Ok Bean! It's A Date!! 6/27/09

After months of saying I'm going to do something, I now am hip deep in commitment. I have officially registered for the Philly Insurance Tri for Saturday, June 27, 2009. It's a sprint distance which means a 900M swim (up and then down stream in the Schuylkill River just upstream from Boathouse Row), a 24K bike (through Fairmount Park; America's largest city park system; 10 times the size of Central Park), and a 5K run (out and back really close to the Art Museum; cue Rocky Theme). I choose this tri for several reasons. First, because it is in a place that I have grown to love, the city of Philadelphia. Second, it is close to home so I might have a shot at a Big Tone Tri Army cheering section (Mom, I promise to give Dad directions and times). Third, it's not on Memorial Day weekend which means Bean will not be mad at me for missing the weekend at Camp Jones. Fourth, Dr. John and Ralph are running the next day! Whew! That means I have truly given myself to reaching my goal. I WILL be a triathlete sometime that Saturday morning! Also, don't forget that we will be raising money for diabetes. More on this important aspect of the tri as time marches on. For people who ask me, why do I want to do this. Why a triathlon? Swim in that river? Bike then run that far? My answer is simple. Look at the picture I've attached to this post. To be an example of perserverance and pride to them. To show them that if you set a goal, go ahead and reach it. Obstacles have ways around them. I will be one of a few thousand people who will be called triathletes that weekend. I will not finish first. Most people at the finish line won't even notice my finish. As long as they see it and believe it, I've accomplished what I set out to do. Love you girls.
Thanks Mom, Dad, and Aimee for the contiued stream of encouragement. Thanks to all my friends who read(and sometimes post) and ask me about updates. You will all help me cross the finish line. A hugemongous thank you to my Missy. You allow me to do everything I do. Happy birthday early...Go Big Tone.

Constant Nagging and Harrassing!!

First trip away from home on the pod. Mass produced food and a tight agenda usually don't mix well for my Type I. Boston for work for 3 days (including Missy and my 20th wedding anniversary), and I stayed very level and in range with my blood sugar. I didn't get to exercise since there was about a foot of snow on the ground. I tried to make up for it Friday with a nice outside run at home. Springlike 50 degree January weather was awesome. I opted out of a Saturday run to go to the city with Missy and my parents for some marketing. I love the city. We got some great food and got to stake out a potential Tri course for June. The river where the swim will be was icy and looked ominous as we passed along the expressway in the car. Missy was doing her best to find the Columbia Ave bridge around which I will have to make a loop but we didn't know it is a railroad bridge. I got excited and nervous at the same time. A goal to be realized for sure.
With that being said, I need to take the "mother-in-law defense" from my friend, Don, with more heart. I have found a 12 week plan for the tri that I think I can complete already. I must start scheduling a more strict plan of attack. So, Don, I will be out on the road with you going forward. Thanks.
And, thanks to Patrick for fixing the front door. Now I won't have to yell about fixing it anymore.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Back In the Water

After a long break due to schedules and when the pool is available, I jumped back in on Friday night. I got there a little early when the age group kids were finishing their practice and I got a few tips listening to their coaches. My mom thinks I should go to their practice and fake my age. I think they wouldn't take long to figure me out. I got in 40 laps and used my new finger lap counter. It worked very well. I even swam next to an old icon of our area. A former little league football coach who used to run us ragged. We all know him and if you are reading this you most likely had a hoagie from his shop in the eighties!! I did need a rescue from Michele Y. afterwards. She was in line at the concession stand for the boys hoop game and got me some swedish fish. I was a little low after the swim. Thanks for the help Michele.
Another big week for the Eagles. We even had dinner with Hank Baskett. Well, we had dinner in the same place as him and then he signed Bean! Go Eagles!!

Icy Conditions Ahead

Today was the second Shiver By the River. The race was held without Big Tone and Don. It's a residential road course with some side streets that don't get the salt and plow attention that highways do. I drove it 90 minutes before race time to make a decision. I chatted with one of the organizers and she told me there was a lot of black ice and it seemed like an accident waiting to happen. Good enough for me! I bailed. Don was out already since KevBo was off to start his studies away from home (they grow up so fast!). My mom offered her mink earmuffs but I declined. So I picked up some Wawa coffee for Missy and me and headed to the basement. A bagel and raspberry jelly for fuel first. Missy was on the treadmill and I got on Madonna. We switched, so to speak. That is, I finished on the bike and got on the treadmill and Missy finished on the treadmill and went upstairs to watch the recorded Grey's with the Bean! Ha ha. Good for her to walk on a big eating/drinking Eagles football Sunday. Go Birds...
Wiggles left for school this weekend and took my new furry buddy, Cabo, with her. She seemed a lot stronger with that knee. I am so proud of her. Life doesn't get neatly packaged in easy strings of time or place. This was a good reaction to a not so convenient situation. Study hard, honey.

6 in One, Only About 3 in the Other

Those last two weeks of basement tri workouts I have been doing have made me feel good but that treadmill has done me in! I went outside for a run this morning for the first time in about 10 days and I felt unprepared. I started out with too quick of a pace (just trying to keep up with our new runner-in-chief's 8:40 pace. Although that reported split is on a treadmill...). I was on the church loop and the end of mile 1 hill did me in. I turned it into a 3K and headed for home! Not only does that make me feel like I didn't get in the best possible workout but also my head will not rest about it until I complete a solid 5K outside. Most of it is the treadmill but I know I could do a better job at hydrating, eating right, and pre run stretching. Those are the things that will keep me off the injured reserve list. Well, the 2nd Shiver is this Sunday. My saving grace is that I can count on the Big Tone Tri Army cheering section and my friend Don might very well have to carry me to the finish! No land speed records. Remember, if you're out there, you're a winner.
I added school to our routine yesterday. That involves me finding more training time in other spots in the day. It also requires help from others. Missy and my mom have already started picking up my slack. Thanks for that. Another element like class will add challenges to the Type I factor, too. I had licorice in my school bag and I made sure to pound a plate of leftovers before I left. I keep reminding myself I am not the first person to have Type I, go back to school part time, train for a triathlon and continue all the wonderful things in my life all at the same time. Go Big Tone!