By the time Swim Practice rolled around last night, Ladybug was feeling much better. She had held down toast, soup, and graham crackers and slept 3 hours for one nap waking with a smile on her face. Mr. Darcy was able to come home a little early because of a tough day on the golf course with some contractors, so off I went to swim practice. As I left, Ladybug was making a "desert" of a whole grain waffle and non-fat activia key lime flavored yogurt.
It was a good swim. The last "official" group training swim before St. Anthony's this weekend. We had a pretty easy practice - 100 pull, 100 kick for warm up and then 20 minutes straight (I did 1,000 m) and then the washing machine drill to simulate race start. Of course, you needed to add arms and legs so you could get kicked and hit in it and it would be perfect. Then we had a session of picturing race day going perfectly.
I got home to find a happy Ladybug and a happy Angelfish, although I could tell Ladybug wasn't quite 100%. I'm not sure that it helped that Mr. Darcy gave them a bratworst for dinner. She said that her tummy hurt, and when I felt her forehead she had a little temperature. But no more puking.
This morning Ladybug ended up in our bed at 5 am. She said her tummy hurt, laid down and went to sleep. No puking. YAY. But we decided to let her sleep as much as she wanted and to keep her home one more day just in case. So that meant no bike ride this morning. I know it's a taper week, but I still hate not getting all my training in. I'm going to attempt to switch out my 3 mile walk for tomorrow to today after I get home from the Callandale Center, and that's presuming that Mr. Darcy gets out of his meeting in time to get home so I can go.
And then I'll try to find a way to get my ride done tomorrow... I have bloodwork at 7:15 am and then am going to try to meet up with some people to do something pretty cool for our friend Doug. He's had a bit of a set back because he started having a reaction to one of the medications he needs for his bone marrow transplant. They stopped the medicine but are going to restart it again to see if he can go forward. So, we're going to do something to show him we care and support him. I'll reveal it tomorrow, but let's just say that the thought behind it actually puts tears in my eyes. It's a good reminder right before St. Anthony's that even if I don't PR or if my back acts up and it's not that great of a race that I am doing this to find a cure for cancer and that I'm doing this for something bigger than myself.
Ladybug will certainly be at school tomorrow - she's sung "I'm a Little Teapot" about 10 times, made up a happy song about having a "butter bagel," talked my ear off, and asked a million questions during "Sleeping Beauty" and "Tinkerbell." But I have to say that it's nice to have her for company too. She's a cutie pie. My goal is to give her some lunch in a bit and then put her down for a nap. Or a "1 hour quiet time" as I have to phrase it and then hope she actually falls asleep. : )
I also am going to try to get some laundry in the machine while I work some more. All in the hhopes of having things set for St. A's by Thursday evening.
What's up for you all this week?
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
The Pukies...
have hit the household. I just hope they are limited in both duration and in the number of persons affected.
This morning started at 5 am when Ladybug decided that she would come into our bed and told us a story about a dream she had that really made no sense whatever. She thought it was funny though. She ught she was upset because she woke up and proceeded to climb into bed and flipped and flopped all over until finally both Mr. Darcy and I were up and getting ready. Then she started to scream and cry. I thought that she was upset because she woke up and we weren't in the room. So I told her we were in the bathroom and that she needed to calm down because she was fine. And then she said, "My tummy hurts, Mommy." By the time I said "You're tummy hurts?" She had thrown up and by the time I got to her (all of 5 steps away) she had thrown up a 2nd time, and then I carried her into the bathroom where she threw up a 3rd time. But it was all water. And she looked so pale that even her lips looked a little pale.
Angelfish seemed okay this morning although she was really whiny and crying. And then she got worried about Ladybug when she found out she threw up. I had to tell her that Ladybug would be fine, but that she had a virus and that she couldnt' go to school today but that she'd get over it. I have to say that I'm secretly worried that I'm going to get a call from daycare telling me to come get her, although she ate her muffins with gusto and drank an entire cup of milk...
Of course, at this point Ladybug seems to be feeling a little better. Sleeping almost another 4 hours after you vomit seems to do wonders. She did throw up some more water earlier, but about 1/2 an hour later she was hungry. So far the watered down Gatorade has stayed put, so we moved on to 2 pieces of toast. And now we wait...
Unfortunately, our version of the pukies doesn't qualify for a Big Daddy Diesel award... but I am seriously hoping that I don't get the virus either and that even if I do that I don't get it until AFTER my race on Sunday. So, I'll be keeping my fingers and toes crossed!
This morning started at 5 am when Ladybug decided that she would come into our bed and told us a story about a dream she had that really made no sense whatever. She thought it was funny though. She ught she was upset because she woke up and proceeded to climb into bed and flipped and flopped all over until finally both Mr. Darcy and I were up and getting ready. Then she started to scream and cry. I thought that she was upset because she woke up and we weren't in the room. So I told her we were in the bathroom and that she needed to calm down because she was fine. And then she said, "My tummy hurts, Mommy." By the time I said "You're tummy hurts?" She had thrown up and by the time I got to her (all of 5 steps away) she had thrown up a 2nd time, and then I carried her into the bathroom where she threw up a 3rd time. But it was all water. And she looked so pale that even her lips looked a little pale.
Angelfish seemed okay this morning although she was really whiny and crying. And then she got worried about Ladybug when she found out she threw up. I had to tell her that Ladybug would be fine, but that she had a virus and that she couldnt' go to school today but that she'd get over it. I have to say that I'm secretly worried that I'm going to get a call from daycare telling me to come get her, although she ate her muffins with gusto and drank an entire cup of milk...
Of course, at this point Ladybug seems to be feeling a little better. Sleeping almost another 4 hours after you vomit seems to do wonders. She did throw up some more water earlier, but about 1/2 an hour later she was hungry. So far the watered down Gatorade has stayed put, so we moved on to 2 pieces of toast. And now we wait...
Unfortunately, our version of the pukies doesn't qualify for a Big Daddy Diesel award... but I am seriously hoping that I don't get the virus either and that even if I do that I don't get it until AFTER my race on Sunday. So, I'll be keeping my fingers and toes crossed!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
The Weekend... on the Weekend
I know - amazingly it's a weekend post! I just have the girls down for a nap and Mr. Darcy is working on a project in our living room/breakfast nook and after 4 hours of Target, lunch, and the grocery with the girls, I needed some quiet time by myself. Don't get me wrong - overall I had a good time with the girls. It's just well, Angelfish is in this stage where she is trying to get away with not listening and it is very trying to deal with that while shopping in a public location without a 2nd parent along for the ride. And it didn't help that she decided to be particularly mean when I asked her why she wasn't listening and she said, "Because I wanted someone else to be my Mommy." Not much is able to reduce me to tears in a short order, but that did.
All the groceries and items from Target are put away, I've had some dark chocolate (just an ounce), and a few minutes to read Blogs and emails and am feeling more at peace - despite Mr. Darcy's banging away to hang some dry wall. Our house is a very open floor plan in the more public spaces, which is one of the reasons we love our house. But it also makes it a little difficult for painting because you have to stop in odd places to delineate where one room "ends" and the next begins. To end the breakfast nook, there is a small divider (about 2 1/2 feet wide at most) with a column on the outer end that starts the new space (along with a change from tile to carpet... which we'll end up replacing with hardwood at some point probably). Well that's great if you want your breakfast nook and kitchen to be the same wall color as the family room, but we don't. We like creating the division with color and such without breaking up the space. But in this particular spot, Mr. Darcy felt we needed to make a more defining space with another column so that we can avoid a change in color mid-wall. And I pretty much agree. So he's framed it already and is now adhereing the dry wall, to which he'll add a wall texture like we have already, and then paint it to match the green we painted the bar and the divider, and then paint the wall the bisque cream color we painted the rest of the kitchen and breakfast nook. Thus, my removal of the small people from the house so this could have some semblance of starting. Of course, my fear is more related to the finishing of the project than the starting as we tend to have things start and then take months or longer to finish.
Yesterday's workout was decent. There were a large number of swimmers at Lucky's this weekend, but unfortunately the large majority of them were kids from a swim team who definitely were having issues swimming in open water. They swam just fine... except for the fact that they would swim over anyone and everyone in their way because they didn't seem to see them or care if they did see them, and they couldn't sight worth sh#t and were swimming at people head on, or forcing you to get out of the way and getting yourself off line or on the wrong side of a buoy from time to time.
So, our 2,000m swim took me 51:42 to finish. I wasn't overly happy with the time, but I reminded myself I want to peak on race day not the weekend before, so hopefully all will be well. The 10 mile bike ride afterwards was nice and easy, although the traffic was tough. I had to laugh because at one point I held the group up because I didn't make it through the light after we had been stopped at it because I almost crashed when my bike shorts got caught on the nose of my saddle on the way up and wouldn't get unstuck. Luckily the people behind me had been paying attention and laughed with me, especially after I said "now that's a new meaning for not being able to get your ass in gear..." Turns out the guy who picked the route for us used to live in NYC and biked everywhere... so his definition of "heavy traffic" and the rest of the teams was a little different. But we all made it in one piece just fine.
Afterwards I headed home in time to see the girls a few minutes before Mr. Darcy took them to a football game at UCF. I had thought to warn him that at 2 months shy of the age of 4, they might not be quite ready for it yet but he seemed determined to go and meet the other guys from his fraternity alumni association, so I kept quiet and thought to myself that I hoped someone brings a girlfriend who likes kids. Turned out that only one other person arrived and he was an older gentleman in his mid to late 60's that had grandkids... so he didn't mind when Angelfish decided to sit on his lap to watch some of the game and seemed to understand when Mr. Darcy left at half time because the girls weren't exactly being overly good listeners and were getting wild because they were like pent up little animals.
I on the other hand spent time volunteering at Baby Basics, where I counted and packaged diapers for a bit, chatted with the other volunteers, and helped deliver the diapers to the women who participate in the program when they arrived to collect them. I helped one Mom who had an infant and a little boy who was about the girls' age. He was having a bit of a fit because he wanted to play on the playground but Mom needed to go to get her glasses fixed so she could see. I chatted with him, tried to get him to laugh and tried to destract him, but he wasn't having it. In the end I told him he needed to be a good example for his little sister, and ironically it seemed to work... it reminded me of the girls.
Then back home where we cleaned up the playroom and I got a nap in while the girls were napping. Then Mr. Darcy and I went to dinner at Outback (which was a bit ironic because in the movie we saw, they usually go to a steakhouse) and then saw "Date Night." "Date Night" was hysterical. We were laughing about scenes in the movie a good 40 minutes after it ended. The premise is exactly as they show it in the commercials - longtime married couple with kids decide to try to spice it up by going to dinner in the city and get wrapped up in this crime situation. It was so funny that even the couple who was on a date and not married were laughing hard. Mr. Darcy and I were laughing our butts off throughout the entire thing. If you're married (and not in the 1st 2 years of marriage) and especially if you have kids, you can't help but think it's funny. Go see it. It's the first time in awhile that I wasn't sorry to have paid $20 for the two of us to see something in the theatre!
This morning, the girls let us sleep until almost 8 am when Ladybug entered the room and shouted "Get up and play!" It was loud... and ironically, not the usual climb into bed and jump on you that we normally get. That's painful sometimes, but at least it's not loud. So I started the day by making breakfast, straightening, and having a nice cup of coffee and reading my newest installment of "Southern Living" that arrived this week while sitting on the tile and watching the girls play in the playroom. (We have a house rule that drinks aren't allowed on the carpet, and that includes the parents.) Then we had a nice party that the girls put on with a lot of "candy" and "cookie" and "cakes" (all fake food - actually most were plastic vegetables that they pretended were made of those sweet things) and pretend tea before heading out to Target, Davis Bakery (we were all ready for lunch) and Publix. The girls lost their ability to get a cookie at the end of our Publix trip because they were already on 2 for not listening and I hear them tell each other they're "going to break your teeth"... granted, I realized that they were saying this because they bumped teeth and thought it was funny instead of being some sort of mafioso youth but I had to lay down the law all the same. Ladybug burst into tears and started a fit, but Angelfish decided to make her feel better (thank goodness because I really was at the point that I had already waited 15 minutes to get lunchmeat from the deli counter and I didn't want to leave to have to discipline someone in a bathroom) and it was very short lived. I thought they were going to fall asleep on the 5 minute ride from Publix to the house, so I checked the mail too, but it was not to be.
Before the crazy behavior in Publix (they were manhandling each other in the cart - didnt' know you could wrestle in the space of the seat in those car carts did you?), we had a really fun time though. They were sweet and funny, except when they were being crazy about bathing suits in Target and going around and around in circles in and out of a crowd of people who were fixated on bathingsuits and came up while we were looking at them. I was having visions of child abductions, so they ended up in the shopping cart. And lunch at the deli was enjoyable too. I have a lot of fun with our kids, but as I said to Mr. Darcy last night... it's like 95% of the time it's fun and sweet, but the other 5% can just be very, very trying.
We've had about an hour of quiet now, but Angelfish is shouting something... so I'm guessing nap time is officially over. I may have to go see what they are up to... wish me luck!
All the groceries and items from Target are put away, I've had some dark chocolate (just an ounce), and a few minutes to read Blogs and emails and am feeling more at peace - despite Mr. Darcy's banging away to hang some dry wall. Our house is a very open floor plan in the more public spaces, which is one of the reasons we love our house. But it also makes it a little difficult for painting because you have to stop in odd places to delineate where one room "ends" and the next begins. To end the breakfast nook, there is a small divider (about 2 1/2 feet wide at most) with a column on the outer end that starts the new space (along with a change from tile to carpet... which we'll end up replacing with hardwood at some point probably). Well that's great if you want your breakfast nook and kitchen to be the same wall color as the family room, but we don't. We like creating the division with color and such without breaking up the space. But in this particular spot, Mr. Darcy felt we needed to make a more defining space with another column so that we can avoid a change in color mid-wall. And I pretty much agree. So he's framed it already and is now adhereing the dry wall, to which he'll add a wall texture like we have already, and then paint it to match the green we painted the bar and the divider, and then paint the wall the bisque cream color we painted the rest of the kitchen and breakfast nook. Thus, my removal of the small people from the house so this could have some semblance of starting. Of course, my fear is more related to the finishing of the project than the starting as we tend to have things start and then take months or longer to finish.
Yesterday's workout was decent. There were a large number of swimmers at Lucky's this weekend, but unfortunately the large majority of them were kids from a swim team who definitely were having issues swimming in open water. They swam just fine... except for the fact that they would swim over anyone and everyone in their way because they didn't seem to see them or care if they did see them, and they couldn't sight worth sh#t and were swimming at people head on, or forcing you to get out of the way and getting yourself off line or on the wrong side of a buoy from time to time.
So, our 2,000m swim took me 51:42 to finish. I wasn't overly happy with the time, but I reminded myself I want to peak on race day not the weekend before, so hopefully all will be well. The 10 mile bike ride afterwards was nice and easy, although the traffic was tough. I had to laugh because at one point I held the group up because I didn't make it through the light after we had been stopped at it because I almost crashed when my bike shorts got caught on the nose of my saddle on the way up and wouldn't get unstuck. Luckily the people behind me had been paying attention and laughed with me, especially after I said "now that's a new meaning for not being able to get your ass in gear..." Turns out the guy who picked the route for us used to live in NYC and biked everywhere... so his definition of "heavy traffic" and the rest of the teams was a little different. But we all made it in one piece just fine.
Afterwards I headed home in time to see the girls a few minutes before Mr. Darcy took them to a football game at UCF. I had thought to warn him that at 2 months shy of the age of 4, they might not be quite ready for it yet but he seemed determined to go and meet the other guys from his fraternity alumni association, so I kept quiet and thought to myself that I hoped someone brings a girlfriend who likes kids. Turned out that only one other person arrived and he was an older gentleman in his mid to late 60's that had grandkids... so he didn't mind when Angelfish decided to sit on his lap to watch some of the game and seemed to understand when Mr. Darcy left at half time because the girls weren't exactly being overly good listeners and were getting wild because they were like pent up little animals.
I on the other hand spent time volunteering at Baby Basics, where I counted and packaged diapers for a bit, chatted with the other volunteers, and helped deliver the diapers to the women who participate in the program when they arrived to collect them. I helped one Mom who had an infant and a little boy who was about the girls' age. He was having a bit of a fit because he wanted to play on the playground but Mom needed to go to get her glasses fixed so she could see. I chatted with him, tried to get him to laugh and tried to destract him, but he wasn't having it. In the end I told him he needed to be a good example for his little sister, and ironically it seemed to work... it reminded me of the girls.
Then back home where we cleaned up the playroom and I got a nap in while the girls were napping. Then Mr. Darcy and I went to dinner at Outback (which was a bit ironic because in the movie we saw, they usually go to a steakhouse) and then saw "Date Night." "Date Night" was hysterical. We were laughing about scenes in the movie a good 40 minutes after it ended. The premise is exactly as they show it in the commercials - longtime married couple with kids decide to try to spice it up by going to dinner in the city and get wrapped up in this crime situation. It was so funny that even the couple who was on a date and not married were laughing hard. Mr. Darcy and I were laughing our butts off throughout the entire thing. If you're married (and not in the 1st 2 years of marriage) and especially if you have kids, you can't help but think it's funny. Go see it. It's the first time in awhile that I wasn't sorry to have paid $20 for the two of us to see something in the theatre!
This morning, the girls let us sleep until almost 8 am when Ladybug entered the room and shouted "Get up and play!" It was loud... and ironically, not the usual climb into bed and jump on you that we normally get. That's painful sometimes, but at least it's not loud. So I started the day by making breakfast, straightening, and having a nice cup of coffee and reading my newest installment of "Southern Living" that arrived this week while sitting on the tile and watching the girls play in the playroom. (We have a house rule that drinks aren't allowed on the carpet, and that includes the parents.) Then we had a nice party that the girls put on with a lot of "candy" and "cookie" and "cakes" (all fake food - actually most were plastic vegetables that they pretended were made of those sweet things) and pretend tea before heading out to Target, Davis Bakery (we were all ready for lunch) and Publix. The girls lost their ability to get a cookie at the end of our Publix trip because they were already on 2 for not listening and I hear them tell each other they're "going to break your teeth"... granted, I realized that they were saying this because they bumped teeth and thought it was funny instead of being some sort of mafioso youth but I had to lay down the law all the same. Ladybug burst into tears and started a fit, but Angelfish decided to make her feel better (thank goodness because I really was at the point that I had already waited 15 minutes to get lunchmeat from the deli counter and I didn't want to leave to have to discipline someone in a bathroom) and it was very short lived. I thought they were going to fall asleep on the 5 minute ride from Publix to the house, so I checked the mail too, but it was not to be.
Before the crazy behavior in Publix (they were manhandling each other in the cart - didnt' know you could wrestle in the space of the seat in those car carts did you?), we had a really fun time though. They were sweet and funny, except when they were being crazy about bathing suits in Target and going around and around in circles in and out of a crowd of people who were fixated on bathingsuits and came up while we were looking at them. I was having visions of child abductions, so they ended up in the shopping cart. And lunch at the deli was enjoyable too. I have a lot of fun with our kids, but as I said to Mr. Darcy last night... it's like 95% of the time it's fun and sweet, but the other 5% can just be very, very trying.
We've had about an hour of quiet now, but Angelfish is shouting something... so I'm guessing nap time is officially over. I may have to go see what they are up to... wish me luck!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Thursday Reflections, the Art Show, and The Weekend
Thursday Reflections
Yesterday was kind of an interesting day. My friend Doug started the process for his bone marrow transplant, and it was an amazing thing really. Team in Training seriously has to be one of the best groups of people I have ever known. Plastered on facebook were good wishes for Doug, and one of the cycling coaches even organized everyone to stop and say a prayer for Doug from wherever we were at 2 pm, since things got underway for Doug at 11 am. People put things on their blogs. It's kind of like my favorite movie "It's a Wonderful Life." Except instead of Jimmy Stewart it's Doug and all the people who he's touched being there for him the best way we know how.
Another Team in Training person lost their best friend after repeated battles with cancer yesterday. It reminded me so much of Angela. The continued battling and winning, and then there being the one time that she just didn't win. The amazing sense of loss and how this couldn't be happening, and that a friend that young shouldn't be dead.
I liked what a fellow TNT member, blogger, and friend said about cancer. To quote the wonderful Missy (who had knee surgery this morning at 7 am): "Cancer is a coward. It picks on little kids. It picks on people that it believes are not going to fight." And I, like Missy, and so many others of us out there, want it gone. We need to find a cure.
It made our Bon Voyage for the team even more meaningful to me. Here we were excited to embark on our races either at St. Anthony's next weekend or at Tri Miami the following weekend, but I was even more excited about the fact that there were 13 people on the team, and at minimum we raised $2600 each. Some of us raised more. It was definitely harder in this economy getting the donations to come in. I raised $3,341 as of yesterday. It's not the $4700 I raised the year before, but it wasn't for lack of trying. I even had restaurants that typically do group fundraisers turn me down by refusing to return my calls or emails and finding out from a waitress that they're not wanting to do as many this year and that they had problems with some groups not really bringing people in. But, from the numbers I had access to, at the very minimum our team raised $38,825. And I have to say, that's pretty darn good. It may still be a drop in the bucket when it comes to the cost of patient services and cancer research, but it's a drop that wasn't there before.
For Doug's sake and for the sake of all cancer patients everywhere, I hope it's a drop that makes a difference. When I'm out there at St. Anthony's trying to get the job done of my Swim/Bike/Run, I know I'm doing it for something bigger and better than myself. And it's sure heck a lot easier than dealing with a bone marrow transplant or other cancer treatment.
The Art Show
All of that made the girls art show even more special too. It made me so thankful for how very blessed I am to have 2 wonderfully talented, happy and healthy children and 1 talented, happy and healthy Mr. Darcy. We had a great time at the art show (and I was there right on time - in fact, I got there before Mr. Darcy and the kids did!) The girls were super excited and we had a great time looking at their artwork and listening to them tell us all about it. Ladybug's room was more of a themed room with set projects where they made dinosaurs and animals and some free thinking artwork (that's what I call it where it's up to the kids as to what it's going to be), and Angelfish's room was more artistic for the most part - projects but you could see where the kids were given free reign over how things turned out. And afterwards we went for ice cream as a treat! Here are some of their projects.
The Weekend
Oh and speaking of St. Anthony's (well, a few paragraphs ago). I think I've figured out my goals. Here goes:
Yesterday was kind of an interesting day. My friend Doug started the process for his bone marrow transplant, and it was an amazing thing really. Team in Training seriously has to be one of the best groups of people I have ever known. Plastered on facebook were good wishes for Doug, and one of the cycling coaches even organized everyone to stop and say a prayer for Doug from wherever we were at 2 pm, since things got underway for Doug at 11 am. People put things on their blogs. It's kind of like my favorite movie "It's a Wonderful Life." Except instead of Jimmy Stewart it's Doug and all the people who he's touched being there for him the best way we know how.
Another Team in Training person lost their best friend after repeated battles with cancer yesterday. It reminded me so much of Angela. The continued battling and winning, and then there being the one time that she just didn't win. The amazing sense of loss and how this couldn't be happening, and that a friend that young shouldn't be dead.
I liked what a fellow TNT member, blogger, and friend said about cancer. To quote the wonderful Missy (who had knee surgery this morning at 7 am): "Cancer is a coward. It picks on little kids. It picks on people that it believes are not going to fight." And I, like Missy, and so many others of us out there, want it gone. We need to find a cure.
It made our Bon Voyage for the team even more meaningful to me. Here we were excited to embark on our races either at St. Anthony's next weekend or at Tri Miami the following weekend, but I was even more excited about the fact that there were 13 people on the team, and at minimum we raised $2600 each. Some of us raised more. It was definitely harder in this economy getting the donations to come in. I raised $3,341 as of yesterday. It's not the $4700 I raised the year before, but it wasn't for lack of trying. I even had restaurants that typically do group fundraisers turn me down by refusing to return my calls or emails and finding out from a waitress that they're not wanting to do as many this year and that they had problems with some groups not really bringing people in. But, from the numbers I had access to, at the very minimum our team raised $38,825. And I have to say, that's pretty darn good. It may still be a drop in the bucket when it comes to the cost of patient services and cancer research, but it's a drop that wasn't there before.
For Doug's sake and for the sake of all cancer patients everywhere, I hope it's a drop that makes a difference. When I'm out there at St. Anthony's trying to get the job done of my Swim/Bike/Run, I know I'm doing it for something bigger and better than myself. And it's sure heck a lot easier than dealing with a bone marrow transplant or other cancer treatment.
The Art Show
All of that made the girls art show even more special too. It made me so thankful for how very blessed I am to have 2 wonderfully talented, happy and healthy children and 1 talented, happy and healthy Mr. Darcy. We had a great time at the art show (and I was there right on time - in fact, I got there before Mr. Darcy and the kids did!) The girls were super excited and we had a great time looking at their artwork and listening to them tell us all about it. Ladybug's room was more of a themed room with set projects where they made dinosaurs and animals and some free thinking artwork (that's what I call it where it's up to the kids as to what it's going to be), and Angelfish's room was more artistic for the most part - projects but you could see where the kids were given free reign over how things turned out. And afterwards we went for ice cream as a treat! Here are some of their projects.
The Artists, Ladybug and Angelfish
A desert scape with a snake (I thought it was poop at first); shape collage; and the elephant
Ladybug's art is above... Angelfish's is below.
A Marble picture; Angelfish was the only one to put feathers on her owl; and the last picture is a self-portrait.
We LOVE ice cream!!
The Weekend
Oh and speaking of St. Anthony's (well, a few paragraphs ago). I think I've figured out my goals. Here goes:
A. Finish in 3:20:00 or less. This may be a bit lofty, but hey, if everything goes just right I can do it!
B. Beat my current PR of 3:36:55.05.
C. Finish close to my PR of 3:36:55.05, since that course was a little shorter and I've had back issues in recent weeks.
D. Finish in an upright position with a smile on my face and not having freaked out during the swim. I tend to freak out during the swim on race day. There's going to be a ton of people. But this race, I don't want to freak out for a change.
E. Finish in an upright position with a smile on my face.
F. Finish in an upright position.
G. Finish.
After this morning's 28:34 minute walk. (Sorry, Coach, I thought I'd be back in 20 but accidentally went on the 2 mile path instead of the 1 1/2 mile.) It went fine. No pain when I walked, and I did a 10 second jog when I first started with very minor pain, an 30 second jog about 1/2 way through that had some pain but not bad, and then another 30 second run just before I finished and it was just very minor pain - and only down my shin. So I think my nerve is getting happier. Let's hope it keeps getting happier so all goes well on race day!
I've already decided also that after last night's ice cream, I'm going to endeavor to only eat holistically from today through race day (except bread because I just don't have time to make it myself, but I eat whole grain bread as it is). And hopefully from there on out too. I'm a pretty wholistic eater for the most part, eating food in it's natural state, as it is but the past couple of weeks have not been overly wholistic.
I'm looking forward to Saturday. It'll be a busy one, but I think good. I start the morning with the Team for our last Saturday group practice before St. Anthony's - 2,000m swim and 10 mile bike. Then a shower, some time with the girls and then volunteering for Junior League with my friend M., then home and a little time with the girls before Mr. Darcy and I go on a date to see "Date Night." I'm looking forward to it. Sunday we're probably going to head to the neighborhood pool for a bit. The girls have been asking to go this entire week!
I hope you have happy training and good times this weekend! (And let me know if the new blue is easier to read... I've gotten some people saying they see it fine in grey and some who don't... so I'm hoping the blue will work for everyone!)
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Additional Thursday Thoughts...
to the Thursday Test Drive.
This morning at 3:21 am, Ladybug woke up screaming because she was afraid of the dark. Mr. Darcy slept right through it, and I had insomnia from that point on. Ladybug was so loud that she not only woke me, but she also woke Angelfish. So I had not one but 2 little ladies to snuggle with and to calm down and get back to sleep. If only there had been someone to help me get back to sleep. I would start to nod off and then think about training and St. Anthony's or the fact that my Junior League dues are due or that I forgot to tell Mr. Darcy that his glasses had come in at the eye doctor or that I need to do laundry and return some things to Kohl's. About 5:45, I finally started to nod off... right when the alarm went off. I got up and took my medicine and then tried to sleep some more. Started to fall asleep and the snooze alarm went off. I got Mr. Darcy to reset the alarm clock and I slept until about 6:30ish... sort of.
I laid in bed thinking to myself, okay I should get out on the open road on my tri bike for a little more time in the saddle. Then it started to pour down rain. But it was wierd. Not just a steady rain. It would down pour, then stop raining all together, then rain lightly and then down pour again. It was odd. And with the shortage on sleep, I decided... I was going to the Y.
I did my 20 mile ride on the stationary bike in 58:12. I told Coach about my lack of sleep and the rain, and she told me I needed to sleep and to start riding in the rain. As I said to her, I don't want to break myself before race day so I was taking care... if it rains on race day, I will race (of course) while avoiding painted surfaces, metals, and puddles. And in the meantime, I'm praying for good weather.
Mr. Darcy and I also came up with my final and real race schedule for the year. It's one he can live with and one that I can live with too. I wouldn't have minded adding one sprint triathlon in October, but Mr. Darcy said he didn't think that he could handle that in addition to the schedule as it is now. So unless I can talk him into that one a little closer to that race day, the schedule is complete. Drum roll please... and the Schedule is:
3/7 Princess 1/2 Marathon (Completed)
4/25 St. Anthony's (obviously) (A/B Race; It's been A but with my back...)
7/18 Moss Park Olympic Distance (B Race)
9/12 Florida Challenge Triathlon Olympic Distance Clermont (A Race)
10/2 1/2 Marathon Disney Wine and Dine (B Race)
11/21 1/2 Marathon Women's in St. Pete (A Race)
12/11 5K Reindeer Run (C Race)
I think it's a good solid schedule. Not overly crazy, and yet not underwhelming either.
As for schedules, today is a busy one. Work, of course. TNT Bon Voyage party at 6 pm and Little Ladies' Art Show at 7 pm. Ladybug is a little anxious about my attending because she knows I have Bon Voyage, but I've promised her and asked her if I've ever broken a promise and she said "No!" and gave me a BIG hug. So come hell or highwater, this Mommy will be at the art show at 7 pm on the dot!
Oh! And I did my initial test for the pushups. I'm pretty impressed with myself, really. First I did the test on an incline to make sure I didn't mess with my back and got to 28 before my arms hurt. Then I figured that put me too high in the range, so I did regular pushups right afterward and I still got to 15. I am stronger than I thought I was. So I'll be starting the Pushup Challenge right after St. Anthony's!
This morning at 3:21 am, Ladybug woke up screaming because she was afraid of the dark. Mr. Darcy slept right through it, and I had insomnia from that point on. Ladybug was so loud that she not only woke me, but she also woke Angelfish. So I had not one but 2 little ladies to snuggle with and to calm down and get back to sleep. If only there had been someone to help me get back to sleep. I would start to nod off and then think about training and St. Anthony's or the fact that my Junior League dues are due or that I forgot to tell Mr. Darcy that his glasses had come in at the eye doctor or that I need to do laundry and return some things to Kohl's. About 5:45, I finally started to nod off... right when the alarm went off. I got up and took my medicine and then tried to sleep some more. Started to fall asleep and the snooze alarm went off. I got Mr. Darcy to reset the alarm clock and I slept until about 6:30ish... sort of.
I laid in bed thinking to myself, okay I should get out on the open road on my tri bike for a little more time in the saddle. Then it started to pour down rain. But it was wierd. Not just a steady rain. It would down pour, then stop raining all together, then rain lightly and then down pour again. It was odd. And with the shortage on sleep, I decided... I was going to the Y.
I did my 20 mile ride on the stationary bike in 58:12. I told Coach about my lack of sleep and the rain, and she told me I needed to sleep and to start riding in the rain. As I said to her, I don't want to break myself before race day so I was taking care... if it rains on race day, I will race (of course) while avoiding painted surfaces, metals, and puddles. And in the meantime, I'm praying for good weather.
Mr. Darcy and I also came up with my final and real race schedule for the year. It's one he can live with and one that I can live with too. I wouldn't have minded adding one sprint triathlon in October, but Mr. Darcy said he didn't think that he could handle that in addition to the schedule as it is now. So unless I can talk him into that one a little closer to that race day, the schedule is complete. Drum roll please... and the Schedule is:
3/7 Princess 1/2 Marathon (Completed)
4/25 St. Anthony's (obviously) (A/B Race; It's been A but with my back...)
7/18 Moss Park Olympic Distance (B Race)
9/12 Florida Challenge Triathlon Olympic Distance Clermont (A Race)
10/2 1/2 Marathon Disney Wine and Dine (B Race)
11/21 1/2 Marathon Women's in St. Pete (A Race)
12/11 5K Reindeer Run (C Race)
I think it's a good solid schedule. Not overly crazy, and yet not underwhelming either.
As for schedules, today is a busy one. Work, of course. TNT Bon Voyage party at 6 pm and Little Ladies' Art Show at 7 pm. Ladybug is a little anxious about my attending because she knows I have Bon Voyage, but I've promised her and asked her if I've ever broken a promise and she said "No!" and gave me a BIG hug. So come hell or highwater, this Mommy will be at the art show at 7 pm on the dot!
Oh! And I did my initial test for the pushups. I'm pretty impressed with myself, really. First I did the test on an incline to make sure I didn't mess with my back and got to 28 before my arms hurt. Then I figured that put me too high in the range, so I did regular pushups right afterward and I still got to 15. I am stronger than I thought I was. So I'll be starting the Pushup Challenge right after St. Anthony's!
Thursday Test Drive
First... welcome new readers! I am so very excited to have you all (and have already started following you all too - you're interesting people) and to be teetering on the edge of 50 readers. Whoo hoo!
As promised, today is (finally) the return of the Thursday Test Drive. The first Test Drive is of the book Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald. This Book is starting to popup everywhere. It's mentioned in this month's Triathlete (mine arrived Monday and I've already read it cover to cover) and it was mentioned in another Triathlon related email... so it's a good thing I found the time to finish it. The 2nd Test Drive is of Gu Chomps and Gu's Recovery Bru.
Test Drive #1: Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald
What they Say...
If you're like most endurance athlets, you're concerned about your weight. You know that every extra pound you carry costs time, wastes energy, stresses your joints and affects your performance.
Racing Weight is the first book to explain how enurance athletes - runners, cyclists, triathletes, cross-country skiers, rowers, swimmers - should lose weight. Using sound scientific principles gleaned from the latest sports research, Matt Fitzgerald lays out five easy steps to get lean for races and events. His guidelines will help you hit your target numbers for weight, body composition and performance while maintaining your strength and conditioning.
Fitzgerald makes good nutrition simple with great recipes from pro triathlete and dietician Pip Taylor and a look atht eh diets of 14 elite professional athletes. He explains how to avoid the most common mistakes in training and how to emabrk on a strength training program that works.
The Racing Weight plan will help you close in on your performace goals while feeling - and looking - great.
The Good:
This book is clear and through. It gives you the "you should do this" and the scientific why as well as dispelling some of the things we've heard that don't really work. It covers everything from how to figure out what weight is best for you (which is based on performance, and if you have a decent amount of weight to lose, may take awhile to finally get there), suggestions on how to examine the quality of the foods you eat and how to improve that quality (the key is go for more wholistic food), nutrient timing, and even good training suggestions for how to get to race weight.
The Bad:
While I am a woman who loves to have the science explained to me, I also like things to be succinct. Perhaps the science explanations in some cases could have been shortened a bit to the science involved and not necessarily so many details about how the study was performed. Or at least for some of them so it wasn't as long toothed every time. Also, there were some good recipes in the book from Pip Taylor but it would have been nice to give a suggested plan for a couple of weeks for a variety of different scenarios for weight loss.
The Tri Mommy Truth:
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in getting leaner for triathlon (or any other endurance sport). It is the first book that I have seen talk about weight loss for endurance athletes that takes our hard training into consideration, as well as the temptations of the off season and the fact that BMI isn't the ruler when you're an athlete but percent body fat may be. The book is organized in an easy, understandable way. It will let you put together your own plan once you sit down and read it ... although you may need to re-reference some of the material because there is a good bit there.
Test Drive #2: Gu Chomps and Gu Recovery Brew
What they say...
Gu Chomps:
GU Chomps offer a change of pace from gels and an answer to that moment in your run, ride, ski, swim, hike…. when you just gotta have something to chomp on.
GU Chomps deliver the premium ingredients and performance benefits you've come to expect from GU Energy products:
• Amino acids for added focus, rippin' energy and speedy recovery.
• Vitamin C + E, those mighty antioxidants that combat tissue breakdown.
• Sodium and potassium to restore electrolyte balance.
• Exclusive blend of complex and simple carbohydrates.
All in all, a superior choice to propel you in your athletic pursuits.
Gu Recovery Brew:
The premium quality ingredients in GU Recovery Brew help you quickly replenish energy stores and rebuild mucles after an intense workout. This packet contains the best protein, most amino acides, optimal car blend, essential viatmins, and GU's great, mellow Taste.
The Good:
Gu Chomps: They definitely worked. I started to feel muscle fatigue while on my 1 1/2 hour bike ride and I ate some and within a short period of time, I was back to feeling like I had fuel. They came out of the package easily and weren't overly sticky.
Gu Recovery Brew: I felt pretty decent afterwards. No aches or pains, but then none were really expected either.
The Bad
Gu Chomps: They were sweet. Too sweet. It was almost like eating 3 pieces of candy. The strawberry flavor was nice, but again too sweet. I also had some gastric issues a bit later. I never seem to have it right away, which is good. But later isn't good either. But then, I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome so life can be interesting.
Gu Recovery Brew: I tried the Strawberry Watermelon. Typically I like this flavor combination. But I did not like Recovery Brew. I did not like it one bit. It was a mixture of sweet and something just not quite right.
The TriMommy Truth:
For me, I'm going to stick to my Shot Blocs and Hammer Gels and Hammer Recoverite. It works for me. I like the flavors and they aren't overly sweet. Plus, I don't get gastric issues from them. But that's just what works for me. And it was worth a try.
As promised, today is (finally) the return of the Thursday Test Drive. The first Test Drive is of the book Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald. This Book is starting to popup everywhere. It's mentioned in this month's Triathlete (mine arrived Monday and I've already read it cover to cover) and it was mentioned in another Triathlon related email... so it's a good thing I found the time to finish it. The 2nd Test Drive is of Gu Chomps and Gu's Recovery Bru.
Test Drive #1: Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald
What they Say...
If you're like most endurance athlets, you're concerned about your weight. You know that every extra pound you carry costs time, wastes energy, stresses your joints and affects your performance.
Racing Weight is the first book to explain how enurance athletes - runners, cyclists, triathletes, cross-country skiers, rowers, swimmers - should lose weight. Using sound scientific principles gleaned from the latest sports research, Matt Fitzgerald lays out five easy steps to get lean for races and events. His guidelines will help you hit your target numbers for weight, body composition and performance while maintaining your strength and conditioning.
Fitzgerald makes good nutrition simple with great recipes from pro triathlete and dietician Pip Taylor and a look atht eh diets of 14 elite professional athletes. He explains how to avoid the most common mistakes in training and how to emabrk on a strength training program that works.
The Racing Weight plan will help you close in on your performace goals while feeling - and looking - great.
The Good:
This book is clear and through. It gives you the "you should do this" and the scientific why as well as dispelling some of the things we've heard that don't really work. It covers everything from how to figure out what weight is best for you (which is based on performance, and if you have a decent amount of weight to lose, may take awhile to finally get there), suggestions on how to examine the quality of the foods you eat and how to improve that quality (the key is go for more wholistic food), nutrient timing, and even good training suggestions for how to get to race weight.
The Bad:
While I am a woman who loves to have the science explained to me, I also like things to be succinct. Perhaps the science explanations in some cases could have been shortened a bit to the science involved and not necessarily so many details about how the study was performed. Or at least for some of them so it wasn't as long toothed every time. Also, there were some good recipes in the book from Pip Taylor but it would have been nice to give a suggested plan for a couple of weeks for a variety of different scenarios for weight loss.
The Tri Mommy Truth:
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in getting leaner for triathlon (or any other endurance sport). It is the first book that I have seen talk about weight loss for endurance athletes that takes our hard training into consideration, as well as the temptations of the off season and the fact that BMI isn't the ruler when you're an athlete but percent body fat may be. The book is organized in an easy, understandable way. It will let you put together your own plan once you sit down and read it ... although you may need to re-reference some of the material because there is a good bit there.
Test Drive #2: Gu Chomps and Gu Recovery Brew
What they say...
Gu Chomps:
GU Chomps offer a change of pace from gels and an answer to that moment in your run, ride, ski, swim, hike…. when you just gotta have something to chomp on.
GU Chomps deliver the premium ingredients and performance benefits you've come to expect from GU Energy products:
• Amino acids for added focus, rippin' energy and speedy recovery.
• Vitamin C + E, those mighty antioxidants that combat tissue breakdown.
• Sodium and potassium to restore electrolyte balance.
• Exclusive blend of complex and simple carbohydrates.
All in all, a superior choice to propel you in your athletic pursuits.
Gu Recovery Brew:
The premium quality ingredients in GU Recovery Brew help you quickly replenish energy stores and rebuild mucles after an intense workout. This packet contains the best protein, most amino acides, optimal car blend, essential viatmins, and GU's great, mellow Taste.
The Good:
Gu Chomps: They definitely worked. I started to feel muscle fatigue while on my 1 1/2 hour bike ride and I ate some and within a short period of time, I was back to feeling like I had fuel. They came out of the package easily and weren't overly sticky.
Gu Recovery Brew: I felt pretty decent afterwards. No aches or pains, but then none were really expected either.
The Bad
Gu Chomps: They were sweet. Too sweet. It was almost like eating 3 pieces of candy. The strawberry flavor was nice, but again too sweet. I also had some gastric issues a bit later. I never seem to have it right away, which is good. But later isn't good either. But then, I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome so life can be interesting.
Gu Recovery Brew: I tried the Strawberry Watermelon. Typically I like this flavor combination. But I did not like Recovery Brew. I did not like it one bit. It was a mixture of sweet and something just not quite right.
The TriMommy Truth:
For me, I'm going to stick to my Shot Blocs and Hammer Gels and Hammer Recoverite. It works for me. I like the flavors and they aren't overly sweet. Plus, I don't get gastric issues from them. But that's just what works for me. And it was worth a try.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Chik-fil-a-Part Deux and Other Items
Chik-fil-a Part Deux
Last night was family night at Chik-fil-a. We decided to go with the girls after getting a facebook post from Connor's Mom saying that he asked if our girls were going to be there... after that we figured we should go (plus we like chatting with Connor's parents). When I told the girls at daycare that we would meet Mr. Darcy at chik-fil-a, the first words out of Ladybug's mouth were "I'm going to be a good listener for you and eat my dinner and I'm not going to run away in the restaurant so we can stay and have ice cream." At least the child learns.
And thankfully, the evening went well. Both girls were good listeners and we had a fun time with Connor and his parents. It turned out it was the Chik-fil-a cow's birthday, so there were balloon animals, face painting, a live musician, and the playground. To say the least, the girls had a blast... and the place was a complete and utter zoo. One that normally would work as extremely good birth control for anyone who did not already have children. Yet it was a fun time.
The entire time though, I was thinking about my friend Doug. There was a surprise party for this wonderful human being that we did not go to primarily because the girls and I have had runny noses for the past week. It may be allergies, but as Doug is having a bone marrow transplant this week (in fact he's in the hospital today) and will be completely immunocompromised, I didn't want to take chances in introducing a cold (or any other random germs that my kids have at the moment because they're germy little kids) into his system right before that. He's started a blog about his journey through bone marrow transplant which you can access at: http://dougstransplantjourney.webs.com/apps/blog/ if you're interested. Doug is honestly one of the nicest people I have ever met... he's kind and funny and has a way about him that you just can't help but have a good time when he is around. He's an inspiration too. After being diagnosed with CML and going into remission with the help of Gleevec, he not only has done a hike, a triathlon, and a century ride for TNT but also trained for a 1/2 marathon with them too. All the while raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and acting as someone who spoke with newly diagnosed CML patients. Not to mention being a wonderful husband and father and running a business. So my thoughts are were with him last night and today... and I have a feeling he'll be lingering there for a good while.
Swimming, Without a Hitch
This morning we woke and the girls decided they wanted to get ready "all by myself." So once I actually got them out of bed, they did a great job and were ready to go! That let me get to the pool relatively on time, which was great. I had a 45 minute continuous swim, and the pool was a popular place this morning. I had to take the farthest lane, which I hate doing because all those years ago that's where the slow people get sent for races - the outside lanes. But I did pretty well this morning.
Monday I had a bit of a hitch in my stroke when I swam, I wasn't quite sure where it was from and I was doing my best not to have it, but it was staying with me. Today, when I stretched my back out, it clicked just once and my back muscles seemed to loosen up a bit. And when I swam today, the hitch was gone.
It was a nice relaxing swim that cleared my head. I thought a little bit about St. Anthony goals, although not fully resting on anything 100% just yet. The rest of the time, I just thought about counting the length I was on and that was it. Counting all the way down the length of the pool and then going up to the next number is a nice little mantra for relaxation. Of course, I only count sets of 8... so 1st 8, 2nd 8 and so on. I decided to stop momentarily at 1600m to see my time and also figure out how much more I needed to do. 36:32 for 1600m. I was pretty happy with that and finished out the 45 minutes with another 800m, half of which I did the backstroke for as a sort of cooldown. It was a great swim!
Funny about Lunch
Today I also set out to have lunch with Mr. Darcy. This is a somewhat rare occurrence, despite our efforts to do it once a week. The last 2 weeks Mr. Darcy was able to bring lunch home for us, but this week he had meetings so we met at a restaurant. Wouldn't you know that this time was the only time I get an email from my boss asking me to do something... which led to several emails about who would lead the call if I couldn't lead the call. All in the stretch of 15 minutes. I guess they're used to my responding right away to everything. But I'm supposed to get a lunch! Anyway, it kind of made me laugh from the sheer irony. I'm literally at my desk 99.9% of the day - the 0.1% is literally for potty breaks and a quick grab of food - on 99.9% of my work days. One of the few times I actually leave my desk and go to lunch, email central! But all is right again - I said I'd be happy to lead the call and that I was just at lunch. No rest for the wicked (or is it weary) as the saying goes...
On Tap
This afternoon after work and before I pick up the little ladies, I plan to do the initial test for the 100 Push Up Challenge. I figured I could at least be set to start the week after St. Anthony's and it would give me plenty of time to recover before race day. (My guess is 12 for my initial test...15 at the most. We'll have to see.)
On tap for tomorrow is a 20 mile bike ride at 16-18 mph, nice steady pace. I plan to go to the closed road for this one, folks. No gauntlet of death for me!
So until then, happy training and please send positive thoughts to my buddy Doug for his bone marrow transplant!!
Last night was family night at Chik-fil-a. We decided to go with the girls after getting a facebook post from Connor's Mom saying that he asked if our girls were going to be there... after that we figured we should go (plus we like chatting with Connor's parents). When I told the girls at daycare that we would meet Mr. Darcy at chik-fil-a, the first words out of Ladybug's mouth were "I'm going to be a good listener for you and eat my dinner and I'm not going to run away in the restaurant so we can stay and have ice cream." At least the child learns.
And thankfully, the evening went well. Both girls were good listeners and we had a fun time with Connor and his parents. It turned out it was the Chik-fil-a cow's birthday, so there were balloon animals, face painting, a live musician, and the playground. To say the least, the girls had a blast... and the place was a complete and utter zoo. One that normally would work as extremely good birth control for anyone who did not already have children. Yet it was a fun time.
The entire time though, I was thinking about my friend Doug. There was a surprise party for this wonderful human being that we did not go to primarily because the girls and I have had runny noses for the past week. It may be allergies, but as Doug is having a bone marrow transplant this week (in fact he's in the hospital today) and will be completely immunocompromised, I didn't want to take chances in introducing a cold (or any other random germs that my kids have at the moment because they're germy little kids) into his system right before that. He's started a blog about his journey through bone marrow transplant which you can access at: http://dougstransplantjourney.webs.com/apps/blog/ if you're interested. Doug is honestly one of the nicest people I have ever met... he's kind and funny and has a way about him that you just can't help but have a good time when he is around. He's an inspiration too. After being diagnosed with CML and going into remission with the help of Gleevec, he not only has done a hike, a triathlon, and a century ride for TNT but also trained for a 1/2 marathon with them too. All the while raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and acting as someone who spoke with newly diagnosed CML patients. Not to mention being a wonderful husband and father and running a business. So my thoughts are were with him last night and today... and I have a feeling he'll be lingering there for a good while.
Swimming, Without a Hitch
This morning we woke and the girls decided they wanted to get ready "all by myself." So once I actually got them out of bed, they did a great job and were ready to go! That let me get to the pool relatively on time, which was great. I had a 45 minute continuous swim, and the pool was a popular place this morning. I had to take the farthest lane, which I hate doing because all those years ago that's where the slow people get sent for races - the outside lanes. But I did pretty well this morning.
Monday I had a bit of a hitch in my stroke when I swam, I wasn't quite sure where it was from and I was doing my best not to have it, but it was staying with me. Today, when I stretched my back out, it clicked just once and my back muscles seemed to loosen up a bit. And when I swam today, the hitch was gone.
It was a nice relaxing swim that cleared my head. I thought a little bit about St. Anthony goals, although not fully resting on anything 100% just yet. The rest of the time, I just thought about counting the length I was on and that was it. Counting all the way down the length of the pool and then going up to the next number is a nice little mantra for relaxation. Of course, I only count sets of 8... so 1st 8, 2nd 8 and so on. I decided to stop momentarily at 1600m to see my time and also figure out how much more I needed to do. 36:32 for 1600m. I was pretty happy with that and finished out the 45 minutes with another 800m, half of which I did the backstroke for as a sort of cooldown. It was a great swim!
Funny about Lunch
Today I also set out to have lunch with Mr. Darcy. This is a somewhat rare occurrence, despite our efforts to do it once a week. The last 2 weeks Mr. Darcy was able to bring lunch home for us, but this week he had meetings so we met at a restaurant. Wouldn't you know that this time was the only time I get an email from my boss asking me to do something... which led to several emails about who would lead the call if I couldn't lead the call. All in the stretch of 15 minutes. I guess they're used to my responding right away to everything. But I'm supposed to get a lunch! Anyway, it kind of made me laugh from the sheer irony. I'm literally at my desk 99.9% of the day - the 0.1% is literally for potty breaks and a quick grab of food - on 99.9% of my work days. One of the few times I actually leave my desk and go to lunch, email central! But all is right again - I said I'd be happy to lead the call and that I was just at lunch. No rest for the wicked (or is it weary) as the saying goes...
On Tap
This afternoon after work and before I pick up the little ladies, I plan to do the initial test for the 100 Push Up Challenge. I figured I could at least be set to start the week after St. Anthony's and it would give me plenty of time to recover before race day. (My guess is 12 for my initial test...15 at the most. We'll have to see.)
On tap for tomorrow is a 20 mile bike ride at 16-18 mph, nice steady pace. I plan to go to the closed road for this one, folks. No gauntlet of death for me!
So until then, happy training and please send positive thoughts to my buddy Doug for his bone marrow transplant!!
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