Housework Rules!!

 

A real woman always keeps her house clean and organized, the laundry basket is always empty. She's always well dressed, hair done. She never swears and behaves gracefully in all situations and under all circumstances. She has more than enough patience to take care of her family, always has a smile on her face, and a kind word for everyone. Post this in your status if you too suspect that you might be a man.

HA! My friend posted this as her facebook status today and I couldn't help myself. WOW!...I am the first to admit I am not big on housekeeping and when tri season is in full swing, I do my best to make sure everyone has clean underwear - even if I'm not sure which pile it is in - and that my own workout clothes are clean and easily accessible... but that is about it. 

Yesterday was just one of those days where I realized I need three of me...or better yet, three of a SuperMe. After feeling like I should be awarded SUCKY MOM OF THE YEAR award for not being on the ball and signing up Jack early enough to get onto a baseball team, I've spent the last two weeks trying to find another league that would accept him at this late date. I finally found out yesterday that he was on a team and that he had practice in an hour and he needed a cup. So much for my weight sesh and sorry Ki...no dog walk for you - we're off to go shopping for a cup. WHAT? Mai had a blast walking around Sports Authority telling people we were looking for a cover for her brother's penis. Yes...she said penis out loud about 30 times.

Cup in place, we headed to Jack's first practice and I found out that Saturday just got a lot busier...for someone. I've been pretty stressed out about Saturday because I have a 70 mile bike ride in Salem (the day before my very first Half Marathon*) and Steve wanted to be in Eugene for the Duck's practice game...and Mai has a soccer game...and I need to be down in Eugene by 5pm for the OBC (Oregon Blogger Connection :-) meet-up. Things were not looking good for my ice bath this weekend with that kind of time shortage...even with a wonderful mom who is picking up my race packet for me...and then I found out we just added a baseball game to the mix.

Oh. My.

Husband stepped up to take the hit for the day. No game for him...but the three of us get OUR sports in. Whatta man, whatta man, whatta mighty good man! Yes, he is!

So ...this half marathon. Coach says it's an L1 LSD run. So...if I play by his rules, I'll be able to crush my PR in my next 1/2 marathon, right? 

*My very first race ever was a marathon. Followed it with another marathon. Moved down to a 25k. Threw in a couple seasons of triathlon. Tried my hand at a 15k. Moved on down to a 4 miler and a 6k. Finally did my first 5k last month and this seems like one of the last distances left. At least I'm moving back up in the right direction :-)

I also just realized that I never ran a race in April for The Run For The Bling Of It Challenge...so I guess I'll count the Eugene Half on May 1st as my April run...and start looking for something else I can do in May as well.

 

Good Better Best

Good: Steve recorded Rock Docs: Foo Fighters for me. (I Dave Grohl).

Better: I finally got to watch it last night.
Best: My kids Dave Grohl, too. Watch Jack rock out below...



Good: All the mail I've been getting lately.
Better: It's mostly donations to Team in Training!!!!
Best: The handwritten notes that arrive with those donations...

 ...even if they are heartbreaking...

Good: I saw a spot on my nose in a picture from The Cherry of a Ride Weekend that didn't look quite right.
Better: I actually made an appointment ASAP to see the dermatologist.
Best: We caught it early. She froze it off yesterday.
The Bad: I will likely have a piece of black dying flesh on my face at The Bloggy Meet-Up at Mazzi's on Saturday before the Eugene Marathon/Half Marathon.

BUT...I won't have a scar on my nose like this one on my leg.

I'm actually pleased with how this scar has healed, but one of my fears since finding this skin cancer and having it removed is that since that time, I've had to have two other precancerous areas frozen off. If I'm not diligent with all my moles and lesions, I could miss one and it will go from pre to actual skin cancer. I do NOT want a scar like this on my face!

• Do you like the Foo Fighters?

• Have you ever raced to raise money for a charity before? Did you do any crazy fundraising parties or events? 

• Did you ever think - I'll pour a bunch of baby oil all over my body, fry myself in the sun for 4 hours a day every summer and believe your skin was invincible?

Monday Morning Dance Party

TGIM!

Because I know you need some new moves...

Fifty/Eight Brick

I'm not sure why I'm even doing this post, because I'm not sure I have much to say. That was freakin' hard. My body is rebelling. I can't get warm after my ice bath. I'm almost asleep, but I still need to eat dinner.

It all started on the most beautiful sunny day we've had so far this year. THAT part was awesome! Met with the team at Edgefield at 7am for a little chat on hydration and nutrition and mental prep from Coach.

Wheels hit the road a little after 8am and away we went - back up Larch Mountain. This time we made it to mile 9 before seeing seeing much snow on the side of the road. So...about 25 miles uphill, then 25 miles back to Edgefield and that was about perfect.

I think, though, that this was a little like childbirth - I was so happy to be done with the uphill, that all those miles of climbing at 6 mph were forgotten as soon as I was heading back down the mountain. I'm sure I could fill a whole post about the ride, but for now...I guess I want to forget it for awhile...

When we arrived back at Edgefield, we headed out on our 8 mile run. That part kind of sucked. It was a 4 mile loop that had to be repeated and I REALLY DO NOT like those! But...I was running with two friends that totally kept me running and not walking, so THAT was also good. Plus, a great friend was aid stationing for us, so she took great care of us all day long.

I actually took my foam roller with me and pulled it out in the parking lot before the run and rolled out my back. I also took a second 5 hour energy. I'm not sure how much that helped as I apparently did not eat nearly enough on the bike because I felt like my stomach was totally eating itself by mile 7. I REALLY wanted to have a Wilbur Burger and tater tots but as it was, I made it home just in time to take the shortest of showers, pull my hair back into a wet ponytail and then get Mai to her soccer double header. She got to play goalie the first half of both games so she was ecstatic. The whole reason she's playing indoor soccer right now is that they have goalies and outdoors doesn't in her age bracket.

During the games, I took turns feeling like I was going to cry (I was SO hungry) and then feeling like I was going to fall asleep. Mai and her teammates were  troopers handling back to back games like pros!

Finally made it home to my ice bath and called Mom to keep me company while I tried to purposefully give myself frostbite. WHY? I ask. Why? do I do this?? All I know, is the girls in this house are sleeping good tonight.

I just went back and re-read everything I just wrote and it doesn't sound that fun. BUT>>>seriously...it was a very GREAT day! A little lot tough - but beautiful weather, beautiful company, pretty strong job on my part...I call it a SUCCESS!!! My team has raised almost $100,000 this year for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I'm so proud to be a part of this group of amazing people!!

Happy Easter to you all!!!!! Christ Has Risen.

2:48 Baby

That's 2 minutes and 48 seconds that tastes like one grand. I just changed my tires about 10 times. Got the rear tire stuck so bad that swearing and plyers and the need of my husband were involved to get it back off the bike. Lesson learned...which is good - because that would have sucked to do that during a race.

2 mins 48 seconds was my record tire changing time. Thanks Steve, for making me practice practice and practice again!

Now I'm off to do a 30 mile hilly solo ride. I'm so not into solo rides... But at least it's a nice day! Later Gators.

Some Days You Just Gotta Drink (and shouldn't)

I don't know what got into me on Tuesday, but I was a mess! The day just kept getting away from me. Everything at work seemed to be piling up. I never got my workout in. By the end of the day, I found myself with a big fubar from a company we're working with on our new business idea and was standing around at UPS trying to control my out of control feelings and just barely making it (I actually made the UPS guy smile instead of knocking him up side the head) until I got out to my truck and realized I was about to have a breakdown. Knowing I was just two minutes from my in-laws, I headed that way - they always have wine :D

Sure enough, a little conversation and one glass of wine later, I was feeling a little more calm. Things started to look up when amongst all the garage sale items my in-laws were donating to my fund raiser garage sale, I noticed these little gems...

MIL refused to tell me why she had them in her possession, which only made me giddier.

On the way home, against my better judgment, I bought a bottle of wine. When I returned home, I drank the wine. When I awoke yesterday, I remembered that I had been contacted last week by my very first company for a product review on my blog. I'm sure you'll be as tickled as me to know it was for Zaca. Their tag line is "Feel better long after you're done with the party". I wondered where the hell my samples were as this would have been a great time to try them out. Then I wondered what exactly about my blog made them contact me? Posts about drinking entire bottles of wine on a weeknight? Maybe.

So yesterday, I felt A.W.F.U.L. but I made myself go to the gym and kill my upper body with a good weight workout. Then the kids got home and we headed to our neighborhood common area to play ball.

Let's play ball!

Jack is in Jammies because it was PJ day at school.

We went up to spooky forest and found a cool hiding spot.

4, 5, 6 and 7 leaf clovers?

We found a great place for a hideout in Spooky Forest...

and Mai started a club called  the Coyote Cove Survivor Club. Our cat was killed up there by coyotes two years ago and she figures this little den is where the coyotes sleep at night.

Then I fell asleep for 2 minutes before it was time to head to the track. I was SO tired and bed was calling. I roused myself up and out the door and in 2 minutes time, it had gone from tank top weather to a downpour. Despite being hungover, late and having continuing left leg issues from Monday's run, I had a refreshingly hard and rainy hill repeat workout on Terwilliger with the team. A FANTASTIC 6+ miles later, I was heading on home! One more day in the books.

Shark Cakes and Awesome Runs

Sometimes you can't think straight and bullet points are the only way to go :D

• Mai made it through the night Friday at the sleepover (Hooray!)...but she came home "needing" a flat screen tv in her room, her own laptop, a demand for a hot tub, swearing, and a suggestion that I could lose 20 pounds.

• Jack loved being an only child for those 24 hours. When I asked him to come up with a down-side to not having his sister around, he had to think for quite some time and then said "you know how you're always screaming at us to pick wet towels up off the floor?...well...without her here, I would have no one to blame that on."  NICE! Hope this love sticks around ;P

I think this era of sweetness is over and a new one has begun.

• I took Jack to a birthday party Sunday night. They had a shark cake...kind of like this one

...but with bloody mermaid dolls in the sharks mouths. Very cool. It was a very girly birthday party, too...mostly girls in party dresses, which made the cake even more amusing. Thankfully no one freaked out. No one would eat the bloody parts though.

• Remember I've been practicing my bike tire changing so I could win the contest at practice? I'm pretty much stuck at 4 minutes - but I just found out that the pot is usually at about $1000 (donated to our TNT page) to be split among the people who beat coach at the tire change. I had no idea it was that high. I'm in super tire changing mode now. I think I'll practice twice a day for that kind of cash! Have you all been practicing your tire changing??????

• I ran my longest run in two years yesterday. 11 miles! It was the fastest I've run that distance in YEARS, though. Some runs are just meant to be. I felt great. I picked a route I used to use for marathon training. As I was running, the sun was shining just right down on my face and I passed a landmark and a memory of this run from '06 flashed through my mind. That was probably the best run I had EVER had. I was keeping an 8:30m/m - 8:45m/m pace (in '06) and everything felt fantastic! It was a great memory and totally fueled me over the remaining miles I had yesterday. I did the first 7 miles at about a 9:30 pace and finished with a 9:51m/m average. I'm GOOD with that! I did have issues from the start with my left glute and left ankle, so I'm taking extra good care of them right now with ice packs, stretching, and ibuprofen.

• I can't believe I'm running again. I want to cry....happy tears, of course!

Monday Morning Dance Party

TGIM!!
...and TGFQ! - Thank God for Quinton...who somehow knew I hadn't picked a song yet and put up a great one for us to get down to at Q on the Move.

A Day In The Yard

It couldn't wait any longer. Between my training schedule and poor weather, I had put off helping with yard work long enough. Besides...I wanted some wine last night...and to not get up at the crack of dawn again today - so I skipped the group run. This means I'm running 11-13 miles by myself tomorrow to make it up. BUT...I got to spend some time with the family in the sun today doing a bunch of this...

so our side of the fence could look as good as the other side of the fence...

and watching Mai getting the bath ready for the birds...

and watching Jack take some time out to have a little giggle...

and watch Ki stalk the neighbor's duck...

and not catch Ki until she had eaten about a bucket's worth of compost...

and then watch Mai explain to her how her doggy tummy was going to feel tonight after all that naughtiness...

and see the look on Jack's face...

when he found out he was getting to mow on his own for the first time...

and play with last summer's bubbles we found under a pile of leaves...

and then rest...

Recommitment

I loved all your guesses at what I was up to. I knew Elizabeth would guess it right - TNT event! TNT believes in go big or go home and that usually involves a lot of purple and plenty of wigs. Today was Recommitment Day. When you join up for a TNT event, you promise to raise a certain amount of money. For Pac Crest this year for me, it was $3,550.00.

At the 1/2 way point in the season, you are given the option to drop from the team and continue training on your own - or not...and even continue to fund raise if you would like (which I considered one year when I thought I wouldn't be able to raise the minimum, but still wanted to contribute). The other option is to recommit and offer up your credit card, which will be charged the difference at the end of the season if you do not raise your promised amount.

This may seem harsh, but it does its job. This IS a fund raising team - our main goal is to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and in addition...the training is incredible and worth every penny. It lights a fire under our butts and gets us to the task at hand. At recommitment time we have a party (of course) and this year it started in the early hours of the morning with a pancake breakfast at Coach's house. From there we moved down the road to completely surprise the other half of our team (the olympic distance team) as they had a super hilly and quite possible pukey run. We wanted to support them like they did for us several weeks ago on a murderously hilly ride.

We lined the streets of this poor neighborhood at 8 in the morning. I'm surprised no one took a bb gun to us as cow bells and whistles and general noisiness insued. With boom box blaring, the dancing started...

...and afterwards we headed to the park for a feast and great conversation. All in all, not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning. It was nice to have a day off from training. Would have been nicer to start it at 10am...
...just sayin'.

Date With The Boy and Whole Lotta Bling

Sometimes a girl feels kind of fancy...

First, though...
After dropping wee girl off at her very first overnight stay with a friend (any guesses on what late hour she'll be calling for a ride home tonight?), Sweet Boy and I headed out on a long overdue date. I forgot the camera...
...but this is what he looks like...

and these are the things we did...

and...

and then more here...

 Can you say Tillamook Cheddar Garlic bread?? Drool!!!!!!!!!!!

Now I'm getting all dolled up...

...can you guess what for?

Weekend In The Gorge

...so...yesterday I left off at the conclusion of Saturday's most awesome brick. Upon arriving home, I fell face first into a bag of Doritos as well as a bag of Cheddar Sourcream Chips. Thank you husband and children for knowing just what Mama needs! While I cleaned myself up, I had the bike clothes tumbling around the washing machine and we were both ready at the same time to head on out to the gorge. Michele and her gang have a great place in White Salmon with a fantastic view of Hood...

Source

On arriving, Johan handed out booze, the tri talk started and we pretty much drank...

hot tubbed...

hung out on the deck...

and ate A. Lot. Of. Food.

And talked and laughed a lot while our photographer took every opportunity to snap a picture with my mouth hanging open or one eye closed...

...before heading to bed.  I slept like crap. Probably because of the wine... and sleeping on a leather couch in my slippery sleeping bag...and trying not to snore...while listening to David snore.

Regardless, we woke early (see morning eye bags for proof of this)...

 managed to get ALL of us out of the door and to the event and we were off.

I have to address the 48 vs 60 mile decision. There was a TON of peer pressure over all that food and drink Saturday night. Even the people who had originally said they were going to do the 48 had flipped to the 60 miler. This would have made my decision, but just in the nick of time, our last girl arrives and there is no way she is doing the 60, so my choice is made for me...no one left behind! We'll be a group of two if that's the way it plays out, but I'm with her! The 48 would be the longest ride she had ever done.


One more pic capturing most of us...

...and away we go. The first 20 miles were the same for both routes, so it was a nice big group, but eventually 4 of us pulled behind to take pictures of cows and horses and fields and hills and old abandoned farm houses. Unfortunately, my camera was dead, so I have NO pictures of the ride. And boy! was it beautiful. The most beautiful ride I've ever done. All in all, I had a good time with the 5 other girls that eventually joined me in the 48 and my butt was glad I chose the 48, but I really wish I had done the 60 miler. We rode slower than I would have liked and I felt pretty fresh at the end of it all, which I guess is a good thing - what I was "supposed" to do, right? Next year, the 60 is mine!

When we arrived back to the school, the volunteers had HOT FRESH HOMEMADE Cherry Cobbler for us. Topped with vanilla icecream! YUM.

When I got home I realized that 90 miles in the saddle this weekend without bike shorts made for some nice bruising, but other than that I was no worse for wear.