (post tax)! It isn't really in the budget for this month, even at that price, but it is highly unlikely that I will find a better price between now and the race. The cheapest discount I can find for the same suit online puts it at the $150-$210 range (pre tax), so I really did find a deep bargain this time.
I snapped it up a week ago. I am very happy, glad, excited, et cetera! Bill suggested I take it out to the lake and try it out right away. I think I'll wait for the lake to thaw out, thanks. It's not a dry suit, after all. It is rated for 50-80 degree water, not frozen arctic water! I will make sure it gets plenty of use this summer, though!
I need a triathlon wet suit for my race coming up in August.
I swam the 600m sprint triathlon without one, but felt that 1.2 miles of open water swim in a half-Ironman calls for the added buoyancy and protection of a wet suit. Unfortunately, triathlon wet suits are not cheap. At least, not as cheap as a regular run of the mill water sports wet suit. Those aren't really cheap, either. Triathlon wet suits are designed for swimming, not playing. They are thinner and more flexible in the shoulders for arm rotation and in the ankles for speedy exits from the suit during transitions. They conform to the thickness ratings set forth by USA Triathlon, the governing body that oversees sanctioned races. Some regular sport wet suits are too thick. Triathlon is not a cheap sport, and the wet suit is the second most expensive piece of equipment, next to the bike. So, I've had it in the back of my mind that I need to acquire one. I haven't been looking, just mulling it over.
And then I got the e-mail.
There is a triathlon store in Lehi (one town over). A store dedicated to one obscure sport is pretty rare. I'm on their mailing list and received a notification that they are closing their brick and mortar stores and going online only. As a result, all inventory in the store had to go and was being sold off at 60% off. I just had to go and check it out.
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I FOUND A WET SUIT!!! It is a Zoot Fuzion, which means pretty much nothing to you, I am sure, but I am very satisfied that I got a $300 suit for only $128 (post tax)! It isn't really in the budget for this month, even at that price, but it is highly unlikely that I will find a better price between now and the race. The cheapest discount I can find for the same suit online puts it at the $150-$210 range (pre tax), so I really did find a deep bargain this time.
I snapped it up a week ago. I am very happy, glad, excited, et cetera! Bill suggested I take it out to the lake and try it out right away. I think I'll wait for the lake to thaw out, thanks. It's not a dry suit, after all. It is rated for 50-80 degree water, not frozen arctic water! I will make sure it gets plenty of use this summer, though!
When Life Gets Too Busy
When life gets too busy, what goes on the back burner for you?
For me, it is always exercise.
Always.
Exercise is something I do solely for me. It is personal time. It is 'me' time.
So, when the schedule gets overly full and I am needed by too many others, I sacrifice 'me' time.
I am sure I am not alone in this. I know a lot of mothers who sacrifice 'me' time all the time. That's why it is so hard to lose the baby fat and why it is so easy to pack on even more pounds as the years progress.
This is my way of confessing that I only got in my Monday and Saturday workouts this week.
I had my work evaluation this week. Once every three years of my teaching career I am required to be evaluated by my principal on my teaching skills and techniques. Once every three years is a long interval, so, when it crops up, my stress level shoots through the roof! I had been dreading it and stressing about it for weeks. The days leading up to it were consumed with worry and distraction. I practically chewed my lip off I was so nervous. I gave up exercise on Wednesday night (the night before the evaluation) in order to go over my lesson plan and design the worksheet to go with it.
That was after spending the first half of the evening over at the high school for parent/teacher conferences, of course. Fortunately, Bill was able to come with me and we did manage to see most of the kids' teachers. My kids both had some missing assignments/papers, so, Thursday evening (and night) was spent helping them catch up. More specifically, in helping my son get a literary analysis paper done for his English class. That was fun, especially since I had never read the book he was writing it on. It's a good thing he did otherwise that paper would have been doomed.
Just a side note to all you parents out there. If you feel like there was some part of high school that you did not learn thoroughly enough back in the day, never fear. You will get a second chance to re-learn all of it when your kids go through. I ROCK at Algebra 2, now.
So, how did the evaluation go, you ask?
FANTASTIC!!! I got a perfect score. I was giggling like a demented school girl in the car on the way home yesterday afternoon after finishing up the post evaluation debriefing. Be glad you missed it, because I am sure I sounded disturbed. It felt like floating on air to have all that stress and worry lifted off my shoulders. I had known all along that it would be fine. I would have had to do something majorly idiotic to be fired, but I wanted that perfect score. Goofy, I know.
And, there is the fact that my principal had never done a formal evaluation on me before. He asked me 6 years ago to leave my old school and come start up the art program when this school first opened. When it was time for my eval 3 years ago, we had an assistant principal who stepped in and did the evaluation (and I wasn't happy with that. He was new at the job and felt like he couldn't give a perfect score to anybody, so he fabricated reasons to mark a couple of things down to prevent it), so this was the first time since hiring me that my boss actually sat down and watched me teach with the purpose of evaluating how good I am as a teacher. I'm glad I measured up.
I saw the cycle class instructor at the gym this morning and he mentioned that he missed me in the class this past week. It is nice to be missed. I promised him I'd be back at it this coming week. I can't let myself give up 'me' time too often. I have a date to keep. Two in fact. June 9th and August 25th!
For me, it is always exercise.
Always.
Exercise is something I do solely for me. It is personal time. It is 'me' time.
So, when the schedule gets overly full and I am needed by too many others, I sacrifice 'me' time.
I am sure I am not alone in this. I know a lot of mothers who sacrifice 'me' time all the time. That's why it is so hard to lose the baby fat and why it is so easy to pack on even more pounds as the years progress.
This is my way of confessing that I only got in my Monday and Saturday workouts this week.
I had my work evaluation this week. Once every three years of my teaching career I am required to be evaluated by my principal on my teaching skills and techniques. Once every three years is a long interval, so, when it crops up, my stress level shoots through the roof! I had been dreading it and stressing about it for weeks. The days leading up to it were consumed with worry and distraction. I practically chewed my lip off I was so nervous. I gave up exercise on Wednesday night (the night before the evaluation) in order to go over my lesson plan and design the worksheet to go with it.
That was after spending the first half of the evening over at the high school for parent/teacher conferences, of course. Fortunately, Bill was able to come with me and we did manage to see most of the kids' teachers. My kids both had some missing assignments/papers, so, Thursday evening (and night) was spent helping them catch up. More specifically, in helping my son get a literary analysis paper done for his English class. That was fun, especially since I had never read the book he was writing it on. It's a good thing he did otherwise that paper would have been doomed.
Just a side note to all you parents out there. If you feel like there was some part of high school that you did not learn thoroughly enough back in the day, never fear. You will get a second chance to re-learn all of it when your kids go through. I ROCK at Algebra 2, now.
So, how did the evaluation go, you ask?
FANTASTIC!!! I got a perfect score. I was giggling like a demented school girl in the car on the way home yesterday afternoon after finishing up the post evaluation debriefing. Be glad you missed it, because I am sure I sounded disturbed. It felt like floating on air to have all that stress and worry lifted off my shoulders. I had known all along that it would be fine. I would have had to do something majorly idiotic to be fired, but I wanted that perfect score. Goofy, I know.
And, there is the fact that my principal had never done a formal evaluation on me before. He asked me 6 years ago to leave my old school and come start up the art program when this school first opened. When it was time for my eval 3 years ago, we had an assistant principal who stepped in and did the evaluation (and I wasn't happy with that. He was new at the job and felt like he couldn't give a perfect score to anybody, so he fabricated reasons to mark a couple of things down to prevent it), so this was the first time since hiring me that my boss actually sat down and watched me teach with the purpose of evaluating how good I am as a teacher. I'm glad I measured up.
I saw the cycle class instructor at the gym this morning and he mentioned that he missed me in the class this past week. It is nice to be missed. I promised him I'd be back at it this coming week. I can't let myself give up 'me' time too often. I have a date to keep. Two in fact. June 9th and August 25th!
7 Miles
I am back into marathon training mode.
Most of the time, I am in "maintenance" mode. That means that I do a 5K each time I run, trying to improve my time on that distance. But when a long race is looming, I have to change what I do to get ready for it.
You can't simply run 26.2 miles out of the blue. You will damage something. The body can't withstand that kind of abuse, not cold turkey. Endurance runners have to build up tolerance and resilience for that kind of sustained pounding on the joints and bones. It takes at least 18 weeks of slow build up of miles to be able to pull it off.
And so, I have begun.
Last year, I ran 4 days a week to get ready. This time, I am doing something different.
I am only running 3 days a week, but I am throwing cross training in on two more days for a total of 5 days of training per week. My week of training looks something like this:
The 'Long Run' started out as a 6 mile run last week. This week it was 7 miles. Each week it will increase by 1 mile, until I hit the 20 mile mark in late May. Then I will taper off for a couple of weeks before the race to allow complete recovery of the muscles for the big day. The slow increase is critical for avoiding injury. I think the cross training with swimming and cycling will also aid in injury prevention. Not to mention I have to keep up with those disciplines in order to train for the triathlon happening in late summer!
Most of the time, I am in "maintenance" mode. That means that I do a 5K each time I run, trying to improve my time on that distance. But when a long race is looming, I have to change what I do to get ready for it.
You can't simply run 26.2 miles out of the blue. You will damage something. The body can't withstand that kind of abuse, not cold turkey. Endurance runners have to build up tolerance and resilience for that kind of sustained pounding on the joints and bones. It takes at least 18 weeks of slow build up of miles to be able to pull it off.
And so, I have begun.
Last year, I ran 4 days a week to get ready. This time, I am doing something different.
I am only running 3 days a week, but I am throwing cross training in on two more days for a total of 5 days of training per week. My week of training looks something like this:
- Monday - Long Run
- Tuesday - Swim
- Wednesday - Cycle Class + 5K (3.1 mi.) tempo run
- Thursday - Swim (+ occasional Cycle Class)
- Friday - Off
- Saturday - 3-5 mi. intervals run
- Sunday - Off
The 'Long Run' started out as a 6 mile run last week. This week it was 7 miles. Each week it will increase by 1 mile, until I hit the 20 mile mark in late May. Then I will taper off for a couple of weeks before the race to allow complete recovery of the muscles for the big day. The slow increase is critical for avoiding injury. I think the cross training with swimming and cycling will also aid in injury prevention. Not to mention I have to keep up with those disciplines in order to train for the triathlon happening in late summer!
A 'tempo' run means running at your normal pace. Not pushing it. Since it is right after a cycle class, it is a good way to work on that tough transition between the bike and run portions of the triathlon. That is, by far, the hardest part of the triathlon for me!
An 'intervals' run is what it sounds like. You break your running into intervals that are varied in some way. It may be a speed interval (med/fast/ recovery/repeat) to increase your overall speed, or a ramped interval (low/med/high incline) to improve your running abilities on a hilly course.
Sundays are off for the obvious reason that it is a day of rest. Fridays are off because it is Date Night!
Finding time for all of this is not easy, and it would have been impossible when my kids were little. Any of you reading this and feeling like you could never find the time for such a crazy workout schedule, don't despair. There are times and seasons for all things! It may not be your time for crazy exercise schedules... but you should DEFINITELY find at least 30 minutes 3-5 days a week to dedicate to your own health! A healthy Mommy is a happy Mommy. And a happy Mommy has a happy, healthy family. I just wish I had taken my own advice all of those years!
I did my 7 miles on the indoor track, today. I know I am a wuss when it comes to cold. It was almost warm enough outside for me to run out there. Almost, but not quite. The treadmills were all taken, so I had to run on the track. Bill thinks I am nuts for liking to run on either one. He sees the monotony of both as mind numbingly dull. I see the monotony as mind freeing. You have no idea just how far and wide my mind wanders while my body remains in place!
Even the track was packed with people, although most of them were walkers. At any given time, there were only about 3 joggers making the circuit. I will admit, it gives my a rush to be one of the few instead of one of the many.
My gym is city owned. That makes it more affordable than the local Golds Gym. And, admittedly, more run down, too. That's okay, though. I'm all about affordable. Because it is city owned, the local fire department comes to my gym to keep in shape. A complimentary pass is one of the perks of the job. I often see the guys there. The developmental center also uses the gym. The developmental center is a residential facility for people with severe mental handicaps. They are brought to the gym with their assigned helpers (I mentally think of them as 'handlers'. I hope that isn't too offensive. I don't feel it is when I think it. Rockstars have handlers, too.)
Today, I was about half way through my run when both the firemen and developmental center residents showed up. It increased the amount of dodging and weaving I had to do, as I worked my way around the handicapped, who would stop in the middle of the lane, or even walk the wrong direction. I didn't mind. How can you mind? They may have adult bodies, but they have the mind of a little child. They are certainly not doing it on purpose.
There was one woman in particular who would stop in the middle of the lanes and watch people pass by. She seemed very happy to be there. I noticed she was giving high fives to the firemen as they passed. That made me smile! I started wishing she'd give ME a high five, too! But every time I passed... no high five. And I passed her a lot. I was done with my 7 miles and was in my cool down walking laps when it happened! I got a high five! Ah, that just made my day!
There you have it. 7 miles today. Next Monday it will be 8. I will be hoping for a treadmill or warm weather. It is something of a pain to count out all those laps. 13 laps/mile. It is not a big track. Oi.
Winter Swimming
It takes extra effort to convince myself to remove all the layers of clothing keeping me warm
and to slink into my bathing suit.
Then I shiver as I put back on layer after layer
for the trip to the pool.
It is 20 degrees as I boldly step out of my front door
and begin the freezing trek up the hill.
The bitter wind flays me as it whips the exposed skin on my face.
I am miserable and grim as I plod up the hill,
still shivering and huddled in my parka.
I wonder why in the world I am doing this.
At the pool, I quickly strip down and stand in a hot shower
to warm up.
(And to protect my hair from the chlorine.
Fact: wet hair will absorb less chlorine and take less damage from pool water...
especially if you coat it in conditioner and stuff it in a cap)
On the pool deck I am shivering again.
The air inside the bubble seems chilly after the hot shower.
However...
Once I am in the water
slicing through the lane,
buoyed up by the warmth
and the steady cadence of a swim stroke;
I feel winter melt away
and it is summer once more!
I am happy
and I am free.
On the walk back home,
wrapped in nothing but a towel, some sandals, and my parka,
I stroll back down the hill
enjoying the gentle caress of the playful breeze
as it wraps around my bare legs.
The night seems mild and friendly.
As I pass by ice along the side of the road,
no grim thoughts of cold enter my mind
because I am my own furnace...
the after burn of exercise.
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