Here comes 2010. The past 10 years have been Huge for me. Huge. I turn 40 next week. One week from tomorrow. Gulp.
So rewind 10 years. Mark gathered all my best friends and threw a big surprise 30th for me. It was fun. I had a 4 1/2 month old baby in my arms and I a husband of 1.5 years... we were just starting out.
Clearly, I can't write about all the events that soaked up the first 10 years of this millennium. They were my 30s. My 30s came in with the year 2000 and are about to be gone. I'm not sure how I feel about that!
Let's see.... my little Cameron was a baby. He grew and grew into a toddler. I worked as Speech-Language Pathologist at the time. When we realized we were expecting our second baby, I left my job. Indefinitely. A decision I have never regretted. Tommy was born in 2001. A few months after 9/11. I remember clutching my stomach as I watched the twin towers fall. We had two boys and our world was full of diapers, and nap times, and sweet baby boy snuggles. Mark took over his Dad's business in 2004. A few months later, little baby Nicholas was born.. Frighteningly early. After a dramatic emergency c-section we were sent to Maine Med for several weeks. As you can see by my pictures and stories, everyone is fine. Little Nick was tough and never looked back once we got home. We will never stop appreciating how fragile life is and how lucky we are that all 3 boys are healthy. (rough start for Cameron too but that was in 1999 and didn't make this decade!)Since then, I have spent my days taking care of these 3 boys with all my energy.
In 2006 I discovered a way to enjoy some personal time. Triathlon!!! I was hooked after my first race. I did that race with sneakers on the bike and with hope that someone would stop to help me with my dropped chain! Ha! But somehow I finished 14th oa and decided to do more. And then, a few weeks later, Crash. The bike went down hard---with me on it. Say goodbye to Season #1! I had surgery 5 months later and started the painfully slow recovery of a torn rotator cuff. A victory in my first race back made all the hard work of rehab well worth it.
Now, triathlon is a major part of our lives. My daily training routine is an understood and accepted activity. My boys have learned so much about healthy living and keeping their bodies moving. I have raced my first Ironman and made it to Kona. All before turning 40. Cool. I just wish it made turning 40 a little easier.
When I think about the last 10 years and realize how big they have been in our lives...I can't imagine what the next 10 will bring. It's a little overwhelming I dare say. Ten years from now, when we get ready for 2020, I will have a 20year old, an 18 y.o. and a 15 y.o!!!!!! I can't even stand that thought. Just forget how old I will be at that time! I plan to fight the aging process every step of the way.
So for now, one day at a time.
I suppose I have my resolutions. However I work off goals all year long so January 1st doesn't really change that for me.
It's been an amazing 10 years....I'm excited and curious to see where the next 10 take me.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
24 Hours
It rained a few days ago. It poured. We huddled in the house all day and wished for snow. Last night, we got our wish. The sky started dumping big fat beautiful snow!! Maine is much prettier in the winter with snow on the ground And it is guaranteed to entertain little boys for hours and hours. After dinner, Mark told the kids to bundle up and head outside with him. The mission was to shovel the deck...but to them it was 100% fun in the snow in the dark!
7:20 rolled around and I put the 'bad guy' face on and pulled them in the house. I always keep the kids on their regular bedtime schedule (8 p.m.) even during vacation. Sure, we make exceptions, but when they get up early regardless of bedtime, I stick to the early hour.
The kids were half way in the door, dripping wet & cold, and the kitties ran down the stairs (quickly...) to greet them.
At that moment...there was a Crash. A clunky crash. A soft yet noisy crash.
OH NO! Mark and I bounded up the stairs.
The Tree. Our big (we get Big trees...) Beautiful Christmas tree was in a pile. The water in the dish was oozing over the gifts on the floor. The ornaments....what was wrecked?
Of All the fragile ornaments we have on that tree, only one broke. Lucky?
Quite the opposite. It was the glass ornament my little boy made me for Christmas this year. I was devastated. He was heartbroken. Tears and sadness. I would smash almost all the other ones to salvage that for us.
We spent the next few hours trying to clean the mess. The tree was propped precariously against the wall while I ripped everything off it in a manner much faster than they deserved. Our family takes it's time hanging the tree and while taking it down isn't quite the same, we wouldn't have shoved it all aside like we were forced to last night. Sigh.....
That was done and the mess was cleaned. I headed to bed too late...10:30. I was back up at 4:35 and off to the pool. The 4wd car was out of gas...so I had to take my little gas efficient 2wd. But the roads were covered with snow so it took me about 15 min too long to get to the pool...no big deal. I got my swim in and got home without sliding off the road. All set.
I told the boys they had to eat breakfast Fast and get outside asap because the temps were forecasted to plummet today. They were happy to oblige and by 8:10 a.m. they were bundled and out the door. 24 degrees. By 10:00 it was 14 and windy and they were Still out. They built a fort, climbed their frozen snowmen, did some sledding and tried to avoid throwing snow in each other's faces because Mommy made them promise not to.
Meanwhile, I enjoyed 2 quiet hours. I drank coffee. I cleaned a little. And I got ready...for the test.
The Bike Test. Ouch!
Turns out I should have done it while the little ones played but since it is rare for them to stay outside for more than 15 minutes without some type of issue.... note: I have to go to the bathroom!! Can I have a snack? He won't give me a turn on my sled!! I have a bloody nose. (yes, a lot) He threw snow on my face! What time is it? The dogs are chasing me. Can you help me find my yellow shovel? I think it blew into the woods!
Seriously.
Back to the bike test. Jen gathers our HR data annually. Today was bike test day. I even cleaned my bike's chain and greased it to prep for this. I had music ready. I had my big towels handy to sweat on, water, HR monitor, and my attitude. I was ready to suffer.
The boys came in and I let them watch The Incredibles. I told them they had 30 minutes to chat with me if needed and then for the next 30 minutes I couldn't be interrupted unless someone was hurt. Is that bad?
Thirty minutes in....I cranked the tunes. I started pushing. Ten minutes after that and the HR monitor clicked on...twenty minutes to suffer. Oh and I did. My legs were pulsing. The sweat pouring off me might have rivaled my look on the Queen K back in October. I just covered the time clock with my towel and pushed....
max Hr 182! wow. I get it up there don't I!
Back to reality. I got cleaned up and we had lunch. I realized that I hadn't really left the house since before Christmas. Ok...I Rode to bethel for dinner on Sunday night and I drove to the pool this morning. But that's it. And I was beginning to feel like a slug. So I told the boys we had to go do some errands. We'd get the mail, gas up the Tahoe, and go to the grocery store for a few basics. Not a big shopping day. The wind was now whipping and it was sub 10 degrees. Painful cold. I tried to go through the drive through at Walgreens for a prescription. The window wouldn't go down though. So I drove on. That's fine.
I got to Hannaford. The grocery store. Final stop. Two boys piled out one side and the other hopped out the door behind me. He commented on something that I didn't understand. And then, I got it. The door. It was frozen inside. It would Not shut! how can this be? What do I do? I piled them back in the car and called Mark. He looked at his door (same make) and tried to explain to me how to wiggle the hard black plastic thing so it would swivel when you pulled the other side up and then....what? Nothing worked. Well, we're here. We went in, got our milk, yogurt, cereal and other necessary things and headed back into the arctic air. We did a slow shuffling run to the car with our hats over our eyes and our heads down. I feared opening other doors...what if they didn't shut? I piled the kids back in...I started to put the groceries in. And then, rip! &$#$%$%*#$. Yes, I swore. Sometimes Moms swear. Sometimes their kids might hear them. I try to apologize to them and all that....damn. I hate when I do that. But it happens. Right? Is that bad?
See, the grocery bag broke and tons of little yogurts rolled all around the parking lot and UNDER the Tahoe! It's a big car and I can't get Way under there!!! So the food is all over the place, the boys are being boys and crawling around the backseat tossing each other's hats at each other, it's 8 degrees but probably -2 with the wind, and the door won't close. deep breath Mommy deep breath.
I gathered the stuff, apologized like I do for my sometimes inappropriate language, and crawled in the backseat with them. I attempted to tie the seat belt around the door handle and then tie it to something else to keep it "shut" on the 5 mi ride home. It didn't work very well. But, nobody fell out. And nobody froze. We all lived and now the groceries are in the fridge.
I fed them an early dinner and then hurried off to Cameron's basketball game. We saw his old soccer coach who has been in Iraq for 7 months. He has a 2 week vacation and then he'll go back for 5 more months. He has an 8 y.o. daughter and a 10 y.o. son. Suddenly my car and grocery woes seemed insignificant.
And then we got home and I fed them again. Early dinners usually just mean two dinners. My boys eat a lot. I also learned that my uncle was in the hospital. Again, the problems from my day weren't really problems at all. Just something I had to handle today. But in the end, my day was just fine. I spent my hours hanging out with my favorite little people. I can't ask for more than that.
7:20 rolled around and I put the 'bad guy' face on and pulled them in the house. I always keep the kids on their regular bedtime schedule (8 p.m.) even during vacation. Sure, we make exceptions, but when they get up early regardless of bedtime, I stick to the early hour.
The kids were half way in the door, dripping wet & cold, and the kitties ran down the stairs (quickly...) to greet them.
At that moment...there was a Crash. A clunky crash. A soft yet noisy crash.
OH NO! Mark and I bounded up the stairs.
The Tree. Our big (we get Big trees...) Beautiful Christmas tree was in a pile. The water in the dish was oozing over the gifts on the floor. The ornaments....what was wrecked?
Of All the fragile ornaments we have on that tree, only one broke. Lucky?
Quite the opposite. It was the glass ornament my little boy made me for Christmas this year. I was devastated. He was heartbroken. Tears and sadness. I would smash almost all the other ones to salvage that for us.
We spent the next few hours trying to clean the mess. The tree was propped precariously against the wall while I ripped everything off it in a manner much faster than they deserved. Our family takes it's time hanging the tree and while taking it down isn't quite the same, we wouldn't have shoved it all aside like we were forced to last night. Sigh.....
That was done and the mess was cleaned. I headed to bed too late...10:30. I was back up at 4:35 and off to the pool. The 4wd car was out of gas...so I had to take my little gas efficient 2wd. But the roads were covered with snow so it took me about 15 min too long to get to the pool...no big deal. I got my swim in and got home without sliding off the road. All set.
I told the boys they had to eat breakfast Fast and get outside asap because the temps were forecasted to plummet today. They were happy to oblige and by 8:10 a.m. they were bundled and out the door. 24 degrees. By 10:00 it was 14 and windy and they were Still out. They built a fort, climbed their frozen snowmen, did some sledding and tried to avoid throwing snow in each other's faces because Mommy made them promise not to.
Meanwhile, I enjoyed 2 quiet hours. I drank coffee. I cleaned a little. And I got ready...for the test.
The Bike Test. Ouch!
Turns out I should have done it while the little ones played but since it is rare for them to stay outside for more than 15 minutes without some type of issue.... note: I have to go to the bathroom!! Can I have a snack? He won't give me a turn on my sled!! I have a bloody nose. (yes, a lot) He threw snow on my face! What time is it? The dogs are chasing me. Can you help me find my yellow shovel? I think it blew into the woods!
Seriously.
Back to the bike test. Jen gathers our HR data annually. Today was bike test day. I even cleaned my bike's chain and greased it to prep for this. I had music ready. I had my big towels handy to sweat on, water, HR monitor, and my attitude. I was ready to suffer.
The boys came in and I let them watch The Incredibles. I told them they had 30 minutes to chat with me if needed and then for the next 30 minutes I couldn't be interrupted unless someone was hurt. Is that bad?
Thirty minutes in....I cranked the tunes. I started pushing. Ten minutes after that and the HR monitor clicked on...twenty minutes to suffer. Oh and I did. My legs were pulsing. The sweat pouring off me might have rivaled my look on the Queen K back in October. I just covered the time clock with my towel and pushed....
max Hr 182! wow. I get it up there don't I!
Back to reality. I got cleaned up and we had lunch. I realized that I hadn't really left the house since before Christmas. Ok...I Rode to bethel for dinner on Sunday night and I drove to the pool this morning. But that's it. And I was beginning to feel like a slug. So I told the boys we had to go do some errands. We'd get the mail, gas up the Tahoe, and go to the grocery store for a few basics. Not a big shopping day. The wind was now whipping and it was sub 10 degrees. Painful cold. I tried to go through the drive through at Walgreens for a prescription. The window wouldn't go down though. So I drove on. That's fine.
I got to Hannaford. The grocery store. Final stop. Two boys piled out one side and the other hopped out the door behind me. He commented on something that I didn't understand. And then, I got it. The door. It was frozen inside. It would Not shut! how can this be? What do I do? I piled them back in the car and called Mark. He looked at his door (same make) and tried to explain to me how to wiggle the hard black plastic thing so it would swivel when you pulled the other side up and then....what? Nothing worked. Well, we're here. We went in, got our milk, yogurt, cereal and other necessary things and headed back into the arctic air. We did a slow shuffling run to the car with our hats over our eyes and our heads down. I feared opening other doors...what if they didn't shut? I piled the kids back in...I started to put the groceries in. And then, rip! &$#$%$%*#$. Yes, I swore. Sometimes Moms swear. Sometimes their kids might hear them. I try to apologize to them and all that....damn. I hate when I do that. But it happens. Right? Is that bad?
See, the grocery bag broke and tons of little yogurts rolled all around the parking lot and UNDER the Tahoe! It's a big car and I can't get Way under there!!! So the food is all over the place, the boys are being boys and crawling around the backseat tossing each other's hats at each other, it's 8 degrees but probably -2 with the wind, and the door won't close. deep breath Mommy deep breath.
I gathered the stuff, apologized like I do for my sometimes inappropriate language, and crawled in the backseat with them. I attempted to tie the seat belt around the door handle and then tie it to something else to keep it "shut" on the 5 mi ride home. It didn't work very well. But, nobody fell out. And nobody froze. We all lived and now the groceries are in the fridge.
I fed them an early dinner and then hurried off to Cameron's basketball game. We saw his old soccer coach who has been in Iraq for 7 months. He has a 2 week vacation and then he'll go back for 5 more months. He has an 8 y.o. daughter and a 10 y.o. son. Suddenly my car and grocery woes seemed insignificant.
And then we got home and I fed them again. Early dinners usually just mean two dinners. My boys eat a lot. I also learned that my uncle was in the hospital. Again, the problems from my day weren't really problems at all. Just something I had to handle today. But in the end, my day was just fine. I spent my hours hanging out with my favorite little people. I can't ask for more than that.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Christmas at the Bancrofts
A short recap of the past few days....I actually didn't take enough pictures. I did take a lot of video however. It was crazy, it was fun, it was exhausting, and now, it's over. And I am suddenly L-A-Z-Y!!! I was moving 100 mph for too long and now my body is saying STOP please! So I'm listening. The past 2 nights I was in bed by 10:30 and up after 8:00!!! Unheard of....
Here are my little ones trying to settle down on Christmas Eve. We always give them new PJs that night. They love it. Here they are modelling. That night wasn't as relaxing and idyllic as I'd hoped. I spent the day baking baking baking and cleaning and wrapping and basically trying to pull together all the last minute things. Thankfully Mark made a Second trip to the grocery store for me. It was packed so that saved me a few hrs. I worked hard to re-bake my Mom's famous homemade rolls and I think I dare say the 2nd time was much much better. The little dough pellets from batch one were replaced with something a bit more edible. At least my family was polite and ate them at dinner on Friday. I had a special Christmas eve dinner planned for just the 5 of us. Scallops, rice, haddock, a nice salad and well..that's it. Nothing too fancy but a nice quiet meal. We also planned to attend Christmas eve Mass at 6:00. That is about the worst time possible for a young family ....if you ask me. It's Right at dinner. My boys are Excited to go to bed on Christmas eve but that really got in our way. If we ate before church it would be like an afternoon snack but after was too late. We still ate after. Church was fine but my boys were ansty. Nick took a nap on my lap so I had to stay in my seat the whole time....I felt silly while everyone else stood. I'm still glad we went. We got home and immediately tracked Santa on NORAD. He was in Ireland and a slight degree of panic went over the kids. I assured them we were all set. But the frenzy had begun. They saw lights in the sky...heard bells...it was fun. We sprinkled the reindeer food they had made on the front lawn, put cookies by the fireplace, and inhaled my nice meal. Oh well. We headed upstairs to bed and to read Twas the Night before Christmas at a pace that would have made Rudolph shutter. It was almost 9 p.m and the kids were Anxious to get all 5 of us to bed so Santa could come!!!
Here they are.....
My fruit pizza for Christmas appetizers....Marni's recipe! thanks Marn!!! So yummy!
Christmas morning with the 5 of us was Fun! The kids were super excited with every gift. They loved their stockings. They were fairly patient watching their brothers and parents open their gifts. This is later in the day with my parents ( mom in background), brother and his family here...
Mom and Dad got me a cool gift....a huge mounted poster of me on the Bike in Lake Placid. Fun!!!
Last night...Nick modelling his 2nd set of new pjs.
this is pretty much all we've done for 2 days. It's 10:00 and none of us are dressed. Our beds aren't made. We just ate. They are totally enthralled with their legos and erector sets. Tomorrow is back to the 4:33 a.m. alarm. But for now...we rest.
Here are my little ones trying to settle down on Christmas Eve. We always give them new PJs that night. They love it. Here they are modelling. That night wasn't as relaxing and idyllic as I'd hoped. I spent the day baking baking baking and cleaning and wrapping and basically trying to pull together all the last minute things. Thankfully Mark made a Second trip to the grocery store for me. It was packed so that saved me a few hrs. I worked hard to re-bake my Mom's famous homemade rolls and I think I dare say the 2nd time was much much better. The little dough pellets from batch one were replaced with something a bit more edible. At least my family was polite and ate them at dinner on Friday. I had a special Christmas eve dinner planned for just the 5 of us. Scallops, rice, haddock, a nice salad and well..that's it. Nothing too fancy but a nice quiet meal. We also planned to attend Christmas eve Mass at 6:00. That is about the worst time possible for a young family ....if you ask me. It's Right at dinner. My boys are Excited to go to bed on Christmas eve but that really got in our way. If we ate before church it would be like an afternoon snack but after was too late. We still ate after. Church was fine but my boys were ansty. Nick took a nap on my lap so I had to stay in my seat the whole time....I felt silly while everyone else stood. I'm still glad we went. We got home and immediately tracked Santa on NORAD. He was in Ireland and a slight degree of panic went over the kids. I assured them we were all set. But the frenzy had begun. They saw lights in the sky...heard bells...it was fun. We sprinkled the reindeer food they had made on the front lawn, put cookies by the fireplace, and inhaled my nice meal. Oh well. We headed upstairs to bed and to read Twas the Night before Christmas at a pace that would have made Rudolph shutter. It was almost 9 p.m and the kids were Anxious to get all 5 of us to bed so Santa could come!!!
Here they are.....
My fruit pizza for Christmas appetizers....Marni's recipe! thanks Marn!!! So yummy!
Christmas morning with the 5 of us was Fun! The kids were super excited with every gift. They loved their stockings. They were fairly patient watching their brothers and parents open their gifts. This is later in the day with my parents ( mom in background), brother and his family here...
Mom and Dad got me a cool gift....a huge mounted poster of me on the Bike in Lake Placid. Fun!!!
Last night...Nick modelling his 2nd set of new pjs.
this is pretty much all we've done for 2 days. It's 10:00 and none of us are dressed. Our beds aren't made. We just ate. They are totally enthralled with their legos and erector sets. Tomorrow is back to the 4:33 a.m. alarm. But for now...we rest.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Stay true to yourself
This is advice that was given to me last week. It struck a chord with me. Last week I was feeling a lot of stress and was unable to fully focus on the things that count the most. I had to make a few decisions that were tough.
Over Thanksgiving weekend I was elected as President of a new Triathlon Club that we were planning to create. I was honored my friends would choose me for this role and I was very excited. I was prepared to devote whatever time was necessary to help create something for the Tri community in Maine. Unfortunately, a number of circumstances caused me to seriously reconsider. As much as I wanted to lead a group to see this goal to the end, it became more and more clear that it wasn't going to work for me. If I had stayed in that role at this time, I feared I would grow to resent the sport I have grown to love. A sport that has fulfilled something for me on a personal level. So, I had to stay true to myself. After I resigned, I felt a combination of peace and sadness. As the days have passed, I know I made the right move. I do hope a successful club is formed and I will be an enthusiastic member. For now, that is where I belong.
As I eluded to in my last post, I turn 40 soon. Two weeks from tomorrow actually. My husband turns 40 exactly 7 days after me. As strange as it sounds to me, it's really a pretty cool thing. I have accomplished great things in my life. And so has my husband. We are very happy with where we are and we have a lot more ahead. Most of all, I have my wondeful 3 little boys. We have a great family of 5 and for that I feel lucky. We both have our health and high levels of fitness. There is no way a number is going to slow us down.
I ran 4 miles today. For an endurance athlete who conquered two Ironmans this past season, it seems almost comical to talk about. But to the woman who has been sidelined with a stress fx since Halloween, it was one of the best things about my week. It was 20 degrees and sunny. My husband came home at noon to reprieve me for 30 minutes. Those of you with little ones at Christmas understand. My kids are Fired up!! I love it. I dread the day when they are Not. However, 3 boys = noise and running and sliding and hiting and some whining and some grabbing and lots of food and .....That run was Exactly what I needed. I attempted to make homemade rolls from scratch today. I spent from 11-7 trying to do this. When I say scratch I mean you start with yeast and sugar and warm milk and a lot of little steps that have to be done Just right or the dough doesn't rise properly. It has to rise 3 x during the day. It took foreeeeevrer and then they came out as heavy little balls of dough. Here's what Mark said when I took my first batch out, "it's ok. They dont' look like your Mom's but they're fine." FINE? I got on the phone and ordered two dozen from our local bakery. I tried. So yeah, that was about the best 4miles ever.
I had a busy start to the week too..but got a little Christmas gift in the process. On Monday, I was up early at 4:30 to swim. I got home by 7 and the boys and I did stuff around home all day. I drove them to swimming lessons at 4 that afternoon. After that, we continued on to my parent's house (an hour from my home) where I left them for the night. After that, I drove south another 30 min to my friend Heidi's house. I've been friends with Heidi since 2nd grade. There were 6 of us that became friends during grade school and remained friends through the years. We have lost touch here and there but have always been able to hook back up again and reconnect. I am very very lucky to have these beautiful women in my life. They are all true friends and I know we can all count on each other to be there for one another no matter what. Perhaps turning 40 is hitting us all a little bit. We are realizing what we have done in our lives and who we have in our lives. True friends are hard to find. These guys are the real deal. what a great night.
In the picture from left to right are Julie, Mary, Alina, Ange, Chris, and Heidi.
So while I sit and enjoy Christmas with my family and head into my final 2 weeks in my 30s, I will stay true to myself. I will continue to live my life the way I want to lead it. I will be honest to myself and do what I feel is right.
And maybe, just maybe, before my next big birthday I will finally learn to play the drums. And be in a band. And.......I have a lot left to do...
Over Thanksgiving weekend I was elected as President of a new Triathlon Club that we were planning to create. I was honored my friends would choose me for this role and I was very excited. I was prepared to devote whatever time was necessary to help create something for the Tri community in Maine. Unfortunately, a number of circumstances caused me to seriously reconsider. As much as I wanted to lead a group to see this goal to the end, it became more and more clear that it wasn't going to work for me. If I had stayed in that role at this time, I feared I would grow to resent the sport I have grown to love. A sport that has fulfilled something for me on a personal level. So, I had to stay true to myself. After I resigned, I felt a combination of peace and sadness. As the days have passed, I know I made the right move. I do hope a successful club is formed and I will be an enthusiastic member. For now, that is where I belong.
As I eluded to in my last post, I turn 40 soon. Two weeks from tomorrow actually. My husband turns 40 exactly 7 days after me. As strange as it sounds to me, it's really a pretty cool thing. I have accomplished great things in my life. And so has my husband. We are very happy with where we are and we have a lot more ahead. Most of all, I have my wondeful 3 little boys. We have a great family of 5 and for that I feel lucky. We both have our health and high levels of fitness. There is no way a number is going to slow us down.
I ran 4 miles today. For an endurance athlete who conquered two Ironmans this past season, it seems almost comical to talk about. But to the woman who has been sidelined with a stress fx since Halloween, it was one of the best things about my week. It was 20 degrees and sunny. My husband came home at noon to reprieve me for 30 minutes. Those of you with little ones at Christmas understand. My kids are Fired up!! I love it. I dread the day when they are Not. However, 3 boys = noise and running and sliding and hiting and some whining and some grabbing and lots of food and .....That run was Exactly what I needed. I attempted to make homemade rolls from scratch today. I spent from 11-7 trying to do this. When I say scratch I mean you start with yeast and sugar and warm milk and a lot of little steps that have to be done Just right or the dough doesn't rise properly. It has to rise 3 x during the day. It took foreeeeevrer and then they came out as heavy little balls of dough. Here's what Mark said when I took my first batch out, "it's ok. They dont' look like your Mom's but they're fine." FINE? I got on the phone and ordered two dozen from our local bakery. I tried. So yeah, that was about the best 4miles ever.
I had a busy start to the week too..but got a little Christmas gift in the process. On Monday, I was up early at 4:30 to swim. I got home by 7 and the boys and I did stuff around home all day. I drove them to swimming lessons at 4 that afternoon. After that, we continued on to my parent's house (an hour from my home) where I left them for the night. After that, I drove south another 30 min to my friend Heidi's house. I've been friends with Heidi since 2nd grade. There were 6 of us that became friends during grade school and remained friends through the years. We have lost touch here and there but have always been able to hook back up again and reconnect. I am very very lucky to have these beautiful women in my life. They are all true friends and I know we can all count on each other to be there for one another no matter what. Perhaps turning 40 is hitting us all a little bit. We are realizing what we have done in our lives and who we have in our lives. True friends are hard to find. These guys are the real deal. what a great night.
In the picture from left to right are Julie, Mary, Alina, Ange, Chris, and Heidi.So while I sit and enjoy Christmas with my family and head into my final 2 weeks in my 30s, I will stay true to myself. I will continue to live my life the way I want to lead it. I will be honest to myself and do what I feel is right.
And maybe, just maybe, before my next big birthday I will finally learn to play the drums. And be in a band. And.......I have a lot left to do...
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
This post might not make much sense!
I have been so busy and scattered lately!! I can't seem to remember what I need to do from one minute to the next. When growing up, I remember hearing comments about 'avoiding holiday stress.' I couldn't imagine! Christmas was the BEST season ever!! I loved all the hoopla! And for the record, I still do. I love the lights and the songs and the excitement over Santa. I get into it. But as a Mom of 3...I now understand the stress. My goal each year is to CHILL OUT and just go with it. Yah.....that doesn't happen with me too much. I'm just way too type A and revved up most of the time. I can't deny that. As I approach 40, one thing I can Not do is deny who I am. It's just me.
I can't compose a meaningful post today. I have too many random things going on right now. So I won't try. A few bullets from my brain these days.
I can't compose a meaningful post today. I have too many random things going on right now. So I won't try. A few bullets from my brain these days.
- I'm not ready to be 40. It doesn't sound right to me. I did an Ironman in July this year so I could say I was an Ironman before I turned 40. It didn't help.
- I hope Tommy and his friends had fun at the Secret Agent party last weekend. I worked really really hard on it. I'm not a creative person and it took me many hours to put the activities together. Many of the things I had planned, we didn't even use. The kids couldn't focus that long. That was a bummer. But most of all, I really hope my little boy had fun. He said he did. I hope he was being sincere and not polite.
- My foot is better. I can run 2.4 miles without pain now. But I'm so slow. SO SLOW! I see the doc on Friday and Pray he says I'm good to go. I really really need to go outside and run without fear.
- I am realizing I don't kick very much when I swim. When I pull 100s I am only a teeny bit slower than when I swim them. Hmmm. I think it is actually ok for triathlon swimming. I save my legs for the biking and running. However, I will be racing Faster this summer and think I can step it up a notch with the ole' kick. I need to work on this.
- I love my new Splish suits. I wore one today and it made me feel faster in the pool. there is nothing like a tight new suit.
- One of my favorite things is coming down early early in the morning, when the house is still dark and quiet, and turning on the Christmas tree lights.
- why can't I ever get my shopping done? Perhaps it's because I don't love shopping.
- I wanted to run the 10 mile road race in Cape in February. I was very unhappy with my race last year and had hoped to hit it hard in 2010. Now, I'm not so sure I can do that. This stress fx injury has really hit me hard.
- The High school kids who practice when I swim in the morning really need to learn how to do push ups.
- Maybe I can get all my shopping done before October next year.
- I can't wait to watch the Hawaii Ironman on Saturday. I'll never watch that race the same way again. It wasn't long ago that I would watch that while wrapping Christmas presents and just be blown Away by how Anyone could ever do such a crazy event. And now, I can say I DID IT! You just never know what life will bring.
- 40. Nope. It still doesn't sound right.
- Sometimes,the person who can handle everything, can't. Sometimes the person who is on top of things, isn't. Sometimes, the person who is tough and strong feels weak and miserable. I'm just saying. Sometimes that happens.
- Substitute teaching is really really hard. And tiring. Hats off to teachers who work with the little ones every day. I appreciate my own children more and more every time I go in there.
- I hope Christmas is a happy and magical day for my boys. They deserve it. They are really special little people. I will work hard to make next week amazing for them.
Friday, December 4, 2009
What's next??
I couldn't decide if I wanted to write about the upcoming 2010 season or ---- turning 40. They both happen at about the same time.
Racing won. I am still compiling my thoughts on the 40 thing.
Here goes. Hmmm. 2010. I am still trying to get over 2009 quite frankly. My motivation is still waxing and waning. But here it is. I have a plan for now.
First---heal stress fx. This is almost done. I am actually running. Or shall we call it jogging. Short distances. On the grass. With walking mixed in. But it's Something! I'll take it. I'm afraid of my foot. It's annoying because I always have some pain whether I have a stress fx or not! So now, when I am running, I have to be certain that the pain I feel is the old everyday chronic pain and not an unhealed fx. I made the mistake of boasting to a friend that I was planning to run and swim my way into the new year. Immediately after Kona, fine, for a Month or so after Kona, I didn't want to look at my bike. But...the foot cracked on me and threw that plan away.
I had originally planned on hopping into all the little 5ks for the winter. I would turkey trot, jingle bell run, ho ho ho run (not sure if there is one of those) you get the drift.
Insteeaaaaaaaad....I will settle for a 2.7 mile trot around the block today.
Back to the current adjusted race plan.
Cape MidWinter Classic 10 mile road race-I've been doing this race on and off for years. I think I did it back in the early 90s with my Mom actually. I grew up in Cape so although I've been away for 20 years (back to that almost 40 thing...), it's still a home town race. Tons of good friends run it. Friends from the Tri world and friends I know from Cape. It's often cold and icy but always a great test of fitness early in the year. I hope my foot is 100% soon so I can do this and do it right.
PolarBear 5K-I'll probably run this race. I won last year. That was a surprise! I never win road races!! Must say it was a fun was to start '09. It's on Valentine's day.
Tucson Training camp!! I'm heading to Arizona for a training camp with coach Jen!! I can't wait to meet her in person and spend a fun long weekend in the sunny southwest climbing Mt. Lemmon and running hard with the other athletes.
PolarBear Sprint Triathlon--I love this race. It's the first Tri in Maine for the season. And..It's a pool swim!!! That's a great twist for me. It's fast and furious. Takes just about an hour. ok, I have yet to break one hour but in '08 my time was 1:00.01. no joke. So of course my goal is a nice fast 59 min day.
Rev3 Half Ironman --I'm heading to Connecticut for a June Half Iron. I'm excited for this. Around 20 Mainers are heading down and staying at the same hotel. My sister in-law lives nearby so we'll crash with her too. My family can entertain themselves at the amusement park that is open only to spectators that day. Meanwhile, I hear it's one of the hardest 70.3 courses out there. Bring it on!
The middle of the summer is a little unscheduled right now. I am not sure what I'll feel like doing. And you know, that's the beauty of next season! Last year was so incredible structured and serious due to Ironman Lake Placid and then Hawaii. There was no room to throw a random race in here or there.
I just found another race I can do!! June 13th is the Pirate Tri at Sebago Lake. Right near camp!! My husband is fired up for this and I'll be sure to hop in to the fun too. And best of all, there's a kid's aquarun! perfect family. I think we can even drive our party boat over to the venue!
If the Norway Sprint happens and it's convenient, I'll do it. that in my current home town.
Portland Urban Epic. Same as above. We'll see.
Beach2Beacon 10K road race. Back to Cape Elizabeth. This is a huge world class event started by Joan Benoit Samuelson. I think it's limited to 6000 runners now. if you knew our small coastal roads in Cape you'd realize why this is so remarkable. It's a great even that started in 1998. I hope to get on the registrants list for this one. I had to skip it last year...still learning how to walk after LP.
Maine State Tri --- another small sprint tri close to home. I have loved this race. They changed teh course and it's no longer a ridiculous climb over small nordic ski trails in the woods or through knee deep mud holes in the fields. Again, missed it last year due to Lake Placid. I hope to go back. I've placed 2nd in this race over and over. Maybe this time...? :)
Timberman Half Ironman! This will be my other A race. (along with Rev3) I have decided I LOVE the Half Ironman distance. I can really race that distance and yet still enjoy a pure endurance event. Timberman is where it all started for me. It was my first Half in 2007. I love this event. Keith Jordan does a fantastic job. I can't wait to go back. And...there's a CHANCE my husband will join me...in the race! (if he hasn't already missed the registration window..)
Lobsterman Olympic race--this is a beautiful ocean race in Freeport, Me. I feel like I say 'hometown' race a lot. however, my Grandparents lived here, my mom and dad do now, and our cottage is here. So again, it's like home. I love this race. The water is usually disturbingly cold but the course is hard and fun so it's a great end of the season race. Plus, they have beer, lobsters, and a kid run after.
I hope to jump into a few more at the end of the season. The CELT sprint in Cape. It's a pool race and yeah...back to home. And I grew up in that pool so it would be especially fun. Do I dare say the Maine Marathon?? not sure. really really not sure about that one. If not, probably the half marathon.
You can sense my tone. Fun for 2010. Fun and Fast! I can't wait for Jen to train my legs to have zip and speed again!!! I'm excited.
At the same time..it's tough to get my fire right now. Everything is so far away. I am doing all my workouts and working hard but...I'm just waiting for the big drive to kick in again.
I think that'll happen when that big 4-0-hits.
Racing won. I am still compiling my thoughts on the 40 thing.
Here goes. Hmmm. 2010. I am still trying to get over 2009 quite frankly. My motivation is still waxing and waning. But here it is. I have a plan for now.
First---heal stress fx. This is almost done. I am actually running. Or shall we call it jogging. Short distances. On the grass. With walking mixed in. But it's Something! I'll take it. I'm afraid of my foot. It's annoying because I always have some pain whether I have a stress fx or not! So now, when I am running, I have to be certain that the pain I feel is the old everyday chronic pain and not an unhealed fx. I made the mistake of boasting to a friend that I was planning to run and swim my way into the new year. Immediately after Kona, fine, for a Month or so after Kona, I didn't want to look at my bike. But...the foot cracked on me and threw that plan away.
I had originally planned on hopping into all the little 5ks for the winter. I would turkey trot, jingle bell run, ho ho ho run (not sure if there is one of those) you get the drift.
Insteeaaaaaaaad....I will settle for a 2.7 mile trot around the block today.
Back to the current adjusted race plan.
Cape MidWinter Classic 10 mile road race-I've been doing this race on and off for years. I think I did it back in the early 90s with my Mom actually. I grew up in Cape so although I've been away for 20 years (back to that almost 40 thing...), it's still a home town race. Tons of good friends run it. Friends from the Tri world and friends I know from Cape. It's often cold and icy but always a great test of fitness early in the year. I hope my foot is 100% soon so I can do this and do it right.
PolarBear 5K-I'll probably run this race. I won last year. That was a surprise! I never win road races!! Must say it was a fun was to start '09. It's on Valentine's day.
Tucson Training camp!! I'm heading to Arizona for a training camp with coach Jen!! I can't wait to meet her in person and spend a fun long weekend in the sunny southwest climbing Mt. Lemmon and running hard with the other athletes.
PolarBear Sprint Triathlon--I love this race. It's the first Tri in Maine for the season. And..It's a pool swim!!! That's a great twist for me. It's fast and furious. Takes just about an hour. ok, I have yet to break one hour but in '08 my time was 1:00.01. no joke. So of course my goal is a nice fast 59 min day.
Rev3 Half Ironman --I'm heading to Connecticut for a June Half Iron. I'm excited for this. Around 20 Mainers are heading down and staying at the same hotel. My sister in-law lives nearby so we'll crash with her too. My family can entertain themselves at the amusement park that is open only to spectators that day. Meanwhile, I hear it's one of the hardest 70.3 courses out there. Bring it on!
The middle of the summer is a little unscheduled right now. I am not sure what I'll feel like doing. And you know, that's the beauty of next season! Last year was so incredible structured and serious due to Ironman Lake Placid and then Hawaii. There was no room to throw a random race in here or there.
I just found another race I can do!! June 13th is the Pirate Tri at Sebago Lake. Right near camp!! My husband is fired up for this and I'll be sure to hop in to the fun too. And best of all, there's a kid's aquarun! perfect family. I think we can even drive our party boat over to the venue!
If the Norway Sprint happens and it's convenient, I'll do it. that in my current home town.
Portland Urban Epic. Same as above. We'll see.
Beach2Beacon 10K road race. Back to Cape Elizabeth. This is a huge world class event started by Joan Benoit Samuelson. I think it's limited to 6000 runners now. if you knew our small coastal roads in Cape you'd realize why this is so remarkable. It's a great even that started in 1998. I hope to get on the registrants list for this one. I had to skip it last year...still learning how to walk after LP.
Maine State Tri --- another small sprint tri close to home. I have loved this race. They changed teh course and it's no longer a ridiculous climb over small nordic ski trails in the woods or through knee deep mud holes in the fields. Again, missed it last year due to Lake Placid. I hope to go back. I've placed 2nd in this race over and over. Maybe this time...? :)
Timberman Half Ironman! This will be my other A race. (along with Rev3) I have decided I LOVE the Half Ironman distance. I can really race that distance and yet still enjoy a pure endurance event. Timberman is where it all started for me. It was my first Half in 2007. I love this event. Keith Jordan does a fantastic job. I can't wait to go back. And...there's a CHANCE my husband will join me...in the race! (if he hasn't already missed the registration window..)
Lobsterman Olympic race--this is a beautiful ocean race in Freeport, Me. I feel like I say 'hometown' race a lot. however, my Grandparents lived here, my mom and dad do now, and our cottage is here. So again, it's like home. I love this race. The water is usually disturbingly cold but the course is hard and fun so it's a great end of the season race. Plus, they have beer, lobsters, and a kid run after.
I hope to jump into a few more at the end of the season. The CELT sprint in Cape. It's a pool race and yeah...back to home. And I grew up in that pool so it would be especially fun. Do I dare say the Maine Marathon?? not sure. really really not sure about that one. If not, probably the half marathon.
You can sense my tone. Fun for 2010. Fun and Fast! I can't wait for Jen to train my legs to have zip and speed again!!! I'm excited.
At the same time..it's tough to get my fire right now. Everything is so far away. I am doing all my workouts and working hard but...I'm just waiting for the big drive to kick in again.
I think that'll happen when that big 4-0-hits.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Everyone Has a Story
Sportsmanship.....
While many of us go out and race with others on a regular basis, we don't always know the inside stories. We can read the race results and see who won. We can find out our friend's splits. We might be lucky and read about the conditions on race day. But as we all know, triathlons are more than that. Each and every athlete has as story every single time they race. They experience highs and lows that are worth listening to. They go through moments of succes, periods of suffering, and hopefully they experience the pure joy of crossing that finish line. These stories are all worth sharing.
I have a friend who has a new blog. I want to share it with you. His last entry inspired this post of mine. He wrote about his 2009 race season. I watched Bob race at many races this year. He had a fantastic season and topped it off with a super fast day at Clearwater. He worked as hard as anyone I know to earn that spot and then conquer that day in Florida.
While reading his stories, I realized what an incredible person he is. Now, he is my friend and I already knew this, but there was something different here. It's worth sharing...
In his first race of the year, his goal was to win. I like that goal. Why not go for it, right? The race was a duathlon ...run/bike/run. On the first loop of the run, Bob's competitors took a wrong turn. He was in 3rd at this point. Instead of continuing on the right way, and slipping easily into first place, Bob stopped. He hollered to the guys who were ahead and steered them back the right way. He even allowed them to get back in front of him. As he said, a win is not a win unless you are the fastest. He didn't want any freebies. He wanted to win honestly. Click here to find out if he won or not. Bob's Story
First place or not, I'd say Bob was the winner that day. Wouldn't you?
One of the reasons I have loved Triathlon is because of the people. I have experienced amazing sportsmanship in this sport. I come from a long history of competitive sports and this has not always been the case. This sport I am enjoying as an adult is full of hard core training, racing until I can't see straight, and some of the most inspiring people I have ever known.
Reading each others blogs allows us to peak into the stories out there. The special moments that make this sport great.
Thanks for sharing that Bob. You earned everything you got that day.
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