Heatwave RR

• First time away from Isla for a night?  Apparently no one needs me at home.  Dad and Isla were perfectly happy without me, and then she slept 12 hours for the first time ever.  Of course she did when I wasn't there to enjoy it, right?  :)
• Race prep is getting better, except that this mom forgot to pack not only her race nutrition but also breakfast.  Amazing, though, how when you have kids, you just don't worry about all of the little details that you use to stress before.  I was like, eh, whatever.  I'll be fine.  Just give me some coffee. 

 Dave sent me this picture of Isla playing while I was traveling.  Bye bye mom!  Party time!

• The last time I did this race was 2007, and I had to backstroke some of the swim during a little panic attack (it was the fear of alligators?).  This year, no backstroking.  So I guess after 7 years, I HAVE made some progress.  
• I remembered how to remove my sweet Blue Seventy skin suit- so easy! Bonus!
• I got WHOMPED in the bike.  It has been a while since I have been passed by other females.  On this day, I was passed by a whole bunch of them.  I was falsely led to believe after the last race that the bike would magically reappear as my strength.  The reality is, I have regressed a few years worth of bike miles.  It scares the bejeesus out of me to lose the bike, and I don't know how to get it back, but I guess that is my mom challenge.
• Even though I knew I was stinking it up on the bike, I decided to control what I could control, including my mind.  I practiced responding to passes other females were making on me with friendly cheers and told myself over and over and over again that each mile I was getting fitter!
• People need to quit drafting.  Extremely talented and fast athletes were drafting for miles and miles, some off of friends, at a stinking local race. I was close enough to really observe it and felt my blood pressure rise in anger.  If you are that good and fast, why do you need to draft?  You don't!  I don't understand!  But then I let it go.  I realized that for some people, a fast time/winning/whatever is so very, very, very important to them.  More important than most everything else, including integrity.  I realized it wasn't my problem. 
• I think I ran a steady 10k- no garmin so who knows?  I just kept plugging along.  
• Now, this is the highlight of the race:  I hesitate to have any outcome goals now, but, I would love to go to AGNats this year.  I know I am nowhere near National level competition shape, but I still think the experience is wonderful.  In order to qualify, I needed top 2 in my AG as I didn't race last year and didn't have a qualifier.  On the run, I wasn't sure if I was in the top 2 AG.  There were plenty of girls ahead of me as I was passed on the bike quite a bit.  With about 1 mile to go or so on the run, I saw a girl ahead of me, and I seemed to be gaining on her.  In my mind, I was just racing myself and trying to get the best out of myself, but I did think...what if I don't try to catch her and that girl is in 2nd place?  Well, I passed her with about 300 meters to go and wouldn't you know it, that pass moved me to 2nd AG.  Think of how mad I would have been if I ended up 3rd because I didn't try.  And that is why you should never, ever slow down, give up, or give in.  Even if you are not racing for a big podium or PR, there is always benefit to doing your very best until the last mile. 

• My friend Keith waited on me for the last 100 meters so we could run in together.  I grabbed his hand in a moment of spontaneity and held our hands up across the finish line as if we had just finished an ironman or accomplished a major goal.  Lol!  So, watch out if you are ever near me at the end of the race.  I guess I am a creepy hand grabber!  :)

Okay, off to the trainer.  I am not sure if the bike strength will ever come back, but I know for sure it won't if I don't try!  Little La La Diggles Shea and I have a big week ahead, so many more blog posts to come this week- mostly on reflection of my first year of mommyhood. 
xo

Going Ons

I have been home all week with Isla as hand/foot/mouth virus made its way through her daycare.  She was the last kid standing in her room, but we didn't escape.  I am fortunate that I have the flexibility to decrease my work load as needed to stay home with Isla, but of course I completely stress because it is loss of income for me + I have already paid for daycare I don't get to use.  So, it is a double $$$ whammy.  The financial side of my personality tends to be stressed out and worried.  I mean, money doesn't grow on trees at our house!  So, I have to really work on letting things go when it comes to money and to be at peace with the income and outflow that is part of life, especially what I can't control. 

Hand/foot/mouth has been a huge pain, both literally and figuratively.  It is really hard to see my baby sick and in pain, especially when I can't really help.  Isla has had a fever all week and stopped nursing and eating due to the pain in her mouth.  After 5 days of not nursing, I am a sad mama. 

Nursing can be a pain for an athlete.  I have to pump all of the time, take care of my boobs, cut workouts short to nurse/pump,and adjust my schedule to feed Isla.  I am even wondering if I will have to pump in T2 of ironman as I don't see how I can go that long.  But, I find this all really rewarding, fun, and worth it! 

I am hoping the nursing strike will end this weekend and that we don't prematurely wean.  I didn't imagine weaning for us to be this abrupt or early.  I am also fighting plugged ducts/mastitis with the decreased nursing.  I am still pumping, so we will see what happens. 

I am back to racing and going to do a quasi-Olympic distance race this weekend.  I can't say that I am in better shape now than I was at last month's race.  It seems that I put in some work, and then Isla is sick...or I am sick...or daycare closes...or Dave's work schedule changes... or whatever excuse there is that keeps me from really nailing workouts or seeing progress.  I am used to having some sort of gauge for fitness before racing, but now I just feel so blind going into them.  Regardless, I am super excited to go and race.  I just want to be out there. Every race is a step in the right direction.  AND- this will be the very first night that I ever spend away from Isla.  Whoa.  

  Isla and I snuck in a Back Row Girls reunion last week.  Our back row keeps growing!  

 So, over and out.  I am waiting for Dave to get home so I can hit the road.  I don't have a thing packed, as Isla has been extra "high needs" today, and I can't seem to put her down.  (She is sleeping on my back right now in the ergo).   Hopefully a good race report to come later!