A fun day in the sun: Irongirl Race Report

Kian says go mommy go!!

What can I say!?! I had such an awesome time at this race. Finally, three races later! As I mentioned in my last post, I really was excited for this race in the few days leading up to it. I really felt fairly comfortable with the swim and everything else is easy after that :-).

Prerace thoughts and observations:

We got to packet pickup just under the wire. I won't lie...my anxiety was coming through just a little at this point. We were running a little later than I prefer and I was a wee bit grumpy until my bike was racked. You have to drop your bike off the day before and I loved this. One less thing to worry about in the morning.

Irongirl is always promoted as a great first time race. It really is hard to tell how many are first timers, but as far as race organization goes, they do a great job. They try to make it very user friendly. As I was racking my bike, another racer told me that she misread the bike distance and had been training for a 10K bike and just realized a few days ago that it was 30K! Really dude, it SUCKS to be you. As much as Irongirl is a user friendly race, the first 5 miles of this course are not! Plus, can you imagine only training for 6 miles and then going 18 during the race. Wow! I wonder how she did??

Race morning was pretty uneventful, as it should be! Izaac was volunteering for kayak support so we had priority parking and we got there an hour before the start. And somehow, I managed to use the whole hour doing stuff that I can't remember!!

Swim

The race organizers decided to do a time trial start for the swim as they felt the size of the cove to at the start was too small and they were trying to ease up congestion. This actually works very well for me because there are less people around me when I start, therefore less anxiety. I had practiced out here a few times and Coach Jakie told me that I need to line up mid pack to avoid the clutter that happens with all the new swimmers at the back. I really had all intentions of following this rule but I really wanted to warm up and was slow at getting to the beach. By the time I warmed up, the line was full!! I actually lined up about 15 people from the end. Izaac thought I should wait till it started and casually cut in, but I just couldn't... something about manners or not wanting to get yelled at for cutting.

So I lined up...and waited...and waited. We were on the upstairs part of the pool so we got to see the first people start and come in :-). Seriously...30 minutes later and I was finally in the water. Steph mentioned that the line moved fast. That's what happens when you are in the middle. Not at the end. But it was all good. And I wasn't stressed. The worst part is Coach was the one sending you off at the start and I had to pass her, knowing she told me to be in the middle and I didn't listen. I tried to figure out how to avoid her, but it wasn't possible.

The start was great. They had a really long lane line dividing outgoing and incoming so you couldn't run into anyone. It was awesome! However, I quickly realized why being at the back wasn't such a good idea. People were swimming all over the place, every direction but straight! I tried many times to go around but I always seemed stuck in this pack of crazy swimmers. At one point I went to sight and there was a girl swimming perpendicular to me doing the backstroke! Which was also parallel to the shore which was where we were trying to get to! She could swim all day like that and never make it in!

My swim time was very slow but I really had only two goals...no panicking and to enjoy it. I accomplished both so I am happy. I still stop too much to look around and that's mainly because I don't like to touch people so I have to plan my route around swimmers. Izaac also says I slow way down in open water, nice and easy instead of my normal pace.

It was great having him out on the water looking over me. There was more support on the water than I have ever seen at a race. They even had lifeguards on the side and bridge watching people. It was also great not using any of the support!

Total swim time: 29:19 (800M- this is up for debate as Coach said that the course was measuring longer when they were planning it. However, other people's times were consistent compared to the pool so I was probably just really slow. Like a minute slower per 100!)

T1: 7:19

What can I say. It is a really long, uphill hike to transition that I pretty much walked. I don't care. I was having fun and wanted to enjoy the excitement over my awesome swim.

Bike

The bike was awesome! I know this course well and wanted to push it the whole way. One thing about starting at the back of the swim is that I got to pass many people. The first few mile are pretty much up hill and most people were pushing their bike up the first hill right out of transition. While this hill sucks, I know that it will be over soon enough so I just grind away.

There were so many gals that I passed on mountain bikes with mountain bike tires! Not even road tires. While I am amazed and awed that so many different types of people do tri's and they are willing to get out there, I am also aware of how hard their ride is going to be.

Anyway, I just keep pedaling away, trying really hard not to coast on the easy parts. I pass my sis, niece and Kian around mile 10 which is right by our house. It was great to see them! At this point, I slow down a little and am trying to take some nutrition and another biker comes up and tells me I've been setting a great pace and it's helped her. Then she passes me! I was like hell no! You are not going to pass me so I got it together and finally passed her back. I really thoughtI was far ahead, but she managed to sneak pass me just moments before transition! Ughh! Another bad habit, I slow down quite a bit just before transition because I don't want to wreck.

Oh well.

Bike 1:10:58 (18 miles. 15.2 MPH!!! I have never averaged more than 14.6!!)

T2 2:47

I got to see Izaac in the transition! I like him being a volunteer!

Run

The fun has officially ended. This is a hard, hilly, hot course. And it's mainly on packed, desert. Right away I felt like I was going to throw up so I walked a little to bring my HR down. Then it was run/walk from there. I gave myself permission to walk up the hills as long as I ran as hard as I could the rest of the time. The uphills were very long and my calf's kept cramping. It actually felt better to run, but then my HR would soar and I would feel a little sick. I just trudged through it the best I could. Finally, I had a half of mile left and then I was at the finish! It wasn't my best run and I really was hoping to average under 10 min/mile. In hindsight, I probably could have pushed a little harder between mile 1 and 2.

Run 31:36 (10:11 min/mile)

Finish

I was so happy to be done!! This was a great race and I really had so much fun. One of the very best parts... a few minutes after I finished, the girl that passed me on the bike finished so I still beat her. I had actually forgot all about her! She said she killed her legs trying to keep up with me on the bike :-)

Overall time 2:21:59. Which puts me smack in the middle. theaverage time for the race was 2:25:12

** One last thing... one of the coolest things about the race. They had computers set up and you could go right up, tell them your race number and they hand you a little printout of your race results. How cool!!

Almost time...

In 24 hours, I will be finished with the Irongirl Lake Las Vegas Sprint Tri! For once, I feel more excited than nervous to do a race. But this has only happened over the last week. As my third tri is approaching, I am ready to see how fast I can go versus just getting through the race. I’ve learned to push myself a little more over the last 6 months. To be ok with the burn and discomfort. While my speeds are slow for many, I have gotten faster on both the bike and the run. Let’s hope I can push myself tomorrow.

Last weekend I did three days of open water swimming. Friday night was awesome. It was perfect weather, and I swam for 25 minutes straight, by myself and enjoyed it. Saturday was a mini tri workout. Once again, perfect weather but I had a mild panic attack and cut my swim short. Needless to say, I was disappointed. Sunday morning rolls around, and it was windy. I went to a swim clinic and it was ok. I probably swam 600ish in choppy water and didn’t panic. I did swallow a lot of water since I still only breathe to one side, but I got through it. With wind, chop and people! These three days combined with several more days of swimming 1000 straight in the pool has gone a long way to boosting my confidence in the swimming department.

(I also need to remember that I do much better once the water warms up to the upper 60’s.)

This is going to be a time trial swim start so that should be interesting. It’s first some, first serve. The earlier you line up, the sooner you start swimming. Coach Jackie says I need to be in the middle of the line, not last like I would prefer!! I’ve never done a time trial start so it will be different not knowing anyone’s true place in the race, but whatever!

This is also one of my good friends first tri ever!! I really am torn on wanting to go as fast as I can or doing the race with her. If she is remotely close to me at any point, it will be hard not to stay with her.

I just realized this sounds cocky!! It’s not that I think she is so much slower than me and I am some tri machine, it’s really the fact that she is riding a “normal bike”. Road bikes just go faster!

Ughh…I should just stop now! She'll probably smoke me tomorrow :-)

If your friend jumped off a bridge, would you jump off a bridge?!

Do you remember your parents asking you that when you did something you shouldn't and you said well so and so did it? Apparently things don't change so much as adults. We still have times where we succumb to peer pressure, even if we aren't sure we should do it. Last night I jumped.

I bit the bullet and signed up for:

I would like to blame it on the alcohol, but sadly there was none involved. Just good all peer pressure and A LOT of subtle pushing from Izaac. I swear he has some magical powers to get you to do stuff you normally wouldn't (kind of like alcohol).

Anyway, Stef was over and we had been talking about signing up; next thing I know the computer is out and Stef has just hit enter. Well, I have to do it now!

It wasn't completely out of the blue since I had been debating it for awhile. But still, nothing had got me to sign up yet till Stef did. Thanks girl!

Let's hope that the whole open water swimming thing goes good and I am not back at square one! I already feel the anxiety creeping in.

I then payed it forward and got my neighbor to jump too! This will be her first tri and she's a wee bit nervous. Let the fun begin!

Still here and still trying to loose weight!

I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted. I would be surprised if anyone out there still reads this blog because I wouldn't be! I am still going to post because as much as I love the friends I have made through blogging, this is also a semi-diary to myself, a way to look back and see where I've been and how I've grown. Especially in regards to fitness.

Work, motherhood, and class pretty much consume me and have since Sept. I am enjoying it all but it takes a lot of time management and discipline (which I am still working on!). Unfortunately when I'm tired the first thing I skip is exercise. I have been working on this habit because I do feel better when I workout, but man, it is so easy to skip it.

I was working out with my friend/trainer last I blogged. We met once a month. He gave me a months worth of training, emailed me once a week, and that was that. What I realized was I NEED more commitment or accountability. I was not loosing any weight, wasn't running any faster and really wasn't doing the workouts. At this point, I am just not self-motivated enough to get things done. I was still frustrated but it was all my doing.

A coworker (who lost a ton of weight after her baby) recommended a local training group called Real Results Fitness. She RAVED about them. So I checked it out. It was pricey, a little scary and just what I needed. So November 11th, I started my training. It's hard. We meet 3 times a week and I am suppose to do 6 more hours of cardio a week (hasn't happened!), the only time I can go to the location closest to me is 5:30 a.m. and I have to get up at 4:30 to get there and get my warm up in. Have I ever mentioned I hate to be up before 7 in the morning.

But it has pushed me in a way I needed. If I don't show up my trainer, Denny, is texting me. We also have to keep a food journal, eat very clean with limited starchy carbs, and bring the journal to each session to be critiqued.

I have lost weight and inches, though it would be better if I did more cardio, but I am happy with the results. My next challenge is getting in more cardio and setting up an easy training plan for a sprint tri. I want to do this but I can't feel like exercise is taking up all my free time or I will be stressed. The best part is my trainer is a speedy triathlete so he gets it. He gets it too much and wants everyone to be speedy too!

We did a fitness test at the beginning and 8/9 weeks later. I am happy with the results. Overall I have dropped my body fat down to 29.75%, lost 12 pounds, and lost a total of 13.5 inches in total body measurements. Not too shabby! I still have a little ways to go but I am now at my pre-Kian weight and fit into all my clothes again. Although. I still am thicker in the middle than I used to be!

The best thing though- I can now do a 2 minute plank core test versus 1 minute the first time, I can do 30 girl push ups in a minute and 30 sit ups. My flexibility has increased and my resting HR has dropped. I am also eating healthier than I have in a long time. However, I want junk food most of the time still!

Got out of that one

I mentioned that I might be considering doing a little super sprint tri coming up. Since then I have managed to talk myself out if it and talk a neighbor into it! Izaac and I have managed to have a fight or two over this tri and had to come to terms with not discussing it anymore. I had almost talked myself back into doing it (peer pressure) and decided to check the website to make sure it wasn't sold out (wishful thinking).

What I saw was even better (for me) - it was cancelled. Now that sucks for anyone really looking forward to the event or already had travel arrangements. For me, it's a weight off my shoulders. I temporarily thought about telling everyone I signed up and how disappointed I was that it wasn't happening!! Just kidding! That would be very naughty...besides Izaac would rat me out ;-)

I've also tried to figure out why I refused to go practice swimming but back out of the race because I was afraid to swim in a lake (again). Sigh. How many years till swimming just isn't an issue anymore?! In my defense though, I have really great excuses for not being able to get to the pool: a baby at home, a husband that I want to spend time with, work, 2 online classes, running (training for a half marathon), life, laundry, a glass of wine, "insert your favorite excuse here"! But I believe it boiled down to "I just didn't want to" :-).

One of these days, I will be able to view swimming like I do running and biking. That I will know without a doubt that I could enter a sprint tri tomorrow and get through it. I have this confidence with the other two sports but not swimming. BUT I WILL, someday.

The numbers don't lie

I can't seem to get my weight to drop below 154 which is 13 pounds heavier than before I got pregnant. Most of the time it's closer to 157. I have spent the last 15 weeks making excuses. Well really it is just one excuse, you just had a baby. However, when is that no longer an excuse? Most say around 9 months after you have the kid...you know the 9 months to put on the weight, 9 months to get it off rule. I've also spent that last 15 weeks not really paying too much attention to what I eat, probably having a few too many beers and only randomly working out. Not exactly the lifestyle that sheds weight. The problem is, I am very scared that this will become my new weight forever. That my body is going to adjust to it and I will adjust to it. That is something I don't want. I just don't feel good about myself at this weight.

So I have hired a trainer/coach. I used to take his athletic conditioning class at the gym and it kicked my behind so I know what his style is. He is also a road bike racer and has done triathlons. Basically I sent out an S.O.S. and pleaded for some help to get my butt in gear. We are only meeting once a month and then from that he is designing a workout plan for the month focusing on what I need the most to start shedding some pounds in the least amount of time since I don't have a lot of free time. The best part is he is also going to incorporate a running schedule to get me ready for the Las Vegas Half Marathon! We also discussed eating... my focus for this month is eating smaller meals more often and not eating after 8pm. We talked about supplements and vitamins. Eating more protein. All very easy things that I can handle for now.

Now comes that icky part... we did all sorts of body measurements and a body fat test. Let's just say, I am not very happy with the results. I have 38% percent body fat!!! Ughh, that is number I never thought I would see. I've always been happily in the mid 20's with my body fat percentage without any effort. Not so much anymore. I am slowly coming to the realization that it's just not as easy to keep the same body I used to have (with very little effort!) now that I am in my mid 30's (heading towards late 30's). Now it takes effort. Boo hoo! My trainer keeps saying it is just a number, a starting/focus point, a gauge on how well (or not) the program (or myself) is working.

I will do my best to incorporate all the advice he has given me, and do all the workouts as planned. We will meet in a month to see how my body has responded and make the necessary adjustments from there. Every time I want to skip a workout, eat bad or have another cocktail... I only have to think of 38%! Put the chips away :-)

Am I really considering this?

I came across info for a women's only tri that is taking place at Lake Las Vegas in a month ( http://www.uswts.com). Should I sign up?! The only, only reason I am even considering it is they have a super sprint race. This equals a shorter swim. Yes, I still am at the point where the swim is what will prevent me from doing a tri. After two frustrating and mentally hard swims under my belt, I still get a slight panic attack at the thought of swimming in open water. It's there now, that accelerated heart rate and butterflies in the stomach and I haven't even signed up. Or maybe that's excitment at the thought of doing a race. Hmm...

I'm going to think about it for a few days and get my butt to the pool to see if I can still swim or if I lost the ability sometime in the last year of NOT SWIMMING...a whole year of not swimming! Lord help me. I wasn't that great to begin with.

Also, there is the little fact that I may be too big for my wetsuit since I'm still carrying and extra 15 pounds on my behind :-)

I'll keep you posted.

New blog

I've started a new blog for the fans of Kian and my niece Isabel. This blog will be more about me, life and training and less about Kian. So if you want to keep tabs on my little guy and my niece, the link is on the side.

Enjoy!

Why not?

Well friends, I have completed my first week back to work as a new mom and am 1 day into the second week. While everything is fine, and I am glad to be back at work (ask Izaac, apparently I don’t do so well at home with no schedule ;-), last week definitely had me thinking. Thinking about my job; thinking about what I really want to do; thinking about the best way to balance a career and being a mom. Just plain thinking.

If I am honest, this thinking started well over a year ago and came to a head during my maternity leave. Last week just confirmed I was right. Every day I was glad to be working, glad to have a job and to finally have a paycheck again; however, I wasn’t so glad over my job. While I started off loving my job, something has fizzled in the last two years. Last week I caught myself thinking over and over again “why am I leaving my beautiful baby boy for a job that my heart is not in?” I do training and education, this I love, if it was only this. However, my ultimate goal is to do whatever it takes to make more product sales for the company. I am not a sales rep, but most days it feels like that. I don’t want the stress of meeting goals and budgets that are making someone else lots of money. Yes, it allows me to have a nice paycheck but there has to be more.

So where does this leave me? Enrolled in school again! I am going to become a nurse. The medical field has always called to me. In fact, for as long as I can remember I wanted to be a doctor. This plan died somewhere during my sophomore/junior year of college when I realized I did not have the drive or the passion that every other pre-med student had and probably would not make it through med school without it. I did a lot of soul searching during that time, and it was the absolute right decision for me. However, the desire to help people has never left me. I have actually toyed with going back to nursing school on and off since I graduated college (almost 15 years ago!! Gasp) but was never ready to actually go back to school. Now I am.

Because what better time is there to start school than when you have a 3 month old and just started back to work full time?! I am scared, feel slightly insane but never the less, am very excited. I am taking 3 online classes now to satisfy some general electives that didn’t transfer. Start my science pre-reqs in Jan (because science credits only last 7 years) and hopefully start nursing school full time in Aug. At that time, I will have to quit my job for the next 15 months. That is another whole set of problems, one less person bringing in the money.

Why now? Why not! There is never going to be an easier time. Kian will always need me. I figure it is time to bite the bullet and get it over with. Wish me luck!!!

p.s. Don’t be offended if I don’t keep up with your blogs as much :-)

p.s.s. I have created a Kian blog for those of you that want to keep up with him. Dearestgrandparents.blogspot.com

p.s.s.s. I am 90% sure I am also going to run the Las Vegas half marathon in December. Why not!?

Back in the saddle again

Well folks, the doc said I am officially allowed to resume all activity and exercise... dang, no more excuses! I spent pretty much all my pregnancy plotting my return. Should I train for one of the late season sprint tri's, start running, biking, hire a trainer, all of it, none of it. What is going to bounce me back.

I basically vetoed any tri's, let's face it, I am not that great at summer (think HOT) training as it is. Without 6 months of any physical activity, it would be the quickest way to end my training program before it got started. Plus, it would be a lot harder to figure out with the baby.

I am still thinking about running because I would love to do the Vegas half or full marathon in Dec, but yet again we have that whole running in the heat thing going on. I would actually have to get out of the house early and while I have great ambitions, when 5 a.m. roles around and Kian has just been fed, the bed always wins! I just am not ready or awake to do anything until 10ish and by then it is already 100+. I have walked 1 mile and back to my nieces school a couple of times and thought I was going to die, and that was slow walking. Maybe when Kian's schedule becomes a little better (as in, sleeps longer than 3-4 hours).

What I have decided on is P90X. I can do it inside, anytime, and it takes about an hour a day to whoop my ass. I am actually doing the P90X "lean" version which is a little less intense (very little) on the weights and a little more intense on the cardio. Supposedly to help burn more fat. Sign me up!! I need some fat burning. I have about 12 lbs of baby fat stuck on my body to get me back to my pre-preggo weight. And that weight was about 8 lbs heavier than I want to be!

So, I have measured myself, weighed myself, taken pictures of myself... then drank a bottle of wine to black out my depression at the results! Seriously, it should be against the law to make a new mom do such things. I also had to take a fit test. Which I did great on with the exception of not being able to do a pull-up and I failed miserably on the ab section (go figure...mine were cut open 6 weeks ago)

Then I started the program...and drank another bottle of wine when I realized how bad I suck (just kidding, it was vodka this time ;-). The first day was core work, bring it on! What a joke. However, I am going to stay optimistic, and be happy that I can only get better because I just cant get any worse. Today, my arms, shoulders and neck hurt but nothing in the core region hurts!! Must have done a lot wrong. Day 2 was cardio, I decided to ride the bike on the trainer for 45 minutes. God, it sucked. I forgot how bad I hate riding on the trainer. But I did it! And it can only get better, right?!

If I develop the body of any of the girls on the DVD, I might post my before and after pictures. For now, they are safely stored away from all eyes, even mine! Yep, I still haven't looked at them. I can only handle so much in one week!

Random pictures

We've had a request for more Kian pictures (ahem...RBR) plus here's a few from CDA. I totally sucked at taking pictures at CDA, so we don't have much documentation of my honey's 1st Ironman. I literally have hundreds of pictures of all the other tri's and managed to get only a handful of crappy ones this time! Go figure. On top of that, the flash on the camera doesn't work so I didn't get any of his finish! Enjoy...




HAPPY 4th of July

Just to prove how snug he was at CDA

Oh, and Kian will be six weeks old tomorrow and I will officially not have an excuse to be lazy anymore.

The new man in our life

Here are some pictures in no order because I am too lazy to figure it out right now.



This was taken just a day before I went to the hospital.


Passed out baby



Finally get to hold him



My beautiful niece

The first family photo

The first bath in the hospital

Since I am still not allowed to exercise, I still have nothing left to post about except Kian :-) which is not a bad topic on my opinion!

I can't believe our little guy is going to be three weeks old tomorrow. He was not suppose to be born till this Sunday, yet I can't imagine him not being here. It has been a great three weeks, tiring, but great.

A quick run down of the events leading up to his birth...

• I went back to the doctor Tue and my BP was still high and the results from the 24 hour pee test came back with protein = pre-eclampsia (basically my body was no longer dealing with being pregnant)
  
• The doctor came in and told us I was being admitted into the hospital for the duration of the pregnancy for mine & baby's safety. We could go home and get ready, then head to the hospital.
  
• On Wed, the did an amnio to check his lung maturity, I also still needed to get the cerclage out. They drugged me and I dont remember a thing. I actually wanted to see the amnio so I was a little dissapointed, but oh well.


• Late that night, the test came back that said his lungs were mature which meant he could be delivered. This is the best option with this condition because things could deteriorate quickly.


• My doc showed up bright and early Thur morning to discuss options for the birth. We decided since I was only at 36 1/2 weeks, that a C-section would probably be the best option. We could try being induced but it would probably end in a C-section anyways. The doc said how about noon today! Sign me up!!!
  
• The surgery was fast and easy for me (again due to the glorious drugs they give you) and in no time he was out. A perfect 6 lb 3 oz little boy.
  
• The weirdest thing for me is the fact that I have no idea what labor is like. I missed all those steps, but I don't regret the decision.
  
• I behaved like a good girl and we got to come home on Saturday.
  
• The second best part (other than having a beautiful baby) is we get to go cheer the new daddy on during CDA :-) on Father's Day!
• He is also growing like a weed and LOVES to eat! He has already gained about 2 lbs from his birth weight! It amazes me that this is the size he would have been if we went to term. He seems huge :-)

The next poat will be about CDA!!

Whe're in the home stretch

Izaac's counter tells me we have 29 days till my due date. 29 days!!! Holy Crap! 4 weeks from Sunday...too much time and not enough time all at once...

I have spent the last few weeks moaning that I just wish it was over. I'm hot, tired, uncomfortable and am just ready to get this little guy out of my body (sound familiar to all you mommies out there?). Interesting how life works...

I went in yesterday to get my cerclage removed and a non stress test. No big deal. I am excited. It feels proactive finally. We get to see the baby which is always a plus :-). What i got was a high blood pressure reading and a worried doctor. It's weird to see your laid back doctor switch into official "doctor mode". So my BP was worrisome and kept going up throughout the appointment and there is much talk about pre-eclampsia and going to the hospital now.

What!? But I am not ready! Yep, for all the moaning, whining and wishing, when presented with the option that I might be having a baby today... I freaked out. I realized "are we ever truly ready?". We instantly had a long list of things that were not ready... us being at the top.

Despite my "if her BP is over a certain number again, she is going to the hospital" (and it was), the doc decided that my urine test was ok, and he would let me go home for the night and get re-checked today. Today we would have the results of blood work. Ok, at least I can pack a hospital bag :-). There was also a lot of talk about taking me off of work and going back on bed rest.

I also have the pleasure of collecting my pee for 24 straight hours!! I have this great red jug that I get to carry around and keep in the fridge. Joy!

Today's appointment went fine. My BP is still on the high side of normal but it came down. All my blood work came back perfect. I just have to wait to get my jug of pee tested. Oh, and I'm back to taking it easy :-) and waiting. The cerclage removal was rescheduled for Tue and I will get re-checked at that time.

The funny thing is, now I am ready! I had all night to come to terms with the fact that I might get induced today and it's almost a let down not to get to meet him yet. Sigh...

60 DAYS!!

Holy crap! That's all the time left till my due date. It's too much and not enough all at the same time. Every time I see Izaac's CDA ticker, I instantly see the countdown for this baby. Hopefully, he's a few days early so Izaac can go to CDA but it's anybody's guess.

For the record, baby Rowe has been kicking the crap out of my insides for the last hour and it's starting to make me a little queasy :-)

Silverman Documentary from a pregnant view

I was very excited to see the Silverman documentary last night. I wanted to see how the terrain looked, is it as hard as it seems to us that live here, as brutal, as beautiful. The show did not disappoint. It was a really cool look into a very tough race. Izaac, Stef and the other athletes got to relive the race from a spectators perception. I was once again blown away by the horrendous weather at the swim start. It was very cool to see on film and I think a lot of the athletes didn't realize how bad things were for awhile (they were too focused on racing!)

The desert looked beautiful (just as my mind sees it) and equally as desolate and unforgiving. I am in awe of these racers that can overcome not only the physical toughness of this course but also the mental. It is a very solitary bike ride into the vastness of Lake Mead. Nothing but hills and Desert landscape for the majority of the race.

Anyhoo, I'm sitting there, enjoying the movie for about an hour when slowly, the queasiness caught up to me. I think I am getting car sick sitting in a movie theater!! Have you ever been to an Imax theater where you are "in the movie"...like riding a roller coaster or something similar? Well, that's what I felt like. The constant rolling terrain, the rolling of the bike tires, the rolling clouds in the distance... bam! I am getting sicker by the minute. Finally, I had to leave the movie or face major embarrassment by throwing up everywhere. I would like to see it again, maybe on a normal TV, probably when I'm no longer pregnant! It makes me a little quesy just thinking about it :-) That has been an interesting side effect of being preggers...motion sickness. It is something I rarely experience in "normal" life and I am hoping it goes away.

In other pregnancy news, I am very happy to say that the stitch and rest seem to be working and working well! My cervix is lengthening and staying closed which is better than I could have hoped for. I have one more appt next week and if nothing changes, I should be done with the perinatal visits. I will be officially 27 weeks on Sunday. I think that starts my 3rd trimester!? We also have a baby growth scan next week to see how big he is getting. I can tell by my belly that he is getting big! Thanks to everyone for your support and well wishes, they have helped!!







Here are some ultrasound pics of the little one.







26 weeks





23 weeks (3d of his feet and hands. so cool!)





26 weeks again





This is one of my favorites! He was 15 weeks. So tiny yet a complete little human :-)


Have a great weekend!

Everything is A-OK

Just a quick update.

The procedure (cerclage) was fine on Monday. No complications other than getting very nauseous and puking from having the spinal anaesthesia. I had a few moments of panic in the OR once it was administered. I firmly believed at that point in time that I would never be able to get this injection again, therefore I was going to have to have the baby naturally. I almost cried at that thought :-). (For the record, I have NEVER thought of having the baby without pain meds & and epidural) I manged to breathe deeply for awhile and get the panic to subside, the remainder of the procedure was fine. The baby was so active all day. This was the most I had felt him move and kick. He apparently didn't like the disruption to his home :-)

Then they moved me from the OR table to the hospital bed and starting pushing me. I lost my cookies then. Well, except I hadn't eaten for 14 hours, but you get the point. Note to self: ask for anit-nausea meds when they do the injection for the epidural.

It is very surreal to not be able to feel or move your legs, and to have other people move them for you while watching! It gave me the creeps to have anyone touch them for hours!

I was finally able to stand & walk with assistance after about 4 hours and thankfully sent home.

Since then I have been laying around taking it easy and will continue this till NEXT thursday when I have my checkup. I should be able to return to work then.

I loved all your comments and needed them. Thank you friends!!!

He's giving me gray hairs already!

It has been an interesting few weeks (actually only one week) in my world. I have debated blogging about it, my mom says it will help to write it out. So here it goes. BTW... this has nothing at all to do with training and everything to do with pregnancy :-)

We have been seeing a perinatalogist (a special baby doctor) for about 10 weeks now because of my "advanced maternal age" (still makes me laugh!). Basically, we had the option of doing some better testing, it was covered by insurance so we jumped at the chance. When we went to that first appointment, I really thought that was the only time we would be there. Boy was I wrong!

I mentioned that I have had continual spotting from day 1 but that everything seemed fine and my OB wasn't concerned. What I soon learned was it is the job of a specialist to be concerned. He suggested that we come in every 3 weeks to make sure everything was ok. What the hell, why not!!?? It was more time to see the little one on an ultrasound. People pay big bucks for that!!

Fast forward to last weeks full anatomy check. Again, i expected to hear only good news and see great pictures. Therefore, I was completely blown away when he said my cervix was shortening and funneling (opening from the inside)! I was instructed to go on restricted activity for a week. This equals the least amount of standing & walking as possible. If I didn't follow the rules, then I have the potential to go on bed rest or worse. WOW!!! Again, stunned. I am only half way.

I was very upset last weekend. Obviously for the thought of delivering too early or loosing the baby but also for the 180 flip my life had taken over the course of one hour.

In an instant, I had essentially became "injured". I talked some to Izaac and Stef (who helped so much, thank you!!) but it took me awhile to come to terms. Isn't that selfish!? I would NEVER do anything to put the baby in harm but I was disgruntled at the thought of putting my life on hold. No shopping, no walking, no swimming, no biking, no cleaning, nothing!! For the rest of the pregnancy. I have to rely on others both at home & work to do so much more for me because I am confined to a chair**. I blame it on "advanced maternal" age!! I have lived 35 years of doing what I want, and now a little boy I have not seen yet and only weighs a pound is calling the shots :-). It won't be the last time, right!!?? I am also a pissed with my body. I want the perfect pregnancy that allows me to exercise up to the day I deliver. Not meant to be.

With that off my chest, I want to reassure you all that nothing is more important than delivering a healthy baby and even though I complain, I will do everything in my power to make that happen. I was a very good invalid this past week and it paid off today at the doctor's appointment.

I have not gotten worse!! Yippee!! What does that mean?? No bed rest yet and close monitoring and continual staying off me feet. I can do that! It also means, that Izaac and I have decided to pursue an option the doctor gave us. I am getting a cerclage put in. Sparing you the gory details, I go to the hospital Monday morning to "get stitched closed." Hopefully, this buys us the time we need to get to full term and keeps me off of bed rest so I can work. I will be on bed rest for 1-2 weeks after the procedure but that's ok.

Remember little one... I will do whatever it takes. I am selfish but not to the point that it would jeopardize you! I just might have a self pity party now & again.

Thanks for letting me vent and be glad I didn't do this last week, it would have been a world class pity party :-)

Good news: I am 20 weeks and 5 days along :-). Over half way.

** this has made me realize, once again, that I am so blessed to not be handicapped in some way. I am constantly amazed at the strong people that are!! They rock!

A GREAT Sunday Ride

I had one of the best rides in a long time this past Sunday with Stef. Now, I have not been on the bike since sometime in early Sept. In fact, since finding out I am prego, I have pretty much done nothing in the way of exercise (not as I originally intended but my body and mind decided otherwise).

Anyhoo, Stef mentioned that she had an easy hour ride to do and I decided to join her. Then Sunday morning rolled around and I felt tired and really didn't want to go. Izaac basically forced me out the door:-). I had about a 5 mile ride to the meet up point and I hated every second of it. My legs hurt, I got hot, my sit bones (and other parts) hurt. I was a complete mental mess. Even thought about turning around and skipping it. And this was within the first 2-3 miles! Ughh. I kept trudging (is that a word?) along though and finally got to the meet up.

Then everything changed!! Stef was so excited to see me which always makes a person happy! And it was great to see her. We got organized and off we went. From that point on the ride became fantastic. We had a easy pace and got to chat almost the entire ride with the exception of a few hills that took my breath away. I noticed how perfect the weather was, how blue the Sky's were, how fun it is to do something with good friends and finally how great it felt to move my body! The hurts were all gone and I felt energetic (imagine that). It actually became one of those rides that you feel like you could go forever and you just don't want it to end. Unfortunately it did have to end, we arrived at my turn off and logically I realized that I couldn't go forever or I would pay for it later so I said good bye and headed home with a smile. In the end, I got just under 16 miles in and "put my mood in a better place" as my 6 year old niece like to say.

I did have a few aches & pains after, mostly a tight lower back and very sore sit bones (and other parts)! I'm planning on going again this Sunday and as long as I can before the belly gets in the way.

I've also starting lifting weights again and trying to get 20-30 minutes of cardio in prior. It's a slow start but its still a start :-)

In baby news...

First things first. We have had 2 very clear ultrasounds already that shows what appears to be a very clear boy part. So, it looks like we are having a boy!! I am very excited about this. I love girls and I am a girl and I am surrounded by lots of strong women in my family but it's pretty cool to bring a boy into the mix.

I am 17 weeks and 3 days along. Almost to the half way point!!

My belly finally "popped" out and has gotten firm. I'm starting to look more pregnant and less fat and my belly no longer feels or looks like I had to many beers the night before.

I have gained about 3 pounds total but they all happened in one week! That is not a trend that I can keep up :-) However, I feel like I have gained much more.

Overall, I am doing great. Finally getting a little energy back but it is coupled with insomnia so I won't be energetic for too long. All of our tests have come back perfect so far. I can't really complain.

We have some of the most clear pictures from the 15 week ultrasound. He looks so relaxed and comfortable. It makes my heart melt to look at.

Have a great week!!

Silverman Spectator Report

I know, I know, Silverman was in November and it is now January so this is way late. However, it's been in my mind since the day and I wanted to share some thoughts and pictures from this amazing race. Besides, I don't have anything else to post in regards to tri's right now.

The day started early and I was blessed to have my 5 year old niece and my mother along to help cheer on Izaac. This was my mom's first event that she has ever attended and let's just say now "she gets it!" Up to this point she was convinced that Izaac should never do something this long, it wasn't natural and she doesn't want him hurt. You have to love mom's! Now she has become one of Izaac's biggest fans.

Anyway, we get to the start and the weather is CRAPPY! It was so windy and chilly. Izaac gets his transition set up and guess who is right next to him? None other than Macca! Apparently he didn't get a special spot! That is Macca in the white shirt and black cap.

As you know, they delayed the start for the half because of the rough water conditions. However, all the athletes were already in the water ready to go, wondering what the hell was going on and pretty much refusing to get out. They wanted to swim! At one point the whole group was chanting "let us swim or we want to start" (can't remember exactly). Unfortunately they couldn't here the announcement that the swim was being delayed and there was no structured attempt to get them out of the water. Finally after 20-30 minutes they got out of the water and all went into the changing tents to warm up. I questioned whether they would cancel the whole race because it was so bad...and got an eye roll :-). Come on Kelly, they dont cancel races for a little rain and wind! Finally the water calmed down enough for the kayakers to hold their position and feel safe and the half began. I don't know about you, but I always get teary eyed watching the beginning of a race. It is just amazing!

We got to see all the people getting "stripped". That may have been the most comical part of the whole day. I know it's mean and it will come back to haunt me some day, but is was quite a site to see all those dazed swimmers flopping around on the ground while volunteers were trying to remove the wetsuits.

By the way, about half way through the swim there was quite a bit of lightening going over the lake. Kinda of scary to us watching but Izaac didn't know it.

Oh, in between all this the leaders were coming in from the full. My mom was shouting I hope it's a girl!! I assured her that its almost always a guy out of the water first and then wouldn't you know it...the first one out was a girl...Amanada Lovato. My mom went crazy shouting you go girl and saying I told you so. Quite a funny memory.

We cheer Izaac off on the bike, then Stef, then we are on our way to follow them on the bike course. It was great knowing the area and where to stop and park. My whole goal was to get some awesome pictures of Izaac on the bike, and I got a few but basically we barely got to the spot when he would come zooming by quicker than I anticipated and I missed a lot of good opportunities.

My mom and niece right before we saw Izaac. Our first almost miss of the day because we were screwing around taking pictures of ourselves!

We drove down about 7-8 miles of the bike course with my mom yelling out the window "you go girl" to all the girls and my niece practically hanging half way out the window shouting "Go Bikers!" This continued all day. I'm not sure if people were happy to see us or tired of us by the end but they sure got to know us!

Here's a great one of Stef. Unfortunately this was the last time we saw her that day. Doesn't she look strong!

This is coming up the first of the three sisters. We started off at the bottom of the hill because I didn't want people to be embarrassed if they had to get off and walk and we were standing right there. This quickly changed and we climbed to the top. Much more fun! There was a lot of walking and cursing and disbelief that they still had 2 hills to go but one of the most amazing things we witnessed was the great attitudes and friendliness of almost everyone on that hill, even in such a hard situation. I love this picture of Izaac. He looks great. Every time we saw him on the bike, he looked strong, had a great smile and was joking with us. I bet he was glad he new these hills so well!

The 1st picture below is what they faced after the first sister. More climbing. There was more cursing going on here :-) The next picture is one of the disabled athletes. This men and women are truly amazing and inspiring. It was great to watch them throughout the day. And they are AMAZING athletes!

We continued to chase Izaac all over Henderson to wave and cheer him on before we arrived at T2. Then it was time for the run. At this point the three of us decide to head over to the Las Vegas Tri Club aid station to help out till Izaac came through. I think it was around mile 7-10. We had a blast. My niece loves to hand out drinks and it was great to see all of our "friends" (you know the athletes you have seen throughout the whole day).

Here is Izaac! We surprised him since it was a last minute decision to go to the aid station. The 1st picture is him showing me that he found some electrolytes after I tried to shove some down his throat. We had forgot them at home, and I was concerned about it. Apparently he can take care of himself :-)





Here are some pictures from the aid station.

After Izaac came through, we hopped in the car and headed to the finish line. I would love to say I got a fantastic photo of him crossing the finish line but I forgot to turn the camera on. What can I say, it was a long day!

Here is immediately after crossing. He is so tired he is hugging the wrong girl!! Umm Izaac, that is not your wife! Just kidding, that is one of his co-workers.

And exactly what the doctor ordered after a long day...a nice cold beer! Mmmmm!!

We had such a great time. And as many have mentioned before, being a spectathlete is tiring! We were exhausted. My mom is now hooked and loves to tell everyone about her awesome son-in-law and can't wait to see the next race.

Congrats honey!

Time to spill the beans

I have a big secret that I've been keeping from all of you... and it's finally time to fess up.

So you're probably sitting there wondering, has she joined the ranks and signed up for an Ironman?! Is she secretly training like her honey and just completed a marathon?! Has she hired a coach, has she won the lottery, has she fill in the blank?! That would be a hell no, nope, don't have the money and in my dreams :-)

So what could it be blogger friends?

And the answer is...... I AM PREGNANT! Yes you read that right. Izaac and I are having a baby!! I am actually just finishing my 12th week so as you can see, I've been keeping this secret for awhile. It feels good to finally share. We are very excited :-)

However, my training has come to a screeching halt since a week after we found out, not by choice though. I ended up with a nasty cold that would not go away. After three weeks I was hauled into the doctor to find out I had a sinus infection and bronchitis. Ten days of antibiotics later, I am finally starting to feel better. This is quickly replaced by wicked "morning" sickness that was an all day thing and involved a very close relationship with the toilet. Interestingly enough, this did not hit me until I was in my 9th week. WTF! It's getting better but not gone, and I am counting the days till I feel better and have energy. It's very weird to not be able to train and exercise the way I was. I know I am growing a baby and things change but it has been an adjustment. I look forward to starting something though because I don't feel I should be sitting around for 9 months. It's going to be a great time to do weights, get back involved with yoga, ride my bike for as long as I can, and focus on swimming (yipee!)

The other PERFECT thing about this pregnancy is the due date!

Baby Rowe is due June 21st! Now some of you are thinking so what. Others, thinking how nice it's fathers day. But some of you instantly gasped! No it can't be, not THAT day. What is the problem you ask...

June 21, 2009 also happens to be the very day of Ironman Coeur d'alene. IZAAC'S FIRST IRONMAN!! you have got to be kidding me. It's already bought and paid for, all the rest are probably sold out and f-ing Ironman only offers a refund of $150 even this far out (and yes, we have contacted the race director). On top of that, Izaac won a sweet training package from Dave Scott. What the hell are we going to do?! While we are very happy to become parents, the timing is frustrating.

Other than that, I have the usual emotions of not feeling ready (as in "what the crap did I just get myself into"), not feeling old enough to have a baby (this one is funny since I am 35 and "technically" fall into the old lady age group for having a baby :-), and for the biggest part of 12 weeks, not really believing there was a baby in there! (Even though I have had 3 ultrasounds to show me!)

Here's to a new generation of triathletes!!! :-)