Holidays with the Grandkids

Like I said, part of my challenge is to maintain life balance while training for half marathons and triathlons. Oooh, I'm really an athlete. Three of the five grandkids [Jaylen, Johnathan and Jahara] have visited with us the past few days.  Today was spent having lunch, going to see The Smurf movie, and letting them play at Micky D's playground.  They are now bathed and playing Wii while Jesse and I catch up with our techy toys. 

It's been nice having them around. It's been a while since we've had kids at the house. Paddy is not too happy but we've enjoyed them. 


Kam [oldest] Jaylen, Jahara, Johnathan





Paddy our beloved Welsh Terrier



New Waterproof Ipod Headphones

(Said with eyes closed and fingers crossed) I hope these work, I hope these work!!

The reward for learning to swim is the H2O Audio kit. I promised myself this reward a year ago after seeing my friend and swim angel Wendy listening to her Ipod while swimming laps. I said 'Theresa, if you get to the point where you can swim laps alone, you deserve waterproof headphones'.  Well hot damn [can I say that on a blog] that day has come and the audio kit arrived from Amazon today.  I'm gonna read the instructions and can't wait to test it tomorrow.  Hopefully, I won't ruin my ipod.

This is the it for 3G Ipod shuffle. It's old but I love using it while running. I'll provide an update after a week or two of using it. Wish me luck!

update: I used the headphones 1/3/12 and they worked well. It took a few tries to seat the earbuds. They were snuggled nicely in my ear until the third breath, then they'd popout. By lap 2 or was it 3, they stayed in. I did have to change to a smaller bud.  So far, I like them.

My Leukemia and Lymphoma Fundraising Page

Hello,

In my day to day life, I interact with a few people that have experienced cancer. Personally, I've lost an Aunt to the disease and know how devastating it can be. I have a mission-to help find cures and more effective treatments for blood cancers. To accomplish that mission, I've decided to participate in fundraising events facilitated by different organizations.

In 2012, I’m participating in a sports endurance event as a member of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team In Training. Like the other members of TNT, I will be raising funds to help find cures and better treatments for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma. I’m improving the quality of my life by participating and with your support, I can help improve the quality of life for patients and their families as well.

Please make a donation in support of my efforts with Team In Training and help advance the research for cures.

My Fundraising Page

Finally purchased a road bike

A couple weeks after riding the bike rented for Acworth, I realized it was too small for my frame. Given my degree of nervousness, I didn’t want to make any additional changes to my game plan and decided to use it. I have since returned the bike, borrowed a bike closer to my frame for a few weeks, then purchased a Specialized Allez bike from my local bike store [lbs]. I am 6’ with a 34” inseam. I’ve had the Specialized bike for 1 week and have ridden it a few times to become familiar with the gear shifting and overall feel.  I love it.

Mike from the bike store tried to get me to have the clip-in pedals installed. I smiled and said ‘give me a couple months to learn to ride the bike. I promise to bring it in so the clip-in pedals can be installed.  Pinky promise!!   He assured me they’d install them free of charge.

I currently own shoes and pedals from spin class.  I’ve also fallen a few times with them. That slow motion feeling of ‘Oh No, I’m falling’  has to be one of the weirdest feelings.  Dear hubby fulfilled my requests and installed them on my hybrid bike last year when I was feeling adventurous. I assured him they couldn’t be too hard to learn to use.  He stood by helplessly as I tipped over. He is such a good sport..always there to pick me up when I need that extra bit of support. When my feelings are no longer raw, we usually have a good laugh about my antics.

I’ve since learned and accepted that everyone falls with clip-ins.  It’s a rite of passage of sorts.  So, I’ll look forward to mine in a month or two.

Update: I purchased the trainer in December as a reward.

Augusta 70.3 Musings

Augusta…I’ll experience a couple firsts this weekend.  My first Ironman 70.3 and my first relay.  I’d never considered a relay before but it is a great way to participate and get a feel for the event.  I can focus on the area in which I’m experienced and cheer my teammates on as they complete the swim and bike segments.  I’ve worked hard for this and feel good mentally and physically going into the weekend.  By the way, did I mention how excited I am to be surrounded by and included in the arena with athletes of this caliber?  It is so motivating. I’ve actually begun thinking of myself not just as an athlete but a triathlete. I know if I keep working hard my skillset will develop over time and before I know it, I’ll be completing indoor and open lake sprints with no problem.

It’s Sunday night and I am tired. So many things are going through my mind. What to take, when to pack, what to wear, what to eat, how to balance my regular responsibilities while preparing for Augusta. How to embrace the excitement and enjoy the moment while keeping focused on my upcoming performance.  This is such a time of learning and stepping out of my comfort zone.  In a weird way, I’m starting to enjoy it. Augusta here we come.

2011 Peachtree Road Race

The PRR has come and gone. It’s the day after and I’ve decided to recap. I noticed the humidity at 6:45am while in line at the Marta station to purchase my breeze ticket.  I didn’t wear my Garmin but did carry a camera. Trying to be like Deneen.  This was a change but my goal was to enjoy the race and not worry about time.  Took Marta to Lenox, met Danielle at Pier 1 and then walked to the corral K.  Saw Wendy, Todd, Aniko and Trisha at the end of K. We had great conversation while waiting for our corral walk-up. So, Aniko and I started the race together. It was so crowded. One concern I have during the first mile is the bobbing and weaving between runners to not step on the person in front of me.  During the first mile we separated and didn’t reconnect.  Miles 1 – 3 went ok but I didn’t feel my normal self.  It was too hot.  Let me repeat that, it was too hot!

Miles 3.5 to 5 were a struggle.  I found myself thinking, it’s so hot and I can walk the rest of the way and it will be ok.  Then I’d think, no you can’t walk the rest of the race, now run a bit. This conversation ran through my melting brain for 1.5 miles!!  Finally, I’m at mile 5.5 and know I can make it. I run/walk to my favorite stretch. It’s the left turn that signals the end is maybe .7 miles away.  Yeah I got this.  I was able to take a few pictures and didn’t worry about time. Finished in 1:28:15 – mission accomplished.

I have to say upon arriving at Piedmont Park delirium set in.  I couldn't remember what line to get in for the coveted shirt. It's important to get the right size. Next, I must find the vip tent for ATC. Why is it all the way up the hill and to the right.  Sheesh must they punish me more? I completely forgot to look for the USAFit group at letter U.  I'll be sure to remember next time.