2008 in Review

It's time for an update, and now that it's the end of the year, I figured I would do a year in review. 2008 was definitely a busy year, for training and racing as well as our personal life.

January started off with the Disney marathon for a 3rd year in a row. This year, I ran every step with my friend and we stopped to take pictures with EVERY character along the way. Finish time: 5:57:16 (I think this was my slowest marathon ever, but it was worth it).

At the end of January came the 3M half marathon where I set a PR of 2:00:48, but still didn't reach the goal of a half marathon under 2 hours.

February kicked-off the training season for America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride (AMBBR) with Team in Training, but I had to skip a weekend to rest for the Austin Marathon. Finish time: 5:02:22.

I was still training for AMBBR, but at the end of March ran the Capital 10,000 coming in at 1:00:41. Then in May I ran the Deutschen Pfest 5k. I was on track to PR, but the lead runners took a wrong turn and we ended up running farther than a 5k. My final time: 32:15.

At the end of May, I left for Lake Tahoe to ride the AMBBR, which was great fun. We had perfect weather and my legs felt better after 100+ miles on the bike than they ever do after a marathon.

When I got home from Tahoe, I sent my 12 year old off to Italy and Greece for 20 days. At the end of June I participated in the Lake Pflugerville Triathlon, setting another PR of 1:29:10. Then my husband, son and I went to Ohio for some fun time for my son.

July was extremely busy. Madison came home and then both kids immediately left for church camp. I was in charge of a Chrysalis for youth one weekend and then we went to a wedding the next. After that, it was time for my high school reunion, which I was also in charge of. And somewhere in there, I continued to train for the Longhorn 70.3 at the beginning of October, once again setting a PR for that distance of 6:56:47.

The weekend after Longhorn, I decided I needed to try running in a skirt, so I did the Skirt Chaser 5K for fun, but surprised myself by finishing in 27:33. And not long after that came back problems that sidelined me. I ended up walking the Race for the Cure after hoping to PR that race as well.

Then we celebrated an anniversary, got a new dog, celebrated my husband's birthday, and then celebrated Christmas with lots of family.

The last week and a half has been good. I was off work most of the week of Christmas. I got in a 12 mile run the weekend before Christmas, two 4 mile runs while at my mother-in-law's, a 14 mile run this past weekend, and two 6+ mile runs so far this week. I need to get in a 2 mile run Wednesday, and I will have run just over 100 miles in the month of December.

Here are my totals for the year as of today (12/30/08)
Bike: 1486.53 miles (I'm hoping to get in 14 more on Wednesday)
Run: 718.35
Swim: 14,254.52 yards
Strength training: 21 hours 43 minutes
Trainer: 7 hours
Spin class: 2 hours 15 minutes
Walking: 3 hours 8 minutes
Wii Fit: 2 hours 40 minutes (I only put this because it's considered a "sport" on the log I use)
Yoga: 35 hours

My running was less than last year, but my cycling was more. I need to find the balance for next year. And I need to swim more. It's just not as easy as running or cycling from the house.

So, what does 2009 look like? Well, I haven't really sat down and devoted time to thinking about it overall, but I do know some things.

January - 3M half marathon
February - Austin half or full marathon (I need to decide SOON)
March - Capital 10,000
April - Zooma half marathon (?)
May - Deutschen Pfest 5k
June - America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride (I will fundraise again)
June - Lake Pflugerville Triathlon
October - Marine Corps Marathon (if we can get in)
November - Race for the Cure

There may be other races thrown in when they work with my schedule. We'll see. And if I get into Marine Corps, then I plan on spectating and cheering on the racers at the Longhorn 70.3. It's a great race and I'd love to do it again, but it's too close to the Marine Corps marathon and my friend and I have been wanting to do the marathon for a couple of years.

I'm hoping the rest of my life slows down some as well. We won't be sending a child out of the country next year, and I won't be planning a Chrysalis or high school reunion. I've already given up teaching Sunday school and have found a class that I enjoy being a participant in. Plus, I've served on two different boards for the last 3-6 years, and next year I roll off of both of those - one in May and the other in August.

I'd like to keep up the training, but spend some time catching up on scrapbooking as well. I did some over the holidays, but still have lots to do. I have a scrapbook of all my major races and am almost through with that. The big task will be getting caught up on the kid's school scrapbooks and then our last vacation. And, if I can find the time, I wouldn't mind learning how to sew. I want to learn how to make t-shirt quilts (because I have tons of race shirts I never wear and I also think it would be nice to do for the kids).

The other big thing of 2009 will be deciding if I will be doing an Ironman in 2010. If I decide to move forward with that (and get the family's blessing), I need to decide which one I'm going to do and go out to volunteer for the 2009 race so that I can sign up the next morning. Yes, for an Ironman that's what has to be done. And it's a huge committment, financially as well as with time and training.

Well, that pretty much sums up 2008 and looks ahead to 2009. I hope you and your family have a Happy New Year!!!! May it be filled with friends, family and lots of blessings.

BRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Well, they say around here that if you don't like the weather, hang around a few minutes and it will change. And boy has it changed here lately. Last week we had a high of 80 and then that evening the temps dropped and we had sleet. The temps warmed back up and Sunday afternoon we, once again, had a high of 79. Today, it didn't get out of the 30s and the forecast says we may get some light rain (which may turn to ice) tonight. It shouldn't be enough to freeze over the roads, but it sure does make it tough to figure out what to wear from day to day. Dalton had on shorts and a short sleeved shirt this morning until I told him it wouldn't get warmer than 40.

Because of the weather, all of my workouts (except the last two long runs) have been inside. I'll run long outside in the cold because I warm up, but it's too much effort to put on the appropriate clothes for a short run. So last weekend I did 8.5 miles in 40 degree weather and this weekend I did 10 miles in maybe 50 degree weather. It's been hard to get some of the weeknight workouts in. I'm still trying to figure out the new routine with Roscoe. Between my chiro appointments, walking Roscoe, and getting my daughter to and from her 3-night-a-week babysitting job at the local gym, (not to mention eating dinner and doing everything else that needs to be done around the house) it's hard to squeeze them in. A couple have had to be split up. Not ideal, but better than nothing.

And tonight because of the weather, instead of "walking" Roscoe, we went for a quick jog. And he seemed to really like it. He did pretty well, but stopped me dead in my tracks a couple of times when he needed to "mark his territory" or "sniff the ground". You should see him when I'm getting ready for the walk. He knows it's about time and boy does he get excited. I've already decided, though, that temps in the 30's plus rain or sleet equals no walk for Roscoe. We'll have to play ball in the house if that happens. I'm such a wimp when it comes to cold.

Well, stay warm everyone!

More About Roscoe

Several of you have asked some questions about Roscoe, so I thought I'd try to answer.

We found Roscoe through the local Boxer Rescue. According to their website, Roscoe is 3 years old. He and his sister (who had already been adopted by another family) were taken from his previous owner due to neglet. Roscoe had been hit by a car and his owner did not get him treatment for a broken hip. He was also 20 lbs underweight. Animal Control took the dogs and they ended up with the Boxer Rescue.

He has had two surgeries on his hip to reconstruct it and he had a couple of tumors (benign) removed, but all seems to be well with him now. He does occasionally favor his hip (especially after waking up), but he can get frisky and "box" with you if you want.

He is very well behaved - he doesn't counter surf, he's potty trained, and he's crate trained. He walks well on a leash, but still needs some work to "heel". And let me tell you, he likes the couch! I wasn't planning on letting him get up there, but the kids love it and he is so peaceful looking when he's asleep. He doesn't play on the couch, so I've decided it will be ok. I just may need to get some blankets to put over the couch.

I do plan on running with him at some point, but I want to get him use to the neighborhood and use to the leash with me leading him. He has cut right in front of me a couple of times and tripped me, so that needs to be fixed before I start running with him. And, we haven't encountered other dogs on our walks yet and I want to see what he will do when approached by another dog. If I'm running and a loose dog runs up to us (which shouldn't happen if owners obey the law and keep their dog on a leash), I'm not sure what would happen. Plus, once I get the vet records from the rescue organization, I want to take them (and him) to our vet and have them look him over just to make sure that running won't do any more damage to his hip. If all works out, it will be fun to run with him.

As far as getting my son a dog - we are still looking. He wants a small dog and right now is leaning toward Jack Russells or Rat Terriers. My brother has a rat terrier that we love. We know these breeds will have lots of energy which I think will work well with Roscoe. We just have to find one. Plus, we keep telling him that he may really like them based on the picture he sees on the Internet, but once he meets the dog it may be a different story. Afterall, I didn't go to the rescue adoption day to get Roscoe, but I feel in love once I got there.

Meet Roscoe

In August of 2007, our 14 year old Rottweiler died. A couple of years earlier, our 11 year old Rott/Dobie mix had died. We decided we needed some time after they both died before we got a new dog.

Well, just recently my son started asking if he could get a dog for Christmas. We told him it would have to be a small dog because "mamma wants a boxer" and we don't want two big dogs in the house.

We've been looking on-line at breeders, humane societies and rescue sites, not sure where we were going to get dogs from. I originally wanted to get a puppy, but then I came across the local boxer rescue site. They had an adoption day Saturday and we went. Later that afternoon, they brought Roscoe to our house for a "home visit" and he hasn't left. All we need to do now is finalize the adoption. It hasn't taken him long to make himself right at home.

Deck Them Halls, Ya'll!

The Thanksgiving break so far has been great! But before I get into details about that, I want to remind everyone of something I'm sure your mom said to you at some point in your life - "It's better to give than it is to receive.". And since the holiday's are upon us, I want to share with you some ways you can give if you are so inclined.

1) We have some good friends who have a 19 year-old son who was recently diagnosed with cancer. I can't remember the exact type, but it's a rare one. They have a caringbridge site, so if you are so inclined to go over and leave a nice message, I'm sure they would appreciate it. We've known the family (three generations worth) for a long time and they are wonderful people. www.caringbridge.org/visit/corymonzingo

2) And if you like helping out those with cancer, head on over to this site and enter a chance to win something for yourself while helping two families with kids going through transplants. Marey has a daughter who has fought cancer and is doing well, but not all families have the same outcome. Having a transplant is a huge deal physically as well as financially. Every year Marey helps out families who need it by hosting fundraisers, so if you want to help, head on over.

3) Another way to help kid's that have cancer is to head over to Host An Elf . While there, you can buy one of "Catie's Elves" for yourself or donate it so that a child with cancer will receive it this Christmas. Or, if you want to help out the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), then when you buy a regular elf, as you are checking out, you can click on the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the LLS.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I'll just say that the Thanksgiving break so far has been great! I've been able to "sleep in" three days in a row and still get in a morning workout. Today I even got in a 7 mile run outside which felt great!!!

The best thing is that, following holiday tradition, we've gotten the Christmas decorations up both outside and inside, we've spent some time with family and good friends, we've watched some football, and we've even done a little Christmas shopping. It doesn't get any better than that.

I'll leave you with a few pictures of our holiday decorating. And for those of you who are curious, we put up three trees. One in the living room with all the traditional ornaments and the ones that have meaning (like ones we buy from our vacation spots, etc); a Disney themed tree in the office where it can be seen from the road; and a small, puny tree (that was the first tree my husband and I ever had) in the dining room which can also be seen from the road. Enjoy!!!

Being Silly!

putting the ornaments on

the finished tree in the living room

a handmade ornament

they were so cute when they were little :)

the stockings

Santa's plates (these were bought last year from Marey when she did the fundraiser)

the finished Disney tree

our puny little tree (I can't find the tree skirt, so I'll probably have to get a new one)

I'm Ready For A Break

Last week was a busy week, and I'm ready for the Thanksgiving break!!!

I've been going to the chiropractor twice a week for the past month. Luckily he is 10 minutes from my house, but it still takes time to drive there, get adjusted and get home. I've had to push my workouts to later, which then means dinner is later. But, the good news is that I've gotten in some pretty normal workouts over the last week.

I'm an avid reader of the beginnertriathlete.com forum. One of the coaches who posts on there kind of put out a "challenge" to become a stronger cycler over the winter/off season/whatever you want to call it. I decided to follow along and do the workouts to see if it improves my cycling for next spring. I've got my road bike on the trainer upstairs, so I was set. The workouts started last week. Tuesday and Thursday I was able to get them done. There were some fast intervals in there and boy was I drenched with sweat when I was done. I think it's going to be good.

I also got in a couple of runs last week, but skipped Wednesday's workout to go help celebrate a milestone birthday of one of our cyclists with TNT. It was worth missing a workout for. Then Friday night, we headed out of town for a soccer tournament. We had about a 3 hour drive and stopped for dinner along the way, so needless to say I didn't get a workout in on Friday.

Saturday we got up at 6:00 so my son could eat breakfast and we could get to the fields by 8am. It was soooooo cold (in the high 30s at game time). I was layered in clothes and wrapped in a blanket and still cold. After the first game we went with several team members to eat a real breakfast (the hotel only had cereal and the boys were hungry after the game) and then back to the hotel where I managed to get in a 30 minute nap before it was time to head back to the fields. After the afternoon game, we headed back to the hotel for about 30 minutes and then headed for an early dinner before the 8pm game. I was cold all day long. They played much better in the third game, but it was too little too late and it wasn't enough to put them in the finals.

After the game we headed back to the hotel and I caught the last of the OU/Texas Tech football game. I'm an Aggie, so those two teams are in our conference and I was interested in the outcome.

Since our boys were not in the playoffs, it allowed us to "sleep in" Sunday morning. I can't really sleep late and was awake at 6:30. I thought about getting up and going to the hotel gym to run on the treadmill. And then I closed my eyes and thought some more. It was cold and I rarely ever get to stay in bed. And the kids were still asleep. And the bed won. When we finally got up, we ate breakfast and went to watch the other team in their 10am championship game. That was a great game that went into overtime and then into penalty kicks to decide the winner. When all was over we headed home, stopping along the way for a late lunch.

When we got home it was time to wash clothes, grocery shop, get the kids ready for school. And, the Ironman Arizona was Sunday, so I wanted to watch what I could on-line (an Ironman is a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike, followed by a 26.2 mile run). I know I've said it before, but if you ever have a chance to watch part of a televised Ironman, you should. Especially the end as the final participants cross the line. Everyone starts at the same time and there is a 17 hour time limit for completing it. Everytime I watch, I want more and more to do one some day. I've done marathons, so I know I can cover the distance. I've done a century ride, so I'm good on the bike. And I feel fairly confident that I could swim the distance with the training. It's just putting them all three together and figuring out nutrition that's the hard part!!! I just need to find the right Ironman and the right time of year so that I can get in the HOURS and HOURS of training. I'm hoping to go volunteer at one next year and experience it in person.

And after reading on the beginnertriathlete.com forum some updates on how people were doing, I felt lazy for not heading to the gym Sunday morning, so I headed upstairs and did the cycling workout I needed to do. Then I watched some more Ironman before heading to bed.

Today was back to work for a short work week. Another chiro adjustment and a 5.5 mile run. We are staying home for Thanksgiving this year and we've decided we are not doing anything. I may not even get out of my pajamas. Unless the guilt gets the better part of me and I end up exercising. We'll see what happens.

Happy Thanksgiving to all, and safe travels for anyone traveling.

The Letter "W" - an interesting observation from my son

Saturday afternoon we were running errands after my son's indoor soccer game. As we were headed home, we got stopped at a red light. My son looked at the street sign - Wells Branch Parkway. Then he asked "why is a w called double u"? And then he said, "It should be called double v". Hmm. Maybe he's right.