I Need A Shower

I fell off my bike today.

I don't really like biking that much.

I also rode six miles, always far, far behind the gals I was riding with. 

I kept feeling like such a looser. 

"How can I be so, ridiculously slow?"

When I reached our meet-up point, a good ten minutes (at least that is how it felt, they swore it was only two) behind them I discovered that both my tires were low on air. 

Hm.

That might have had something to do with it. 

I feel miserable. My elbow hurts and my pride is bruised. 

Uggg.

Harder Than I Thought

Oh friends.

Today is a day that I realize how consuming having a toddler is. 

Last night, Jack woke up every half-hour, almost to the minute for about two hours. That means that I also woke up every half hour. It means that my head is woozy this morning and my eyelids are very, very heavy.

Despite the fatigue, I am in my gym clothes, ready to head out the door for a training session. 

Oh.

Wait.

Nope.

I am in my gym clothes, yes. But I am not about to head out the door. Because for the second day in a row, Jack has chosen the exact moment I am packing all of our things for a great workout to flip the switch that turns him from happy, playful, giggling Jack to crying, inconsolable, tired and cranky Jack.

That means that I am currently listening to him try and settle down for a random morning nap. 

I think he must be cutting another tooth.

Teething is such a mystery. 

So while I have some extra time on my hands, let's have an honest talk about this triathlon, shall we? I am tired of training. And when I'm miss a training session, I am tired of feeling guilty and worried about how I'll do in the race. 

It is much harder than I anticipated to make it to the gym all the times that I want. 

The good news is that when I was shaving my legs the other day I noticed some really remarkable muscle definition and a few weeks ago I had a stranger compliment me on my arms in the store. So, at least there is some benefit to the working out.

Despite the difficulty of trying to fit in all the workouts, I am still glad I've signed myself up for this. I know that if I didn't have a goal in mind, I probably wouldn't make it to the gym at all. Something is always better than nothing. Agreed? Plus, I'm learning a lot, and when I do make it for a run or swim, I feel fantastic. 

But the months are counting down and the days are becoming fewer. In just 11 weeks, whether or not I'm ready, I will be racing. 

Aghhh!

What was I thinking?!

I Don't Hate Swimming

First, let me tell you what an incredible husband I have. 

We're down to about 13 weeks before the triathlon, which means I'm kind of freaking out.  It is always a struggle to try and get to the gym, especially when I know I'll be there for more than an hour and especially when Jack is being extra clingy (which he really, really is right now).  So Andy comes home from work and sends me right off to the gym, tells me to take my time and hugs me when I get home, even though I'm all sweaty.

Oh man, I'm so lucky.

Second, wait, I'm not done with Andy.

On Saturday, Mother's Day Eve, ANDY MADE ME DINNER. Not just a frozen meal that I bought so that he could make. He sneakily went shopping, planned the menu and served me a plate of salmon, mashed potatoes and veggies (he only made greens for me, but he made them because he knows I like them). Not only did he make dinner. He also set the table with a shrimp appetizer before hand and after dinner had settled, he pulled out some delicious creamy dessert in yummy chocolate cups.

Oh man, I'm SO lucky.

Third... op! Still not done.

As if dinner wasn't enough. On Sunday I slept in, a good two hours later than I have in, oh, say, about 14 months. When I finally roused myself and walked out into the living room, I discovered a huge bouquet of peach roses and yellow lilies and two, TWO, cards. I got the lovey dovey one from Andy and then I got one from Jack with really wobbly handwriting. I looked at it for a little bit and then realized that Andy had put the pen in Jack's hand to write it. 

So cute!

Speaking of so cute, look at these legs:

And this little boy who wants to be just like dad already:

Three and a half: I should also mention that he made me a delicious breakfast of blueberry waffles, strawberries and scrambled eggs. When I commented on how yummy the waffles were he proudly and somewhat sheepishly said, "They're whole wheat!" 

That's how you know a man loves you. When he buys you whole wheat waffles. 

Really, SO LUCKY!

Okay, fourth - what I wanted to tell you all along - I don't hate swimming. 

I'm kind of amazed by that. 

I went to the gym tonight and ran a really slow two miles and then went to the pool. I got a late start, so I only got to swim about 20 minutes, but the whole time I just kept thinking, "I like this." 

I even thought that after the really weird dream that I had about swimming that involved horses sticking their faces in the pool, forgetting Jack in the water, swimming with my bike seat between my legs and getting tangled in a net and narrow lane... hmm...

So anyway, I just wanted you to know. I like my husband. And I like swimming. 

Not to be confused with loving to slice cantaloupe. 

Just joking.  I LOVE Andy.

That reminds me. Have I told you about how we first exchanged "I Love Yous"? I'll have to write that one out some time. It is always good for a laugh.

Cheers!

Just Go With It

I have "Honkey Tonk Badonkadonk" stuck in my head.

Yes it is on my ipod gym mix.

Along with three songs from the "Lizzie McGuire Movie" soundtrack.

Now you know my shame.

I have no explanation.

But what is going to be even more embarrassing is showing my complete incompetence at swimming laps tomorrow.

Yes, tomorrow I launch the swim training phase of my triathlon endeavor. I think the last time I swam (swum?) any distance was all the way back in high school.  I mean, I've been in a pool since then, but mostly in a stationary sense or in a sliding sense.

So tomorrow I am going to step into the pool with my bright pink tankini with the great big floral print.  I will also be wearing this:

This is what it looks like on:

This is what avocado looks like on, but that is beside the point. 

I figured I might as well embrace the absolute awkwardness of trying to learn to swim laps under the watchful eye of a teenage pool guard. Go all out right? What is more all out than head to toe fuscia flowers? 

So friends, wish me luck.  My only goal tomorrow is to swim more than two laps without hyperventilating and to keep my face from matching my swim cap.  

I'm not sure that I will succeed, on either account.  

Hold onto your seats people, the crazy woman with the petal-head is on the move!

Embarrassing But True

At this very moment Jack is dozing off to sleep.  I am staring at a house that has been ransacked by a lovely, long, messy play date and am toying with the idea of taking a nap instead of restoring it to order.

Oh the luxury of motherhood.  Deciding that naps rank higher on the priority list than dishes.  

But before I cozy up in my down comforter, I have a confession.  

Every Monday I wake up disappointed.  Disappointed that it is not Tuesday.

Care to guess why?

Because Tuesday is Biggest Loser night of course!  

I am hopelessly addicted to the Biggest Loser.  

I'm not sure why I've made such a deep and long lasting commitment to a reality show, but I have.  

Confession #2: I cry almost every episode.  I know Jillian and Bob are over the top with the self-empowerment speeches, but I just can't help but think, "These people may have never thought of themselves in any good terms."  I also cry because I can just imagine the change in their lives when they are 100 pounds lighter.  

I'm a sucker for any sort of make over, really.  But these people are doing the work.  They are learning how to change the course of their lives.  It is good to see people opt for exercise and healthy eating instead of surgery or pills.  I really get emotional when they are able to go off of the 13 medications they have to take each day or when they can fit into some outfit they thought was just a dream.  

Confession #2.5: Pill-popping and quick-fix "health" gimmicks really get me riled up.  I am very sad for our nation and its struggle with obesity and health in general.  I know I'm a bit hypocritical - I know I could do better for my body (read confession #3) but I would say that I live by an 80/20 scale.  80% good for me, 20% for fun.... sometimes 70/30.  But I ache for families that consume only meals from boxes or drive-thrus, or whose primary entertainment comes from a glowing box.  How can so many people just not know how to care for themselves?  

I better step off my soap box before I get too squirly. 

Confession #3: When I wake up on Mondays and face the disappointment of waiting one more whole day to see the next chapter in the Biggest Loser journey, I usually console myself by doing some sort of baking.  

Then I eat whatever I've baked as I watch the Biggest Loser.  

Don't tell me you don't do the same thing!

Brownies have been the craving lately.  Or chocolate chip cookies.  But I think my baking phase is dying down (luckily, the more I'm in the gym, the less I want sweets).  Maybe I'll go back to microwave kettle corn.  Maybe. 

Confession #4: When I go to the gym on Wednesday, I visualize Bob coaching me as I run on the treadmill.  There is no way I would want to face the wrath of a Biggest Loser trainer, so I run extra far or push just a little bit harder than I do the rest of the week because I have a fresh mental picture of someone cheering me on.

By the way, I added

a whole mile

to my run today.

I'm feeling pretty smug.

That brings my mileage to

TWO

miles.

Woohoo.

Oh.

I guess I still have more work to do.

But we've got to celebrate the small things.

Right?

Confession #5: Biggest Loser is my gateway reality show.  I scorned reality tv for so long.  Now, not only do I watch B.L., but I also keep up with Survivor.  WHAT!?  Why?

I don't know why!

I just do.

Confession #6: I'm blushing from all this self-revelation.  I hope you still love me even after you know my shameful secrets.

Now, I have about 30 minutes left to close my eyes and ignore the scattered toys.  After that, it is back to the pick up, play chase, tickle tummy, start dinner routine.  

I have not baked anything yet today, and I just might resist this week.  After all, I want Bob and Jillian to be proud.

And I want to not feel my bum bounce when I add my next mile.

Third Time's a Charm

Oh man!

This summer, if all goes as planned, I will check one of my lifetime goals off of my list.  

I have just registered for my first Triathlon!

Truly though, it is not the first triathlon I have registered for.  I have registered for two in the past.  I was unable to compete in either of them through a series of odd circumstances.

The first TRI I registered for I trained for half-heartedly.  When I gave myself a concussion by over-eagerly trying to catch a frisbee and running my face into a tractor a few weeks before the race (true story.  ask me about it sometime) it was a good excuse to... excuse myself. 

The second one that I registered for was just last year.  I knew that I would need some sort of motivation to get back into shape after having Jack, so I registered with two other gals as a relay team.  I was the running leg.  I did train for that one and was ready to kick butt (or at least stumble across the finish line) but the swim leg of our race discovered she was pregnant and her doctor told her not to compete.  The registration was non-transferable, so there went that shot.  However, I did meet my goal of banishing the baby weight.  Yay!

So now I'm attempting to tackle this monster once again.  

Swim .5 miles.

Bike 12

Run 3.2

Sounds easy enough right?

We'll see.

But I'm totally excited to sweat and show this world (and myself) what I'm made of!

This time I HAVE to do it.  I've registered with ... (just a sec, let me count... Robyn, Emily G., Jamie, Stephanie, Tara) FIVE other women.  We're each planning to complete the whole thing.  

YowZa!

So in just a few minutes, I'm off to my first ever spinning class.  I don't own a bike, as of yet, so I'll be busting my petals in the gym for a while.  That is fine with me.  I don't participate in outdoor athletic endeavors the day after it has been snowing.  I'm not that hardcore... yet. 

Be sure that I'll keep you posted on my progress.  I have 27 weeks to go from one mile endurance to 16 mile endurance.  It can be done friends, and I am going to prove it.