Into the Woods - A Farewell for Now

Hello dear readers.  I am ruthlessly stealing today's TriTalk Tuesday post to say goodbye to everyone.  Or perhaps, farewell for now.

I started this blog nearly a year ago, as a way to reflect on my journey through becoming a triathlete, to raise awareness of mental health issues, and to (hopefully) gain some understanding of myself and some compassion and empathy from others on the same road.  I have met some amazing people through blogging and social media, Courtney and Cynthia being two of them.  I consider myself blessed to be able to share my goals and triumphs, frustrations and failures along the way.  For this I am grateful.

My last race of the season, the Sun Multisports Cranberry Trifest - Olympic distance, is in less than two weeks.  After this race, I'll be taking some time off of triathlon.  As I've already shut down our bakery due to competing demands, blogging under the name "Cupcake Triathlete" seems a bit silly, as I will shortly be neither.  Well, mostly - once a triathlete always a triathete! 

I find my focus for the fall shifting.  This past weekend we went on a family backpacking trip to Mt. Greylock in western MA.  The time being completely unplugged and 100% focused on my family was very special.  I find myself looking inward more, looking for more privacy in my life and my goals.  I'd like to become more involved with my children, even as they both start school in September.  I'd like to hike more, spend more time outside with them, and perhaps start working on the bucket list of backpacking trails I've been neglecting in the years since becoming a parent.  This morning one of our pet goldfish died - not a great loss in the grand scheme of things, but as I held my crying children, I felt that being there with them was the most important thing I could be doing.  More than work, more than training, more than blogging.  I want to be more present.

I still plan on staying active.  Cycling will always be my primary sport and I look forward to the American Lung Association ride in September - perhaps taking on the Pan Mass Challenge in 2015.  Someday I'd like  to hike the Long Trail.  I'll still run in the town Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning (likely with my daughter by my side!).  You will likely even see me at a few local sprints next year.

In parting, I'd like to reiterate the sentiments that prompted me to start this blog in the first place.  No one can ever know just what another person is feeling or thinking.  What their challenges are.  What scares them, what makes them joyful.  As a society, we judge.  We judge working mothers, we judge people with mental illness, we judge others appearances, their race stats - everything is fair game.  I truly wish that people could be more understanding and helpful to eachother.  The fitness community is fabulous at supporting eachother and encouraging everyone to be their best.  I wish everyone health and happiness, in whatever forms it is meaningful to them.  As we all move through this life, let's be kind to eachother.

Best wishes,
Miranda

Weekend Recap - Rodents of Unusual Size

Yep - this is my view.  All day.  Monday morning is here again, and it's isn't pretty.  Actually, it IS pretty cute... as kitty goes from sleeping on my feet, to batting at my knees, to pacing back and forth in front of my work screen.  I'm lucky to be working from home today (we have a car in the shop).  After another banner weekend and very little sleep I'm not much fit for human company.  At least, of the professional kind...

It was a big weekend in the Cupcake Tri household.  On Saturday, I woke early and biked up to Gypsy's house.  It is a good thing that I love Gypsy as my very best tri training buddy, because although she lives only just under 5 miles away, she is up one very big hill and down one equally big hill to get to her house.  Living at the bottom of said hill, there is literally no way to leave her house that doesn't involve your quads burning.  So there's that. 

We tried a new adventure - packing up our swim gear in backpacks and biking to a new swimming spot.  I opted for the lighter approach with no wetsuit, since swimming has been feeling a bit "off" for me lately.  I've not had a pool session in several months, and the "cheating" aspect of the wetsuit buoyancy has somewhat impaired my swimming ability (or lack thereof).  Gypsy, however, in terror of the possibility of anything "critter" touching her biked with a full poofy school backpack with wetsuit in tow.

 

Around the 15 mile mark (for me), we reached out new watering hole.  I locked our bikes onto a tree and we shimmied into our swim stuff.  Really, I was wearing a tri suit, so I jumped in the water escaping the hordes of bloodthirsty mosquitos while Gypsy pulled her wetsuit.

Our new (to us) pond was lovely.  Clear and picturesque, with several enticing islands in the middle... if we could only swim that far.  That proved to be my downfall, as I was correct.  Without a wetsuit, I don't swim so good.  Gypsy is naturally a much stronger swimmer, being a competitive swimmer in her youth.  She is great about pacing me.  She tried to show me some recovery strokes (I don't really know how to do breast stroke or anything else).  I gamely did my best but my bum and legs were sinking and I was sucking wind.  Around the time I decided to kick it in and turn around, Gypsy spied a beaver lodge a good 1/2 mile away.

"Is that a beaver lodge??"  Me:  "Yeah...."  Gypsy: "Do they bite???"  Me: "Yes, their favorite food is human flesh...."  Her: "Oh my god I'm leaving!  They can get you because I'm so much faster!"  Gypsy sprints to the swim out, leaving me in the middle of the lake. 

But only for a little bit.  She stopped and waited for me, and I learned that once again, my sarcasm isn't always totally appreciated.  Funny about training with someone - after a while you know eachother so well there's not much territory that doesn't get hauled over - including teasing.  Gypsy is usually painfully tactful about her stronger swimming and running abilities, so her blatant abandonment of me to flesh eating aquatic rodents was that much more humorous....  I decided to NOT share with her that we'd seen a 4 foot beaver crossing the road on our way to the local hiking mountain just last week....

Once safely on land and neither drowned or devoured, the plan was to bike back home.  We ended up taking a wrong turn (my fault), so rounded out the bike ride at about 25 miles total.  It was Gypsy's little's birthday party in the afternoon, so we both switched back to Mommy mode to get all small things ready....

Sunday morning I had to myself.  Rather, I had an hour to myself, and I decided to get a benchmark run in.  It's been a few weeks since my cortisone shot.  I've been running mostly intervals of jogging and walking, but have recently started spacing them out a bit more, and I wanted to see what I was capable of.  My town doesn't really "do" flat, as you'd like for a perfect time trial, so I went to the rail trail - the closest thing we have to a flat space.  It's actually a gentle grade - down and up.  I had meant to do about 2 miles downhill, 2 uphill (back) and then 2 miles down again (turning around), but I got distracted by an extension of the trail. I ended up running 3 miles down at a paces near the 9:30s, and back up at paces above 10.  Alas, I finished the 6.2 in 1:03:42.  Not the sub-hour I was hoping for.  But I did treat myself to an account at Audible.com and started listening to Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  I am a huge bookworm, and I've been waiting for this title to come in to the library for literally months.  No more - now I get to listen while I run!  Or drive, or whatever.

 

On the non-training fornt, I've had some small successes as well.  I was all worked up by my post about strawberry cupcakes last week, but rather than making cupcakes (not healthy), at my friend Hummingbird's suggestion I spun the craving into some whole wheat almond strawberry muffins.  My kitchen helpers contributed to their creation, and they fed the family all weekend.  I used this recipe, substituting Greek yogurt for the milk (more protein) and frozen strawberries for the fresh.  Next time I make them I'll cut the sugar even more as they were a bit sweet.

 

Little Yoda helps out

Beans 'n' greens, plus baby carrots from our garden

 

I also made dinner both nights, using some vegetable from our garden (the first of the carrots), some peas.... overnight Little Yoda's cherry tomato plants have gone from tiny to Godzilla sized proportions.  I need a good solid afternoon just to try to reign them in somehow, and separate the cucumbers out of them as well.  Which will likely not happen..... anyway cooking and actually putting into place a meal plan for the coming week always feels like a victory.

 

In the afternoon yesterday we met Legos and her gang at a local state park for swimming and kayaking.  We had hoped to get in an open water swim practice, as Legos is doing her first sprint triathlon, the IronGirl, this coming weekend, but it was too windy and wavy and the part of the park that it was allowed in was closed.  So we did regular swimming with the kids and kayaked around.  My little guy learned to paddle and is actually pretty good for a 5 year old.  I think I see kid kayaks joining our fleet in the very near future....

 

Little Dude paddles the Jedi into the sand

Practicing setting up our tents in the side yard

 

Next week, if I can survive the massive piles of work between me and then (oh and that little sprint tri I have going....) the family is travelling to Lake Placid for a few days.  My coach is racing IMLP and I decided to take the opportunity to gather together a bunch of our friends and call it a high school reunion.  There's the promise of lots of hiking, rafting(?) and other outdoor adventures with the littles, so camping and hiking training continues on! 

 

I truly feel like I could use one weekend for the kids and their stuff, one weekend for my big training workouts, one weekend to catch up on house stuff (like the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes), and one weekend to catch up on work.  Maybe even a day to relax....

 

But none of that is occurring, so.... how was your weekend?  Any tomato tips?  Favorite recipes?  Because I'm gonna need them!

Rockin' Around the Playground - XMas in July!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYONE!!!





With any luck, no one is reading this, because you all are out watching the fireworks on a gorgeous clear night.  But for those on us on the eastern seaboard, chances are you are like me.  Inside (hopefully with a glass of wine), listening to the distant pops of a few of your more drunk determined neighbors setting off crackers, as your town festivities were rescheduled due to storm Arthur.

No parades for you!

That's all good.  Better safe and happy than very wet and sorry.  My town does a killer job celebrating our nation's independence, and I'm looking forward to two days worth of parades (yes plural - one bike and doll carriage for the kids, one Big Parade on Sunday), food and fireworks.

However, the change in plan does threaten to make Sunday the "Busiest Day Ever", as the kids begged me to let them do the kids race of the Quaboag Plantation Triathlon.  Immediately followed by hauling our cookies back home for the parade and the fireworks. If only they had red white and blue tri kits that would be perfect!  (I am not racing the adult sprint beforehand.  I would kind of like to just to see how much my times improved from last year.  It was, after all, my first triathlon ever.  Something is bound to have improved!!!)

Anyway... Yesterday, after finishing up a hasty day of work, I dragged the kids to the town center to practice before the storm hit.  Neither child has been on their bike in weeks, since we've been doing more family rides with the trail-a-bikes.  I wanted to be sure that they could keep the bikes rubber side down.  A little practice beforehand could very well stave off a total freakout during the race itself.



Clouds like this... what could go wrong??

The town center has a dirt track around the athletic fields that is just shy of 1/4 mile.  I told the kids they each had to complete 4 laps on their bikes before they could retire to the playground.  While they did so, I'd get as far into an interval workout as I could before the skies opened, running one loop at a relaxed pace and sprinting the next (which for me means keeping pace under 9:00 minute miles).

Sweat dripping

Little girl chasing little boy (harder to see) on her bike

To say that it was hot and humid does not give the brief workout justice.  It was murderously oppressive - like breathing nice warm tomato soup instead of air. The thunder started threatening, a few drops fell.... but we stayed until it really started pouring.  (I've gotten enough compliments on my favorite "Are my kids still chasing me?" shirt that I just have to share where I got it.  LOVE this shirt..... especially when my workouts occur with kiddos.)

Before we left (and once we got home since it was cut in half), I added in a strength workout using the playground swingset.  It was hard (ouch really hard), but I also had fun playing around and the kids thought I was hysterical.  That silly mommy......

Pushups using 2 swings.  Photo credit - Little Yoda Girl

So yes, kids and I BOTH got in our workouts for the day.  Which is really important, because <<pausing to step up on soap box>> it's really just so fundamentally, critically, just-no-way-around-it-important that kids get out and get moving.  There's a reason this picture is funny:

No judgment - I had bacon for breakfast too

Americans love their bacon.  And their ice cream.  And their TV, videogames, and sedentary office jobs.  Though I do see it changing, ours is not a culture that encourages physical activity.  Even now in schools recess and gym is being shortened or cut, allowing for more class time.  I certainly understand the pressures of education, but... kids just aren't meant to sit still.  They are meant to run, play, climb, fall, scrape their knees, and generally act like hooligans in every direction for most of their days.  One of the best ways to encourage this is to be a role model yourself.  Or just drag them out...



She only looks sweet and innocent...
more star hair!

Stepping back down OFF my soapbox, I will also admit that that little speech I gave is a bit misleading.  I do believe all those things, but truthfully my kids are out and moving so much because they are, near as I can understand, the small human equivalents of Dalmations.  Large, friendly, incredibly hyper dogs that must be exercised vigorously for hours each day.  My kids, being 5 and 6, seem to live to annoy each other, and possess boundless energy which with to do it.  In fact, they have 4 settings:

1. Running around like mad things (swimming, hiking, biking, jumping etc. also included in this category)
2. Trying to kill eachother.
3. Sleeping
4. Videogames.

I admit to the judicious use of #4, when #1 is no longer an option, having already done so for large chunks of the day.  When I've lost my voice from yelling at them (#2), and #4 is still hours away.  People think I'm kidding when I tell them we started using laps around the house as punishment for my daughter when she was three years old.  We're not kidding.  And it's not really a punishment, because she likes it so much.  We are just trying to tire her out.... 

They are good kids.  Great kids.  But a mom's gotta do... you know!

Now that we've all agreed that kids in motion is a matter of survival (yours or their is up to debate), I wanted to share a very cool find from today.  The rain kept us indoors, so we took the kids to the Worcester Ecotarium, our favorite local children's museum.  There is a fabulous new exhibit, all about different ways for kids to get moving and get active.  Partially disguised in a superhero theme, Run! Jump! Fly! has stations for climbing, surfing/snowboarding, strength training (boo yeah just like Mommy at the gym!), martial arts, dance, and yoga. 

After completing each station, the kids get a stamp on their card.  The flip side of the card is an Activity Challenge for the following three days, where they record everything they did to get moving, up to 60 minutes per day. 

How many kids are gonna get to write "Triathlon" on their card??  Oh yeah.....

Lest anyone think I'm slacking with all this museum fun, I did get in a one hour brick today.  In my basement, on my trainer and treadmill, which was remarkably peaceful.  Cool and quiet with lots of bad TV to watch.  Ahhhh.... adding this into my "more often" column.....

Tomorrow Team Cupcake Tri will be crushing the competition at the town Bike and Doll Carriage parade, having spent a few hours decking out their bikes and helmets with all manner of dollar store Christmas in July junk.  I hear our Elf on a Shelf will also be making an appearance....

Sneak peek.  His helmet is under there!
Can I leave on for the triathlon?  USAT?

Enjoy the fireworks -- and a safe, happy, and ACTIVE holiday weekend to you all!!


Needles and Motherhood

Apologies for the radio silence.  I've been caught up in work (oh, that....), the kids' end-of-school stuff, and my ever-annoying health stuff.  Looking over the last month or so of training, it would be pretty easy to get down on myself for not having the type of volume and quality I'd hoped for in the month leading up to my first triathlon of the season.  Heck, just the fact that I've finally admitted that I really, truly, cannot run a single step is a tough thing.  My total mileage for May is less than ten miles.  At the suggestion of my physical therapist, I got a runner (Spark's awesome sister) to run the final leg of this weekend's Greendale Sprint for me.  Even though it's only 2.5 miles (oh gawd).  When in doubt, hire a wicked fast blonde 29 year old to cover you!

Of course the irony is that, if I hadn't decided to run two half-marathons to become a stronger runner heading into triathlon season, I wouldn't be injured now.  At the beginning of triathlon season.  I go into the orthopedist tomorrow to hopefully get a cortisone shot and some relief, since at this point even sleep is evading me from pain.

Then there is the biking.  Not too many complaints in this arena, except that most of my rides have been sub-20 miles, as compared to the multi-hour 50/60/80 milers of many of my non-parental triathlon friends.  My reason for this are below.  They are such amazingly good little reasons I have zero regrets:

Biker buddy

This past weekend was Memorial Day - we got two new (to us) trail-a-bikes for the kids.  One day we tested them, then the next we took the whole family down to Rhode Island for a 20 mile ride along the East Bay Bike Path.  The kids did great.  It was a nice day, a pretty decent workout (resistance training - they don't always pedal!), and overall a day better spent than any century training ride I could have done.

Lunch near the sea

Then there is the swim.  I've been in the open water three times now.  Feeling good.  Feeling confident and calm, even if those swims have been shorter than I wanted.  Again, below are some reasons (and some of my fellow moms in training):

Open water with littles (Daddy was watching them)

I'ts pretty easy to view your life in terms of what you haven't accomplished.  Haven't done right.  The choices that in retrospect, weren't quite right.  But you know what?  While I don't consider myself 100% defined by my role as a mother, 

I take great comfort at looking at my happy, healthy, awesome little kiddos and thinking... I'm doing just fine.

4 days until race day!  Stay tuned for the recap, and possibly grisly medical posts involving long needles!

Have you ever done a triathlon as a relay???

Dance Apocalyptic.... with Cake

Last night I had a [very rare] phone conversation with my friend and coach, which ended with him laughing saying, "Man I love your life" to which I replied, "I just can't WAIT until you have children".  You see, I called him in a "safe time" - on my drive home.  But he was dutifully pushing up a hill at 450 watts in Central Park like the good Ironman in training that he is, so by the time he returned my call, I had walked in the door at home and was fair game for The Children.

I haven't actually spoken on the phone to my coach in a very long time, so I picked up.  Which breaks one of my rules in life, which is that its really annoying to be on the phone with a parent who is simultaneously talking to you and their offspring at the same time.  I try not to, for the general cause of not being an a**hole to my friends.  Which, in truth, is why mothers text as their primary mode of communication.  We did manage a decent amount of conversation, even though I was putting a band-aid on my son's finger, laying out my daughter's outfit for her dance pictures, getting said daughter upstairs (a process), and telling her how to put on her outfit.

Me: "No underwear honey.  Don't ask - it's a dance thing"
Coach: "Ok - I guess I understand that".
Me: "I was talking to her not you.  You should understand not wearing underwear for athletic events".  Chuckles.  

I finally had to hang up when she put her tights on backwards and I realized I had about ten minutes to get her hair into a sock bun and her tutu-ed little behind into the car.  My regular readers will remember my earlier hairstyle related breakdown on the subject.....

Came out pretty good!

Anyway, I did get her coiffed, photographed, and transported to the next town without incident (she did great not touching or messing up her hair in the car, partially because she is awesome and partially because I ended every sentence I said to her with "and don't touch your hair!").  Once we got to her studio were were ushered into a very small, very hot, very chaotic room where dozens of other moms and their children worked together to get all the little heads in up-does, make up on, and complicated dance costumes tied (thank goodness my kid had an easy costume, if not easy hair) and into the photo room.  Phew.

The chaos of a mass swim start is nothing compared to picture day at little girl dance studio.....

Once home, we started the reverse process.... feed child, bath child, scrub makeup off child, scrub hairspray out of child's hair.... get child to bed.....

Only to remember that I was supposed to meet friends that night.  Oops.  Once again, I'm a bit of an a**hole.

A "Dance Apocalyptic" evening.  I love this song.  "You're not afraid to freak out!!!  You're not afraid to freak out......"  Indeed.

What's my point?  Well, that for all the reasons so eloquently and hysterically described in this article, being a parent of small children really does make you kind of a a**hole.  Or if you don't like that word, at least accept that it makes you truly incapable of doing everything, remembering everything, juggling everything, and doing it all well.  This absolutely impacts your training as well.  Or at least it sure does impact mine.  Even if I wasn't sick (which I am), and if I wasn't injured on running restriction (which I am), it is just really darn hard to pull off a consistent training schedule gracefully without sacrificing other areas of your life.

Side note:  I just heard my husband yell from downstairs: "Stop playing in the toilet!!  You're making a mess!"  See?  Parenting = crazy.

Can it be done?  Sure.  There are plenty of people out there who do it.  I'm a huge fan of reaching for big goals.  But I'm also a huge fan of balance and recognizing that's it ok to scale them back.  I have several friends who have downsized their tri goals this season in favor of new jobs, more family time, and frankly more sleep and sanity.  I realized several months ago that this was not the year for me to go for a long-course triathlon.  I'm now realizing that this may even be a year that just finishing my current races is all I can manage - forget getting faster or any time or power goals.  I am honestly ok with that.  Of course the irony is that if I hadn't done two HMs to get faster on the run, I'd probably still be able to run at all.... neither here nor there....

A coffee machine at my work had a "Well-being" button.
If only it were that simple!!!

Gosh Cupcake Triathlete - you scaled back your cupcake business, and now you're scaling back your triathlon stuff?  Really?  Why should we even read your blog?

I don't actually know
what this means....

Excellent question!!!  For which I don't have an answer.  Same reason my coach puts up with me - sheer entertainment value?  My adorable children?  That I often hurt myself in amusing ways?  My efforts to be honest and real?  If you want straight shots in inspiration there's tons of stuff on Pinterest.  Here's a good one for ya.....

And I'm not really scaling back on the tri stuff, just not leaping forward to take on anything huge or crazy anytime soon.  Plus getting an X-ray for my hip and some other boring stuff.  I know in my heart of hearts that staying active is my very best combat to the parental crazies, which is why yesterday I busted out of the office at lunch time for a quick walk to nearby conservation land for a trail run.

Ahhhh sweat and nature.... so much better.....

In an effort to hold your attention, I AM going to share the recipe for the amazing cake that I forced my husband to my husband made me for Mother's Day.  I'm not a big fan of frosting, so bundt cakes are some of my favorites.  This one is very flavorful and unique (butterscotch and coffee - sounds odd but sooo good)!!!  Originally from Bundt Classics by Nordic Ware:

Gather Round Pound Cake

• 1 (6 oz) package butterscotch chips
• 2 tbsp instant coffee or espresso
• 1/4 c hot water
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 1 c butter, softened
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 c buttermilk
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Heat oven to 325.  Grease and flour a 10 or 12 cup Bundt pan.  Melt butterscotch chips with instant coffee powder and water; set aside.

In large mixing bowl, mix sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, mixing well after each addition.  Mix in buttermilk and butterscotch mixture.  Mix in all remaining ingredients.  Spoon into pan.

Bake at 325 for 55 to 6 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool ten minutes.  Remove from pan - cool complete on the rack and then dust with powdered sugar.

What is your favorite kind of cake?
Do you talk on the phone with your kids around?  Tell me stories.....

What I Really Want for Mother's Day

Ahhh... Mother's Day.  T-minus three days.  Technically I don't get to answer this question, since I already bought the following items for myself and informed my family that they were for Mother's Day:

• My Garmin 310XT training watch (clearly needed)
• A Vera Bradley computer bag (also a training expense - was lighter than the monster bag work gave me which was aggravating my hip)
• A full wetsuit (water temps are still in the 50s here and my first race is in 3 week.  Brrrrr.....)

But if I WERE to get to ask for anything else for Mother's Day, this would be my list.  A girl can dream, right?

1.  My own theme music

This one is already kind of a gimme, since for the last couple of days my little girl has been singing a modified version of this whenever I come in the room.  "Mommy is awesome!!!  Everything is cool when you're on Mommy's team!!"  So far I still think it's adorable.  It might be starting to wear on the Jedi's nerves.....  oh well.  I like it.  For now...

2.  The ENTIRE bed to myself

The other night the Jedi jokingly asked me if I wanted him to sleep on the couch so I could get a good nights rest.  I said yes.  Sadly he didn't get that I wasn't joking in return.  I haven't been sleeping well lately, mostly due to pain and my furry companions that insist that I am some sort of extra full body pillow for them to lay on top of.  Ugh.  Which brings me to my next wish...

3.  My toenail back!!!!

For the last several week my hips have been causing me a lot of pain.  The meds I've been taking have exacerbated my migraines - more pain.  I finally saw the doctor yesterday about all of this hot mess.  He gave me some new treatments for migraine that are so far working.  He also diagnosed acute greater trochanter bursitis in both hips from overuse running.  I'm seeing a orthopedist and considering a cortisone shot.  Oh and by the way no running for a while.  Which is great since I have that Oly coming up... sigh....

I have a serious bone to pick with the sport of running.  I am a biker by nature.  I have been biking for years and years.  Biking has never caused me so many injuries that I've spent hundreds of dollars in medical tests, physical therapy, and treatments.  It's never caused me to become dependent on pain medication.  It's never caused me to stop in the middle of a workout to go #2 in the woods.  And it's never caused my toenail to fall off!  This happened last night right before I went out on my evening ride and I very nearly lost it.  I'm going to start shedding parts of my body like a leper now, too??  This is the last straw.  

I would very much like it if all my running friends would instant convert over to biking friends.  Also, all triathlons shall now take on the format of "Swim, Bike, and More Bike".

4.  A whole day completely ALONE with no agenda

My kids schedule (mostly) - stolen from my friend's house

 This should be self explanatory.  If not, see the above - the kid's schedule.  Then add my work schedule and deliverables, and my training schedule and deliverables.  Add making dinner and answering the 500 zillion questions my kids ask a day and the dozens of requests for hugs and kisses and play-with-mes etc.  Alone, please.  Don't touch me.  No agenda.

5.  A whole day to spend with my kids

Yes, I can want this and #4 simultaneously.  As a working mom, I don't get enough time with them.  And they are such great kids.

In reality, probably none of these will happen.  At least not this weekend.   That is ok.  So for now, let me say a huge Congratulations and Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing moms that I know (including my own!).  Let's all recognize each other and ourselves for all the good work with do raising our kiddos.  Maybe, just maybe, we'll steal some time for ourselves this weekend....

What do you want for Mother's Day?

Triathlon Becomes Decathlon - Sock Bun Breakdown

Sometimes triathlon is more than three sports.  It is three sports, a job, two young kids with all the associated homework and activities, a mortgage, the weather, injuries, bills, and two cats that, despite my multiple attempts to convince otherwise, still feel that the bed is their territory and that their food bowls need filling at 5 am.

Triathlon becomes Decathlon.

Who set this bar so darn high????

In actuality, the word decathlon refers to a 10-part track and field event originating in the Olympics.  Your daily Wiki trivia.  But I think that it should also apply to a working parent / aspiring triathlete as well.  Because there are days... ok there are weeks and months, where it feel like the daily juggling act pushes me to the very limits of my mental, emotional, and physical endurance.

I'm in one of those sets of days.  

In addition to the usual, we're heading toward the end of the school year, with all the various assemblies and reminders.  The kids schedules aren't that nutty for each of them individually, but adding their schedules into the family's schedule and my work/training schedule.... it all starts to look like this:

I used to get frustrated at my husband for calling me at work to verify their various appointments and practices.  After all, he is the stay at home parent, and I have my own work schedule and training schedule to contend with.  I have recently come to the realization that it is simply more than any human mind can comprehend and keep straight.  This is clearly why man invented the IPhone.  On any given day I have at least ten different email and pop-up reminders for tasks, appointments (both mine and the family's), and which workouts I'm supposed to do when.  My google calendar is no less than 4 calendars merged together.  Side note - I've changed my workout schedule so furiously the last few days that I'm pretty sure my coach is just hunkering down and wait for the storm to pass.  He's good like that).  

Introducing disruption into this particular vat of insanity can have dire consequences.  I felt like I was teetering on the edge yesterday, and then I got the email from my daughter's dance studio detailing what each girl was to wear for accessories (the expensive outfit already having been purchased) and how to do their hair.  There are about 20+ classes in her studio, so I scrolled down the list through "High ponytail", "Two pigtails","Braided bun", "Side ponytail"..... then down to my daughter's class.

Sock bun.

What?  What IS that??  How did my kid end up in the complicated hair style class?  I spent a few minutes googling and watching YouTube tutorials.  I decided that there was no way my husband could conquer this hairstyle solo in time for her pictures.  Heck, I'm not sure I can.  I went through several mental scenarios involving him taking her over to a [more hairstyle competent] friend's house to be coiffed before practice, doing her hair in the parking lot (what if there is wind?), asking to leave work early to do it myself (even my boss isn't that tolerant!).  Furious texting with another dance mom friend (her kid is in the ponytail class.  Lucky duck).  Finally figured out pictures aren't until later in the evening.  Thank god.

They gang up on me

Exhausted from this and many other mental battles, I decided the best way to de-stress would be to go to bed after drinking far too much wine.  But my coach and my husband weren't behind that approach, so I took second best.  Excessive exercise.   Since there was only so much time I could spend obsessing about sock buns and career paths, I looked up the courses and previous times from my upcoming Oly and obsessed about that instead.  (Triathlon is so good for transference....)  I decided it was imperative that I utterly exhaust myself with a 1000 meter time trial in the pool.

Actually, I decided to do 1500 meters, but my coach told me 1000 would be fine.  Phew.  At least someone has some sense.  I've never done a time trial and really didn't know what to expect in terms of how fast (or horribly slow) I am since finishing Total Immersion class.  I hit the pool at a quiet time of day, warmed up, and had a nice conversation with my lane-mate, an older woman who told me I was "a beautiful swimmer".  Oh heck yeah, I'm beautiful.  I will crush this!  21:40 later my trial was over and I was feeling pretty darn good about my swimming and my prospects for my Oly.  At least one part of my life is in order....

Safe zone

Headed home to wage the Sock Bun Battle Part II: Implementation.  

Which consisted of the Jedi and I cutting up 3 different socks, rolling them, watching several more videos, and a few attempts with my very patient little girl sitting on the bathroom stool while I brushed and rolled and pinned, swore unrolled brushed again and repeated the process.  With her golden thick straight hair down to the middle of her back, my little girl is dead ringer for Rapunzel.  She is actually growing it out to her ankles to see if it will turn magic (I'll cross that bridge when we get there).  My husband helped by holding sections of her hair.  Every so often she'd ask, "Mommy do you know what you are doing?"  No honey, Mommy does not know what she is doing.  Really at anything in life, so if you haven't figured that out in your six years of life, you're in for some more disappointments down the road....  "Is this supposed to be a two person job?"  Yes lovey, all of parenting is a two-person job.  Even dance recitals...

The result.  Sock bun achieved.  Good enough....

For all reasons related to sock buns, time trials, work stress, and a full brain... the alarm went off this morning at 5:15 and I just did not have it in me to get up.  I've been tracking my resting heart rate for the last 2 weeks with my Sleep Cycle app.  On a good day it's in the mid 60s when I wake up.  A regular day, the low 70s.  Yesterday it was 80 bpm and this morning was 85 bpm.  Your resting heart rate can be a good monitor of how well your body is recovering between workouts (or other stress).  Anything over an increase of 5 bpm or so might indicate overtraining or some other stress. Clearly a resting heart rate more than ten beats higher is a sign I'm burning out a bit.....

I think today will be a full rest day.  I'm also trying to look through my various lists and to-dos and decide which I can safely ignore for a while.  Or at least a day or so.  Prioritize.  Triage.  Wine now?

Have you ever had something silly push you over the edge?  I want to hear about it!

100 Happy Days

Because I'm HAPPY!!!!

Whew that was fun!  I think this was playing at the finish line (or somewhere) of the New Bedford Half Marathon last weekend.  I thought it was ironic at the time, but it's been stuck in my head ever since (which makes a nice change from Frozen music).  I'm going with it.

Buoyed by my resolution against negativity, I also took the advice of my wonderfully wise PT and friend Laura and signed up for the 100 Days of Happiness Challenge.  It's simple - for 100 days you take just five minutes to appreciate and enjoy something that makes you happy.  Then ideally you take a picture of it and share it via whatever social media floats your boat.  100 days of being annoying cheerful to your friends....

But in all seriousness, it is a great idea.  When I was a kid, I also had a tendency to be pretty negative.  Not remember the good stuff.  Which, as a parent is deeply annoying when you spend all day playing with your kid and doing nice things for them only to have them throw a temper tantrum at bedtime.  So my mother started a tradition of making me tell her three nice things that happened to me during the day.  (We have also employed this parenting strategy with my daughter, who is a copy of me in all things).

When you have to deliberately find something to be happy about each day, it makes you appreciate your life more.  Because, let's face it - most of life is craziness sandwiched between responsibilities and more responsibilities.  If you don't look for them, it's easy to miss the small things that are most important.  Also by tagging all your photos, you are able to look back over the days and months and get a picture of just how nice a life you really have.  Even on days that aren't so great.  Even on Mondays <<cough>>.

This weekend kicked off my 100 Days.  It was a pretty amazing weekend.

Saturday morning the kids and I packed up early and headed to the gym.  Although my Total Immersion class is now over, I am fond of our Saturday schedule.  Plus Hummingbird is starting TI at the same time, so I wanted to be in the pool to make faces at her (which she appreciated).  I had a really nice, comfortable swim set of about 1300 meters.  It was slightly abbreviated due to child watch difficulties, but that's ok.  I got to take my class picture with Gil, and received a TI swim cap as my finishing prize.  Also bumped into (almost literally) Laura from A Fat Girl's Ironman Journey, which is the first time we've met in the real world versus online.  Yay!

Me and Gil.

Hummingbird also hopped out of the pool long enough to give me another present out of the blue - Shwings!!

All Shwinged out!

I'm not sure what possessed her, but it was really sweet.  I've wanted these for a while, just because I think they are cute.  She told me that they would help me run faster.  I guess she knew I needed a confidence boost.  I felt so very lucky to have good friends.  It takes a village to raise a triathlete.

I followed the swim set up with a spin class - something I have not done in literally months.  I had forgotten how much fun they could be!

Total mileage for Saturday: BRICK Swim 1300 meters, Spin 22.1 miles in 53:46

In the afternoon we took our kids to a local historical museum and enjoyed the temps in the 50s and the warm(ish) sunshine.  It was a perfect day.

On our run.  There's a instrument business
the next town over.
Love me some French horn!

 Sunday was cold again, and I did NOT feel like running.  Happily (there's that word!) Sheriff has told me that I can keep my long runs close to the Oly distance (6 miles) from now on.  No need for epic shenanigans in the cold for hours at a time.  I was still in bed when Hummingbird texted that she was on her way.  Shoot!  Quick breakfast and throwing on my not-yet-clean running tights and we were off!  We did a nice, slow 6ish mile loop from my house.  My hips were still just a little tight, but overall I felt really great.  So relieved to be feeling strong and well again after my tough run a few days prior.  We even ran negative splits with the last 2 miles in the 9:00s for pacing!

Total mileage for Sunday: 6.2 in 1:04:03 plus some good yoga

After lunch it was back to the Y with the kids for their swim session.  Humongous mommy brag alert:

Both kids now swim with no floaties or bubbles.

I was thrilled.  Getting my girl into the water has been a pretty big deal - she has a lot of fear to work through.  It's just a great milestone for them both.  I rewarded them with pizza and hitting the Lowe's to pick out seeds for their garden this year.

Helpers.

We rounded out the weekend with some new recipes - broccoli rabe from our organic vegetable share, and maple white chocolate brownies in honor of our visit to Maple Days at the historical museum.  One upside to scaling back the cake business is that I have the energy and inclination to bake for the family.  The kids were so happy when I answered Yes! to their question of "is that for us?" instead of telling them the treats were for customers....

Maple brownies

So now it's Monday.  I have the kids cold, so perhaps I should be grateful for modern medicine:

Or perhaps I will be grateful when I get to go home and curl up again with this one:

Cuddle me!

There is a lot to be happy and grateful for.  Even on Mondays.  Let's hear it for the next 97 days and me keeping this streak alive!!

What are you happy about today?