Flying Pigs Here We Come!

My stepdad and I have registered to run the Flying Pig Marathon in May 2013 in Cinncinati, OH. I have registered for the half while Richard registered for the full. I will be happy to finish the half actually. I feel great working out at the gym and practicing yoga but training for a half will really test my commitment to stretching and caring for my areas that are tweaky.

By the way, I have become the Kathy Bates character from The Waterboy - the highly acclaimed Adam Sandler movie from 1998. I have her voice in my head, "Foosball is the DEVIL!" My middle son, Nick, suffered a concussion during his Friday night game. He had all of the symptoms in the book; slurred speech, photophobic, unstable gait, awful headache, cranky...and he continues to have some symptoms but he is starting back to school for half days this Monday so that is good news. I guess I should consider him lucky since this is his first football injury and he is a senior. His senior season is probably over, but he has indoor and outdoor track to look forward too...oh and all those college essays that he is so excited to write ;)

Warrior Dash Race Review

HOLY MOLY that was sooooo much fun! I can not wait till my next adventure race. I know I have increased my strength with weight training and power yoga, but while climbing over those 20feet walls and cargo nets, I really felt how strong my core has become. All of the obstacles were easy for me and I felt so excited to feel so strong and accomplished.

I am totally registering for another adventure race asap!

Mid-life crisis!

Today while I was cleaning the house, I decided I "might" want to complete an Ironman Triathlon in 2018, the year I turn 50! OMG I have a hard time even saying that age! It is more incomprehensible for me to realize I will be 50 in 6 years than for me to imagine completing an Ironman length tri! LOL

Triathlete Data Team :)

Anyone in education right now knows that the new trend is to analyze our student data to help improve instruction (a model adapted from the medical field). After yesterday's triathlon, I decided to conduct my own data driven decision making meeting on my performance...LOL. Let me preface this ridiculous analysis with the statement that I had a totally awesome experience on Sunday and enjoyed myself thoroughly. I loved the race experience(very organized and lots of support) as well as the time with my sweet athletic friends. I just had a blast!

Here is that data:
2007
July Danskin Sprint    16:40swim 43.29bike 22.42run
Sept Women's Sprint 18:44swim 37:52bike(only 10m) 28:01run

2008
July Danskin Sprint    12:11swim 43:38bike 23:08run

2010
Aug Cranberry Olympic  36:41swim 1hr31m bike 1:03run

2012
Sept Women's Sprint   24:50swim 41:36bike 31:55run

So my swim was pretty awful this past Sunday but honestly it didn't feel as slow as the time reflects. I haven't changed anything and my training was great. Oh well...

My bike continues to be consistent and actually has become my favorite part of the tri race as well as my training. I love my bike. I feel like the little pig in that insurance commercial when I am riding down hills :)

I am nursing a psoas injury on my right leg so my running is almost nonexistent so I am fine with the running time on Sunday, especially since the run was on trails that were sandy and wet.

This race is highly recommended; it was well organized and so much fun. The volunteers were very supportive and the water was clean and beautiful. Oh my the bike ride is fast and scenic. The run was hard but also beautiful.  

Pre Race Jitters

Tracey, Cindy and I picked up our race packets at Central Bike Shop in Farmington, CT today and got totally psyched up for tomorrow's triathlon.

We also went to the race site to check on the swim. It looks doable and not so stress inducing. I love swimming but when I jump in the water with all those swimmers, I panic! I keep my eyes trained on my destination and I can usually keep my wits about me.

More details and hopefully pics to follow post race time!

Obituary For: Alfreda Kowalski | McDonald Funeral Homes of Weymouth

Obituary For: Alfreda Kowalski | McDonald Funeral Homes of Weymouth

She was one amazing woman.

I am tired...

On Thursday,  I woke up at the crack of dawn to head to the gym. I spy a strange mark on the floor of my kitchen, it is red and liquid. I am only half awake so I don't really know what is going on. I go to check on my kids and wake the oldest to help me. He starts to freak out that the liquid might be blood and goes upstairs to check on something, I am not exactly sure what he was checking. LOL. While he was running around, I wake up enough to know I need to be the grown up and figure this out. I apprehensively touch the fluid and quickly realize it is not blood, it was too thin and more brown than red. I realize it is probably a leak from our old pipes.It was 5am so I decide to go workout and plan my strategy upon returning home.

I find a nice plumber that says he will come over that morning. I head to work, it is only day 4 of school and I am brand new to this school, so I am very grateful my oldest son, Tommy,  is able to stay home and deal with the plumbers. I have no office at my new school, so all day I am hiding in the bathroom to get updates from Tommy.

The updates are NOT GOOD. The plumber starts with a 5" by 5" little square and has to keep cutting. Now we have a 6' by 2' hole and the plumber still can not find the bad pipe :( The cabinets have to come down to gain access to the pipes. So from the bathroom, I am coordinating and giving permission to plumbers and carpenters as well as hunting down insurance officials! Not easy!

Then at about 3pm, my sister and mother are blowing up my phone, but I have already spent way too long on my phone! So I call from my car in the parking lot at the end of our school day. My sister tells me my 92 year old grandma has passed away.

Too much for one day...

So after meeting with insurance adjusters, plumbers, carpenters, clean up guys, my three boys and I trek up to Boston for our gramma's wake and funeral. It was a beautiful service and wonderful celebration of her full life. My boys were her pallbearers and I was so proud of them.

Now I am back to reality...my kitchen has machines drying out the water damage, half my cabinets are gone, there is no water upstairs so that means no showers till Tuesday....

Oh and tomorrow I am moving Tommy to UMASS for his sophomore year...just one more thing

Thank goodness this is a long weekend, I am lying on my bed all day Monday...well after I grab a shower a some generous friend's house.

Hello blog world...it's high time I revisited my old blog! I have been trying to google my results from my past races to help set a goal for my upcoming triathlon. It is a lot easier to write about my races here and document progress or bumps in the road :)

Currently I am in a slight drought in my racing success. Last year I was diagnosed with a low thyroid and have been trying to regulate it with supplements and diet. My low thyroid problem has effected my athletic performance quite a bit. In the beginning, I was very tired and had little energy to work out...well little energy to do anything but nap actually! Then the supplements increased my energy level, but I still am not competing with the same intensity I once did. It is like I don't have the mental edge. It is very frustrating, but I am glad I do feel better. We'll see what my next blood sample says!

Another exciting aspect of my life is I am starting a new position for the school system I work for in CT. I will provide English language support for children that speak other languages in the 3, 4, 5th grades. I am pretty psyched. This will provide the change I needed both intellectually and physically. Working with preschoolers the last 15 years has taken its toll on my body, that is for sure! No more diaper changing, shoe-tying, nose-wiping, coat-zipping!!!! Yahhhoooooo! No more adorable stories though either...which will be sad but I am pretty sure 8, 9, and 10 year olds are pretty funny sometimes too.

Smuttynose Marathon 2011, Hampton Beach,New Hampshire

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for 20 years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run." John "the Penguin" Bingham

It was fate that I read that quote right before I embarked on my 9th marathon. Thank goodness I did, because from about mile 18 to 26.2, I am not sure you could call what I was doing running :)

The Smuttynose Marathon was held in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. It looked like a very beautiful beach area with very fun places to visit during the warmer months. Only a few stores and restaurants were open this past weekend, but just enough to feel like I was on vacation.

We had a great pre-race supper at Mama Leone's with a great waitress and great company. On Saturday, the weather was intermittent rain, little wind with about 60'. Well after we filled our bellies with yummy Italian food, we went right back to our hotel rooms to get a good night's sleep. The monsoon/tropical storm winds were a little problem...the wind was so strong, it literally woke me up and knocked furniture around on our little balcony!!!! Not the kind of weather one wishes for when preparing to run 26.2 miles!

We got up early on Sunday, looking out the window and all we could do was laugh. If we didn't laugh, we surely would have cried. It was awful, pouring rain, terrible winds and about 45'.

We walked down to the start, all asking each other what they heck we were about to do??? How were we going to do this??? This is FREAKING TERRIBLE!!! But despite all of us complaining, we still kept walking to the start line...strange hold these marathon thingys have over us humans, huh??

Once we finally started, the rain subsided some and the winds died down once we got away from the shore. I had a strong race for about 15 miles and then I started to fatigue but the muscle cramping waited to attack around mile 18...and never ceased. I had to walk/jog the last four miles and they sucked. In addition to cramping, the last four miles were along a very scenic stretch of ocean. Had the sun been shining, I am sure I would have loved the scenery, but yesterday, the waves were so strong they were splashing over the wall and hitting me in the butt!!!! I couldn't move away from the waves since the traffic wasn't closed!!! I literally was miserable. Absolutely miserable. I swore I would never ever run again, never visit New Hampshire again and hated anyone that I came across for those long 45 minutes.

Now that a day has passed, I have made peace with the State of New Hampshire, not so sure I will ever run again since right now walking is nearly impossible. And I am sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings that had the misfortune of meeting me during those last four miles.

I would not recommend this marathon though. It is only the 2nd year that a full marathon was offered and I don't feel like there was enough support. I think the half marathon is very well-done and supported by the community. In addition, the scenery was amazing, I could imagine how beautiful it would have been if I wasn't keeping my eyes downward so as not to be blinded by gale force winds :) The full marathon splits from the half at mile 11, after that the community support dwindles to almost nothing but the real concern I had about this marathon was that the last aid station was at mile 21. There are waaaayyyyyy too many disatrous possibilities that may occur in those last five miles. It really was not safe. I held water in my fuel belt, but I sure would have appreciated gatorade and emotional support to get through the last few miles.

But anyway, number nine is history. I am sticking to yoga for a while. I haven't decided if I have forgiven running just yet.

Boilermaker 2011

I just registered for the Boilermaker 2011 in Utica, NY. Last year I was nursing my psoas injury and only ran the 5k, this year it's the big bad 15k for me!!! Yeah! I am excited that I have stretched and strengthened and rested enough to sign up for this race!

I just came home from Vegas! What a city! What a blast! Here's a pic of the most strenuous activity we participated in while in Vegas-posing with some sass :)

Long time no write :(

Hello fellow fitness enthusiasts!!!! I miss reading your stories! I have been running a little, yoga-ing a lot and weight lifting as well! I feel GREAT!!!! I can not wait for the warmer weather to start riding my bike and swimming!

Happy Trail Feet!

It sure would be a lot less slippery if someone could blow the leaves off the trails :)

Cranberry Tri Race Report

What a great race! Everyone should start swimming, buy a bike and sneakers and sign up for this race 2011!

My day started early at 5am leaving with Stan and Travis to trek up to Lakeville, MA about an hour and half ride. We arrived in plenty to time but there was a parking jam so I did have to run around to check in and get numbered. Registration was organized and quick.

The race started at 8am sharp. I was in the 5th wave with all the other 40-44 year old ladies. I met some nice ladies that helped me feel more secure about the swim portion. I have been swimming a lot but was still very nervous. Well, this the tri for the weak of heart swimmer! We swam .9mile around the perimeter of Loon Lake. I probably could have ran it if I wanted. It was awesome and long. I came out of the water and looked at my watch 35minutes! I was psyched. Just to give you an idea of my swim success...I was completely swum over by the 30year old men. There was a front group that didn't care about my safety to break from the pack. Jerks. But even though, I still was confident and kept at it till I got er done, baby!

The bike ride was flat, flat, flat. It was along all these lakes and cranberry bogs. It was a beautiful 26 miles. I was able to keep a pretty fast pace. I think I finished it in 1:30mins. (official results are not in yet). I started to feel pooped the last two miles of the bike....

By the time I started the run, I was totally pooped, totally. The first two miles I really struggled. Then I worked on keeping my arms perpindicular to my torso and I heard my yoga teacher telling me to "open up across my heart space" ie chest :) Using my new core strength from my yoga really helped me on the run. When I opened up my chest I was able to breathe so much better, therefore run much better! I finished the run in 61mins. I was so happy to be done!

They had great food and race fun. SIGN UP for this TRI! It is totally great!

Fisher Cat on the bike ride!

YIkes! I was at the end of my 21 mile bike ride and a fisher cat darted out in front of my bike! Luckily he was as scared of me as I was of him or her! We passed each other with a little screech and then went our merry ways!

Wow...

Nerves....gotta love em!

Well my olympic distance tri is a little more than a week away and I am so nervous and excited!!!

I love this part of training, you are at the end of your very long haul and you are so nervous that maybe you didn't do enough one minute and then after an awesome swim or brick workout, you are so confident you can't fit your head through the door when you get home!!!

I was remarking to myself while swimming how terrific it feels to get to this point. Back in June, I could only swim about 3 laps comfortably, today I swam 15 easily! Love it!

I am not in tip-top shape, I still have pain in my psoas and my seasonal allergies have negatively effected my swimming times BUT I feel ready and rearing to go!

Hope everyone is having a great summer!

Two 5ks - Reviewed

Well I have not been running very much because riding my bike, swimming, weightlifting and yoga feel A LOT better than running! But I have run in two 5ks this summer. The first was in Hartford in June and it supported fundraising efforts for breast cancer, I am not sure but I think it was the Susan Komen Race for the Cure. It's a beautiful race with lots of support, but not a lot of shade :) It was soooooo hot and humid, I could barely breathe. I struggled but accepted my time of 28:15. I have hardly run and am still struggling with my psoas tightness. This race is close to home and one that we do every year and is always rewarding.

Fast forward a month and 5 terrific ladies and I trekked almost 300 miles north to Utica, NY for the Boilermaker 15K. Yet three of us, myself included, chose the shorter race distance of a 5k. The ride is long but not hard. There was very little traffic and it was easy to travel. It took us about 4 hours to get there. There was a very large and interesting packet pick up expo. We took part in this wacky recruiting simulation for the air force....I don't think they are going to come knocking on my door. I think my stranded first aid workers I was supposed to rescue are still stranded!

After the expo, we traveled about another 25 miles north to Verona, NY to our hotel. We relaxed and ate at a fun sports bar called Recovery. It had 39 televisions! It was nice not to have to worry about what I ate since I was only running a 5k the next day. I got a chicken pesto panini that was banging! After dinner we walked and gabbed on the patio. I think that was my favorite part of the trip. It was great to relax with my awesome friends.

The race the next day was not so relaxing. I was not prepared for the logistical manuvering required for race participation. So we left our hotel at 5:30 for a 7:30 start. The 5k starts at a different place. We parked and got into the city with no problem. The 5k actually is the last 3 miles of the 15k route. We did a rather large horseshoe course, BUT our car was about 4 miles away from the finish! There was a shuttle that brought us back to the car, but we couldn't cross the street to actually get to our car! We played racer frogger and somehow managed to get to our car and change. Then we had to leapfrog back across the street to catch the shuttle again to get back to the finish line to see the other three buddies finish. We could not really get close enough to the finish line and missed them. THEN we had to swim through oceans and oceans of finishers to get to our meeting place! Thank goodness it wasn't that hot, had it been normal temperatures I would have melted for sure! We finally found the speedy runners and ate our bag lunch included in the race fee packed in like sardines with all the other 15000 racers. After we finished our turkey sandwiches, we said our goodbyes and got the heck outta Utica!

Oh wait no we couldn't because we had to wait for the shuttle bus to bring us back to our car! The shuttle ride sucked, it was hot and everyone was smelly. We finally made it to our car and ventured back the four hours to HOME SWEET HOME!

My time was 2 minutes quicker for this race. It was a nice downhill course with lots of water and the temps were awesome, like about 75' and low humidity.

I would think about doing this race again but not any year soon. I would definitely think about where to park and how to celebrate. The boast a great post race party but it was waaaaayyyyy to congested to really enjoy.

My next race is the Cranberry Tri at the end of August. I can not wait!

Happy First Day of Summer!!!

Hello my old friends! I have been busy swimming, practicing yoga, biking and running a little! Oh yeah and having lots of fun!!!!

Paying in forward

Tonight I am meeting my friend and her son to help her son learn how to swim. He is an eight year old sweetie with autism. He needed a coach to help him learn how to swim so he can participate in the special olympics. I am psyched!

Also I signed up to be a "swim angel" for the Danskin Triathlon. I found out its in September though! Yikes I am definitely going to need a wetsuit!

My first Oly!

I just registered for my first Olympic Tri! I am doing the Cranberry Tri on August 29, 2010, the day before school starts! There is a sprint on Sat and an oly and relay on Sun. It should prove to be a very fun weekend! I can NOT wait! I have been riding my bike, but I have to get back in the pool and start running when my psoas heals.

There is nothing like a race in your future to get you motivated!

Not running but okay with it :)

I have not been interested in running since... well running hurts. I am giving my body a loooonnnngggg break from pounding the pavement. I continue to ride my bike, practice yoga and workout hard at the gym. I do miss my running friends though... a lot.

Hope all is well with everyone! Miss reading your blogs.