2012-The Year of the Doctor...and more

2012 was a year of illness and injuries.  Stress fracture, pulled muscles, sinus infections and bronchitis.  I've had enough drugs and doctors to last me a life time.

I have decided to ignore the negative.  I'm going to focus on the wonderfulness of 2012.

• We moved to a great house in a neighborhood we love.

One of our first neighborhood walks

• I found beautiful places to run.

• Had new adventures.

• Introduced the kids the beauty of a long hike.

• Penelope did her first triathlon

• Made new traditions.

• Qualified for the 2013 USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships.

10th in my AG :)

• Celebrated our 10 year anniversary.

Seems like a lifetime ago

• I some how have no pictures of Thanksgiving or Christmas.  But we did celebrate them, and they were fun!

• We played until we were exhausted.

I can only hope 2013 is as wonderful!!

December Recap

Week 1

• Starting weight-131.9
• Ending weight- 129.1 
• Planned workouts-6
• Completed workouts-5 

I have been watching what I eat, but 2 pounds is crazy. Was not expecting that.  I'm upset a I missed my swim yesterday, but I'm not going to beat myself up about it.  Boise is 6 months away. I have time.  I will get everything in next week.

Week 2

• Starting weight-129.1
• Ending weight-129.8
• Planned workouts-5
• Completed workouts- 3

This was not a great week as far as training goes.  It was Pnut's birthday.  She is 6 years old!!!  Between getting everything ready, having her party, having her school celebration, and having my mom here, workouts were hard to come by.  I also got sick.  I have a sinus infection.....again.
As far as the weight goes, I'm surprised I didn't gain more.  Pnut's cake was yummy, if I do say so myself :)  I'm still 2 pounds lighter than when the month started.  I'll take it.

I did get a bit of an ego boost this week.  I got an email from USTA.

Congratulations CHRISTY . You have qualified for the Olympic-Distance race at the 2013 USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships on August 10 in Milwaukee, Wis., after finishing in the top 10 percent in your age group at the Danskin Triathlon. 

How cool is that?!?!!?  I doubt I will go, but it is still awesome to qualify.

Week 3

• Starting weight-129.9
• Ending weight-127.5
• Planned workouts- 5
• Completed workouts- 0 :(

This week has been MISERABLE!  I was dealing with the sinus infection, which led to a HORRIBLE sore throat.  I was in tears Thursday night. It was so painful.  Pretty sure the weight loss was because it hurt too much to eat.  Certainly wasn't from exercise.  I'm going to put this week behind me and move on. 

Week 4 (I'm including the 29th-31st in this week)

• Starting weight-127.5
• Ending weight-128.2
• Planned workouts- 8
• Completed workouts- 3 (and these were not workouts on my training plan. These were just get to the gym and do something)

The last week of 2012.  Crazy.  I finally got over my sinus infection this week and the kids were healthy, for the most part. Unfortunately Brian got sick.  It is always something!!!  My sister came to visit, which was fun.  And of course, Christmas!!  We had a great day.  I'm not 100% sure why my workouts didn't happen this week. There was a ton going on, but I could have fit them in.  

So, how did I do with my December goals?  

Goal #1-Get in ALL my training sessions- Fail.   EPIC fail.  I didn't get 1 week with all of my training sessions.  I know I was sick, and it's early but things need to change.  

Goal #2-Lose 2 pounds- I'm down to 128.2.  Lost 3.7 pounds.  WAY better than I expected. 

Goal #3-Enjoy the holiday season!!-I enjoyed most of the season.  The days around Christmas were tough, with Brian being sick. It was great to see my mom and sister this month, and I have been enjoying the extra time with the kids (most of the time).  I'll say #3 is a win.

Not the month I was hoping for, but is it ever? Tomorrow is another day, a new month, a whole new year.  

Happy New Year!! Stay safe.

December Goals

I know we still have some days left in November, but I'm ignoring those.  I've decided they are going to be rough, let's pretend they don't exist and move on to some December goals.

My friend Erika was tired of hearing me complain graciously made me a customized training plan that starts December 1st.  If I added correctly (I might not have) there is a little over 7 hours on the bike, 33 miles of running, 6500 yds swimming, and 5 cross training days.  I still need to put in some core/strength training, I think.

Here are the goals:

Goal #1-Get in ALL my training sessions.  This is an ambitious goal, considering it's December.  I have family coming to visit, Christmas, and Penelope's birthday.  Plus the kids will be out of school, for what seems like half the month.

Goal #2-Lose 2 pounds.  Again, this is going to be tough. See above reasons and add Christmas baking and wine tasting.  I was going to go with 4 pounds but I figure 2 is realistic.  I might adjust to "don't gain weight" before I finish writing this.

Goal #3-Enjoy the holiday season!!  I can feel myself getting worked up about all the crap that has to be done.  I would like actually enjoy the family time, not spend it running around, doing what we think has to be done.

How am I going to achieve these lofty goals?!?!  Excellent question.

Plan to achieve goal #1

• Have a written schedule for each day.  If I don't have a schedule, I waste the day.  
• Tell my family (I'm pretty certain they don't read my blog) what my training plan is.
• Get new shoes, so I can run without hurting myself.
• STRETCH, so I won't get hurt.

Plan to achieve goal #2

• Wake up knowing what I'm going to eat.  I need to have an idea of what I will eat, each day.  And I need to have that food in the house.
• Tell my family I'm going to be eating healthy, and ask them to support me.  
• Stop eating the kid's leftovers.
• Lay off the grains.  They are my downfall (along with wine).  Once I start eating them, I can't stop.
• Speaking of wine. I'm not sure  I'm sure I'm not ready to give up wine for the month.  See Goal #3.  

Plan to achieve goal #3

• Decide what is important.  We have very few, if any, free weekends in December.  Pnut's surgery is Thursday, so I'm not sure how she's going to feel this weekend.  Then we have her birthday party.  Before you know it, it's December 15th and we have 2 weekends before Christmas.  
• Make a list of "would like to do" and "have to do.  If I get the have to's finished, we can move to the "like to's".

So, that's my December plan.  I have 3 days to get ready.

Week 4

Holy moly, what a crazy week!! We had friends in for Thanksgiving.  Five kids running around like lunatics!!  It was great.

Due to Thanksgiving, and having company (and any other excuse I can think of) my training was a bit lax.   The week started off great and went down hill from there.

Monday- Rode 16.8 miles
Tuesday-Ran 1.5/weights/stretching
Wednesday- Rode 15.5
Thursday- Ran 3
Friday- Nothing
Saturday- Nothing
Sunday-Thought about riding my bike.

I know I've said this 100 times, but I need a plan.  I will seriously get on that this week.

Speaking of this week...I feel like I'm setting myself up for failure.  I had a doctors appointment this morning and I have ART this afternoon.  Pnut is having surgery Thursday and will be home recovering Friday. Add that to the fact that both kids are coming down with something, and I'm getting worked up that I won't have time to do any training.  And I won't, if I don't plan ahead.  Like today, I was awake at 5:45, but I couldn't get out of bed.  At 7:00 I finally forced myself to get up.  That could have been an hour on my bike.  Instead, it was a wasted (all be it warm and comfy) hour.  I'm hoping to get my priorities in order.

Speaking of priorities, I need to make eating better a priority.  I feel like a bloated cow right now.  I ate my weight in cheese and pie over the weekend.  It's hard to feel like doing anything when you have a tummy full of cheese.  This is a rough month for eating right.  Things could easily spiral out of control.

This was me, minus the cleavage.
Actually found this at http://samantharentz.blogspot.co.uk/

Anyone have any tips to avoid starting the New Year, 10 pounds heavier than you were in October?  I'm thinking about starting Bob Harper's The Skinny Rules...again. Apparently reading it isn't enough.

Week 3

This was the best week yet! I know, it's only week 3.  But...I have rekindled my love for my bike.  Strangely enough I have discovered that having the trainer in the garage is awesome.  I thought I would hate it, but I love having the door open and feeling the wind (and sometimes blowing rain). In a few months, I might even get back to riding outside :)

I have been slacking on stretching and weights.  I need to remember that this is the time for that.  Putting in the time now will hopefully save me from injuries later.  Something else missing from my training....swimming.  I don't know what my deal is.  I love swimming, I just can't seem to get to the pool.

I need to come up with a plan and follow it.  I never know what I'm doing each day.  I feel like I'm kind of floundering.

On a side note, yesterday my friend Erika became an Ironman.  I spent the whole day tracking her and checking her husbands Facebook updates.  I was mesmerized.   I got choked up watching her cross the finish like.  I seriously almost cried.  She has inspired me.  One day soon.....


Here's how my week went.

Monday-4 mile run/core/stretching
Tuesday-rest
Wednesday- 24 miles bike
Thursday-14.7 miles bike
Friday-rest
Saturday-3 mile run/stretching
Sunday-12.5 mile bike

Want

My friend Erika is in Arizona getting ready for her first Ironman!!  I am super excited for her.  As I listen to her journey I get a twinge of jealousy.  For as long as I can remember I've wanted to do an Ironman.  I was thinking about this yesterday and it hit me....Wanting doesn't really get you anywhere.

Erika wanted to do an Ironman.  THEN she came up with a plan and trained her ass off for 40 something weeks.  If she stopped at wanting, she'd be back in Seattle with me.  Anyone can want something.  You need action and commitment to actually get it.  Erika made a commitment and took action.  She is an inspiration.

So yesterday, inspired and intent on action, I got on my bike and rode for 90 minutes.  I will not be afraid to go after what I want!!

Week 2

Week 2 was not a great one for training.  I had family in town, both kids had dentist appointments, and Pnut had an appointment with the ENT.  I realize there was time in the days to do all this and still get in my workouts, but I didn't have the energy.  It was one of those weeks where all I could do was get out of bed and do the necessities. I fed the kids, took them to school, made sure they had clean(ish) clothes....I was mentally exhausted.

Here's what I was able to do:

Monday-rest-(I need to stop the planned rest days. Something will always come up where I will have to rest)
Tuesday-2 mile run/weights/stretching
Wednesday-nothing
Thursday-nothing
Friday-nothing
Saturday- 3 mile run/weights/stretching
Sunday- 1 hour bike (15.7 miles)/stretching

I'm not happy with it, but I'm not going to beat myself up over it.  I'm hoping Next week will be better!!

There was a bright spot in the week.  My friend Erika (Who will be an Ironman this time next week) sent me these flowers to cheer me up.  Such a nice and unexpected surprise!!

Week 1

Started at 133 pounds.  Higher than I had been in the last few weeks.  Not sure what that's about.  I'd like to be closer to 125 when I start my training plan. We shall see....

Monday-30 min bike.  Stretching and core work.  Bike felt awesome.  I averaged 18 mph.
Tuesday-2 mile run. Weights/stretching
Wednesday-Ate my weight in Halloween candy

Thursday-See Wednesday :(
Friday-40 min bike-Intervals-5min hard/2 min easy- This was hard but felt good.
Saturday-nothing
Sunday-2 mile run/weights/stretching

Not exactly how I wanted the first week to go, but it's a start.  Hopefully I can get a solid couple weeks in before Thanksgiving.

On to week 2!!

Food Fights

Once upon a time, there was a girl who loved to cook.   She enjoyed trying new recipes.  She loved to sit at the table and eat with friends.  Then she had kids....

I dread mealtimes now.  It started as soon as Pnut began eating solid food.  She wouldn't gain weight.  My days consisted of making food, measuring food, and recording the amount of food she ate.  Then I'd take the food journal to the doctor, he'd look at it and weigh Pnut.  Usually she didn't gain weight.  Food has always been a chore with her.

Now my days start dreading any morning that we don't have pancakes for breakfast.  Every. Single. Morning.  Even if I make something Pnut likes, she will freak out because she wants pancakes.  Oatmeal, yogurt, granola, eggs...freak out. She is a carb junky!!

For some reason lunch isn't usually an issue.  I should look into why that is.

Next comes snack time.  Every weekday around 2:30 I scramble around trying to find a snack for Pnut after school.  Something healthy and filling, that she can eat in the car.

Then there is dinner.  Noodles with butter, rotisserie chicken, broccoli, fish, hamburgers.  This is what Pnut will eat.  Little Dude isn't a big dinner fan.  He usually has breakfast, lunch, and a snack.  He will sometimes pick at dinner, but rarely eat it.  I'm ok with that.  What I'm not ok with is Pnut's whining and screaming and freaking out whenever I make something that is not on that list.   And it's not like I'm making liver and onions. And forget some kind of casserole.  Or any kind of one pot meal. Ingredients can't touch each other.

So I deal with an hour of drama.  It ends either with her choking down dinner (bitching and moaning the whole time) or just leaving the table without eating.

Now comes bedtime.  Almost without fail, as soon as I say it's time to get ready for bed, she cries and screams that she is "SOOOO HUNGRY".  So I send my tiny little girl to bed crying that she's starving.

It's 7:50 pm.  I'm already wondering what to make for breakfast tomorrow.

Boise or Bust

I've got my eyes set on next season's A race....Ironman Boise 70.3.  It's June 8th.  I picked Boise for a few reasons.  It's close by, less hilly than Lake Stevens, we have friends and family in the area, AND it starts at noon.  NOON!!!  A triathlon that starts at noon.  Awesome.

So, that gives me about 32 weeks to get ready.  One thing I am certain of, I will get healthy and strong before I start training.  I figure I need about a 20 week training plan.  That gives me 12 weeks to get ready.

I need to concentrate on strength training, stretching and PT.  I went for a 4.5 mile run yesterday.  I felt ok, but around mile 3 I started to feel my hip get tight and the side of my knee was hurting.  I need to fix whatever is going on before I start serious training.

My friend Erika has agreed to help me come up with a training plan.  We exchanged text messages about it.  That's pretty much a legally binding agreement, right?

As for the next 12 weeks:

Monday-Bike
Tuesday-Run/weights
Wednesday-Swim
Thursday-Run/weights
Friday-Bike
Saturday-Run/weights
Sunday-

I'll do PT exercises and stretching every day.  If I get brave enough, I will start doing some yoga.  We will see.

Operation Get Strong starts tomorrow!

I'm OK with 2

I went for a run yesterday.  It was the first time in a couple months that I was able to run without coughing like an 80 year old smoker.  I didn't run far and I didn't run fast.  I ran 2 miles, more or less in a around than 20 minutes.  I ended up turning my Garmin off because I kept getting frustrated with my pace.

As I was nearing my house, I got a little teary.  I think it was the weather.  It was gray, windy and wet.  It reminded me of when we first moved into our new house.  I was running a lot more then.  I thought about my first run here.  It was 8 miles and it felt great.  That was in February.  Eight  months later and I was struggling with 2 miles.  I was sad.

Then I started thinking, that 8 mile run was February 19th. I didn't start running (again) until the January.  So I went from nothing to 8 in less than 2 months.  This made me feel better.  I'm not where I want to be but at least I'm no longer sick or injured.

10th Anniversary

Friday is my 10th wedding anniversary! Insane that I've been married for 10 years.  How am I old enough to be married for 10 years? Crazy.

So...what are our big 10th anniversary plans?  Well, I will be flying across the country, leaving Brian with the kids for the weekend.  My best friend, Karen, is having a party to celebrate her marriage, baby, and the long awaited completion of her PhD. She has been a busy girl.

It is funny celebrating Karen's amazing year on our anniversary.  The 3 of us go way back.

At Karen's house before a school dance. I think this was 1992.

I can't believe I'm even sharing this picture.  It was 20 years ago.  I'm the one on the left with the RIDICULOUS hair.  Pretty cool we are all still together.  I'm sad that Brian won't be at the party.  It would be great for the 3 of us to celebrate together.  We have all done an awful lot since this picture was taken.  We have been separated by many miles and have gone years without talking. But when we got back together, it was like no time had past.  This is true for me and Karen as well as me and Brian.  They are two of the most important people in my life.  

Brian's 37th birthday party.

Here are some wedding pictures, because I got caught up looking at them this afternoon.

It was an amazing day. It has been an even more amazing 10 years.  

One Step Closer

I've been struggling with respiratory issues for about 6 weeks now. It is getting old.  This morning I went to NW Asthma and Allergy to get some answers. Pnut went with me because she didn't have school today.  I knew this would be a long appointment so I was prepared.  I downloaded all kinds of stuff on the iPad.  Thank goodness I did, because the appointment was longer than I expected.

Once I got there the nurse made me breathe into a tube.  My breathing was in the normal range. I took this as a good sign since the last two doctors I had seen kept talking about asthma.  Next, I met with an intern (or maybe a Fellow) either way, he asked me a billion questions.  I did have to confess to smoking (many moons ago) while Pnut was in the room.  Thankfully she was watching Scooby Doo and I don't think she heard.  I sure hope not.

Next I was tested for allergies.

This caused a lot of coughing and a runny nose, but no hives.  So the doctor decided to do some more testing.  Something called inter-dermal testing. They shot the stuff into my arm.  This was a little unpleasant, but not bad.

It turns out I'm a little allergic to cats, dogs and dust mites.  The doctor didn't think my allergies were bad enough to be causing my problems.  So.....we moved on to a CT Scan.  These guys were not messing around.  I have the CT Scan and the nice lady who did it took some time to show the pictures to Pnut and explain what was what.  She loved it.  

When the doctor came back he explained that I have a sinus infection and this was the cause of my breathing problems.  I was SUPER thankful to be finished with all the asthma talk.  A sinus infection seems much more manageable.  

I'm on another 14 days of antibiotics plus another round of steroids.  I had to stop the last round of steroids because the side effects were so bad.  I'm really not looking forward to taking it again.  At least it's only 4 days.  I was told I could start running again after I finish the steroids.  I REALLY hope this works.  I'm anxious to get back out there.  I feel like I'm one step closer.  I hope I'm one step closer.

Good Enough

I'm about at the end of my rope.  I have somehow become Room Mom for Little Dude's class.  I'm doing volunteer training for Pnuts school tomorrow so I can work in her classroom.   Speaking of Pnut's school, it's a 30 min drive, each way.  This is a ridiculous amount of driving.  We also have swimming, gymnastics and a crazy amount of birthday parties.   I should say that all of this is exactly what I've always wanted. Not the drive to Pnut's school, but everything else.  The whole reason I stopped working was so I could do these things.   So why is it so difficult?

I once read a parenting book that talked about "good enough" parenting.  I thought the idea of this was silly.  Is being "good enough" really enough?  Shouldn't we strive for a little more than good enough?  I'm trying, but it might be killing me.

I'm trying to eat better and trying to get my family to eat better.  This means a lot of cooking from scratch and a lot of listening to people complain about what I feed them.  I end up getting frustrated because I spend so much time and energy (and money) making food that's good for them and they don't eat it.  I keep telling myself if that's all they get, they will eat it.  But I end up caving and buying crap.  I guess sometimes crap has to be good enough.

Other than the school stuff, I'm trying to figure out Pnut's sinus issues and my own allergy/sinus/asthma stuff.  I'm so tired of dealing with it.   I'm taking Pnut to a nutritionist to see if she might be allergic to something.  We are going on  year 3 of trying to find answers.  I'm so sick of it.  I hate that she lives in a constant state of uncomfortableness.  I hate that no one has figured out what is causing it.  No one is really even looking for the cause, they are just looking for a fix.  As much as I don't want to do anymore, I feel that this is not a time when "good enough" is enough.

As far as my stuff goes, I have an appointment with an asthma/allergy specialist on Friday.  I'm hoping they can help me out and I can get back to training.  I tried to run a few days ago.  I made it a mile before I started coughing up gross stuff.  For the rest of the day and the next couple days I was coughing and wheezing.

I haven't consistently trained since March.  It sucks but there is nothing I can do about it.  I'm hoping I'll have some answers Friday.

So, bottom line...I can only do so much.  I can't be great at everything, it is too hard.  Sometimes I just have to be good enough.

Summer, what happened?

I had such grand plans for this summer.  Our first summer, as a family, in the Pacific Northwest.  In case you've never been, summer in Seattle is amazing.  Short, but amazing.  Now, here it is, September 13th and I'm looking back at a less than amazing summer.  Sure, we had some fabulous times, but it was nothing like what i was hoping for.

First of, my race season was a bust.  I struggled through the Rock n Roll half.  I couldn't do Lake Steven's 70.3.  The inaugural Edmonds Half is this weekend and I can't run it.  It has been a summer plagued by injury and illness.  These things happen.  You deal (and complain) and move on.

I did have some good races.  The Issaquah Sprint and the Danskin were fun and I did better than expected in both.

There is still a chance I can do the Snohomish River Run at the end of October.  Not a great chance, but a chance.

Second, the family aspect of summer.  The kids are home from school, the sun is out, days are longer, sounds perfect.  Not so much.  Pnut and I had a rough summer.  We argued and cried and screamed.  It was sad.  It still is sad, but we are working on it.

We did have some great summer time fun.  We had trips to Leavenworth, days at the beach, farmer's markets, visits from friends and family, cook outs, and tons of festivals.

Pool at Leavenworth

Orcas Island

Leavenworth

Tide pooling

More than anything, I feel bad that I didn't take full advantage of it.  It is still nice out, but the days are getting shorter, the kids are back in school and our schedules are packed.

All I can do now is move on and enjoy all fall has to offer.

I am so close to being well again.  Today is my last day of this ridiculous assortment of medicine.

I am hopeful my lungs will let me run soon.  I am confident I will get a few bike rides in before the rain comes.  I am optimistic Pnut and I will work through whatever is going on.  How could we not?

She isn't missing part of her head :)

Now that I've written this, I feel like I should cross out the first paragraph.  It wasn't a perfect summer, we had our ups and downs, but it was pretty darn good.

Foiled Again

My plan to jump start my working out and eating right has blown up in my face.  Last weekend I had a great race which got me all pumped up to get back to the gym.  The day before the race I wasn't feeling my best.  After the race I felt worse. I brushed it off as allergies.  I did the Shakeology 3 day cleanse to get my body ready for healthy eating.  I felt bad the whole time.  I figured it was lack of calories and caffeine.  After the cleanse, I still felt bad.  I also had friends come into town this weekend.  I went from eating/drinking nothing but healthy stuff for 3 days, to drinking beer and eating burgers, in less than a day.

So, my jump start into healthy living turned into a weekend of drinking, eating junk, having a sinus infection and the beginning of bronchitis.  It has led me to gain back at least a few of the pounds I lost and has landed me in bed, not the gym.

I could let this get me down, but I'm not going to.  I'm not letting this ruin my jump start.  It's just a little hiccup.  Jump start part 2 begins tomorrow...if I can workout without coughing up a lung.

Shakeology Cleanse

I decided to give the 3 day Shakeology Cleanse a try.  I've wanted to do a cleanse for awhile, I've just been scared.  You can actually eat while doing this one so I figured I'd give it a try.  It is a 3 day "cleanse" but you eat 3 Shakeology shakes a day, some fruit and a salad with chicken of fish.  It limits your calories but not a ridiculous amount, like a typical cleanse.  I am most nervous about not having coffee or wine. I realize it's only 3 days but it will still be hard.

Here's how went:

Day 1

I woke up still unsure if I was really going to do this.  The fact that I ran out of sugar for my morning coffee made the decision easier.

7:30- Glass of green tea and a shake made with water and a banana. (213 calories)

10:30- hand full of blackberries.  Thankfully I have a blackberry bush on my street.  I grabbed some on our walk back from the park :) (20ish calories)

11:00-  Freaking out a little. Not that I was starving but the ham and cheese I made for the kids looked really good.

12:30-Shake with water and ice. (160 calories) Glass of green tea.

2:30-I feel like crap.  Not sure if it's the lack of food or lack of caffeine or my cold.

5:30-I was dying.  Killer headache and couldn't concentrate on anything.  Also had a very short fuse. Realize I should have had my snack shake this afternoon around 3 or 4.  I'll know better tomorrow.

6:00-Salad with 4oz(ish) of chicken, olive oil and vinegar.  (350ish calories)

7:30- Shake with water (160 calories)

I'm feeling much better after dinner and the final shake.  I should add that I'm drinking a ridiculous amount of water.  Not sure how much but I'm peeing all the time.  I'm estimating some of these calories but at the end of Day 1 I had around 900 calories.  WAY less than a normal day This explains why I was feeling sluggish and run down for most of the day.  I'm not sure I can live on 900 calories for 2 more days. We will see.

Now if I can get through the night without being tempted by that bottle of wine on the counter....


Day 2:


I had a great sleep last night.  Still have an annoying cough and itchy throat but I slept way better than the previous night.  I woke up feeling rested and my headache, while it's still there, is much less noticeable.  I got on the scale when I woke up and I lost 2 pounds yesterday.  I'm not 100% sure how I feel about that.  Nice that I lost 2 pounds but I'm guessing most of that is water and not eating enough calories.  I'm not sure that 2 pounds will stay off when I start eating real food.


6:50-Green tea

7:00-Shake with water and 1/2 a banana (213 calories)

9:15-1/2 banana (53 calories)

11:30-tired and cranky.  Snapping at the kids. Not sure this is worth it.

12:15- Shake with water and a handful of blackberries.  Feeling better. (180 calories)

1:30-Took a little nap while the kids were resting.  I have no energy.

2:45-Shake with water, ice and a tbls of almond butter.  The almond butter might be cheating but, I don't care. (260 calories)

3:30-Feeling pretty good. Just had a glass of green tea.  Might make it through the day.

5:45- Salad with 4 oz chicken, olive oil and balsamic vinegar (350 calories)

7:45-All in all feeling pretty good.  My stomach is less bloated and my energy is coming back, a little.  I'm still not sure if I will do Day 3. I'm going to see how I feel when I wake up.

I'm estimating a lot of these calories.  Today is somewhere around 1056.


Day 3.

I woke up unsure if I was going to stick with it for the last day.   My head hurt and I'm still groggy.  I decided to take the kids to a coffee shop for breakfast.  I ended up with green tea.  So...I guess I'm not ready to throw in the towel just yet but I'm still on the fence about today.  I wouldn't be surprised if I stopped half way through.

I got on the scale this morning and I'd lost a little more than a pound.  That's around 3 pounds so far.  My stomach is way less bloated and my love handles seem smaller.  This could be my calorie deprived brain playing tricks on me.  Who knows.

7:30-Green tea

8:00-Shake with water and frozen peaches (185 calories)

10:15- Half of banana.  I'm feeling pretty good so far. (53 calories)

12:15- Shake with water, 1/2 banana and 1 tbls almond butter (313 calories)

1:00- I'm feeling really good so far.  I think I'm going to make it the whole day.  I'm already planning tomorrow's breakfast :)

3:00- 2 slices of apple and shake with water and half a banana. (213 calories)  I'm not even really hungry.  I'm just drinking it because I feel like I should.  I'm pretty happy it's the last shake of the cleanse.

5:30- Salad with chicken, oil and vinegar.  Pretty sick of this meal too. (350 calories)

So....if I can not eat or drink anything for the next few hours, I have done it!  Day 3 I had around 1115 calories.  I have to say I felt really good today compared to the last 2 days.  I'm glad I stuck with it. I'm really interested to see how I feel once I start eating again.

Day 4-

I made it through Day 3! The WHOLE way through.  I'm really proud of myself for sticking with it.  If nothing else, it showed me I have more will-power than I thought.  All in all I lost 4 pounds.  I am less bloated and I feel pretty good.  I was so excited to have a cup of coffee this morning.  I made it with milk and sugar (like always) and it is way too sweet.  I think this is a good sign.

I'm hopeful the weight will stay off.  Between this "restart" of my healthy eating and the awesome race I had last weekend, I think I'm on the right track.  I'm starting my off season workout schedule today.  Mind you I have no idea what that looks like, but it's not even 7am.  I'll figure it out.

One last word on the cleanse.  I'm am not a doctor.  I have no idea if this is healthy or not.  I am in no way recommending it to anyone.  I just wanted to document my experience and thought I'd share it.

I'll check in a few weeks from now and let you know if it was all worth it.

Danskin Recap

Pre-race-

Woke up around 4.  Had coffee and  peanut butter/banana toast for breakfast, got dressed and headed out.  I met up with Erika around 5:15 and we walked down to transition.  I was worried about parking but it was pretty uneventful.

We arrived at transition a few minutes before it opened. That has never happened before.  Once it opened I got my stuff set up.  Again, uneventful. 

Since I registered the day before I was stuck in the last wave of individuals.  This was about an hour after the first wave.  Thankfully they didn't close transition, so I was able to keep my warm clothes on until the last minute.   

Swim-

I knew this was going to suck. Being in the last wave of a big "first timers" race is not the best spot to be in if you're a decent swimmer.  The first quarter wasn't bad.  Then I hit a traffic jam.  I ended up swimming REALLY wide to try to avoid everyone.  I was extra cautious not to run into or over people because I knew most of the ladies still in the water were having a hard time.

Time-15:38

Rank- 112/1529 over all

They don't break down each event by AG.  There were too many people for me to figure out my AG rank. 

T1- 

The run from the lake was pretty far.  I was pretty quick getting my shoes and helmet on.  Not much I could have done to make this faster.  Maybe run faster from the lake.

Time-2:42

Bike-

I really wanted to ride fast.  The course was pretty flat except a short steep climb up to 90.  This was tricky because there were a few people riding very slow and a couple getting off their bikes to walk. I was able to get around everyone without much of a problem.  There were a lot of people on the course but the lanes were wide enough that passing wasn't too much of a problem.  There was a crazy crosswind coming back across the 90 bridge.  Other than that it was a pretty easy ride.

Time-38:02

MPH-19.4 (This is really fast for me)

Rank 84/1529 (my bike rank has NEVER been better than my swim)

T2-

This is slower than it should have been.  It took forever to get my socks and shoes on.  I also had problems running with my bike.  Not sure if my legs were tired or what.  I need to work on this.  

Time-1:46

Run-

My legs felt much better than I expected. It took a few minutes but I found my stride pretty early.  I looked at my Garmin at mile 1. I was at a 8:50 pace and was super happy about it.  Shortly after that, my Garmin died.  My legs felt good the whole race.  My lungs were a different story.  I'm coming down with a cold or something and breathing wasn't easy.  There was a hill at 2.5 miles.  That sucked.  I forced myself to run the whole way, but a few people passed me on the hill. I pushed as hard as I could after the hill.  All in all, a great run for me.

Time-26:24

Pace- 8:30/mile

Rank-183 (sucks to lose 100 places on a 5k run)  

Overall Time-1:24:33

Overall Rank- 70/1529

Age Group Rank- 10/142

I am super pleased with this race.  I couldn't have asked for more.  I'm hoping this race will give me the motivation I need to jump start my training.

Fabulous Friday

Happy Friday!!  I'm not sure why, but I woke up this morning feeling like a new person.  I can't put my finger on what it is exactly, but I feel good.  It's getting close to fall (although it doesn't feel like it in the Pacific Northwest).  Fall is like my New Year.  I don't know why, but I always feel like things are starting new in the fall.  I love it!!

Last night I decided to register for the Danskin Sprint Tri.  It's Sunday.  I've never decided to do a race so spur of the moment.  I know I can finish but I'm a little nervous since I haven't trained AT ALL.  Brian made a joke that I'm the Allen Iverson of racing.  No practice, just racing :)  I am hoping it gets my head back in the racing/training game.

I did the Danskin in 2005.  I think it was my second triathlon.  It was a lot of fun.  I looked up my finish time last night.  1:30:28.  I am pretty impressed.  I remember training hard for this, 7 years ago.  Not sure how this weekends time is going to compare.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in beating my 30 year old self :)

In other news, I'm anxiously waiting for Pnut's CT results.  Hoping to hear today and hoping they can figure out what is going on in her sinuses and fix it!

Have you ever registered for a race last minute?

Do you call the doctor 100 times a day, asking for test results or is that just me?

Have a great weekend!!

Just Mommy

The past few months I've had no energy to be anything more than Mommy.  I have been in mommy survival mode.  I told my mom I felt like I was in the ocean and I didn't know how to swim.  I didn't have time to learn to swim, I was just keeping my head above water.  I was in the middle of a crazy storm (I call it Hurricane Pnut) and I couldn't do anything but hold on and try to ride it out.  I did what I had to and nothing more.  The kids ate (way more take out than I'd like).  They made it to swimming and camp. Brian occasionally had dinner ready when he got home.

That was all I could do.  I went out for the occasional run and sometimes made it to the gym but not often.  I was constantly putting out fires.  I was angry and resentful and had no control over anything in my life.

My mom has been in town for a few days.  I've kind of seen my life through her eyes the last few days.  Does that make any sense?  Seeing her shock to my everyday life made me realize exactly how crazy it was.

Bottom line, I have a difficult child.  She is brilliant, funny, imaginative, perceptive, sensitive, whiny, manipulative, and moody.  This is who she is.  My parenting has been ineffective for her.  We have gotten ourselves locked in an ugly cycle; she does the same thing, I do the same thing, nothing gets better.

Yesterday morning, as I held back tears, watching my mom pull out of the driveway, I was at the end of my rope.  My life was out of control and I didn't know what to do.  I wanted to curl up and cry.

Thankfully I have a wonderful husband.  He took the kids upstairs and helped them clean their rooms.  I did laundry and started to clean.  I was trying to keep busy.  If I looked at anyone, I'd start to cry.  Before I knew it, our house was getting organized and I started to feel better.

I came up with a plan, with the help of my new favorite book, "The Difficult Child" and a ton of blogs/websites.   I have just started to implement it but so far, so good.  I know Pnut will test me.  I know I need to be consistent (this is hard for me).  Here are a few things I did to help out:

Found this on Pinterest

I'm putting the kid's toys in here when they don't put them away.  So far, they are REALLY into doing the chores.  So much so, they have put some toys in here just so they can do chores to get them out.  Going to need different chores.

I made these so Pnut and Little Dude would know what to do in the morning.  It worked this morning. No one argued about getting dressed or brushing their teeth.  We'll see how things go in the coming mornings.

I made these so they would know exactly what to do when I say clean your room.

I have a night time routine too. I need to make cards for that.  

I'm hoping all this will limit my need to yell and get upset.  Everyone knows what is expected.  These are the rules/routines, you decided if you want to follow them or have the consequences of not following them. 

I'm thinking about making a chart where they can put stars on for every time them follow the routine.  We can have some prize after so many stars.  I'm not sure.  I don't want to make it too complicated.

This is my plan.  I'm crossing my fingers it works.  I'm ready to be more than mommy again.

Saltwater

I had an incredibly difficult morning last Saturday.  I'm not even sure what started it.  Before I knew it, Pnut and I were in an epic battle.  Looking back, it wasn't our worst; it was just at the end of a few difficult weeks.  I am exhausted from the constant battles.  At one point we were cuddled up in her bed, both of us crying.

I decided I needed to get out. I had to go for a run.  I was exhausted but my mind was still racing.  I needed to shut it off.  I got dressed and took off.

I burst into tears at the end of my driveway.  I was running and crying.  This is not easy.  I ran faster, still crying.  I told myself there has to be a pace at which you can't run and cry.  I needed to find that pace.  I didn't want to cry. I didn't want to think.  I ran faster and faster.  I ended up a mile from my house, on the beach, 7:10 minutes later.  7:10!  I've never ran a mile in 7 minutes and 10 seconds.  Granted it was only one, but still faster than I'd ever ran.  I felt good.  Physically and mentally exhausted. I sat, staring at the beach, for a few minutes.  I tried to keep my head clear.

I finally had to keep going.  I ran (not nearly as fast) a couple more miles and headed home.  Hopeful the tears, sweat, and the beautiful Sound were enough to clear my head, to deal with whatever was next.  

I'd like to say that 3 mile run turned the day around.  It didn't.  But it did give me enough strength and clarity to handle what was thrown at me.    

Beach day

There has been a lot of stress in my life over the last few weeks.  We are having issues with our house in Baltimore, Pnut is having some problems, Little Dude is almost 3 and is crazy and last night Brain told me the shower in our master bathroom is leaking.  This morning I had a heated debate (over email) with the people managing our house in Baltimore.  I was having a rough morning.

I knew today was going to be a beautiful day, weather-wise.  I did not want all the crap going on to ruin that.  There was nothing I could do about Pnut's tantrums, Little Dude's 3-ness, a house 3,000 miles away or a leaky bathroom. I guess I could have called someone about the bathroom.....

I texted a friend (I have one or two out here) to see if she wanted to meet up. THANKFULLY she did.  She suggested the beach.  We were set to meet at 11.  I couldn't wait.  I was in desperate need of a beach day.  I knew it wouldn't be like going to Ocean City, but I was going to make it as beachy as possible.  I packed up our beach toys, chairs, towels, and lunch.  We drove the 2 minutes to the beach, parked and carried all our stuff to the beach. 

This is what it looked like. That's my chair.

Not your typical beach.  It was 9:30.  It got more crowded as the day went on.

The kids were more interested in the seal family.

Once Michelle and her children got there, we were able to get them to the beach.  I didn't tell Pnut and Little Dude they were coming.  It was a big surprise.  They were super happy. 

I was super happy.  Michelle and I actually go to sit on the beach and talk for a couple hours.  Not uninterrupted time, but not too many interruptions.  The kids played and ate lunch and built sand traps and dug giant holes....it was perfect.  That NEVER happens.  And I SOOOOO needed it.  

Here are a few more pictures.  

I have pictures of Pnut, but she was never far from Michelle's kids and I'm not sure how she feels about me posting pictures of them here.  On that note, Pnut informed Michelle that she loves her son. She loves me 100% but she loves him more than that.  I'm certain there will be a post about that soon.

We ended it with a stop for frozen yogurt.  Again, Pnut was stuck to Michelle's son. I promise she was there, enjoying her yogurt with Mike and Ikes and gummy worms.

This was not a "beach day" like the ones I am used to.  Not the kind I expected my children to grow up knowing.  But this is what we have, and it's great.  

Now....who do you call about a leaky shower????

The Race Season that Wasn't

This race season is not turning out they way I expected it to.  July 21st and I've done 2 races, and I have none on the horizon.  This is mostly injury related.   A stress fracture and a pulled calf muscle have put a damper on things.  That and a cracked fork.  Have you heard about that :)

I've decided this season isn't for racing.  I'm going to use this time to get healthy and stronger.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed.  I am.  But I'm trying to see the bright side.  I have a chance to do things that will set up a great season next year.  This time next year I plan to be healthy, stronger and hopefully a little smaller.

I am working really hard to lose some weight.  I started reading Skinny Rules by Bob Harper.  "Reading" might be the wrong word. I skimmed it for the important parts and I'm using his menu plan.  Today is day 6 and so far I've lost 1.5 pounds.  At this rate I will be at my goal (at least what I think is my goal) in 3 more weeks.The crazy thing is I haven't been working out much.  I ran twice this week, for a total of less than an hour.  In the past I've worked out like crazy, ate whatever I wanted and lost nothing.  It's not like I was eating junk.  I've been good about what I eat, just not about how much.  I guess it's true...

Other than just losing weight, I'm feeling better all around.  I have more energy and I just feel better.  Now if I can start exercising regularly again, I'll be set.  

Right now I'm thinking my big race next year will be Rev3 Portland 70.3.  I hope to be healthy and strong and ready to start serious training in February.