Triathlon Training

I have had a few people ask me for more information about this Triathlon thing, so I'll give a little of the background and the information up to now. First off, know that I have been working out regularly all summer - that's 2 or more time a week. I have 20 pounds remaining from when I was pregnant with Mary and I am trying my best to get rid of it in a healthy manner. For the record, I should list things that I hate, just as background:

1. Being wet
2. Being cold
3. Being cold and wet
4. Sweating (see #1)
5. Running (this used to bring on panic attacks in High School, bad enough to send me the hospital)
6. Being out of breath

That should cover it.

So, I put aside some of these issues and began doing serious yoga/pilates last fall with a friend once a week. While that felt like I was working, it did nothing for my over all physique. So, this summer I got more involved and starting going to Lifetime Fitness regularly. Still nothing. So I decided to get down and dirty and figured if I could do a Triathlon, I would be in shape and forever get rid of the extra weight. So I bought a book . I read the book. I started week 1 of running, biking and swimming. Well, I tried. I didn't have a bathing suit, so I had to get that. My shoes make my toes go numb when I exercise (they are over 8 years old, and pre-pregnancy sized). I found that I can't swim with contacts if I don't have goggles. Bought those. And my hair kept getting in my face, so I got a swimming cap. Then my hair started feeling funny from the chlorine, so I had to find some good conditioner. And my gym bag rebelled from sudden frequent uses, so, after it split open along the seams, I bought a new bag. And then I started.

I got to week 3, which was the first week of moderate training (versus easy, or adaptation to training) and found my lack of enjoyment of swimming was working against me. I can't swim well enough to do the drills that I was supposed to be doing for the training. So I am taking a week off (this past week) and doing nothing but swimming to try and catch up. I have spent every day at the gym swimming. At this point, I think you should return to the list at the beginning of this post and consider what this means. I found a lot of good information on the web on how to swim better and how to train. I really stumbled across some good information on training in different heart rate zones and tried that. This boosted the number of laps I could do in a half an hour to an amazing amount, for me. I have two days left of swimming and then I will try to do the drills for weeks 3 training. If I can do them, I will continue with the training. If I cannot, I will do another week of swimming first.

As for a Triathlon at the end of this, I suppose I will have to. That means I would have to address the bike issue, as the bike I currently own is a 1978 3 speed. Not normally considered competing material. Of course, I do have until the spring, as there are not too many Triathlons in Michigan in the winter. What I hope to gain from this is a truly fit and healthy body that will quit pissing me off (hopefully 20 pounds lighter). At least, I will be able to keep up with Diane once she recovers from having a baby.

Lunch at Olga's - WITH Olga

My Mom has stayed with me this week, since when she came down she decided to break a rib. Yes, you read correctly. She came down to watch Emma while I took Mary to an orthopedic doctor about her knock-kneed stance. 10 minutes before we got home, Mom was climbing on a chair to reach batteries for a new game she got Emma, when she fell off and landed in the space where my kitchen island once stood. Subsequently, the force she required to move the island when she landed broke her rib. So she stayed. That was my fortune, even if it WAS because she broke a bone. So today, she started to get cabin fever. We went out to lunch at Olga's in Westland Mall and to our surprise, Olga herself was there. Ha! I didn't even know there WAS a real Olga! As a matter of fact, I usually don't eat there - we went because it is a favorite spot of my Mom's. Mary wasn't too impressed, although she liked the fries dipped in ranch sauce. You can see she is looking to make a quick escape with her doggy bag. But it was a fun diversion!

All the Attitude in the World

Mary Leona, age 2. The rest is self explanatory.

Family Time isn't what it's Cracked up to Be

Last night, in an effort to appease Emma, we took the girls to the family swim time at the Lifetime Fitness swimming pool. That will be the last time we do that for a LONG time. Let me just tell you, Internet, we needed 2 parents per child at the pool, or maybe 3 just for Emma. She wanted to run. She wanted to swim. She wanted to jump. JUMP WITHOUT ANYBODY CATCHING HER. Then she wanted more running. And she only wanted to do this in the deep end. As if 3 feet isn't the deep end for her. Then we took the girls back to the locker room, where Emma did not want to stay within the confines of the nice shower area provided for the families with kids. While Jim showered, I tried to dress the (wet) kids and dry their hair a little - while Emma played with the reset button on the plug the whole time. And there was whining and gnashing of teeth by both children when we tried to leave.

All in all, there were some brief moments of valuable family time in the water, like when we all played Ring Around the Rosey together, or when Jim took the girls, one at a time, under the giant mushroom waterfall thing and waved from behind the waterfall. But I am not ready to make any more tender pool remembrances any time soon.

I Sure Swam

Well, I swam. I did! I even tripled the distance that I was able to swim from last Tuesday's premiere effort before I hit the point where I surely believed that I could never get enough oxygen. So next week I should be able to make it all the way across the pool. (HA! I was just kidding there, see!)

Swimming Today

I'm trying to get out the door with the kids and get to Lifetime Fitness. Week 2 of Triathlon training and I am already dragging and losing steam. I have 5 more weeks of this!!!! Of course, it could be because today is swimming day and it is COLD out. I'll be inside, but I hate swimming. I also hate being wet. But, I've got my swimsuit on (underneath my sweater) and I'm trying to get the kids dressed and out the door. Ugh.

Porcupine Meatballs

You must, absolutely MUST read about the Porcupine Meatballs here first, and then here. My thoughts precisely.

The Scheduled, the Unscheduled, and the Inbetween

There has been some minor clamoring, so I am posting - I LOVE my public! Emma has been doing just fine in preschool. It is a wonderful, fabulous place where she plays well with other children and learns about God, all between hayrides and feeding the baby chickens. And it is ALL DAY LONG, so what more could a parent hope for? Sometimes I worry about leaving her for all day, and I hang around the Web Cam to see what she is doing most of the morning, but I pick her up right after Mary gets up from her nap and that is about as good as I can do. My poor little baby Mary (ok, she's 2 already) doesn't get a solid nap when Emma is home, as Emma must be Larry Boy and what is Larry Boy without his trusty Alfred? (In the picture, Alfred is the Asparagus guy, the tomato is trying to be a sidekick "Bobbin" and it is not working very well) So after Mary and I run around with other Mommies and their 2 year old children, going to Tea and Tambolas all over the town, we play some hide and seek before she goes down for a nap. Then I sit at the computer and stare at the sleeping children on the web cam. I am hopelessly lost without Emma all day, but I do so that she learns things I do not have the patience to teach her.

Other news: Mary and Emma have started gymnastics. They went today for the first time. They are in the same class together, along with Yours Truly, who is supposed to guide and support them through the first steps of throwing their bodies about with grace and purpose. That is a huge step up from throwing their bodies around the way they do now, which is randomly and without a thought as to what they may land on. Emma LOVES the balance beam. That is all she wants to do. And she doesn't want the little steps they offer her, but the ENORMOUS one that the professionals bounce about on. So it was a little hard to reign her in while teaching Mary how to jump on a block in a straddle. Mary was FABULOUS. My little dear would do everything the teacher told her as well as she could and beamed with pride when she did something. Trampolines! Bars! Beams! Obstacle course! Butterfly sitting! It didn't matter - Mary was in her element. They both enjoyed the floor trampoline and Emma even managed to jump around doing what they told her to. Mary did a funny little gallop jump and said, "Jumpy! Jumpy! Jumpy!", while beaming. I might take her tomorrow for the open gym play while Emma is at school, being watched by other parents with nothing to do but miss their toddlers.

Monday Mary starts swimming lessons. It sounds like my children are suddenly all booked up with events and schedules coming out of their ears. Indeed, they are not! But Mary experienced her first swimming adventure on Labor Day and the whole of her being wants to swim, "by her own". The child would not stay attached to me for anything and spent 2 full hours trying to propel herself around in the water despite the whole sinking thing. So I signed her up the minute I could. I thought it would be some special Mary/Momma time and swimming lessons were something Emma and I enjoyed when she was younger. I didn't anticipate putting her in the gymnastics, but the only class left for Emma was during a time when Mary had to come. She really lucked out on this one! So now, between an aggressive work out schedule (did I mention the triathalon?), preschool twice a week, swimming lessons (still not sure where Emma will be during those) and gymnastics, we are booked to leave the house at least once every day. This is amazing to me, since in the past year I could go the entire week without using the car. And look where we are now!

First Day of Preschool

Wednesday began a new era: the one where Mary gets to be an only child for a period of time twice a week. This picture is Emma's new pose which she busts out every time you tell her you are going to take a picture. There are some others, with Mary and Mama and Daddy, but none are as wonderfully Emma as this one. She started preschool at Real Life Nursery School and Farm , where she goes Wednesdays and Fridays and can stay the WHOLE day! This is mostly because every day they go to the farm and help take care of the animals. Then they also get to go on hayrides and ridehorses and things like that. This would be hard to do with 2 hours a day. Plus, Mary gets some primo Mama only time, which this week has been Mama/Daddy time - a VERY rare thing indeed.

When I called to check on Emma at lunch time, she was doing fine and still wearing her purple hat (and her Larry Boy watch, and her flower multi color necklace - one MUST have accesories). When I checked the web cam at nap times, she was fast asleep with her pink fuzziness blanket and matching pillow. When we came to pick her up, she cried. SOBBED. And told us how she 'missed-ed' us because she loves us. And how she shared her flower necklace with one girl but not another. And how they learned about God who made the Earth. And how they have blue beds to sleep on. And all of the injustices a toddler suffers in one day, and all of the REALLY EXCITING things she did. All told, I think it was a net positive. Today, anyhow, she was happy to go and did not even look back. And I get all of the baby Mary (who is not really all that baby-ish any more) snuggles and love and kisses that I want. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.

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At the zoo

More Toddler Crazy Logic

Yesterday we were all headed out to lifetime Fitness and Emma saw a fire truck (the EMS unit) leaving the station. She was excited that they were going to help somebody.

They might be stuck in a tree, she said.

Indeed, they might, I replied.

Or water, she said.

Or water, I agreed.

Or dirt.

Yes.

Or snow.

Yes.

Or quicksand.

You are right.

Or strawberries.

...

Or chocolate.

Nobody said much of anything after that. Jim chimed in that if that person who was just stuck in strawberries and chocolate ran through some whipped cream and ice cream that they would have fallen into Sundae. I'm still trying to figure out how strawberries got into Emma's head.

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Cart buddies

True Love

I am back home (as of Sunday night) and relaxing into the normal routine. I had a fun time, as I always do when spending time with Diane. We went to a bookstore (I already blogged the picture of the stack of books), the scrapbook store (not because I can't go to one near me, only because she has the largest chain practically right next door to her), a massage, and many meals out. All of those things were wonderful. I flew in Sunday night, to a bedraggled Jim and crew. The girls had not napped all weekend and Jim was flustered that he had not been able to catch a 10 minute shower while I was gone. I felt loved and missed, which is what all mothers want to know.

Right now (3:10 PM), Emma is not napping (I am trying to shorten her naps so she will go to bed before 11 PM). She is trying to explain why she cannot go to the bathroom, and apparently it involves a "long, twisty slide and the pee-pee is scared of coming down". I always wondered how that worked.

With that tidbit of toddler wisdom, I will take my leave.

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Karate girl who just won 3 medals!

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Spending!

Travel Travails

I'm going to Minnesota this weekend to visit the Ruckers. Since there are new restrictions for carry on luggage, I tried to clear up all of the confusion. Here's the exhaustive list of things that cannot be taken with you on board. What is not listed either way is lipstick. Now, Internet, I do not wear lipstick all of the time, but I like to keep a bit on me in case I am feeling rather pale. So, I shall go to Minnesota with ghostly aspect. And no mascara. This one is more problematic, as I don't leave my bedroom without mascara and eyeliner, not to mention the state. I know it sounds silly, but it is a habit and I feel really uncomfortable without it. So I will have to buy a tube of it when I get there, I suppose. Sadly, my martial arts weapons are not able to go with me. But, the really FANTASTIC news is that I can take a cigar cutter and a corkscrew. HOORAY!

!@%!#

Today I am not at the top of my game, but I am getting over the worst of this cold. I took the girls to Meijer's to get some milk and bananas and they were angels. They even wanted to ride in the cart as opposed to walk around and touch things on the shelves. After the blissfully easy trip through the produce, we were in line and Emma kept pestering me for candy. As a rule, I never get candy from the shelves in line, since to do it once means we ALWAYS have to do it. So Emma starts with the normal, "Can I get candy?" and I say, "No". Then she repeats it and I say no again. Then Emma says with resignation, "Oh, Dammit." I stopped putting groceries on the conveyer and looked at her face and asked her what she said. She repeats herself. At this moment, I happen to catch the look on the sweet old grandmother's face behind my cart. It is shocked, yet guarded look. So I calmly say, "Emma, we don't say that word." Emma replied, "Well, I am frustrated, Dammit." I explained to Emma that that wasn't a nice word and made her apologize to the lady behind us for using such an ugly word. I felt the need to say something else to the nice looking lady, so I said,"She is just starting preschool - I can't believe the things she is picking up!". Of course, she does't start until September and has only visited once. But I didn't tell her that. About then I realized that Mary, who is in the habit of tunelessly singing random lyrics at the top of her voice has picked up the cause and is standing in the back of the cart, swaying to the beat of "Dammit, daa-a-a-a-a-aaaammit, damiiiiiiiiiiiit, DAMMMMMMMMMMIT!!!!!". Can I just say how HAPPY it made me that my children picked this public forum to share their first cursing experience? And truly, I DON'T know where they got it from, since my downfall word is completely different. If they started taking the Lord's name in vain I would have known where they got it from and would have been a little humbled. At this point, I can only assume that Emma has figured out how to sneak downstairs and watch Howard Stern long after we are asleep. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

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(My homemade sinusitis cure)

I am under the influence of a summer cold this week. Monday I had an enormous headache. Today it has evolved to a sneezing fit with a sore, swollen face. Nothing that is bad enough to render me useless, or even to send me to bed, mind you. Just enough to thoroughly annoy me and keep me near the tissue box. So, after Sudafed and Motrin did not make a dent, I got desperate. I wandered out to my garden and cut some lavender and wrapped it up in this tidy little package with 2 tea bags and a few drops of peppermint. Then I moistened it and microwaved it for 30 seconds and laid it on my painful face. Sweet relief! It cleared my nose and soothed my headache. I have found a wonderful new use for my lavender! The little yellow package also removed my makeup, which you can see in the perfect shape of my eyes right in the middle there. Anyhow, I had no right to makeup with the blotchy face I was sporting, so I guess that all worked out.

For Lydia

My friend over at Keep Your Eye on the Kids is taking a nice month long vacation on the beach just like she did last year. The link in this entry will take you right to the adorable picture of her 2 1/2 year old daughter, who is wearing the exact same bathing suit as my dear 3 1/2 year old in this picture. Click on the link on the side over there to read her most current entries. Now, I am not sure whether you think Emma is sun bathing or nearly dead, but she is, in fact, neither. One day last month her cousin Avis came over to watch her and her sister while hubby and I ran around town like crazy childless people. They were happily playing in the little pool when Avis busted out the camera and Emma began to pose. This was her idea of posing. I have a slew of pictures of her reading or plain ignoring the camera, but this one showed the bathing suit the best. So, there you go, Lydia. I hope your sand castle building days are warm and the people downstairs stop being twits. You should report them.

The Devil Wears Strawberry Shortcake

The children are a little tired and sassy this evening. We have 1 hour before we can rightfully put them to bed. So, we decided to take them to the park, since every MINUTE they were in the house they were doing something to potentially cause bodily harm. We figured the best course of action was to strap them into the stroller (instead of letting Emma ride a bike, zipping ahead of us and crossing streets without looking) and wheel them over. Emma informed me that her shoes did not match the stroller, they only matched her bike. In fact, her shoes do match her bike. They do not really match the stroller. Even with an iron clad argument and a screaming toddler, she was just wheeled away in the stroller. Poor girl, what will her friends think of THAT fashion catastrophe?