Some time ago, Nat wrote a post about how activity has always been valued in her family and her amazing stamina was probably hereditary (because Beau is tireless too). Quite the opposite is true in my family. In fact, my prior titles for this post were "What are You Running From?" and "That Shit Ain't Natural."
Prior to the marching band in high school and summer league swim team, my only athletic endeavors were the alternate years of summer tennis camp at our local rec department. Our afternoon workout during the school year consisted of three hours of intense TV scrutiny with microwave popcorn ladders (that's a running joke, people). Once my dad remarked about my expanding girth (after some school friends had already done so), I realized that I had to get moving. I wasn't one of those people who could eat whatever they wanted and remain a normal shape (like my sister or Whitney Houston - who was all over the magazines at the time talking about her thinness). Fine. I kept busy with after-school activities like the band, joined a tennis team (at which I sucked) and the swim team.
It wasn't until law school that I started running. After the fourth in a series of unexplained weirdo illnesses (all-over body rash, eyes rejecting contact lenses, neck stuck on one side, long-term diarrhea) a nurse at the health center said "uh - have you considered exercise?" I had taken classes and joined the gym while in college, but I was too poor and too busy (I thought) to do it during law school. Wrong. The stress was too much for my body. So, I started to run. I started at the track on Lumpkin Avenue in my old tennis shoes (the ones you use for tennis) going one mile. Then I rode the bus to the Student Activities Center and ran around the indoor track three days a week. I'd come back to school for class and tell Doug my progress on that new-fangled email. I ran my first race. Other than some minor falling off of the track when work pressures got too great, I've run or gone to the gym for kickboxing ever since. It keeps me sane and keeps Fat Stef away.
Anne commented on a previous post, asking who I'm doing the triathlon for, because I wrote about how I'm disappointed in my estimated finishing time and how I'll never catch Nat. It's not just Nat that I'm trying to catch. I'm trying to catch the good Steph. The one who is strong and happy. And who is good enough not to care where she places in a race.
This week:
Sun: 20.71 mile bike at 14.9 mph in the hills
Mon: 1200 yard swim
Tues: 1200 yard swim, 400 yd time trial in 7 mins; 13 mile bike at 16 mph pace at the river
Wed: 4.01 mile run at 8:01 min/mile pace in the flats
Thurs: 1200 yard swim
Fri: 3.1 mile run at 8:20 pace at the park with stroller
Sat: 7.02 mile run at 10:23 min/mile pace while listening to the new Harry Potter
Totals: 3600 yds swimming, 33.71 miles biking and 14.12 miles running
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
Good as New
Dagny fell and broke her tooth two Saturdays ago. The corner of her left front tooth snapped right off because she hit it on the bucket she was carrying. Once we determined that she was not going to die, we began the search for the dentist. Katie (who knows everything) was thinking of switching to a pediatric dentist near our house so I called them. We went in for an exam on Friday and then returned to repair her tooth on Tuesday. Usually they wouldn't repair a baby tooth, but since we had to seal the broken area anyway (to protect against infection) it made sense to make it look nice too. The other option was to wait two years and then go back for the cosmetic part. Two years of snaggle-tooth. Not an option. They used a papoose to hold her down, which is basically a body board for babies with a head immobilizer. She hated that part, and returned to me all sweaty and mad but cheered up immediately when they gave her a balloon and a bag with stickers in it. This doctor is big on making the dentist as pleasant an experience as possible, which is awfully nice. We go back for Annika's exam and cleaning on Tuesday.
So, as you can see from the photo, Dagny looks good. Sorry about the color - that sippy cup in the left corner threw my color and focus off. Her teeth are not snaggly any more. Yes, she is wearing a sweater in the middle of summer when our air conditioning is broken. We've apparently entered the "terrible twos" a little early and she would not be dissuaded from putting on her "coat" (which sounds like "goat").
In other news, Doug found a cool link to view all of your race times. It appears to contain all or most races that I've run with a chip or with an official time.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Not Going to Kick Ass
So, Doug sent me a link to this site to calculate my approximate race finishing time for the Hansgrohe race. I had to guess at the bike time trial number because I've never done such a thing, but the end result was 1hr, 22mins. Less time if I run the 5K flat out. Why wouldn't you run the 5K flat out? There is nothing to hold back at the end, so my time could be 1 hr, 19 mins.
It looks like my dreams of triathlon glory (or just keeping Natalie in sight) are not going to happen this year. That's OK -if I can get this race under my belt, I think I have room to improve on my bike skills and time so we can save the ass-kicking for later.
Last week:
Sun: 21.84 mile bike at 9.3 mph. This was the Silver Comet ride with the kids in the trailer. I'm going to count it as strength work.
Mon: 1200 yard swim - Doug is working on his swimming so my time to do this is cut shorter than it was before.
Tues: 16.69 mile bike at 14.6 mph on the Roswell Bike Route. This was fun, but not so speedy.
Wed: 3.71 mile run at 8:05 pace, sprinting up the hills and recovering down the hills. Every bit of this run was torture. Ugh.
Thurs: I had planned a long swim for this morning. Unfortunately, Dagny was up all night with a fever and I had to drive to Sandersville for work in the morning so I ditched the workout.
Fri: 1200 yard swim. Broke the 8 min barrier on the 400 yard time trial - finally! 4 mile run at the park with the stroller. This run was HARD. I don't know if it was the humidity or the stroller or me not being over the head cold from last week, but my heart rate was through the roof. I don't know exactly how high because Garmin ran out of battery, so the distance is approximate and the pace is unknown.
Sat: 6.23 mile run in the flats at 9:37 pace. Nice and easy, started listening to Harry Potter book #6 in preparation for arrival of the new book.
Totals: 38.53 miles biking, 2,400 yards swimming, and 13.94 miles running
It looks like my dreams of triathlon glory (or just keeping Natalie in sight) are not going to happen this year. That's OK -if I can get this race under my belt, I think I have room to improve on my bike skills and time so we can save the ass-kicking for later.
Last week:
Sun: 21.84 mile bike at 9.3 mph. This was the Silver Comet ride with the kids in the trailer. I'm going to count it as strength work.
Mon: 1200 yard swim - Doug is working on his swimming so my time to do this is cut shorter than it was before.
Tues: 16.69 mile bike at 14.6 mph on the Roswell Bike Route. This was fun, but not so speedy.
Wed: 3.71 mile run at 8:05 pace, sprinting up the hills and recovering down the hills. Every bit of this run was torture. Ugh.
Thurs: I had planned a long swim for this morning. Unfortunately, Dagny was up all night with a fever and I had to drive to Sandersville for work in the morning so I ditched the workout.
Fri: 1200 yard swim. Broke the 8 min barrier on the 400 yard time trial - finally! 4 mile run at the park with the stroller. This run was HARD. I don't know if it was the humidity or the stroller or me not being over the head cold from last week, but my heart rate was through the roof. I don't know exactly how high because Garmin ran out of battery, so the distance is approximate and the pace is unknown.
Sat: 6.23 mile run in the flats at 9:37 pace. Nice and easy, started listening to Harry Potter book #6 in preparation for arrival of the new book.
Totals: 38.53 miles biking, 2,400 yards swimming, and 13.94 miles running
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Scary
Yesterday, we went to the pool with my sister and her daughter, Sophie. We had a blast, picniced outside and tired the girls completely out.
However, on the way back up 400, we saw an accident. I was not paying super attention to the road because I was trying to keep Dagny awake, so there was a lot of tickling and rolling down of windows going on in our car. And, we were listening to Chapter One of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for the FOURTH time. Each time we start, Annika asks me if we can listen to Chapter Two. I don't know - I think there is some problem with the audio file on my i-pod. We listened to Chapter One again this morning.
As we neared Northridge (I think), I noticed the folks in the lane adjacent to mine swerving over onto the shoulder. "Hm," I thought, "must be something in the road." I took a closer look as we went by and saw a red ladder in the right lane. It was a heavy-duty ladder, not very tall, with curved hooks at the top. I was trying to get another look at it in my rear-view mirror and wondering about whether it was the kind of ladder which should have been attached to a building (like on a fire escape) or if it was a fireman's ladder when I noticed a white Mercedes swerving back and forth in the lane as if shifting from the wheels on one side of the car to the other like trash cans do when you pull them too fast. I don't know if he hit the ladder or if his avoidance of it caused him to lose control. "Wow, I hope he holds it together." It looked like he might have been able to ride it out.
I don't know if he did or not, or even if it was a "he" because suddenly I saw a car behind him swerve out of that lane and spin across all of the lanes of traffic. It was a white Expedition/Suburban and it hit at least one and probably more cars on the way across. Glass and metal flew everywhere as smoke wafted across the road from the skidding tires. Thank goodness nothing was going on in front of me, because I watched it all in the mirror. Should I stop? What could I do? I said a prayer for the people, called 911 and reported the event.
Then I had to call Jen and made her talk to me on the way home until I stopped shaking. Horrible. Horrible. Horrible.
Do you just hit something like that if it is in your lane? I've always learned that you try to avoid it (not that I've had any success with that), but what if an evasive maneuver will be dangerous. What do you do?
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Superman
I'm still having issues with the seat on my bike. When I lean forward into the aerobars, my girly bits get all squashed on the seat, which is not comfy at best and quite painful at worst. Don't know how to fix this, except maybe (a) lower the front of my seat, or (2) get a new seat with a cutout for the girly bits. I've no idea which is better; I'll ask my friends at REI when I go back for my bike check-up in a few weeks. The consensus seems to be that I'll toughen up, so maybe that is option (c).
Regardless, I rode 16 miles yesterday and have to say that despite the sore bottom, I LOVE the aerobars. When I lean out over the wheel and steer by leaning, I feel like superman. And, in addition to the flying, it's also neat to feel your legs pumping while in that position - like they are a humming engine full of power. It's also a good motivator - if the tops of my thighs slapping into my tummy won't stop me from eating crap, nothing will!
Sunday, Doug and I took the girls to the Silver Comet Trail for a ride. We packed a lunch and planned to ride from the lot on Olivine Road to Rockmart for a picnic and then back. 'Lo and behold, there was no parking lot on that road, so we drove to Dallas and parked at a "beach" near a nice convenience store (foreshadowing here). We loaded up the backpack for me and Doug put both girls in the trailer and hooked it to his bike. The cool seat that we bought to use on my bike was not compatible with either of our bikes so it stayed at home and went back to Wal-Mart yesterday. On the way out, we averaged about 14-15 mph until after we passed the riverwalk and the hills began. Doug was tired - those girls are heavy! I coasted most of the way but tried to be stealthy about it because Doug was working so hard. We estimated that Rockmart would be about 10 miles from our start, so we could picnic there because the website says it is a nice place. Well, wouldn't you know it - we covered a lot of ground looking for a drop-in point, so that riverwalk place - WAS Rockmart. We didn't realize this until the return trip, but no matter. We road about 11.5 miles to a lovely campsite in the middle of a wooded area between cow fields and had our lunch. I had to pee so that was a good opportunity to teach Annika about leaving no trace. She was too nervous to pee, so she had to hold it until we got home.
Then, I suggested that I pull the girls on the return trip.
I've never pulled anything on my bike before. Oh my goodness. It was so hard. I learned really fast about the difference between "mashing" the pedals and making a flowing motion. Colin was right - Colin was right (dancing). Mashing = an odd forward/back motion from the trailer because of the changes in speed. Flowing pedal motion = no jerking back and forth, so it is way better. It's much easier to keep the flowing motion when in a seated position, but on a hill with 75-85 lbs of trailer behind you, sitting is not usually possible. I did well to finish and Doug got his turn to coast. Oh, and - if I tell you that an amount of liquid is appropriate for a ride, doubling it would be better and smarter. We ran out of water on the way back and found none on the trail or in Rockmart, which (by the way) is closed on Sunday. Luckily, we parked near that convenience store and were able to buy water there. So, in all it was a good ride and a great workout. I highly recommend the Silver Comet because it was SUPER COOL, but now I'm going to have to buy the book because those internet instructions are woefully out of date.
Last week:
Sun: 10.79 mile bike at 15 mph, plus 3.14 mile run at 7:46 min/mile pace
Mon: 1900 yard swim in 40 mins
Tues: 13.47 mile bike on Mayor's Route in the rain at 11.5 mph
Wed: 4.2 miles run around the hood at 8:30 pace
Thurs: 20.46 mile bike at the river (thank you, Doug) at 15.9 mph. This would have been faster except that I had to wait at one end of my route to cross the street for a LONG time. Since I did 3-4 laps of the route, this added up. Yeah, excuses, excuses.
Fri: 1600 yard swim in 35 mins. Later, 3.12 mile run in the park with stroller at 8:42 pace. I love camp. Dagny loved seeing the doggies we passed and the playground, as you can see from the previous post.
Sat: 6 mile run in the flats at 9:36 pace. Listened to more of my murder mystery while I ran. : )
Totals: 3500 yds swimming, 44.72 mi. biking, and 16.46 mi. running
My goal for the big race - try to keep up with Nat. I don't think I can, but it is worth a try - it is a sprint, isn't it?
Regardless, I rode 16 miles yesterday and have to say that despite the sore bottom, I LOVE the aerobars. When I lean out over the wheel and steer by leaning, I feel like superman. And, in addition to the flying, it's also neat to feel your legs pumping while in that position - like they are a humming engine full of power. It's also a good motivator - if the tops of my thighs slapping into my tummy won't stop me from eating crap, nothing will!
Sunday, Doug and I took the girls to the Silver Comet Trail for a ride. We packed a lunch and planned to ride from the lot on Olivine Road to Rockmart for a picnic and then back. 'Lo and behold, there was no parking lot on that road, so we drove to Dallas and parked at a "beach" near a nice convenience store (foreshadowing here). We loaded up the backpack for me and Doug put both girls in the trailer and hooked it to his bike. The cool seat that we bought to use on my bike was not compatible with either of our bikes so it stayed at home and went back to Wal-Mart yesterday. On the way out, we averaged about 14-15 mph until after we passed the riverwalk and the hills began. Doug was tired - those girls are heavy! I coasted most of the way but tried to be stealthy about it because Doug was working so hard. We estimated that Rockmart would be about 10 miles from our start, so we could picnic there because the website says it is a nice place. Well, wouldn't you know it - we covered a lot of ground looking for a drop-in point, so that riverwalk place - WAS Rockmart. We didn't realize this until the return trip, but no matter. We road about 11.5 miles to a lovely campsite in the middle of a wooded area between cow fields and had our lunch. I had to pee so that was a good opportunity to teach Annika about leaving no trace. She was too nervous to pee, so she had to hold it until we got home.
Then, I suggested that I pull the girls on the return trip.
I've never pulled anything on my bike before. Oh my goodness. It was so hard. I learned really fast about the difference between "mashing" the pedals and making a flowing motion. Colin was right - Colin was right (dancing). Mashing = an odd forward/back motion from the trailer because of the changes in speed. Flowing pedal motion = no jerking back and forth, so it is way better. It's much easier to keep the flowing motion when in a seated position, but on a hill with 75-85 lbs of trailer behind you, sitting is not usually possible. I did well to finish and Doug got his turn to coast. Oh, and - if I tell you that an amount of liquid is appropriate for a ride, doubling it would be better and smarter. We ran out of water on the way back and found none on the trail or in Rockmart, which (by the way) is closed on Sunday. Luckily, we parked near that convenience store and were able to buy water there. So, in all it was a good ride and a great workout. I highly recommend the Silver Comet because it was SUPER COOL, but now I'm going to have to buy the book because those internet instructions are woefully out of date.
Last week:
Sun: 10.79 mile bike at 15 mph, plus 3.14 mile run at 7:46 min/mile pace
Mon: 1900 yard swim in 40 mins
Tues: 13.47 mile bike on Mayor's Route in the rain at 11.5 mph
Wed: 4.2 miles run around the hood at 8:30 pace
Thurs: 20.46 mile bike at the river (thank you, Doug) at 15.9 mph. This would have been faster except that I had to wait at one end of my route to cross the street for a LONG time. Since I did 3-4 laps of the route, this added up. Yeah, excuses, excuses.
Fri: 1600 yard swim in 35 mins. Later, 3.12 mile run in the park with stroller at 8:42 pace. I love camp. Dagny loved seeing the doggies we passed and the playground, as you can see from the previous post.
Sat: 6 mile run in the flats at 9:36 pace. Listened to more of my murder mystery while I ran. : )
Totals: 3500 yds swimming, 44.72 mi. biking, and 16.46 mi. running
My goal for the big race - try to keep up with Nat. I don't think I can, but it is worth a try - it is a sprint, isn't it?
Saturday, July 14, 2007
It's Just a Number
I wrote a long post all about how weight is just a number. It was a lot of blah, blah, blah. I really do believe this, and that there are much better ways to measure fitness (especially given the wide variety in body types). However, the post was lame. If you don't agree about the weight thing, email me and we can discuss.
Instead, here are some photos of my kids. Annika had dance camp this week and Dagny and I went for a run, played on the playground and did errands during camp on Friday. It was a very fun day, despite not being on the beach with the hotties.
Bike gurus: Wes and Colin, if you know how it is for girls, please tell me where one should put their bottom on the bike seat when riding, particularly when using the aero bars. I'm having some issues with that and don't know if it's my seat position or just a princess-and-the-pea syndrome which will disappear with time.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Technology v. Steph
I have finally learned to use my phone AND hooked myself up to an email account - which I used to send myself the photos you see here that I took with my phone. Who would have thought that one might want to take photos with their phone? I never knew it would be important.
Well, let me tell you - it's lovely. Probably not necessary or even a must-have, but awfully convenient. And why not - if the camera/email phones are the same price as the others? We had big fun taking photos with Nat's phone and sending them to Ryan while at the post-Peachtree party.
As you can see from the photo, Dagny is thrilled with the Nemo jammies that Doug bought her from e-bay. She insisted that we help her don them immediately, which is why she is riding her trike with clothes and jammies at the same time.
Other interesting things going on here:
1. Annika wanted to know if we could take her to outer space when she is 5 years old. Um, no.
2. Not only did I have to miss Nat's birthday party because of Dagny's tummy bug, and have to bail on the long-awaited girls trip because of work and our busy month, I completely forgot our nephew's birthday party today. Katie called to remind us AFTER IT WAS OVER. I suck. The present is even sitting right here, waiting for me to re-wrap it (because Dagny thought it would be good to open it early).
In better news, here is the workout summary from last week:
Sunday: 10.31 mile bike at 15.6 mph and 3.21 mile run at a 7.37 min/mile pace. This was a very fun run/bike despite some tummy issues and my complete ineptitude with the new bike.
Monday: 1600 yard swim in 35 mins. My time trial for the 400 yards (race distance) is still stubbornly 8 minutes. I do it mid-workout, though, so maybe I would be faster if I were fresh or if I didn't still have the other half of the workout to do. Excuses, excuses.
Tuesday: 9.08 mile bike at 14.1 mph. It rained on me and Doug said to take it easy pre-race, so I did not kick ass.
Wednesday: Peachtree Road Race - 6.3 miles at 7:25 min/mile pace. I was finisher #1728 with a 48:01 clock time and a 46:45 chip time. Joe pulled me for the first three miles when I realized that I should have made use of the porto-potties in mile 2. I thought that I was pulling him up Cardiac Hill, but suddenly he was gone. Gutted it out alone (but for my tunes) for miles 4 and 5. My gut won in mile 6 and I had to merge right to walk on the fringe coming down 10th Street. Some nice guys (in dark red singlets) thought I was just tired and encouraged me and all but pulled me by the hand back running. Then, Joe passed on the left and I joined him for the finish. We met the peeps at the bar for beers post-race and that was very fine.
Thursday: approx 400 yards during adult swim and while watching Annika at the pool.
Friday: 8.68 miles biking around the hood at 13.1 mph. It was too foggy to go outside the comfort zone and my legs were still very sore. Maybe the gut was not my only limiting factor on Wed. after all.
Saturday: 1600 yard swim in 35 minutes. I felt good and could have gone longer but ran out of time.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Don't Discount Dad
A distant acquaintance of mine is moving away this month. She and her husband have been separated for some time and now she is moving out of state to be close to her family. I remarked to another friend, "wow, isn't she worried about taking the kids away from their Dad?"
"No," was the reply, "because he's not really working to be a part of their lives anyway. He just calls before bed." This answer was from someone who feeds her kids before their Dad gets home because he doesn't leave work early enough for her. From the days when I was home full-time, I know that it is easy to fall into the "I'm-the-parenting-expert" role because the at-home person knows the kids' rhythms, habits, routines and how to make them their most presentable. The parent who is home less is more apt to change the schedule, skip the nap, bestow the treat or start the wild game.
I don't pretend to know which is more correct, the rigid scheduler or the willy-nilly fun bringer. Regardless, to deny kids the ability to see their Dad, or to disclaim and discount his presence at dinner, in the house, in the state seems weird to me. Dad (and I mean that generically) is too important to be left out. It's silly pretentiousness to think that the stay-at-home parent's input is all that is necessary to help the kids grow up.
"No," was the reply, "because he's not really working to be a part of their lives anyway. He just calls before bed." This answer was from someone who feeds her kids before their Dad gets home because he doesn't leave work early enough for her. From the days when I was home full-time, I know that it is easy to fall into the "I'm-the-parenting-expert" role because the at-home person knows the kids' rhythms, habits, routines and how to make them their most presentable. The parent who is home less is more apt to change the schedule, skip the nap, bestow the treat or start the wild game.
I don't pretend to know which is more correct, the rigid scheduler or the willy-nilly fun bringer. Regardless, to deny kids the ability to see their Dad, or to disclaim and discount his presence at dinner, in the house, in the state seems weird to me. Dad (and I mean that generically) is too important to be left out. It's silly pretentiousness to think that the stay-at-home parent's input is all that is necessary to help the kids grow up.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Cingularly Unhelpful
My sweet husband bought me a new phone a few weeks ago. It rocked. So much fun. Unfortunately, we don't get AT&T/Cingular service in our house. This is not unusual because of our elevation. We were already concerned when we considered switching from our old carrier. I found another provider and phone that do work in the house and attempted to return the old phone on Friday.
After thirty minutes of waiting at the Cingular store with my rambunctious children, the saleslady explained that they were a vendor and not a "company store," so they couldn't help me. OK, the customer service folks on the phone did say I had to return at a company store, so I chalked it up to a communications error.
Saturday morning (the day I was to fly out of town on business), I loaded up the phone and the kids and drove to the company store. I explained that the phone was wonderful but their network didn't work in my house, blah, blah, blah. The sales woman asked for the credit card that was used on the transaction. I explained that my husband made the purchase and I don't have his card. "Well," she said, "you will have to bring it back another time." I asked for help from a manager because surely they could use their transaction information to reverse the charge on the card. No. No helping. No manager. No talking to my credit card company on the phone.
After driving back home to see if Doug had left his wallet there (no), we went to the UPS store and shipped it instead because, apparently, the warehouse had the credit card information that the company store didn't. It was $13.64 well spent, including the copies of all of the stuff I sent. I love that UPS store guy. Every time I get the shaft from someone else (Stapes, Cingular, etc), he helps me out with a smile.
Here is a photo of the place we went on my work trip. It was a really cool place and I learned a lot from all of the other lawyers. Of course, I promptly lost my new phone on the way home, and then lost my marbles at the airport. Two very nice Delta employees helped me, but there was no phone to be found. I'm trying to get a new one now.
After thirty minutes of waiting at the Cingular store with my rambunctious children, the saleslady explained that they were a vendor and not a "company store," so they couldn't help me. OK, the customer service folks on the phone did say I had to return at a company store, so I chalked it up to a communications error.
Saturday morning (the day I was to fly out of town on business), I loaded up the phone and the kids and drove to the company store. I explained that the phone was wonderful but their network didn't work in my house, blah, blah, blah. The sales woman asked for the credit card that was used on the transaction. I explained that my husband made the purchase and I don't have his card. "Well," she said, "you will have to bring it back another time." I asked for help from a manager because surely they could use their transaction information to reverse the charge on the card. No. No helping. No manager. No talking to my credit card company on the phone.
After driving back home to see if Doug had left his wallet there (no), we went to the UPS store and shipped it instead because, apparently, the warehouse had the credit card information that the company store didn't. It was $13.64 well spent, including the copies of all of the stuff I sent. I love that UPS store guy. Every time I get the shaft from someone else (Stapes, Cingular, etc), he helps me out with a smile.
Here is a photo of the place we went on my work trip. It was a really cool place and I learned a lot from all of the other lawyers. Of course, I promptly lost my new phone on the way home, and then lost my marbles at the airport. Two very nice Delta employees helped me, but there was no phone to be found. I'm trying to get a new one now.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Hips Don't Lie
So, we drove to Doug's parents' house for dinner last night while Annika sang in the back seat. "Oh Baby when you talk like that" "you make a woman go mad" . . . blah blah, la, la, la "Oh Baby when you talk like that - you make a woman go mad."
"What is that?" asked Doug. Shakira. I'm sure Shakira is lovely and I'm glad that she is so cool with her body - but I don't want Annika singing about her hips.
Where does my kid hear Shakira? I've been VERY diligent in not playing any music with bad words or sexual content. We learned from our friend's "My Humps" incident. My Gwen Stefani and Prince CDs have been banished and we've been listening to the Veggie Tales and Cow Songs for years now. Dammit. I don't even play my i-pod list or listen to my Audible books when Annika is in the car because of the cursing and scary content. We even sanitized the dinner mix. And Shakira still snuck into the vocabulary.
I guess it is a really good hook. But why not any of the great They Might be Giants tunes? Too erudite is my guess. SIGH.
"What is that?" asked Doug. Shakira. I'm sure Shakira is lovely and I'm glad that she is so cool with her body - but I don't want Annika singing about her hips.
Where does my kid hear Shakira? I've been VERY diligent in not playing any music with bad words or sexual content. We learned from our friend's "My Humps" incident. My Gwen Stefani and Prince CDs have been banished and we've been listening to the Veggie Tales and Cow Songs for years now. Dammit. I don't even play my i-pod list or listen to my Audible books when Annika is in the car because of the cursing and scary content. We even sanitized the dinner mix. And Shakira still snuck into the vocabulary.
I guess it is a really good hook. But why not any of the great They Might be Giants tunes? Too erudite is my guess. SIGH.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Firsts
This week, Doug to Annika to her first movie. We bought our first triathlon clothes. Doug and I ran our first race with both girls (in strollers). Doug had his first Gu (and so did I). And, I did my first brick - thanks only to the sweetness of my husband to take care of the girls for two hours on Father's Day so that I had time to go.
The movie was "Surf's Up" which starred penguins very similar to those in "Happy Feet," only they weren't the same penguins. Annika enjoyed the pageantry of the movies, the snacks and the alone time with Dad. Doug said the movie was OK if you have to go to a kid movie. We also watched "Shrek 2," which was pretty hilarious - very funny movie trivia and popular culture jokes.
The clothes were found at REI. I got some cool shorts and Doug has already exchanged his purchases for alternatives which will hopefully fit better. Both times, Dagny melted down in the store - big fun. It's been a while since I've been down to the REI. It's so cool - there are so many neat things, I could spend the day there. It's almost like the knitting store -all of the aisles feel like they are bursting with products shouting the cool things you could do with them if you only had the time and cash.
Yesterday, Doug and I ran the Possum Trot race in Roswell at the Chattahoochee Nature Center. We both finished in about 54 minutes. Pretty good for a stroller race, especially when you factor in the slow start because we passed the whole world. In case you didn't know, no one wants to start behind a stroller. I think we were the second and third or third and fourth strollers to finish. At the end, this cool guy in a red Honda shirt was cheering on his buddy (Paul - also in a red Honda shirt). But the cheering guy was encouraging everyone, me included. His "go get 'em" attitude really pumped me up and I finished strong just under 55 minutes on the race clock. Doug tested out the Cytomax and orange Gu on this run. He said they were both fine and the couple sips of Cytomax tasted OK to me. The race advertised photos on the internet after 2pm yesterday, but I can't find them.
Today I rode/ran my first run/bike brick. At the river (flat), I did around 10 miles on the bike at 11/12 mph (48 mins) and then 5K run at 7:52 pace. Whew! Doug was right. Biking first really tires you out for the run. My legs were OK, but that was due in part to the Hammer Gel I ate while riding the bike and the potty break that I took during transition. At the end, I tried to turn it up to finish faster than 24 minutes, but my legs just wouldn't cooperate. I could have probably worked harder on the bike but I think it was a good first try. Here is what I learned: (1) I need to work on shifting, (2) gloves and sunglasses are good, (3) I need to open the Gu before I get on the bike, (4) running shorts + bike = not so fun. Next ride I'll test out the cool new shorts.
And, at the race on Saturday we saw a friend of mine from college and law school. It turns out that she and her husband are doing triathlons too and she is doing the same one as Nat and me! Now I have someone to try to beat! Whooo!
The movie was "Surf's Up" which starred penguins very similar to those in "Happy Feet," only they weren't the same penguins. Annika enjoyed the pageantry of the movies, the snacks and the alone time with Dad. Doug said the movie was OK if you have to go to a kid movie. We also watched "Shrek 2," which was pretty hilarious - very funny movie trivia and popular culture jokes.
The clothes were found at REI. I got some cool shorts and Doug has already exchanged his purchases for alternatives which will hopefully fit better. Both times, Dagny melted down in the store - big fun. It's been a while since I've been down to the REI. It's so cool - there are so many neat things, I could spend the day there. It's almost like the knitting store -all of the aisles feel like they are bursting with products shouting the cool things you could do with them if you only had the time and cash.
Yesterday, Doug and I ran the Possum Trot race in Roswell at the Chattahoochee Nature Center. We both finished in about 54 minutes. Pretty good for a stroller race, especially when you factor in the slow start because we passed the whole world. In case you didn't know, no one wants to start behind a stroller. I think we were the second and third or third and fourth strollers to finish. At the end, this cool guy in a red Honda shirt was cheering on his buddy (Paul - also in a red Honda shirt). But the cheering guy was encouraging everyone, me included. His "go get 'em" attitude really pumped me up and I finished strong just under 55 minutes on the race clock. Doug tested out the Cytomax and orange Gu on this run. He said they were both fine and the couple sips of Cytomax tasted OK to me. The race advertised photos on the internet after 2pm yesterday, but I can't find them.
Today I rode/ran my first run/bike brick. At the river (flat), I did around 10 miles on the bike at 11/12 mph (48 mins) and then 5K run at 7:52 pace. Whew! Doug was right. Biking first really tires you out for the run. My legs were OK, but that was due in part to the Hammer Gel I ate while riding the bike and the potty break that I took during transition. At the end, I tried to turn it up to finish faster than 24 minutes, but my legs just wouldn't cooperate. I could have probably worked harder on the bike but I think it was a good first try. Here is what I learned: (1) I need to work on shifting, (2) gloves and sunglasses are good, (3) I need to open the Gu before I get on the bike, (4) running shorts + bike = not so fun. Next ride I'll test out the cool new shorts.
And, at the race on Saturday we saw a friend of mine from college and law school. It turns out that she and her husband are doing triathlons too and she is doing the same one as Nat and me! Now I have someone to try to beat! Whooo!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Learn to Fly
After a good ride on Tuesday, I went out for my 13 mile ride today. I was hesitant, because of the ribs and beer we had for dinner last night and because I didn't feel like I had enough energy to do anything until I'd eaten some cereal and breakfast usually causes tummy problems for me.
Regardless, I ate my cereal (with soy milk, today) and went to see if I could do that loop faster than last week. However, as I finished the first big climb, I got to the Mayor's Ride route. "Why not?", I thought. So, I went off-course and did a little part of the mayor's ride through some neighborhoods - all of the turns are marked with a "BR" and an arrow. FUN! It was just enough adventure for me. So, I figured out how to keep my big sprocket (thanks, Nat) active for most of the ride, which helped me keep my bottom on the seat more. I think I was more efficient despite not going faster than Tuesday's ride. Apparently, Sunday is the day to exercise because I saw a zillion people running, biking, walking - a cop clocked me at 12 mph.
Then, after Doug and Dagny took off for their ride, I went up the neighbors' cul-de-sac four (4) times with Annika on her bike. I walked or jogged alongside. That is 1.2 miles, in case you were counting. Wow, we wore her ass out! There is a lot to teach someone about how to ride a bike (even with the training wheels): (1) you can't fall over with training wheels, (2) no feet on the ground, (3) stay to the right , (4) watch where you are going, (5) save your downhill speed for the uphill, (6) stay in control, (7) look both ways, (8) that red sign means stop, (9) must go faster to make Mommy run. I was yelling a lot - hopefully most of it was positive and Annika retains the important stuff. So, we are both testing our wings on the bikes this week.
Then, after Doug and Dagny returned and we had some lunch, we loaded up the bikes and rode up to the pool. Doug towed BOTH GIRLS in the trailer while I carried our gear in a backpack. Doug kicks ass. That one mile to the pool will kick anyone's ass, even without 100 lbs behind you.
Here is the weekly report:
Sun: 5.5 miles running in 50 minutes with my friend Michele
Mon: 1650 yard swim in 35 minutes
Tues: 8 mile bike in 40 minutes (that is 13 mph, folks!)
Wed: 8.05 mile run at 9:30 min/mile pace
Thurs: rest
Fri: 1800 yard swim in 40 mins (400 yd time trial - 8 mins not trying too hard)
Sat: 4.76 mile run at 8:30 min/mile pace (this run was at 2:30pm and it sucked - I hated every minute)
Regardless, I ate my cereal (with soy milk, today) and went to see if I could do that loop faster than last week. However, as I finished the first big climb, I got to the Mayor's Ride route. "Why not?", I thought. So, I went off-course and did a little part of the mayor's ride through some neighborhoods - all of the turns are marked with a "BR" and an arrow. FUN! It was just enough adventure for me. So, I figured out how to keep my big sprocket (thanks, Nat) active for most of the ride, which helped me keep my bottom on the seat more. I think I was more efficient despite not going faster than Tuesday's ride. Apparently, Sunday is the day to exercise because I saw a zillion people running, biking, walking - a cop clocked me at 12 mph.
Then, after Doug and Dagny took off for their ride, I went up the neighbors' cul-de-sac four (4) times with Annika on her bike. I walked or jogged alongside. That is 1.2 miles, in case you were counting. Wow, we wore her ass out! There is a lot to teach someone about how to ride a bike (even with the training wheels): (1) you can't fall over with training wheels, (2) no feet on the ground, (3) stay to the right , (4) watch where you are going, (5) save your downhill speed for the uphill, (6) stay in control, (7) look both ways, (8) that red sign means stop, (9) must go faster to make Mommy run. I was yelling a lot - hopefully most of it was positive and Annika retains the important stuff. So, we are both testing our wings on the bikes this week.
Then, after Doug and Dagny returned and we had some lunch, we loaded up the bikes and rode up to the pool. Doug towed BOTH GIRLS in the trailer while I carried our gear in a backpack. Doug kicks ass. That one mile to the pool will kick anyone's ass, even without 100 lbs behind you.
Here is the weekly report:
Sun: 5.5 miles running in 50 minutes with my friend Michele
Mon: 1650 yard swim in 35 minutes
Tues: 8 mile bike in 40 minutes (that is 13 mph, folks!)
Wed: 8.05 mile run at 9:30 min/mile pace
Thurs: rest
Fri: 1800 yard swim in 40 mins (400 yd time trial - 8 mins not trying too hard)
Sat: 4.76 mile run at 8:30 min/mile pace (this run was at 2:30pm and it sucked - I hated every minute)
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Hello Bike, My Old Friend
So the point of posting the photo of my bike was to do a post about it but I forgot that post because I was all caught up in the "Doug was right" dancing.
I love that bike. It is how I lured Doug. When Doug went back up to school early in the fall of 1992, I was still there since I had just moved into the new apartment with Melanie (she wasn't there yet, but I was moved in with my cats). I had been loving the idea of a bike and I got a job at a gas station to earn the money to pay for it after crashing my beautiful blue Honda and inheriting the Oldsmobile that didn't run most of the time and would soon cease to go in reverse. I didn't get the job I really wanted at the BBQ place, so this was it. They didn't let girls work the overnight shift, but I was frequently the 2-10 or 3-11 shift at the Amoco on the Atlanta Highway.
Anyway, I knew through the grapevine that Doug was in town and that he worked at the printshop at the Tate Center so I went down there to ask his bike advice and flirt. See, I had had my eye on him since the spring. In fact, I was hoping to meet up with him the evening that I crashed that Honda. It was fate, though, because he was dating Tanis (the world's coolest girl - seriously, I had one class with her and she was a people magnet) at the time and wouldn't have noticed me. Anyway, he thought my scar from the wreck was cool and we talked about it a lot that spring during and after the Tanis months.
Back to the point, I sashayed (for me, that means bouncy marching) to the Tate Center and threw myself on his mercy. "Sure," he said, "I'll help you look at bikes, but can I use your shower?" Someone else was assigned the water bill for his house and it hadn't been connected yet, so he couldn't shower at home. I went back to the apartment and fell asleep on the couch because the bug man had come and the place was full of toxic fumes. Doug showed up for his shower. A double-entendre and some hotdogs turned into big romance and who knew that this bike guy was THE ONE?
Anyway, the bike. We test-drove many bikes and I ended up liking the Treks. They did not have a Trek in my size at the store in Athens, so we drove all the way to Duluth (which was far, back then, because Hwy 316 was not yet constructed beyond Winder) where I bought the little red from the hottie from my high school who actually flirted with me (HA! - who would have thought!). Doug insisted that I needed toe cages and made me buy a lock and taught me to ride. I always thought he was so cool when he took off on his bike from campus, so now I could do it! Not. Bike riding is hard. We have had many good times together, me and that bike (and Doug - he was good at teaching me the tricks and secret no-traffic routes). We bought groceries at the Kroger and rode home with them in the backpack, learned to ride up the big hill by the baseball field without stopping, we fell over in the toecages while talking to the neighbors in my cul-de-sac, we rode with Doug in the Gambler. Eventually, however, the need to not stink at school or work pushed my bike aside. She collected dust in our apartments/houses until Doug suggested that Emily could use her at school. So, I got her tuned up and took her to Athens (in my suit, while pregnant) as a surprise. Emily has loved her well and may take her to Denver in the fall, but I'm glad to be riding her again (the bike, not Emily).
So, we rode today - 8 miles around my neighborhood. It took me 41 minutes. "Wow," you say - "that is pretty slow." Yes, but it was at an average of 13 mph, which is 2 mph faster than my ride on Saturday so that is PROGRESS, baby.
I love that bike. It is how I lured Doug. When Doug went back up to school early in the fall of 1992, I was still there since I had just moved into the new apartment with Melanie (she wasn't there yet, but I was moved in with my cats). I had been loving the idea of a bike and I got a job at a gas station to earn the money to pay for it after crashing my beautiful blue Honda and inheriting the Oldsmobile that didn't run most of the time and would soon cease to go in reverse. I didn't get the job I really wanted at the BBQ place, so this was it. They didn't let girls work the overnight shift, but I was frequently the 2-10 or 3-11 shift at the Amoco on the Atlanta Highway.
Anyway, I knew through the grapevine that Doug was in town and that he worked at the printshop at the Tate Center so I went down there to ask his bike advice and flirt. See, I had had my eye on him since the spring. In fact, I was hoping to meet up with him the evening that I crashed that Honda. It was fate, though, because he was dating Tanis (the world's coolest girl - seriously, I had one class with her and she was a people magnet) at the time and wouldn't have noticed me. Anyway, he thought my scar from the wreck was cool and we talked about it a lot that spring during and after the Tanis months.
Back to the point, I sashayed (for me, that means bouncy marching) to the Tate Center and threw myself on his mercy. "Sure," he said, "I'll help you look at bikes, but can I use your shower?" Someone else was assigned the water bill for his house and it hadn't been connected yet, so he couldn't shower at home. I went back to the apartment and fell asleep on the couch because the bug man had come and the place was full of toxic fumes. Doug showed up for his shower. A double-entendre and some hotdogs turned into big romance and who knew that this bike guy was THE ONE?
Anyway, the bike. We test-drove many bikes and I ended up liking the Treks. They did not have a Trek in my size at the store in Athens, so we drove all the way to Duluth (which was far, back then, because Hwy 316 was not yet constructed beyond Winder) where I bought the little red from the hottie from my high school who actually flirted with me (HA! - who would have thought!). Doug insisted that I needed toe cages and made me buy a lock and taught me to ride. I always thought he was so cool when he took off on his bike from campus, so now I could do it! Not. Bike riding is hard. We have had many good times together, me and that bike (and Doug - he was good at teaching me the tricks and secret no-traffic routes). We bought groceries at the Kroger and rode home with them in the backpack, learned to ride up the big hill by the baseball field without stopping, we fell over in the toecages while talking to the neighbors in my cul-de-sac, we rode with Doug in the Gambler. Eventually, however, the need to not stink at school or work pushed my bike aside. She collected dust in our apartments/houses until Doug suggested that Emily could use her at school. So, I got her tuned up and took her to Athens (in my suit, while pregnant) as a surprise. Emily has loved her well and may take her to Denver in the fall, but I'm glad to be riding her again (the bike, not Emily).
So, we rode today - 8 miles around my neighborhood. It took me 41 minutes. "Wow," you say - "that is pretty slow." Yes, but it was at an average of 13 mph, which is 2 mph faster than my ride on Saturday so that is PROGRESS, baby.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
The Dance
At my house, we have a dance that must be done when the spouse was right about something (preferably something stupid). Please pause for a moment now and wait while I do the "Doug was right" dance. And, the "Colin was right" dance because he said the same thing.
You can see the photo of my trusty steed, with the new seat and toe-cages. The brakes and gears also work now. The seat had been recovered with some very durable and stylish duct tape.
Anyway, I was excited to get my bike training started yesterday. Doug said that I was a fool to use this bike for my training and/or race. We lowered the seat on his bike, but I'm still too short for it even though it is a much better road machine. So, with the "I am woman, hear me roar" and "I'm not going out like some kind of punk bitch" attitude, I rode this bike 13 miles yesterday - to see if I could do it. I did it, but there was not a lot of fun going on. Run speed and swim ease do not translate into bike power. I suck at biking and the cars are very scary. Top speed: 32.1 mph.
Here is a summary of my week's training:
Sun: 3.58 miles at 9:46 pace
Mon: 6.14 miles at 8:19 pace
Tues: 4.5 miles at 8:49 pace
Wed: rest
Thurs: 5.42 miles at 8.28 pace
Fri: 1 mile swim in approx 40 mins
Sat: 13 mile bike in 1 hr, 12 mins
I have mostly abandoned the triathlon training book in favor of Doug's plan (6 days per week of activity - 2x per sport or sport/combo).
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Putting it Out There
I registered for a triathlon this week. It is a sprint length race, which means 400 yd swim, 13 mile bike, and 5K run. Any women who would like to join me, follow the link to sign up. Nothing against you men - it's just a women's race. I think it would be fine to race with men - this race is just convenient to my house and fits in my schedule.
I swam my first actual laps since 2002 (when I last had a gym membership) yesterday. 1600/1650 yards - it took me about 40 minutes, including cap/google application, adjustment to water temperature and getting into the fence. Next time I'll take a watch so I can get some baseline times. Since this was my first effort, I didn't worry about the time. Wow, I'm sore today. It is hard to tell if the soreness is from the swimming or the climbing (I have permission), though.
When Nat and I went to the seminar about triathlons, this woman was the last (and best) speaker. She is a professional triathlete and was all kinds of fun. If you ever get a chance to hear her talk about her sport, do it. Go to her blog archive and read about the Florida ironman race. Holy cow, this woman rocks!
I swam my first actual laps since 2002 (when I last had a gym membership) yesterday. 1600/1650 yards - it took me about 40 minutes, including cap/google application, adjustment to water temperature and getting into the fence. Next time I'll take a watch so I can get some baseline times. Since this was my first effort, I didn't worry about the time. Wow, I'm sore today. It is hard to tell if the soreness is from the swimming or the climbing (I have permission), though.
When Nat and I went to the seminar about triathlons, this woman was the last (and best) speaker. She is a professional triathlete and was all kinds of fun. If you ever get a chance to hear her talk about her sport, do it. Go to her blog archive and read about the Florida ironman race. Holy cow, this woman rocks!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Beach Attire
Or, what to do while you hang out with small children all day.
I've been checking out the bathing suits of all of the people who walk by while Dagny and I play in the sand here. I was hoping to develop some kind of theory on what kinds of suits look good on different kinds of bodies. So, no -I can't report any great theories here. The number of different body shapes is too vast.
However, I have identified some easy "don't" rules:
1. Big circles or dots on bathing suits are bad. They don't look good on anyone, even college girls.
2. Writing on your bottom is bad.
3. Suits (even if they are metallic) that are close to your skin color are always unattractive.
4. More of us need to spend more time picking suits that actually "suit" us instead of falling back on whatever is at Target or Lands End.
5. You can tell when the boobs aren't real
Also, I'm becoming an un-fan of the tankini. It seems like the bathing suit equivalent of a baggy sweatshirt or yoga pants and flip flops. Why even bother with a two piece? Doug and I are working on me being less frumpy (a personal "what not to wear") so I'm looking at this a lot. I'm not saying everyone should wear a string bikini (myself included) but there is something to be said for a nice Speedo tank.
I've been checking out the bathing suits of all of the people who walk by while Dagny and I play in the sand here. I was hoping to develop some kind of theory on what kinds of suits look good on different kinds of bodies. So, no -I can't report any great theories here. The number of different body shapes is too vast.
However, I have identified some easy "don't" rules:
1. Big circles or dots on bathing suits are bad. They don't look good on anyone, even college girls.
2. Writing on your bottom is bad.
3. Suits (even if they are metallic) that are close to your skin color are always unattractive.
4. More of us need to spend more time picking suits that actually "suit" us instead of falling back on whatever is at Target or Lands End.
5. You can tell when the boobs aren't real
Also, I'm becoming an un-fan of the tankini. It seems like the bathing suit equivalent of a baggy sweatshirt or yoga pants and flip flops. Why even bother with a two piece? Doug and I are working on me being less frumpy (a personal "what not to wear") so I'm looking at this a lot. I'm not saying everyone should wear a string bikini (myself included) but there is something to be said for a nice Speedo tank.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
New Reading Material and Gearing Up
So, I finished reading the Triathlon Training in 4 Hours a Week book. The 4 hours a week thing is a bit of a lie, if your goal is more than just finishing, but still it was very good. Packed with inspiring stories. Wes recommended it and I can second his recommendation. Doug poo-poohed the idea of a book for sprint training, but I was glad to have some of the mysteries solved for me.
All that remains is to (1) sign up for a race, (2) pick up my bike from the bike store so that I can ride it, and (3) start some swimming. The bike store guy and I decided to tune up the bike, put on some toe clips and a new seat but that it is not worth putting slicks on my bike for a sprint race. It would cost $60 per tire and the whole bike is probably not worth that much at this point. Regardless, it was really fun to ride again (it's been 10 years). I'm going to look at the knobby tires as the biking equivalent of a drag suit. Then, if I do OK at this first race and decide to continue, we can evaluate a new (to me) bike.
The girls are LOVING the beach. Dagny is so tired that she is napping before lunctime and Annika is chilling in front of "The Little Mermaid." We will be back outside for more fun in the sun after lunch.
All that remains is to (1) sign up for a race, (2) pick up my bike from the bike store so that I can ride it, and (3) start some swimming. The bike store guy and I decided to tune up the bike, put on some toe clips and a new seat but that it is not worth putting slicks on my bike for a sprint race. It would cost $60 per tire and the whole bike is probably not worth that much at this point. Regardless, it was really fun to ride again (it's been 10 years). I'm going to look at the knobby tires as the biking equivalent of a drag suit. Then, if I do OK at this first race and decide to continue, we can evaluate a new (to me) bike.
The girls are LOVING the beach. Dagny is so tired that she is napping before lunctime and Annika is chilling in front of "The Little Mermaid." We will be back outside for more fun in the sun after lunch.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Gratuitous Photos
At the left is Annika the day she came down for breakfast with sparkly jewels from her "decorate-your-own-treasure-box" set on her face and in her hair. Someone gave us the set for her birthday and she had a great time decorating. Who knew that the jewels would come off and retain enough stick to be placed on the face and hair. We keep finding them everywhere now.Next is a cool pergola/fire pit that Doug built at one of his houses. He has some cool ideas, doesn't he? Can't you just see a bunch of folks out there grilling with beers or party drinks while their kids run wild in the grass?
Here is Annika in her fairy princess dress, heels, fire department hat (made at school), part of my Daphne outfit and butterfly wings. She came downstairs one afternoon and insisted that we memorialize the beauty. But it had to be from the back so that you could see the wings - because the wings are the best part. I just love how her braids curl up at the ends - just like Pippi Longstocking. Annika's hair is so curly that not even braids can contain its curl-iciousness.
Last, but not least is Dagny with her purse. I bought this for her first birthday and she still loves it (and all purses). She is a girly girl. Thank you to cousin Sophie for the beautiful orange dress.
In other news, we've been busy here! The washing mashine broke last week so I've been shuttling back and for to my parents' house (thank goodness they moved into the neighborhood) to try to keep up. Annika's two pull-up leakage accidents didn't help, either. According to our repairman, our old Maytag was a piece of junk - and it died just like the one owned by the first commenter in the linked blog. We could have fixed it, but for $300-400 and it was likely to break again in a year. So, I have a beautiful new washing machine. This was not what I wanted to spend a load of money on this month, but at least I'm back in laundry action. And, it's cool to watch the clothes spin around in the suds like we used to do at Grammy's house when I was little. A big fat kiss to Best Buy for delivering on Sunday!
Also, I have found a great park for running. It is called the Leita Thompson Memorial Park (top left on the map). The City of Roswell has cut trails into some very hilly and beautiful wild land. This city is worth the taxes for this park alone. There are coyotes, apparently, so I wouldn't run there at dusk or sunrise and you'd be an idiot to do it in the dark, but WOW is it fun! It is like the trails at the creek in our neighborhood when I was a kid (minus the storm sewer outlet pipe, offensive odor and frequently appearing underpants) - green leaves as far as your eye can see. You can put your arms out like an airplane and just fly down the hills. And it is ridiculously hilly. The first time I ran there, I thought I would do a leisurely six miles - I did 6 miles at a 10 minute per mile pace, but my heart rate was in the 170s most of the run. Those hills kicked my ass. I nearly threw up a couple of times, had to stop for water, nearly quit more than three times, and bit it at one point. A kind gentleman, who was walking with those trekking poles, stopped to be sure I was OK (I was), but I had a blast! I left the trail feeling 10 feet tall and sexy like superman. Plus, a war wound! How cool is that?
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
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