Fun on bikes and other cool toys

These are my boys. They've been riding their bikes in circles All Day Long.....they are so excited the snow is off the driveway. Little Nick just turned 4 and got his "cool orange racing bike" for his birthday. Tommy just discovered the fun of pogo sticking. It suits him very well. He gets to bounce and bounce and bounce. I wonder why we never called him Tommy the Tigger. Cameron is in the back. Note his Race #! He did his first Kid's Triathlon last July and still refuses to take the race tag off his bike.

One of the reasons I do this....

I had so much fun training yesterday. I started my Saturday morning bright and early with a swim. I left much earlier than necessary because I'm still used to winter travel times. The drive to the pool was a much nicer 30 minutes (instead of 45) so I was there early. I was so excited when the guard let us in the pool 20 minutes EARLY!!! Bonus. Finding time to swim is a challenge for me so this was great. I got to swim for about 75 min. rather than the measly 30.
The workout:
1000 warm up as 700 easy swim 3x100 a bit faster to get the body ready to work
300-400-300 w/ 15 sec. rest. I would repeat this set later and my goal was drop the times for each swim.
5x100 IM This felt great. I can finally rip out some butterfly without major pain in my shoulder. It's fun to mix the strokes up to work the whole body. I held these on 1:25
300-400-300 again--- I dropped my 300 time from 4:05 to 3:55 and the 400 from 5:28 to 5:18--cool
10x100 first 5 on 1:30 last 5 on 1:25 I was able to descend these down to 1:12 Sometimes I realize that I'm not kicking too hard. I think I have it in my head that I have to save my legs for the rest of the race but I'm not sure this is the way to go.
Fun Swim. I was excited to get in over 4600 yards.
I went home and started running around the house like a crazy person. My husband and kids are kind of used to this but they seemed a bit stunned that I started the second I walked in the door from my swim.
You see, we were having a party at 2:30. My oldest son, Cameron, received his Confirmation and First Communion last night. We were having my family and my in-laws over in the afternoon first. I had to clean the house and get all of us ready for this big event.
Finally I was done with that and was able to get out for my run.
It was sunny and about 50 degrees. Another bonus since the forecast was for a cold rainy day. It rained all night instead and the sun came out for the day.
I ran a 6 mile route that I love to do. Christian Ridge Road. It's beautiful and it's pretty hilly. I run it all the time so therefore, I Always compare my times and know how good I'm feeling that day based on that run. My husband and I also like to check our times against each other. The boys get such a kick out of Mommy being faster sometimes. So do I. :)
So, my run. I just felt so smooth. It was a nice feeling to have fresh legs and be able to hit cruise control and have some speed just come out. I ran the route several minutes faster than I have all year and only 1 minute slower than my "PR" on that run. It's nice to have those good training moments from time to time to keep the confidence high.

Today I have a long bike ride. I was really hoping to get outside but it's freezing. It's 41 degrees. I am a wimp about that. I'm not a wimp about much but I am about riding my bike in the cold.
Looks like yet another trainer day.

Countdown is on....3 weeks 'til Kick-off to Racing season!

Ahhhhh, Much better!!

I had to get back on the saddle. I couldn't hook my bike back up to the trainer for another week while I fretted about my painful ride the other day. I snuck out as soon as my husband got home from work. I never train in the evening (yet) so it threw my boys for a loop. I swear my oldest was hugging me as if I was going away on a trip. It was a bit strange really. Sweet, but strange. I promised I'd be right back and we'd all sit down to dinner and have a normal night.

The first improvement was my attire. I wasn't dressed for a day in the arctic this time. :) I shed the hat, neck warmer, wool socks and gloves. I gotta tell something else funny about the other day. I had my running gloves on. They have this cool magnet on the wrists so I won't lose them in the drawer. Well, when your wrists are centimeters apart when in aero position....whack. They were stuck together! This didn't really hurt anything but it gave me the feeling that I was trapped. Locked down in aero forever! I'm cracking up now at all the gear I wore that day. Today was so beautiful. Sunny and in the 60s. That's a big step for us here. I was so much more comfy when I started for that reason alone.

Second improvement...the saddle position. My husband raised the front of it up every so slightly this morning. It made a huge difference. I no longer felt like I was sliding forward into the bars.

Third and final adjustment....my attitude. I just realized that this bike means business. I am no longer out for a scenic ride in the foothills of Western Maine. I can no longer check out the neighbor's yards, the ducks in the ponds I ride by or you know, what's up ahead on the road!!! Gulp.

I can ride along and see the road ahead of me. I decided it's a little like sighting while swimming in the open water. You keep your head in the high but normal position and every so often you raise your eyes and neck oh so slightly to see the big picture and what's up ahead.

I felt much more stable. I felt stronger. I started this little ride on some false flats with a serious headwind. It wasn't easy but I felt fairly strong and a lot better than on my old bike. But when I turned around, LOOK OUT HERE I COME!!! I was absolutely Flying! I had a slight downhill, a tailwind and a hot new ride. It was good for the ego even if it wasn't all "my" speed. I didn't care. It was damn fun.

Now I have had a dose of the fresh air and I realize once again, why I dread the trainer. I was used to that machine in the playroom, but now I'm ready to toss it aside for a while. I'm afraid I'll have to wait. A big cold rainstorm is headed our way and while I gained some stability, comfort and confidence on ride #2 today, I'm not ready for that yet.

Tri season officially kicks off in just over 3 weeks. My first race of the year. It's the PolarBear sprint. I'm so so fired up. I checked the entrant list yesterday. It's going to be tough. There are a few unexpected fast girls entered this year. I just hope I can keep them in my sights for the swim and hold on in the bike this year. If I'm with them at the run I'll feel great. We shall see. I can't wait to get this party started!!

Do I HAVE to look up??

Today was the day. It was going to be great. The sun was shining, the roads were dry albeit full of canyons and covered with sand, and the temperature was a whopping 53 degrees! My husband said he could run home for 30 minutes so I could take my hard core new TT bike out for it's first spin on the *gasp* road!
I admit to feeling quite nervous. I also didn't want to freeze. It always feels colder the bike, as you know, and I was ill-prepared way too many times last year. So today I had winter socks and bike shoe covers, long cozy bike pants, 2 thick under armour shirts, a jacket over that, a neck warmer, a think under armour hat under the helmet and gloves!!! A little overkill. I paid for this preparation on the way back up the hill.
I have been spending hours and hours pedalling away on the bike this winter. I have done long rides, short rides, easy rides and very hard rides. I have worked very hard I must say.
But this was like a new sport!! I headed down the hill and immediately noticed how wobbly I was with this new "beauty bike." (that's a favorite family quote from my nephew. He's 12 now but when he was 4 he got a new bike and someone told him, "it's a real beauty." He called it his beauty bike. Very cute.) So, my beauty bike was tipsy. I had my hands on the brakes out of the aero position but to shift, I had to get down of course. I felt like I was flying across the road with no control. Help. I definitely can't crash again. No way.
I finally turned onto a road that wasn't one long down hill and was excited to really get the feel of the bike. I had to swallow hard and pray when several 18-wheelers whizzed by me with no care in the world. This road is super busy but the only one without Serious potholes.
Here in lies the problem I had today. My NECK!!!! OUCH!! My neck and shoulders were so so sore! My bike fit is so aggressive that it kills my neck to look up at the road! Not good. I have been practicing this on the trainer of course, but it's not the same. I guess I didn't realize just how far ahead I would feel I needed to see while outside. I'm not sure what to do. My bike specialist recently lowered the bars a hair because I was so comfortable he thought I could do it. It's been fine inside but today was not good. I am not sure if I'll adjust to it or if I should just go back to the old fit.
In addition to that, the wind was fierce and the hills were unforgiving. I was not happy with the way it felt. I am sure after more rides in the open air it'll feel better. But today I was fed a piece of humble pie.

Cool day for Mom

I had such a fun 20 minutes this afternoon. That's all it took to make my day. You see, I took 2 of my kids out for run. One at a time. They loved it and so did I.

We planned it ahead of time. Mommy would finish her training and then Cameron (he's 8) and Tommy (he's 6) would each get a turn "going for a run with Mommy."

I rode for 90 minutes. It was a tough one. It was 10 min spin, 10 min as 10 sec. sprint 50 seconds Aerobic pace, and then a 10 minute ride at TS (test speed) with a lower cadence. I repeated this 3 times. From there I headed out for a pretty short transition run. I did 3 miles. It felt Awesome!! My legs just felt loose and fresh and ready to rock. My first mile was at decent pace but mile 2 was smokin'. ( for me) I came home after 3 miles (coach's orders) but wished I could do more.

Tommy was waiting in the driveway. He was psyched. He is such a happy enthusiastic boy. I just love his spirit and hope we can encourage him to always hold on to that. He's one of those people who was born smiling. I had to really instruct him not to Sprint from the get-go. He just smiled. I had to really let him understand that I was serious. We live on a hill. The plan was to run up the hill (1/2 mile to the top) and then around the block. That's one more mile. Ooops. I got ahead of myself on that one. About 2 minutes up the hill and Tommy was dragging. We made it to the top, still all smiles, and decided to turn around and do more next time. He had a blast.

Cameron was next. He was a little more controlled when we started but it didnt' take him much longer to tire. He was determined to go longer than his little brother and he did. He went all the way to his Grandparent's house and then we turned around. They both loved running down the hill. Cam was super impressed when I told him that I ran up that hill 10 times as fast as I could the other day.

I hope the kids all learn to love fitness like I do. I don't care if they run or swim or bike or golf. As long as they love to move and have fun doing it. Even though our runs were super short, they were fun little adventures for me to do alone with each boy. (Nick's not far behind.) I hope we can do that kind of thing more in the future.

Balance

When I decided to start racing triathlons instead of an occasional road race, I was warned by some to make sure I balanced everything. Of course. That seemed obvious. I gave it a lot of thought however. My brother and another good friend must have said that to me 10 times each the first year. I wondered if they thought I was lopsided.

I came to this conclusion. This new endeavor of mine actually created my balance. When my oldest son was 2, I quit my job. I had been working hard as a Speech Pathologist for about 6 years since obtaining my Master's degree. I enjoyed my work. It was rewarding at times. However, I longed to be with my child every day and I lost focus at work. And then, my 2nd son was expected. It was time for me to stay home and I was lucky enough to be able to do that. I Love being a stay-home Mom. I really do. I have an Aunt that asks me EVERY SINGLE time she see's me if I'm still happy. "Aren't you bored?" she'll say. Bored? No, I'm busy. My 3rd son was born in 2004. Yes, I'm still happy to be home with the kids. I truly feel blessed that this is a choice that I can make.

That said, there was something missing. Something for me. I am happy to devote my entire day to the boys. However, now that they are all walking and talking and doing more and more without me, I realized I needed a little piece of time that was devoted to me. To nuturing my own soul. I had to make myself happy and complete in order to give myself back to them. This is a very hard thing for Mothers to do I believe. I have slowly learned to accept that my time away from them is not time I'm wasting. I am not giving up my time with my boys. I am taking care of my self (not just physically I must add) so that I can walk in the door ready to share my heart with them. I think this sport is what gave me Balance in my life. It gave me that small piece that was missing.

It is not easy to make these long training weeks work. Even as a Stay home Mom. I have to wake up in the 4a.m. hour and fight the fatigue. I have to put the trainer in the living room and squeeze in a fast 60 min ride while my son watches the 2 shows he's allowed each day. I run around town in my workout gear with sweat all over me. I smell like chlorine for half the day. I interrupt treadmill sessions 5-6 times to: get dry mittens, stop bickering kids from whacking each other, help the 4 year old take snowpants off to go pee and then alas, get new undies. All this in a recent 30 minute workout. We all do this. It's not easy.

As I head into the spring and hopefully nicer weather, my time out of the house training will increase. I will one day be able to take my new bike outside and therefore I'll be gone for a whole 3-4 hours some days instead of in the playroom watching them run around. I have to find a way to justify this some days. I have full support from my husband. I hope I can continue to make my schedule so that I keep that from him.

I hope that it is ok. I hope that I am teaching my children valuable lessons. I hope that watching their Mother work hard to achieve goals will teach them to do the same in their lives. I hope. I really really hope I am doing this the right way. It means a lot to me. Racing triathlon that is. But, my children and my husband mean more. I will continue to work to balance this new lifestyle.

I think about this almost every day. Will the answer ever be there?

Stretch!

I need to stretch. I am really really bad about stretching. I do a quick leg lift forward leg lift back before I hop on the bike or head out for a run. I stretch for a good 20 seconds before I jump in the water. Why am I so bad about this? I just don't' want to take extra time I guess. There's really no good reason. My body is tight though. I am feeling pretty strong but also pretty restricted. It's hard to explain. I've had a few kinks and pulls here and there and I know stretching would do wonders. This is one of my goals for next week. It'll be a recovery week so I'll have some extra minutes to devote to stretching and hopefully form a habit.

I've enjoyed some good hard workouts this week. I have had to dig deep inside and fight the burning fatigue in my legs. Two days ago I battled the 10 x 2 minutes uphill again. I did alright. I ran a little further than the day I did it after a long bike but by #8 I was really suffering. Yesterday I had a good swim and then a tough bike. The main set on the bike was 10x 3" of POE-that is parcelled out effort. My coach has me do this a lot. I have to make each 3 minute interval harder/faster than the one before. It's a trick not to start too hard or fast! This is a trick for me in nearly every race I've ever been in so it's a great drill for me. I was able to really push through this set and do it the way it was meant to be done. My HR rose quite high and I fought every single urge to slow down. I felt great about finishing that workout. I didn't leave anything behind on that one. Today, I did a 10 mile run. It is a beautiful sunny and rather warm day here in Maine. I was super lucky because my father in-law watched my son so I could run mid-day. What a treat! My route for 10 miles is beautiful because it overlooks the mountains but it is super hilly. I had to dig deep for this one too. I also had to work hard to keep my HR in check on those hills. The next few days are hard too. I have a long ride, a big swim of 6x500, a long brick and another interval bike ride. Yikes. I look forward to Monday and the beginning of a recovery week. I need to catch up on a little sleep I think.

Last night I went down to Portland (an hour drive for me) to try yet another bike saddle and to hang out for our Team's social night. It was a nice little Mommy's night out. There's one man that has been helping me through my bike purchase and now with this issue. Can I just say that I do not find discussing bike saddle discomfort terribly easy. Especially with men. I'm just not that open about that sort of thing. But, I overcame that and had my little conversation about "why" the last one wasn't going to work. I was finally all set up with the new one and now it was time to ride for a few minutes and get the fit readjusted. At first, I was riding along with just my friend helping me. Then, a hot shot coach/triathlete in these parts mozied over to watch and talk. Before I knew it, seven, yes seven, men were standing there discussing my fit. Uh, hello! I felt so uncomfortable!! I was already feeling gross in my bike shorts with winter white legs in front of this big giant mirror but with all those guys standing there I just felt totally awkward. I could hardly stand it. Thankfully, there wasn't any more detailed discussion about the saddle. I was so happy when that moment passed.

Something exciting happened at our home today! Some snow melted under out Forsythia bush and there is a batch of daffodils starting to pop out of the ground!!! We are all ecstatic. My boys are now shovelling snow off the lawn onto the driveway to hasten the melting process and hopefully allow more flowers to bloom.