Patience with the Presents

Owen's new word for the week is patience. I kept having to tell him "patience with the presents Owen". Before we left for Illinois last Friday we gave Owen a present to play with for the car ride and ever since - presents were a hit. We had a wonderful Christmas and so glad we were able to see my family in Illinois even if it was short on sleep and treacherous weather. I again asked myself on our way home- "why do we live here?"

We arrived at my cousins in Chicago late Friday night and the exhaustion began. First, I woke up at 1am with the flu and kept having to return to the bathroom every hour until 6am. During one of my trips to the bathroom my sister was in there and I told her she probably would want to leave. She wasn't very sympathetic to my sickness as last year her and Jason got the Owen super virus and she didn't want any part of that this year!

On Saturday, all of my Mom's side of the family was coming to my cousins house for Christmas. I love spending time with them and everyone gets along so well and there are tons of cousins for Owen to play with.


I felt horrible most of the day and drank Sprite, while everyone else was drinking fun drinks like martinis, cosmos and eating all sorts of food. At about 6:00 that evening I could tell Owen was getting tired and needed to go to bed. With all of the excitement he didn't take a nap and mommy was pretty much ready for him to go to bed. Derek said he would stay up in his room with him for a while. A half hour after putting Owen to bed Derek still hadn't come downstairs so I went to check on him. It was completely black in Owen's room but Owen wasn't in his pack n play and Derek was asleep on the bed. I felt like my heart had gone into my chest! Then out of the corner of my eye I see a little body on the other side of the bed running. I said Owen what are you doing out of bed. I put him back in the pack n play and told him it was time to go to bed. Derek was out cold on the bed and must have fallen asleep with Owen. Not sure why Derek decided to cuddle up with Owen on the bed because Owen is known for not sitting still and moves around ALOT before finally falling asleep. I then proceeded to head to bed about an hour later and was woken up to Derek getting sick in the downstairs bathroom. YES I could hear him all the way downstairs. Not sure why when men are sick they think they may die! I felt horrible for my cousin that we we infected her house so badly. Since Owen went to bed at 6:30pm he then woke up at 5:30am and since Derek was sick, I was also up at 5:30am. That day we left for my mom's house which was about an hour away. We stayed at my mom's one night and then left the next day for my dad's house which was also about an hour away. Owen had fun at both grandparents houses. He was able to shoot baskets at my mom's (his favorite thing to do), and got to play guitar and see cows at my dad's farm.

We arrived home on Christmas Eve after 8 hours in the car. It usually takes 6 hours but the weather held us up. Owen was so good in the car - I couldn't have asked for a better little boy. The funniest part of the trip was when we were almost home and I said to Owen - "we are almost there", and he replied - "patience." I about died!

I decided during this trip that it is time to perhaps start looking for treadmill. Every place we stayed at had a treadmill at their house. I loved being able to run on it pretty much anytime of the day. I know for sure when baby #2 comes there will be one in the house!

It was nice being home on Christmas morning and seeing Owen's face when he walked into the living room and opened his stocking and presents from Derek and I. Later that day my sister came over to help me cook and give Owen his present. Derek's family was coming over later that day to celebrate. Owen was so excited to see his Opa and I don't think Derek's dad was able to sit down until Owen went to bed!

Christmas was great this year. I loved being able to partake in all the fun activities with Owen, like reindeer rides, Santa Claus, decorating cookies, singing songs, and buying presents for him. I can't wait to see what Valentines and Easter will bring!

Christmas Weekend

Owen is now in the Christmas spirit. On Saturday we went to a neighboring town and rode in a 1860 Russian sled with Reindeer pulling it. Thank goodness I had my sister waiting with me in line and helping me keep Owen focused on the task at hand.


He got to see Santa as well walking down the road as we were waiting in line. He didn't know what to do with the big guy at first but when I told Owen that he had candy for him - he was all about hugging him!

The funniest part of the day had to be when a couple butted us in line and I said to Rachel - "well that's crap." Owen then repeated crap, crap. I should have whispered in his ear - "cheaters!" I need to remember that he is loving to repeat ANY word! That night we went to downtown Minneapolis where they have a Holidazzle parade. The place was packed because it was such a nice evening. Owen's favorite float was probably The Three Little Pigs and The Big Bad Wolf. He kept saying Huff and Puff all the way home. Then on Sunday I went to a friends house to bake cookies - AGAIN! This time I decided to be somewhat healthy and make my pumpkin bread with chocolate chips and applesauce instead of canola oil. It is really good. As you can see from the picture below it is a good thing I workout or I would be in some serious trouble!

Christmas Cookies

Every year for Christmas my sister and I have a tradition of decorating Christmas cookies. We have done this for as long as I can remember and this year we carried on the tradition with Owen! As you can see from the picture below Owen did more eating than decorating. He really enjoyed the sprinkles and trying to make a star cookie.
I decided I should enjoy my fair share of cookies since I was one of those crazy Minnesotans yesterday and went for run outside in 5 degree weather! WOW was I cold when I came home. It wouldn't have been so bad but during my run it started to snow and then my hands got wet and my poor face had frozen snowflakes in my eyes when I got home. I yelled for Derek right when I stepped into the house because I couldn't get my gloves off - they were too frozen to move!

Thankfulness

We returned yesterday from my in-laws for Thanksgiving. We were there last weekend so we could attend the Iowa Triathlon banquet in Des Moines, where I was recognized for winning the Flatland Series. This was a series of 4 races in Iowa and it was based upon an athletes participation and results. I won some great prizes which should be great for next season.

We decided to come back on Sunday and leave Owen with Derek's parents and have a couple of days to ourselves in Minnesota. I missed the little guy but WOW- you can get so much done when you don't have a 2 year-old around! We really enjoyed eating our dinner in front of the TV - we haven't done that in 2 years!!! We came back to to Des Moines on Wednesday to celebrate Thanksgiving with Derek's family. I think of his family as my own and couldn't be more blessed to have them in my life. I wouldn't trade them for anything. They are wonderful with Owen, treat me as their own and are so supportive of me and my racing. As you can see from the picture - Owen thinks his Opa is pretty special too.
I can't wait to go back to Illinois in a couple of weeks to see my parents, grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, etc... Christmas is a special time in our house and I hope Owen feels the Christmas spirit as well.

Tri Night 2008

Last night was the Minnesota Triathlon banquet and I was honored to receive the 2008 Rookie of the Year Award and was also voted as a member of Team Minnesota. The event was held at St.Paul College and the food was great. What was even better was three time Olympica, Hunter Kemper spoke to the audience. He shared his memories about being an Olympian as well as his determination to help defeat a disease called A-T that affects one in 40,000 babies. A-T shares traits with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and many forms of cancer and I couldn't imagine if my own son had this horrible disease.

Friday night Derek asked me if I had anything prepared to say if I won the award. I was like "um no I think I will be fine going up there just winging it", needless to say and I hate saying this - Derek was right and I should have had something prepared! I kind of blubbered on the stage and couldn't sleep last night thinking - "I hope people don't think I am quirky or uneducated...but then I have to also remember that they probably don't even remember what I said! If I could do it over I would have kept it short and simple - something like this.."Just wanted to say thank you for recognizing me for this award. I look up to all the athlete in here who have had so much experience in this sport and looking forward to next year working with my coach Dan. Also thanks to my husband because I wouldn't have gotten into this sport without him." Oh well - there is always next year or next week to redeem myself. Next weekend we are going to Des Moines, IA for the Iowa Triathlon Banquet as the winner of the Flatland Series will be announced. I hope to come home with that award as well. Since we'll be back in Des Moines a few days after the banquet, for Thanksgiving, we are going to leave Owen with Grandma and Grandpa. It will be weird to be in Minneapolis and not have Owen here, but it will also be very nice. I think we are going to go to a movie and I am going to decorate the house for Christmas. I LOVE CHRISTMAS and everything about it, I love buying presents for others and getting into the Christmas spirit!!!

Fun Fun Fun

I had the last two days off of work since it was Veterans Day yesterday and then I usually have Wednesdays off, so Owen and I took this opportunity to go have some fun. Yesterday we went to the Mall of America and listened to the Teddy Bear Band and then rode some rides at Nickolodeon land and had lunch at the California Cafe - his lunch rocked - I pretty much ate his! I did my good deed for the day and gave two free rides to a mom with two little girls who were on their way to Nickolodeon land, Owen was pretty much done for the day and I decided it was time to go. I didn't think we would be back there in the next month to use up the tickets. I tried to avoid that place as much as I can, and now with Christmas coming there is now way I want to spend my afternoons there!
Today I went to my first masters swim practice and thought I did pretty good. I am going to try and go at least once a week because I think it will definitely help my swimming, I just wish the practice wasn't 20 minutes away. I also met with Dan - my coach for next year and going to get started with some structured training next week. I was happy to hear that I shouldn't be doing any pylometrics and speed work - but to work on form and aerobic endurance.
I took Owen to the gym so I could run 4 miles on the treadmill. I took it easy and ran about 8 minute miles - it was nice and relaxing. After that we went to the Community Center where he played on the cars, trucks, bikes, motorcycles for about an hour. I put him down for a nap after we had lunch and you would have thought that with his busy day yesterday and today it would have wore the little stinker out but it didn't - he hasn't been taking naps for about a couple of months but has quiet time in his room. If he takes a nap - it is pretty much one a week. I think I need the quiet time more than he does!
This weekend is the Minnesota Triathlon Banquet and I am up for Rookie of the Year with some other outstanding athletes. It should be a good time.

It's a Celebration!

I returned yesterday from Florida where I was a bridesmaid in my good friend Nicole's wedding. The wedding took place on Sanibel Island and it was a beautiful place and Nicole looked so amazing and so happy. I went on this little vacation by myself and I enjoyed every minute of it. I left Wednesday to go down there and got to spend pretty much all day Thursday laying on the beach - it was wonderful! I ran on the beach a couple of days and swam in the ocean too. There was one day where I didn't run on the beach and saw a sign that read "$500 dollar fine if you feed the alligators" - I decided to get off that path and return to the beach!
I called my Mom while I was down there and asked her why the heck we grew up in Illinois where there is winter, and why the heck I live in Minnesota! When the plane touched down in Minneapolis though, the 25 degree weather didn't damper my spirits when I saw Derek and Owen pick me up from the airport. It was great to see them!

Here is a picture of the bride Nicole and I just before she is ready to walk the down the aisle - 0ops I mean the beach!

Halloween + Birthday = Overload

Owen turned 2 yesterday and it was a fun filled weekend starting with Halloween on Friday, he definitely knows what candy is now! This was the second year in a row he was a chicken. Derek and I let him decide if he wanted to be a chicken or superman and gave him the option multiple times but it was Winner Winner Chicken Dinner everytime!

Right before we started trick or treating, Owen's Uncle Jared gave him an early birthday present - a mini escalade car, and that did not leave his sight the whole night. It was a pretty funny sight to see Owen sucking his sucker, carrying his bucket and his car while we went from house to house.
On Saturday, Owen's Grandma and Grandpa were in town and they took him along with Aunt Rachel to the Mall of America where they spoiled the little chicken. They went to Nickelodeon land and rode rides and then ate lunch at The Rainforest Cafe where Owen saw his first crocodile and snake!!! I think the funniest story of the day was when they passed Caribou Coffee in the Mall and Owen pointed to it "I want that." I think Mommy may frequent that place too much!

Sunday was Owen's actual birthday and we had a Curious George party for him. He felt pretty special when he walked in the door and we all started clapping and singing for him!

He received lots of cool "surprises" that day and tried taking many of his surprises - aka trucks to sleep with him last night but mommy would only allow one car with him in bed. Surprises was our word for presents that day.

I leave for Florida on Wednesday for a friends wedding and will miss the little guy a lot but I know Daddy will take good care of him. They have lots of frozen pizza, corn dogs, and fruit snacks on hand! In a couple of weeks I need to start my training for a half marathon I am going to do at the end of January. Not sure how much fun it will be since it is part of the Winter Carnival in St. Paul and called the Frozen Half Marathon! I have been swimming a lot more lately too and think I might be up for Masters at the SCS pool here in a couple of weeks to show my coach my improvement.

It's Pumpkin Time

We had a great time this weekend going to a local pumpkin festival. Owen loved playing on all of the pumpkins and checking out the fire trucks. He even got his own firefighter hat that he worn pretty much all weekend.

Derek's brother was also up here this weekend. Him and his wife are actually moving to Minneapolis and he living with us until they find an apartment. Owen has found a new best friend in Jared and follows him around the house! It was also Derek and mine 6 year wedding anniversary. We were able to get away for a while and walked to Caribou for a coffee - he knows how much I love to walk and talk so that was special that he wanted to do that with me. It will be Owen's 2nd birthday soon, I can't believe he isn't this little baby anymore. I love that he is growing up and learning knew words everyday but also sad that I can't rewind time and have him take long naps on me anymore!

Mmmmm Coffee

Owen's new thing is to drink my morning latte. I didn't always drink coffee but it started after I had Owen - I think all new mom's need it! It's our morning juice. Every morning after we watch a little Curious George and play some trucks - it's coffee time. It cracks me up that the cup is almost bigger than his head!

San Francisco Vacation

Derek and I were able to get away for four days to San Francisco. A good friend of ours was getting married on Saturday, October4th and we decided to make a vacation out of it. Owen stayed home with Derek's family and got spoiled by his grandparents.

We had a great time sleeping in, going for runs along Crissy Field, shopping, eating, and staying up late and enjoying the night life! Some friends of ours who we met while living abroad were also at the wedding, and it was great being able to spend time with them. He is from the UK and she is from Argentina so it was always quite eventful when we were with them!
The day of the wedding it was suppose to rain but it ended up being the nicest day of the trip (thank goodness because the wedding was outside). The location took place overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and the bride pulled up in a trolley car and she made the sun shine brighter with her smile and her beauty - she looked amazing!! We had a great time in San Francisco and I think we are finally recovered from the lack of sleep we got on Sunday. Our flight left at 6am so we had to get up pretty early to catch that flight and didn't get to bed until after 1:00am! We missed Owen but it was nice eating when we wanted to eat, and wake up when we wanted to wake up!

Race Report Peregrine Charities Triathlon: It's Vacation Time

This weekend was a fun one - we headed down to Waterloo, IA and I raced in the inaugural Peregrine Charities Triathlon Since this race was in Iowa, there were a lot of athletes that I had never raced with before. Some of the other women were from Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska, but I was the only one from Minnesota! The race was held at George Wyth State Park and due to the flooding that occurred this summer in Iowa, the swim had to enter and exit from a boat ramp. I had a good swim, but I know I can get faster. I will definitely be working hard to improve my swim time in the off-season. I will also be working on my transitions due to the difficulty I had in T1 this weekend and others in the past. I would like to say I was flustered by the photographer from a local newspaper taking pictures of me while I struggled to get my wetsuit off, but that is just not the case and I need to practice, practice, practice this important piece. The bike was great- mostly due to being able to use race wheels for the first time - it was fun catching people and hearing the whoosh sound off my new Zipp Sub 9 disc wheel. Unfortunately, there was a part of the bike that wasn't so much fun - hitting a race volunteer!! I think the guy was preparing to stop traffic for bikers and didn't see me coming. I was making a left hand turn going pretty fast when he ran right out in front me. I yelled - "look out" but we hit shoulders with each other and I quickly tried to recover by going up onto the sidewalk and then getting back on the road. I was a little shaken up after that, but knew I had about 8 more miles to go and had to shrug it off and get moving. T2 went much better and I was off on the run. Derek told me there were three girls ahead of me and I could see them about 90 seconds ahead of me. When I'm able to see people ahead of me in a race, I get fired up and I'm able to push myself to run faster. I caught one of the girls pretty early at mile 2 and then at the turn around point I saw the other two girls. I knew there were some good runners behind me so I just kept my legs turning. I could still see the other two girls in front of me and knew they were not ahead by much. I caught the second place female just as we were getting back onto the road, at about mile 5. Most of the run was on the trail and then the last mile was on a road back to the finish line. I didn't have enough speed to catch the first place female and finished in 2nd place by about 45 seconds. It just goes to show that transitions can make or break a race. If I would have had a better transition in T1 - I like to think the race could have gone differently. Afterwards, I was talking to another racer and she asked why I was riding on the sidewalk? We laughed about the situation with the volunteer but thank goodness I didn't crash, as I've had my share of bike accidents (fractured elbow and broken collarbone)! In all, it was a great weekend and I am super excited that my husband and I are leaving soon for San Francisco for a good friend's wedding.


Some other great weekend highlights:

Seeing my mom, dad, step dad and my dad's significant other. They all came to Iowa to watch the race but I think there were hidden agenda's there too (to see Owen - of course)!

Owen being able to swim in the hotel with his favorite person right now - Daddy!


Derek and I being able to re-live our college days by walking around the campus and going to lunch at our favorite hangout - the O.P.
I had a great first year of racing, but I know I can get faster. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I am a newcomer, but my competitive nature comes out and I'll continue to drive to get better.

Mmmmm Pumpkins

Yes, I know I should not be eating these things during training but it is the one thing in the candy aisle for Halloween that is my one devise. I bought some Halloween candy the other day and hid it from my husband. I have to find really good hiding spots because he goes and looks for it. It is funny, he tells me to hid certain food so he won't inhale it but then when he finds it he blames me for not hiding it well enough!!! Anyways, after the Waterloo race we are leaving for a vacation to San Francisco for a friends wedding and I am going to eat as many pumpkins as I want!!!

Getting ready to roll at Waterloo!!!

I am looking forward to next weekend with my new toy I got this last week - some new wheels! Derek and I decided we couldn't pass up the deal they were having at Gear West on the Zipp sub-9 rear disc. Then my coach Dan, let me borrow his front Zipp 808. I haven't had race wheels until this race so it will be interesting and fun to see how much faster I will be. Waterloo, IA is right next to Cedar Falls, IA and that is where Derek and I both went to college (University of Northern Iowa). It will be fun to go back and walk the campus a little bit and then after the race go eat some pizza at our favorite hangout when we were in college - the Other Place - aka The O.P.

Race Report Doathlonforlife: The Haag Trifecta

It was a pretty busy weekend because I decided, at the last minute, to race in the Doathlonforlife duathlon in Des Moines, IA. I wasn't sure if I should go because I wouldn't be able to leave until early Saturday evening. I was helping host a baby shower for a great college friend of mine who is having a baby in November (she looks amazing by the way) and I kind of have a routine I like to follow with the night before a race, however, it all worked out. I convinced my husband and father in law to race too and the Haag Trifecta was in effect.

There were a couple of girls in the field who I knew were going to be competitive and since I had never done a Duathlon before I wasn't sure of a race strategy. I knew that if I could keep a 6:30 min/mile pace in past Olympic distance races, I should be able to go a little faster for the first portion of the run which was only a 5k. I started out well with the lead girls but came up to T1 in 4th place. I made up some good ground during the bike and moved up into second. After the bike, I knew that I didn't have much time to catch the first place girl since we only had 5K left. I saw my sister in law as I was heading out on the last 5K and she told me I was the second girl, I responded - "First place is pretty far ahead isn't she?" If you know Lindsey, then you know she never has anything bad or negative to say about anything or anyone. She responded to me - "You can catch her Kort," but I saw the look on her face and knew otherwise!!!

Derek got second in his age group and Gery (my father in law) continues to impress me with his ability to finish triathlons, 1/2 marathons and now duathlons! He's getting faster in every race.

In all, I was happy with my performance, but I think I have had enough of this 2nd place business!

The little things....

It is amazing at how the little things in life are so important to you and how much you remember them. I wrote in Owen's baby book the other day about our summer adventures and how much he is growing and changing. He will be 2 in November and I don't want him to get any older. I wish I could just freeze him at this age! Yesterday we went and fed the ducks by our house and after we were done he waved and said goodbye to them - it was so sweet! He is constantly doing things that makes me laugh. When Derek gets home he runs to find Derek's shoes and says "D's", D's". He can't say Daddy so Derek is known as D. Then the other day he was playing in the basement and came upstairs with his sombrero hat on!

I am very lucky I work part time so I can spend quality time with him but you always think - I should be doing more for them. I think that all mothers acquire guilt the minute you become a mom.
For me, I know that next summer I will be training more and racing more and I don't want to miss out on anything that Owen does or have him miss out on anything. I have always been good at multi-tasking and making sure that my priorities are in line. I find myself reading other tri mom's blogs and how they also struggle with the same thing. It is nice to know I am not alone and being a mom, wife, and triathlete can be done.

St Croix Valley Race Report: Run Scooter Run

It was a wonderful weekend as my Dad and his girlfriend, Diane, were here visiting from Illinois. We were sitting around talking Saturday night and my Dad was telling stories about his younger years. I knew that my Dad was athletic, but didn't have the opportunity to participate in sports as much as he would have liked, because of the work on the farm. I didn't realize that he had a nickname because of his speed - Scooter. It was pretty funny listening to tales of his Scooter days!

Sunday was the St.Croix Valley Triathlon in Hudson, Wisconsin. It was a great race and I was surprised there were less than 100 participants. They had the sprint distance the day before with over 700 participants. I think since it was Labor Day weekend and with Ironman Wisconsin coming up many racers took the weekend off.

The day started out a little strange for me. First, I drove to the race by myself and I know I should be able to do this, but I usually have Derek with me to help me prepare and talk. Derek was waiting to come to the race later so we wouldn't have to wake up Owen too early and meet up with my family. Well, it was probably a good thing because I accidentally grabbed his wetsuit. The race started at 7:30, I called Derek at 6:35 frantically telling him I had his wetsuit. My speedracer of a husband got to the race with plenty of time for me to put my wetsuit on and get in the water to prepare for the start - He is great! The swim was a tough one - you could touch the bottom at pretty much any time and it was really hard to see where you were going because of the blinding sun. I came out as the second female on the swim and knew I needed to make up some time. I made up about 45 seconds on the bike and just bombed T2 - I didn't have enough time to get my feet out of my shoes and probably lost about 10 - 15 seconds. The run is where I am a little frustrated with myself. I knew I was about 45 seconds behind the first place female and thought I would hold off and keep her in my sights and then try and catch her further down the run. What I should have done was run hard to catch her and then keep a steady pace. At about 3 miles left in the run I felt like I was pushing it hard but it wasn't hard enough as I came to the finish line in second place. I guess I should have taken more tips from Scooter before the race!

St. Paul Race Report: First Win, but..... I need a swim coach

I did the St. Paul Triathlon (1 mile swim, 40K bike, 10K run) this morning and finished first overall for female participants! It feels great to get a win under the belt (but I need a swim coach). The swim was a little longer than most distances I do but I was disappointed in my time coming out of the water. The bike course was super fast and you had to do two laps so you were able to see where your competition was on the course. When I got off the bike my sister told me I was about a minute and a half behind first place. The run course went around Lake Phalen twice so it was hard to come around the finish line knowing that you had to run 3 more miles! I kicked it into gear and it felt great knowing I was getting to the finish line as the first female for the International course.


Derek also did the race too and did the Sprint course (.5 mile swim, 20K bike, 5K run). He did great, and ran the course 5 minutes faster than what he did last year, a personal best!! I am so glad he got me involved in triathlons - without his drive and determinition to improve I don't think I would be participating in them.
My mom was here this weekend and was able to see me race for the first time. I heard her cheering me on as I was getting out of the water to start the bike course. Derek's Dad was here as well as my sister and her husband to watch. It was fun having them here so they could watch us as well as having someone watch Owen so we both could do the same race.
Today was also special because Owen finally took a nap - I think he has been so excited having my mom here that he doesn't want to sleep!!

Whoo Hoo

Got a cool mention in midwest events website today - check it out http://www.midwestevents.us/news/124.
Also, my mom is going to be here to watch me race for the first time this weekend. She was funny the other week when she asked me where I swam - I told her in the lake. Her reply was - "did you wear a lifejacket". Umm no mom - that would be cheating!

Anyways, also wanted to say thanks to my brother in law - Jared who helped me with the header on my blog.

Turtleman Race Report: No way am I getting 8th!

Yesterday was the Turtleman Triathlon in Shoreview, MN. It is probably one of the most competitive amateur races races in Minnesota besides the Lifetime Fitness triathlon. I was suppose to do this race three years ago but I fractured my elbow that year and wasn't able to participate. It is a great race - very well put together with volunteers, organization and spectators. I would definitely do it again! I was pretty nervous for this race as the people I have been reading about winning and performing well in other races were there and my sister was coming to watch me for the first time.

Coming out of the swim I was 9th - I knew I didn't have that great of a swim - my sighting was pretty bad and I should have kept up with some other swimmers and tried drafting off of them. I kind of let people do their thing in the beginning of the swim and not get involved with the battle of positioning. I need to try and be more aggressive with the swim for the next race. Getting on the bike I felt great - averaging 22.5 miles per hour - the fastest I have done so far. Getting re-fitted at Gear West (thanks guys) on my bike has definitely helped - and I may try and see if I could ride a little more aggressively. Coming off of the bike I felt great and wasn't quite sure what position I was in until I saw Derek and he told me that I was in 8th place and that I was close behind 6th and 7th. I thought well if I am close - No way am I getting 8th! My goal for running was a 6:45 min/mile and I topped that running a 6:31 min/mile. I caught three racers on the run and finished 4th! I was very happy with that performance and race announcer Jerry McNeil mentioned that I could be a nomination for Rookie of the Year. I am not sure what this title entails but would be very honored to be considered in that category with other great women triathletes.


After the race Owen was getting pretty antsy in his stroller so we played on the beach for a while - you couldn't have asked for a better day. Of course, during our playtime I got my shirt dirty for pictures - it never fails. I seriously cannot wear white. Ask any of my family members - especially my husband and they will tell you it doesn't shock them anymore!

Booty call!!!

Yesterday was a very fun day with Owen. We went to Elm Creek Park Reserve and he played in the water there for about 2 hours. One the way home he was pooped out but the once I put him down for his nap he was not interested in his nap and was a crazy man in his room for about a half hour before falling asleep. I put him down in just a diaper and shirt because it was warm outside and his shorts were a little wet from changing him out of his swimtrunks. When I went to go check on him he had taken off his diaper and it was lying by his crib and his little bootie was staring me right in the face. It was a precious sight and one I won't forget for a long time.

This weekend is the Turtleman Triathlon in Shoreview, MN and it should be a great race - expecting great weather and it will probably be the most competitive race I will be in this year. I haven't started feeling that nervous about it but I think once I pick up my packet at Gear West I think I will start. My sister is going to stay at our place on Friday so we don't have to wake Owen up so early in the morning and Derek can help me prepare. I am so glad that she is in town to do that for us. Hopefully he will get some good pics this weekend since he won't have to entertain Owen while I am racing.

My very FIRST blog!

I decided the other day that I should start blogging - so here it is - my first one! I am not sure how well I am going to do on this but am going to try to blog at least once a week.

I am still on a high from my race this past weekend - I did the Big Creek Triathlon (Olympic distance) in Polk City, IA and placed 2nd overall for female. I gave this race my all and achieved a 2:16. My goal was 2:15 but had some difficulty in the transition area with getting my wetuit off and then ran out the wrong way on the run. I don't think that caused a full minute but perhaps it could have.














My next race is Turtleman on August 9th. I will be really nervous for that one - there will be a lot of experienced and competitive racers.

My husband is such a great supporter with my racing and is really proud of me with what I have accomplished. I do wish I didn't have two accidents that kept me out of racing for two years but as they say you learn from your mistakes. We will have to see what the future brings with racing - I am just enjoying my first "real" year of racing.