The Good Life

"Oh this has gotta be the good life. This has gotta be the good life.

This could really be a good life, good life."

I don't think it is a coincidence that I heard this song on the radio several times this weekend. I am feeling very blessed. I'm not sure if it is the fact that I have been going to hot yoga on a routine once a week and carrying over the positive aspects into my daily life. Or maybe I am just looking at 2012 with a positive outlook.

We had such a great weekend. Friday night, the older two children had friends ride the bus home after school and had such a great afternoon/evening with their friends. Saturday, I got a 5 mile run in on the treadmill early in the morning as I watched Glee on the iPad (why haven't I watched Glee before?! It is brilliant!) We went to Pittsburgh for my son's first hockey game of the weekend, in which they only lost 1 out of the 3 games they played. Then we ate lunch at the original Atria's in Mt. Lebanon and decided on a whim to go to the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. We had an amazing time. It was perfect for all ages.

Sunday was the second hockey game of the weekend, and the team was unstoppable winning all 5 games. My son got an amazing goal in the 4th game. The team only allowed 4 goals in all 5 games and had about 20 goals but we lost track since they don't keep an official score in the 8 and under groups.

All three of my kids amaze me every day. Oh yes they do drive me nuts at times, and I get frustrated but I absolutely love all 3 of my kids and the ages they are at right now! I wish I could just suspend time!!

So for now I have been trying to look at all my experiences with a positive spin.........and it has been working so far!

New year, new gadgets!

I'm so excited about using my new gadgets this year. It is always so hard to get up when it is still dark outside and so cold. The new gadgets really help with my motivation here in January.

My loving husband got me a Garmin 305 for Xmas!! I love it. I only have gotten to run outside with it about 5 times since Christmas because it has been cold and snowy the days I planned to go outside and when I run during the week, it is still dark outside so I go on the treadmill.

I also bought myself a lap counter for swimming. I totally lose track of what I am doing when I am swimming and don't remember how many laps I have swam. My triathlon coach suggested getting a lap counter.

It is a little stop watch that goes around my finger so every lap my thumb just hits my finger and it counts my laps!

I was so excited to use it this morning at the pool. I realized I need to get in the pool more often though because the time I swam for a 1/2 mile was a lot slower than last fall!

Holidays are over!!

I'm glad to say the holidays are over.

I love the magic of Christmas. I really do. I love thinking of new places for our Elf to go (most of the time). I love Christmas shopping. I love seeing the magic in my children's eyes. I love counting down the days with the kids. But it is stressful and we had a pretty crazy December.

First, at the end of December an elderly woman went through a red light to t-bone my car in my driver's side. Then she proceeding to back up, wait for the light to turn green, and leave the scene of the accident. Thank god her husband has a conscience and he made her turn herself in an hour later at city hall. She also then lied to her insurance company and said my light was red and hers was green. Thank god for the man in the Coke truck behind her who chased her through town after she hit me until he couldn't keep up and for the woman who stopped and gave me her phone number as a witness.

Next, my daughter ended up with a virus called Henoch-Schonstein Purpura. Her immune system malfunctioned and attacked her blood vessels and her ankles swelled and she got a horrible rash and swelling on her legs. She couldn't walk for almost 2 days. Thank god she is okay now and just has to get weekly urine tests for a few months to be sure her kidneys weren't affected.

Oh and then my husband was hit by another idiot. She was trying to turn left while not using the turning lane that my husband was in. He was not very happy, especially since his car is brand new.

Our final blow was our 9 year old lab Jules had been getting skinny and acting funny. I took her to the vet last week and she is starting to have kidney failure. We switched her food to Purina Kidney Function and changed her entire diet and she has some medications to take. This week she seems like a different dog and is acting like her old self again! She has a re-check on the bloodwork next week but I am very optimistic we still will have a few more years with our little girl!

So, although I am usually very positive and have a smile on my face most of the time, the last few weeks have been trying.

2012 is here and I am ready for positive things again!!

My daughter is now a Girl Scout, my son's hockey team is doing well and he loves it, Tim and I are training for the Pittsburgh half marathon, and our baby is starting to grow up and talk more and (hopefully) get potty trained!!

Smile on my face and I'm ready for positive things!!

New for 2012

2012

Well, I haven't blogged for months!

Since my last blog, I have done a half marathon in October and got a PR, The Great Race 10K in September and got a PR, and a 5K on Thanksgiving.

September 2011-Great Race 10K

I knew I would PR this 10K. My last one was 1 hour 3 minutes in 50+ mph winds.

My husband and I ran this together (well not actually together). There were 14,000 people in this one. It was awesome. Mostly downhill, a few hills at beginning and one around mile 5.

I finished in 58:20 and was happy with the result.

October 15, 2011-Buffalo Creek Half Marathon

I hurt my ankle about a week prior so I only ran maybe 2 miles before this half marathon. I had no idea how it was going to go. It was on a gorgeous trail that was pretty much flat with only one hill about mile 12. I felt great until about 8 miles. I was thinking I would finish around 2 hours 2 minutes by then! Then my knee and ankle hurt so much! I had to walk at some points and felt like quitting because I was in so much pain.

I ended up finishing at 2 hours 7 minutes, still a PR but was in so much pain. As soon as I saw my husband (who had a PR with 1 hour 49 minutes) I just had tears in my eyes from my pain!

I didn't run for about 10 days after. I knew I was going to do the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving but wasn't sure how it would go.

I ended up getting sick a week before the Turkey Trot and wasn't sure how I would do with "Heart Attack Hill" which is in the 3rd mile of the 5k.

My friend Chrissy and I ran the course the Saturday before Thanksgiving and finished in 31 minutes. I coughed the whole way up the hill. I wasn't sure how it would go on Thursday.

Turkey Trot 2011 5k

I went out fast (for me!) about a 8:30 mile. I was about 17 minutes at mile 2. So I knew I could finish under 30 minutes even if I walked the last mile! I did start to walk up the hill and Chrissy came behind me and gave me a friendly punch in the back to remind me that I was almost done. That was enough to get me to run the rest of the course!

I finished at 28:10, although I thought it would be about 27:58 or so since I started a little farther back before I ran over the starting pad. Some other friends, including my husband, thought the time listed online was from the gun going off, not from when our chips went over the pad. Oh well!

Training

I am about halfway through my half marathon training that is October 15th. I trained with my running partner, Anne, until recently. She did her half marathon last weekend Rock and Roll Philly. She PRed and was 2 hours 36 seconds. We ran together in May and were 2 hours 10 seconds so I am hoping that I follow her lead and finish around 2 hours in October.

But since Anne was away last weekend, I ran my 10 mile run with some moms I met from my daughter's preschool last year. I felt a little bit like I was cheating on Anne. I brought my Ipod, but none of these moms run with Ipods. I didn't know what route we would be doing and we basically just did 4 down a trail and 4 back then our last 2 miles around the track where we started. Anne and I always hydrate about halfway through but the new group doesn't drink anything during their runs. It was fun to talk to and run with new people, and they were pretty fast (for me) so I was glad to run with them. We ended up 10 miles at a 9:38 pace. I am going to run my 12 mile training run with them too, but I need to find a hydration/fuel belt before next week!!

This weekend my husband and I are running a 10K. I am excited because my last 10K was during a wind/rainstorm with 50+ MPH winds that actually took siding off houses. I finished 1 hour 3 minutes which is much slower than my normal pace for even a half marathon!

So I am looking for improvement this weekend.........and for my husband to beat me!

I did it!!

I did it! I completed my first triathlon!!

We arrived at Deer Creek Lake in Ohio Friday night around 9PM.

We went to bed and my husband got up around 6am to go run 8 miles since we are doing a fall half marathon together.

Deer Creek Lake

After he got back, we headed over to registration. Sally Edwards, a legendary triathlete, and Maggie Sullivan, who is the director of Trek's Women Triathlon series, gave our group (Mighty Tri Girls) a private "pep" talk. I picked up my numbers, chip, and race packet, bought myself a nice 1/4 zip pullover that said Trek Women's Triathlon Series and had everything I needed. I was very overwhelmed because when I do a running race, I just pick up my race packet and have a number and chip and that's it. With the triathlon, I had a number for my helmet, for my bike, for my spibelt, etc. I got a navy blue swim cap to determine the "wave" of swimmers I was in according to my age group.

Saturday night meeting

My family had a nice relaxing afternoon at the pool and a small dinner. I headed over to a short Mighty Tri Girl meeting to get some last minute advice from Sue.

We were in bed by 8:30PM because I had an early wake up! At 4am, my alarm went off. I got ready (without waking my family) and headed to the lobby to get "numbered."

I rode with 2 members of my team, Jen and Theresa, over to the lake. We arrived at 5am. It was pitch black. Thank god for Jana and her "miner's cap" that had a light. I set up my transition area, got my tires pumped, and was ready.

We still had some time and it was freezing. The wind from the lake made it a cold 55 degrees. I sat in a car wrapped in a blanket until about 6:15am. Then I did some last minute things and got my wetsuit on.

The start was delayed so about 7:23am, my wave was about to begin. It was very choppy water, but a vert warm 70 degrees. I got a noseful of water at one point and had to doggy paddle a bit. There were "angels" set up in the water, which were ladies with noodles if anyone needed to take a break and rest. I was determined not to use one. I made it the full 1/2 mile with no help and ran out and up the steps to the transition area!

I was ready for the part that was my biggest fear.......the bike! After just learning how to ride a bike 7 months ago, I doubted myself many times. I got on the bike with confidence and began my 12 mile ride. It was very flat and windy the first several miles. There were a few hills at the end, which made me realize that I have to get some more leg strength.

I rode my bike back into the transition area and could hear Sue's voice cheering me on! I saw her smiling face and was so proud of myself. I heard her say, "This is your time to shine! Go get 'em!" on my way to begin my run.

The support of all the women was amazing. I knew I was in the bottom portion of finishers because of my slow bike time, but the women I passed coming back into finish all had smiles, high fives, and encouraging words for me! Seeing all of the members of my team (there were about 30 Mighty Tri Girls there) cheering me on was such a great feeling.

I crossed over the dam, got to the turn-around, and ran back the remaining of the course. As I heard the cheers as I turned the corner to the finish line, I couldn't help but get emotional! I saw my husband, who was so supportive of my training, and my three kids' smiling faces on the left. On the right were all the Mighty Tri Girls and their husbands cheering for me! I grabbed the hands of my two oldest kids and crossed the finish line with them squeaking it in just under 2 hours (1 hour 59 min!)

I am so thankful for my husband for being so supportive and encouraging. My mom and dad were so helpful with encouraging words and emails as well. My mom and husband helped by watching the kids while I trained. All of my friends and family were so wonderful in supporting my goal.

I know that if I can do a triathlon, anyone can!

Taper.....

As I approach my triathlon this weekend, I have been reflecting on my training and my life. With school starting for my kids next week, I always get emotional because I will miss them during the day. I know they are getting bored and are ready to go, although they do not realize it. So with the emotions high from the kids leaving, my daughter starting kindergarten, and my triathlon approaching, I have been a little emotional this week.

Tapering always makes me a little anxious as well. I usually run at least four times a week and my coach said only two short 20 min runs this week. I did that Monday and Tuesday and I am getting very antsy! I am going to fit in one more swim and I did a 45 min bike ride at the beginning of the week. I will hit everything that Sue told us to do for the week by tomorrow........now I just wait for the triathlon!!

I looked up my swim start time and it is 7:08am.

I do not think I will be able to sleep the night before!!