tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1245327782606352182024-03-21T05:10:37.330-07:00girls on the goMeredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.comBlogger204125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-8371035475610379902017-02-01T11:59:00.000-08:002017-02-01T11:59:08.065-08:00Egg Muffins I am beyond thrilled that our chickens started laying again this week. I could tell earlier this week that something was going on as they have been getting up earlier and they've started pacing in their run waiting for me to bring them goodies!<br />
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I only have 4 eggs so far from the past two days of them laying so I decided to make half a recipe of egg muffins for the remainder of the week.<br />
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4 eggs<br />
2 green onions<br />
half a bell pepper<br />
Handful of Italian Parsley<br />
2 tablespoons of shredded cheese<br />
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I happen to have a 6 cup muffin pan, but if you don't you can use a full size one and just put a small amount of water in each empty slot.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TO-oiYOPVq-lFD_H3HBbRogcSNyGhJFyRsEuOHcj877z7ASuMZ4jGsKrELYE8tq7nvW7z0alCG8kAeSe-6v7y2DYGK2W2Aox16ZBoYzVdnjiFZxg2Vnu9qUc8LPPuc-O9h3WwoAa9Pr3/s1600/Egg+muffins+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TO-oiYOPVq-lFD_H3HBbRogcSNyGhJFyRsEuOHcj877z7ASuMZ4jGsKrELYE8tq7nvW7z0alCG8kAeSe-6v7y2DYGK2W2Aox16ZBoYzVdnjiFZxg2Vnu9qUc8LPPuc-O9h3WwoAa9Pr3/s320/Egg+muffins+1.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
Spray your pan with non-stick spray and pre-heat your oven to 350.<br />
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I started out by sauteing green onions and some bell pepper. I prefer red, orange or yellow bells to the green ones.<br />
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I mixed up my 4 eggs and added the veggies. My garden is also over flowing with beautiful Italian Parsley so I rough chopped a handful of that and added to the eggs. Lastly I added a small amount of shredded jack cheese.<br />
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Pour the mixture into the cups and bake for 15 minutes.<br />
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Let the muffins cool for a couple of minutes in the pan before removing. If you are prepping these in advance, remove them from the pan and them cool on a wire rack prior to storing them in the fridge.<br />
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These can be reheated in the microwave for a quick breakfast.<br />
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Enjoy!Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-44849089320214754902017-01-18T11:33:00.000-08:002017-01-18T11:33:16.259-08:00TriSports AmbassadorI am thrilled to be back for my sixth year as a <a href="http://mbsy.co/trisports/27629241" target="_blank">TriSports</a> Ambassador. Six years ago TriSports selected me to be an Ambassador when I was "just" a runner. I was so thrilled by their support that I slowly made my way into multi-sport. Over the years they have invited me back and have been of amazing support to me while I was racing, injured and even during my life changing out of state move!<br />
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Over the years, what keeps me coming back is their customer service. I remember being pleasantly surprised when I received my first order and the invoice had a hand written note that said "Thank you for your order Meredith!" The one time that I had to return a product, they made the process seamless for me. These days I not only shop for myself but now for my girls as well. My girls are year round swimmers and seasonal tri-athletes. Lately, those cherished boxes that arrive saying "TriSports" are filled with swim gear for the kiddos!<br />
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Essentially, anything you need for swimming, biking or running can be found at TriSports. I even order nutrition products from them. My girls and I both love Honey Stinger products and TriSports carries their kids line of products as well.<br />
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With all that being said I'm happy to extend to you a 15% discount for shopping at TriSports through my Ambassador link. Just click <a href="http://mbsy.co/trisports/27629241" target="_blank">here</a> and enter "SHARE15" to receive your discount.<br />
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Happy Shopping!<br />
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<br />Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-36196833168247556462016-11-27T14:47:00.000-08:002016-11-27T14:47:56.346-08:00Southern Oregon Runners Turkey Trot <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZAQHk_Ykls0E1M_5O6X7nR2LsFDnmAp5TzfaJWIp74tegqjtCoTAXMvf_JTPAFMUIY3olcxK4lDbZpfyDYW9gBUmdfpKCTuzkOi_3AWfmJGBoFaSbTZtk__ZqlJwbn1nF4n-Q_P9iRpH/s1600/15167524_10154649799183828_8081453332907032986_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZAQHk_Ykls0E1M_5O6X7nR2LsFDnmAp5TzfaJWIp74tegqjtCoTAXMvf_JTPAFMUIY3olcxK4lDbZpfyDYW9gBUmdfpKCTuzkOi_3AWfmJGBoFaSbTZtk__ZqlJwbn1nF4n-Q_P9iRpH/s320/15167524_10154649799183828_8081453332907032986_o.jpg" width="320" /></a>Turkey Trotting has been a long standing tradition for our family. Sometimes the kids participate and some years it would be just the hubby and I. Since <a href="http://www.southernoregonrunners.com/" target="_blank">Southern Oregon Runners</a> puts on a 2 mile run, we knew the kids would appreciate the shorter distance and we could make it a family fun run.<br />
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Things we appreciate about the races that Southern Oregon Runners put on: getting to show up 30 minutes prior to race start, the friendly peeps and the level of fun. This run was a record turn out with about 600 runners for the 2 mile and 250+ for the 8 mile run. This was far better than the 10,000 participant run we were used to in the Bay Area.<br />
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My husband was running with my oldest daughter who was in search of a 2 mile, sub 20 minute PR. My goal was to run with our youngest and get her to a 2 mile PR as well. One of her swim team buddies also showed up to run, so I had the task of trying to keep up with two 8 year olds who were out of the gate faster than I would have liked! Almost right away a young boy zig zagged right in front of me causing me trip on the back of his foot. I saved myself from a face plant but landed on my bad knee in a way that wasn't so great. Shortly after that as I was trying to keep up with the 8 year olds I saw my daughter and husband on the side of the course and my daughter was sobbing. A young boy (hmmm...) had tripped her from the rear, causing her shoe to come off and her to fall. Her hand was bleeding and she was trying to get her shoe back on. I stopped to make sure she was okay and told her she was strong and was going to be okay. I then left her with my husband and tried to catch up to those 8 year olds again. I hadn't planned on so much sprinting!<br />
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Shortly after Sydney passed me and looked pretty strong, I was hopeful that she could earn that PR she was looking for despite the mishap. The 8 year olds found a sort of aid station where there was no water in cups so the volunteer just gave them full bottles of water. Ugh, of course who do you think ended up carrying those bottles of water?? The Moms of course. I did make Kylie carry hers for a good 5 minutes as a lesson that you don't carry a water bottle during a race!<br />
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The rest of the race was uneventful, Kylie started to lose her motivation (too fast at the start) but I was watching the time on my watch and I knew she was going to have a big PR if she could just maintain her pace. Once we got close to the finish line I told her no more walk breaks, she had this in the bag. As soon as we rounded the last corner that girl kicked it into high gear and sprinted all the way in (leaving me in the dust).<br />
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As much as she said she couldn't do it, Kylie earned a 3 minute PR! When we got back and Sydney checked her results she had also earned a 3 minute PR coming in at 17:33 - way better than her goal! I can only imagine what time she would have run if she hadn't fell and had to stop to put her shoe back on!<br />
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It was a great day running with friends and this great community! We happily went home to start cooking and consuming way more calories than we burned!<br />
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A big thank you to SunRype for having me on their Ambassador Team this year! The bars were a huge hit with the crowd!Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-6141785725564949652016-09-29T11:28:00.001-07:002016-09-29T11:28:31.251-07:00Where and how to get back on the wagonI am fast approaching my one year anniversary of living in Oregon. I feel like I have only scratched the surface of all Southern Oregon has to offer.<br />
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The past 10 months have been filled with making the adjustment for the kids as seamless as possible. They have made some wonderful new friends and have adjusted to their new community beautifully. They are doing amazing on their new swim team and have participated in basketball, parkour and running events. This month they completed their first triathlon here in Oregon. It gives me great pleasure to watch them set goals and meet them.<br />
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Now that everyone feels mostly settled it's time to start focusing on my goals. It's been a rough 18 months for me trying to diagnose an injury. Selling a home, buying a home and moving is not recommended while you trying to figure out why you are dizzy and experience headaches every day. Eventually I discovered that I was suffering from compression issues. They had gotten so bad that it caused dizziness in my normal day activities, when it had started with just swimming. I've been in physical therapy for months now trying all sorts of different things to hopefully improve the issues. While I feel better in my day to day activities, I'm really not going to know the full extent of my progress until I return to swimming, biking and running.<br />
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I've had injuries before and getting back on the wagon is always a struggle. But I've never quite had this level of starting over. I'm essentially starting from scratch, the place I started from 10 years ago. I'm not going to lie, it's brutally hard. My physical therapist asked me if I was afraid to get back in the pool, because he is wondering why I haven't. Yes, I'm scared to get back in the pool, I'm also scared to ride my bike again and scared to run again. I'm afraid I'm going to suck! I think I've reached that point where knowing I suck is scarier than actually getting out there and sucking while at least trying. It's time to put myself first and stop worrying about everyone else.<br />
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So far, I've gone for one sucky run and one sucky bike ride. But I did it. Soon I will go for one sucky swim and get it over with. The goal is to keep moving my way through the suckiness until it no longer sucks. I know it won't suck forever.<br />
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Forward is a pace.<br />
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<br />Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-23611510995593415952016-04-10T13:09:00.001-07:002016-04-10T13:09:57.600-07:00My first Oregon Race Report<br />
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So technically my first race in Oregon was the Love Stinks 5k, which was really fun! However, I ran with my seven year old daughter who had a huge PR, alas it was pretty far off from my best time. Which was totally fine because I've only recently started running again after the move.<br />
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The annual Pear Blossom Festival was coming up and along with that the Rogue Valley YMCA hosts the Pear Blossom Run. They were celebrating the 40th anniversary of the run and since I'm in my 40th year, it seemed appropriate for me to do this race for the first time.<br />
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With a 7 am start I arrived around 6:30 am since I already had my bib and everything I needed. I did a warm up jog from the parking lot to the start line and then did some stretching. As I walked over to the start line I was amazed that people for the most part actually followed the pace signs. As soon as they came out people started moving back to the area designated for their pace. I felt like this was amazing because that so rarely happens in California. Once the gun went off I really only had to navigate past one group of women walking, everyone else was running at a similar pace to myself.<br />
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This was really a shake out run for me. I've only been running around 2 miles at the house and lately I've been running on the treadmill at the gym while the kids are at swim practice. The dreadmill is so much harder than real life running and the gym is stuffy, so basically most of my treadmill runs have been very sucky. I had no idea if I could even cover the entire distance without walking.<br />
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I didn't look at my watch much. I wasn't going for a specific pace, I just wanted to run based on feel and hope I could find a pace I could carry out for the entire run and not have to walk. The first mile felt pretty good and when I did glance at my watch I had run a 10:07, I was pleased with that, and hoped I could maintain that for the next 2.10 miles. I didn't look at my watch again until 2.31 miles because I didn't remember feeling the vibration my watch sends after each mile. I was getting fatigued and was wondering how far away I was from the 2 mile point. I was pleased to look at my watch and see that I had already passed it! That little nugget of information kept me going. There was a definite happy dance moment going on when I saw the 3 mile sign and rounded the corner to the finish line. I managed to kick it into high gear and pass the woman in front of me for a 32.10 finish and 17/88 in my age group.<br />
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So that's a far cry from my best 5k time, but I was so pleased with that time I can't even tell you. I have not run on a regular basis in probably 9 months. Due to health issues and the sale of our home and move, running had just not been on the radar. It was depressing to not having the abilities I used to have and it was causing all sorts of self doubt about my worth as a runner. Now that life has mellowed out being able to take back this part of my life has brought me great happiness. This little 5k reminded me that I can do it, I can still do it and I will do it. It even gave me the thought that just maybe I can do that half marathon next year.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post race reward </td></tr>
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This was a great fun race. I can't wait to do it next year, the course is super flat so it's a great race to work on a PR.<br />
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I'm thinking I may try a trail run in a couple of weeks. The Southern Oregon running community is such a great one that is so supportive, and the races are so inexpensive it's hard to pass up the opportunity to sign up!Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-40526177309922685412016-02-28T17:13:00.000-08:002016-02-28T17:13:28.333-08:00Farm lifeIt's been a busy weekend on our "farm" and it only has highlighted how much more work we have to do!<br />
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When we were looking at homes we toured one that had a barn with horse stalls. Thankfully it wasn't a final contender because how do you explain to children that just because a home has room for horses doesn't mean you are going to get them! We did promise the kids that we would get chickens because I have always wanted them and I knew we would have enough space for them. Earlier in the week we purchased everything we would need to set up a brooder, since our local farm supply store was receiving their first order of chicks. We are very fortunate to have a large garage with a second floor full of storage. So we set the brooder up there to ensure it would stay draft free.<br />
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On Friday we picked out our chicks and brought them home! We tried to pick out some that had distinguishing marks but I'm not sure we will be able to tell them apart.<br />
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On the same day we brought home our chicks, the owl nesting box arrived. Which is super exciting, but it meant double projects this weekend. We are hoping to encourage the nesting of Barn Owl's to increase their population and to help decrease the rodent population on our land.<br />
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We are concerned that it sways too much if an owl lands on it, so we may need to change out the pole on it for a wider one.<br />
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Meanwhile Tacoma was excited to explore more areas. This was a big hike for her and she's now happily snoozing in bed.<br />
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We managed to get one post sunk this weekend for the chicken run. However, with intermittent rain and all of the other projects that is as far as we got. We are building the run next to our garden area. We will add additional smaller chicken wire along the existing fence line of the garden and will build the sides along our irrigation canal. Since we have lots of aerial predators as well as ground predators we will also cover the run with the smaller chicken wire as well.<br />
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Lots of work to do outside and we will just keep plugging away at it. It's exciting and overwhelming to have so much land to work with!Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-39790672192643942016-02-08T12:13:00.002-08:002016-02-08T12:13:38.279-08:00Love Stinks 5kNow that we are feeling mostly settled in our new home it was time to start researching races for 2016. From my research it seemed like a local running club <a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_442573747"></span>Southern Oregon Runners<span id="goog_442573748"></span></a> hosts many of the runs in the area. I stumbled upon the Love Stinks 5k and I was surprised when the entire family said they wanted in.<br />
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With a 9:15 am start and a 10 minute drive this was an ideal family race. Kylie had actually gotten a few runs in the week prior but Sydney had opted not to join us, so I don't think anyone really had any expectations other to go out and have fun. Scott and Sydney took off and Kylie and I ran together on the out and back course. It was fun to see so many people dressed up for the run and it kept us entertained along the course. Kylie was doing a good job of managing run/walk intervals and so many people were cheering her along; which really helped because after while everything I was saying was not appreciated.<br />
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As we rounded the last corner we could hear Scott and Sydney cheering and two other women also started cheering for Kylie, it was awesome. She picked up her pace and I had to sprint just to keep up with her. It was a great finish.<br />
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As it turns out both girls placed second in their age groups! They also both recorded personal record's beating their previous times from a race in 2014. It was a great race and such a supportive community, we are looking forward to our next race together.<br />
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<br />Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-58497307824441206032016-01-24T10:52:00.000-08:002016-01-24T10:52:20.342-08:00Weekly round upIt was a busy week of exploring town. I realized it was time to start finding my favorites. This involved getting a pedicure and trying lunch at Agave. It also involved taking the kids to the local tea shop after school for some amazing snacks, and now they ask to go back almost everyday.<br />
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Some photo highlights from the week:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carnitas and Camarones Tacos at Agave</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazing hot chocolate and shortbread at Dobra Tea</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cinnamon Pear Cider at Standing Stone Brewery<br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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The other exciting news is that I am back for my 5th year as a <a href="http://trisports.com/">TriSports.com</a> Champion! I can't believe it's been 5 years and I'm so grateful to this amazing organization for supporting me all of these years. This means another year of 20% off discounts for you! As in past years I have unique codes for the discount, so if you want one, just shoot me a message and I will send you a code to use.<br />
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I'm actively searching the Southern Oregon area for races for 2016, so if you know of any great ones, be sure to let me know.<br />
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Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-61400204531539711252016-01-19T09:48:00.000-08:002016-01-19T09:48:28.836-08:00Welcome to OregonIt's been a crazy 5 months! At the end of August we made the decision to move to Southern Oregon and by December 1st we had closed on a beautiful house in rural Ashland.<br />
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Needless to say, my blogging and race schedule took a significant hit at the end of 2015 due to an enormous work load of selling two properties and buying two others. Now that I am here and settled in I can say that all of the stress, tears and physical pain was worth it, but I never want to do it again.<br />
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The girls have settled in nicely to the community, making friends and enrolled in sports and after school activities already. They are loving the new house and even though they have awesome rooms with their own bathrooms, they take turns sleeping in each other rooms!<br />
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Now that I have an actual desk and work space set up, working from home is better than ever! I brought most of my clients with me and would love to take on one or two new clients here in the Ashland area. So if you know of anyone looking for social media help, send them my way!<br />
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I don't have a race schedule set up yet for 2016 as I'm still exploring local race opportunities and trying to get back into a schedule where I can swim, bike and run. Hopefully that will all fall into place soon.<br />
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In the meantime, enjoy some photos of our new home.<br />
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<br />Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-19979009278993591642015-06-29T19:02:00.001-07:002015-06-29T19:02:59.611-07:00Summer, Swimming & Good EatsAs we entered our fourth season of summer rec swimming, I became hyper focused on healthy eating and meal prep. During pre-season I successfully found recipes I could make ahead of time and have ready when we returned home from practice at 7pm. It was a lot of work, but well worth the efforts for all of us to have a warm and healthy meal after a long day.<br />
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As we moved to summer with morning practices and Wednesday night & Saturday morning meets, I looked to continue the tradition. I remember last summer growing bored of sandwiches by mid July and looking for healthier options than cup-of-noodles and pizza that are so frequent at meets.<br />
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I started bookmarking recipes that looked yummy and portable and started purchasing reusable containers for easy travel. My hope is to share some of what I've learned over the summer!<br />
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I started with yogurt. My husband and I love yogurt parfaits and frequently buy them from the grocery store. My kids love "Gogurt" which I hate because they are filled with sugar. I normally eat plain greek yogurt but for the family I purchased some vanilla greek yogurt and to my surprise, the kids liked it! Next we worked on toppings. Every two weeks I make a batch of granola. It's so easy to make, and I feel better knowing what's inside my granola! I use the <a href="http://www.skratchlabs.com/collections/food/products/the-feed-zone-cookbook" target="_blank">Skratch Labs</a> recipe for my granola.<br />
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The kids pick from fresh fruit; raspberries, blueberries, strawberries etc. I also let them add mini chocolate chips, and my husband adds shaved coconut.<br />
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I found these great containers at Safeway but you can also find on Amazon.<br />
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So far we've been very successful! The family is happy and the kids are swimming well.<br />
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We'll go with her great backstroke start is a result of all the healthy food she's eating.Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-1676487265802853742015-05-09T20:20:00.000-07:002015-05-09T20:20:26.776-07:00Wolfpack Mother's Day RunI love Wolfpack Events. The races are so close to home, small and inexpensive. The Mother's Day race is especially nice because they give all the mom's a gift. I received a cute mug and flower at the end of the race. <div>
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This course is always difficult as about one mile in you hit fire road which starts as ground up pavement then turns into dirt trail heading up hill. Two years ago when I did this race I remember following a gentleman with a US Coast Guard shirt on. In the last mile of the race he ended up pulling away from me. We chatted post race and we both placed in our age groups. </div>
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Fast forward to today and I see him at the start line! We chat for a couple of minutes and I have a feeling I won't be able to pace behind him for too long. I also met another SunRype Ambassador right before the start. The field was small for the 5k, only 66 runners. I probably took the first mile too fast, but I was trying to get in some good speed before I hit the fire road and the tedious uphill to the turn-around. </div>
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Once the the lead 5k runners came back down the hill, I started counting. My fellow ambassador was the second place woman and my friend Paul was also doing well. As I hit the turn-around I realized I was the sixth place woman. I tried hard to hold onto a pace but I was getting more and more tired. I kept looking behind me to make sure I wasn't going to get passed. The only people passing me were the top three runners from the five mile course, man were they flying! I made the mistake of seeing a shed that I thought was the one close to the finish line, only to realize I was not that close to the finish line. This caused me to lose some steam. I pretty much wanted to die, but my Garmin assured me I was not going to die. </div>
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Finally, the finish line was in site and several people cheered me in, which was super nice at such a small race. Glad to be done and to see that I had placed 2nd in my age group. Then I realized next year I will be considered a "master" runner at this race once I turn 40! This is a frightening thought, I don't feel that old!!!! </div>
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Next up is the Catfish 1.2 mile swim.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second place</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My buddy Paul</td></tr>
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Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-34536936650738201032015-05-04T16:25:00.002-07:002015-05-04T16:25:35.942-07:00Moraga TriEach year I have dropped a leg of this triathlon, which I have decided is awesome. The first year I did the entire tri myself, and hated almost every minute of it. Last year I did the swim and run and enjoyed it much more. This year I did the swim only and had the best time ever! You can't complain when your leg of the race is a 400 meter swim and your done in under 10 minutes.<br />
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Going into the race I wasn't feeling spectacular about my swim. I had been swimming but probably not as much as I could have and my swims didn't seem to be any faster than the previous year. Then on the Wednesday before the race I went to the pool to do an easy last swim. I decided to time my 400 yard warm-up to give me an idea of where I might be at. That means it wasn't really a warm up, I just went 400 all out. I nearly cheered out loud when I saw my time - 7:57. For all of my swimming friends this is slow, but for me, this was my fastest 400 EVER. My next best time had been 8:15 which I swam last year before the Moraga Tri, and never got anywhere close to that time again.<br />
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This really inspired me going into the race. Granted, I was swimming 400 meters long course not 400 yards short course, I knew that if I could hold a pace close to what I did that day, I would swim faster than the previous year.<br />
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Race morning came and we had two adults and one child racing. Which meant lots of coordinating and packing. It had rained most of the night and morning which presented some concerns for the bike course, but since I only had to swim I just focused on 400 meters in the water.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My game face</td></tr>
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I had been seeded a little earlier than last year even though I used the same swim time to register. I handed my parka to the kids and gave them hugs and hopped in for my swim. I did my best to keep good form with long arms. The gentleman behind me passed me on lap two but I slowly started picking off people in front of me. It felt really good to pass five people as I traversed the eight 50 meter lanes. On my last lap I focused on kicking fast to try and get the blood flow moving back up through my body to ready myself to climb out of the pool and run across the timing mat into transition. I had to wait for one gentleman to climb out of the pool ahead of me but I finished my swim in 9:06, and crossed the timing mat at 9:35. This earned me a :23 second PR from last year.<br />
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I sprinted into transition and placed the timing chip on Scott's ankle and sent him out on his 14 mile bike ride. At that point I basically tried to not throw up all over my children. I was able to get changed into warm clothes and back to transition to watch Scott hand off to our friend Eric before I had to get Kylie up the pool deck for her pre-race instructions. At this point I switched over from athlete to Tri Mom.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scott with the fastest bike time of all the relay teams</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eric running a crazy fast 5k</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOh5nTY8hgUOMoEzA4fiVKgRKpTiS5yOh0HmkGcDTAX5VVibDwVYVZ7-wTCsDDtXvW3Rq_PgOATvCCdYmGUeZTN0di3wvMj_btEq3MlS_Y1r49w2VsoCYR4sX7CSyg2Vh-y8wuSl008noq/s1600/IMG_0251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOh5nTY8hgUOMoEzA4fiVKgRKpTiS5yOh0HmkGcDTAX5VVibDwVYVZ7-wTCsDDtXvW3Rq_PgOATvCCdYmGUeZTN0di3wvMj_btEq3MlS_Y1r49w2VsoCYR4sX7CSyg2Vh-y8wuSl008noq/s320/IMG_0251.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team Yox/Benson</td></tr>
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Right as Kylie was lined up to start her swim, Eric, Scott and Sydney came down from the track. Eric had a really great run, but we didn't know his or our total time. Kylie raced like a champ. This little girl is so tough, I love it! She swam hard for 50 meters (her first time swimming long course!), biked hard through the hallways of the high school and proceeded to run like I have never seen her run before. She ran past one of the race director's who said "I love her smile!". That's my Smiley Kylie, having fun the entire time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSHoMG-HSHz4sSCC7zGaFe1MP4bQysu8OsvCevwK_e4sTEJCB8OTDJl0u24aHGtzmHWaicKczWSlzKxtikQHNEqnu4I_0hBjjigmxLXWdqhHb0iKFlMEAVgK3H7aAE8QKjr48idpjC_K6c/s1600/DSC_7031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSHoMG-HSHz4sSCC7zGaFe1MP4bQysu8OsvCevwK_e4sTEJCB8OTDJl0u24aHGtzmHWaicKczWSlzKxtikQHNEqnu4I_0hBjjigmxLXWdqhHb0iKFlMEAVgK3H7aAE8QKjr48idpjC_K6c/s320/DSC_7031.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smiley Kylie Swimming Happy</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add caption</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proud finisher</td></tr>
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Kylie placed 3rd in her AG and was 10th OA. She immediately asked when she could do it again.<br />
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As it turns out our relay team placed third! Scott has the fastest bike of all the relay teams, so I'm super proud of him and our entire team!<br />
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Thanks to <a href="http://trisports.com/">TriSports.com</a> for outfitting the entire family on race day! This year I made sure Scott represented as well!<br />
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Next up is a fun Mother's Day 5k this weekend.<br />
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Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-36332355353515655462015-04-09T20:42:00.000-07:002015-04-09T20:42:00.915-07:00Marin Splash and DashOne day a coupon for this little race showed up in my email box. Hmm, Marin Splash and Dash... That sounds like fun and would be a good warm-up race to the Moraga Tri. Famous. Last. Words.<br />
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When I signed up for this race I didn't pay much attention to the fact that it was a 1pm start. When I realized it was a 1pm start, I thought "Oh cool, I don't have to get up BFE". Then, a few days before the race I realized the family could come. All seemed like great ideas until the family was loaded into the car, the kids were asking me a billion questions when I really just wanted to zone out and traffic on a Saturday at 11am to San Rafael was a nightmare.<br />
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Thankfully we arrived with plenty of time as the runners from the half marathon had vacated and the vendors started to leaving. This was a little sad... I guess our numbers weren't large enough to warrant staying for our event. Except for <a href="http://www.jolynclothing.com/usa/" target="_blank">Jolyn</a>, they stayed! Our friend Heather Petri is a rep for them so the kids were super excited to see her! It was also great to see Mary Sue and Christina; two other friends who would also be splashing and dashing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swimming with friends </td></tr>
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This was a very low key event, which was great for my very low key attitude towards racing. My mind set was to just have fun. the 500 meter swim would be a great test of where my swim ability was at so early in the season. I've been running, so the 5k should be fine; it would more be a matter of how much was left in my tank after swimming in the bay.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying to swim in father than my swim buddy</td></tr>
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I was disappointed to not be able to warm up, but even more disappointed to learn we were starting from the beach rather than the deep water start I had expected. I was quickly reminded why that sucks. Diving into cold water is a shock to the body, it has a tendency to cause hyperventilating. At the very least it causes your heart to beat faster making your cardiovascular system work harder than necessary. This adding to the fact that I had not used my wet-suit in two years left me feeling like a mess in the water. I had to breathe every two strokes, not my favorite, especially with a shoulder issue. I prefer to breathe bilaterally, every three strokes. I don't think there was one moment of the swim that I enjoyed. I was dropped by what seemed like 3/4 of the field pretty quickly. I knew there were swimmers behind me but I felt mostly alone, with no one to draft off of. The next buoy seemed so far away and my suit was killing me. I wanted to unzip it so I could get more neck mobility, I also felt like I couldn't get a full kick with it. I fought a mental battle with myself the entire swim. I wondered if I could just tell them I was done after the swim, I felt like I was using so much energy that there would be nothing left for a run. For what was supposed to be a fun event, I was feeling none of it. Clearing the final buoy seemed like a huge achievement but there was still so much further to go. By this point I had one guy who was swimming with me. For what it's worth, as much as I was struggling he was struggling more. Every time I looked at him he was swimming with his ahead above water. We swam side by side until we finally reached the beach and exited the water.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't judge! </td></tr>
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I had no idea how I was going to go run a 5k, but I was pretty stoked to be out of the water. I didn't care, I walked to my transition area and sat down to take my wet-suit off. I struggled getting my suit off over my timing chip; another reason to love racing without a wet-suit. I gabbed my stuff and headed out on the run. I was miserable and felt bad because Scott and the kids were cheering me on and I couldn't even muster a smile for them. The other unknown about this race was that I thought the run course was flat. Ha! That must be the kids race that takes place here in November, because this course was for sure not flat! I walked the entire giant hill out of the parking lot and did my best to suck down a gel. Many thanks to the very kind park ranger at the guard gate who took my sticky gel garbage when I asked if there was a garbage can on the way out of the park. I ran the flats and <br />
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downhill and became slightly depressed when I saw that I would have to go back uphill to get back into the park. It did feel good to pass one guy on the run course, it slightly made up for the two Crossfit women that passed me with gigantic biceps. Seriously, if I'd have enough energy to compliment them on their arms I would have. The final uphill was so terrible. I walked it and kept an eye on the guy behind me to make sure he wouldn't catch me, he was walking too. When I re-entered the park it was all downhill and dirt trail. I was confident I would not get passed at this point. I was so excited, my focus was to just run and feel good about crossing the finish line. The view was beautiful and I finally felt good knowing the end was near. The kids and Scott missed me crossing the finish line because they were flying kites, oh well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big smile to be done</td></tr>
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As miserable as I felt through out most of the race, I sure felt good when I was done. When I looked back and saw my swim time it was actually right around what I had estimated. Even though it felt horrible it was a pretty solid swim for open water in a wet-suit. I don't have an official time from the race except for the swim time, and I completely forgot to hit my watch through transition and into my run. I'm good with having just a swim time, that's what I really needed to gauge in preparation for the Moraga Tri.<br />
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This was a great small event. It's hosted by <a href="http://sustainablesports.org/" target="_blank">Sustainable Sports Foundation</a> that does some great things. They had solar panels there running their equipment and when we crossed the finish line instead of a disposable bottle of water we were handed a very nice aluminum bottle filled with water. I would do this race again next year if they have it again.<br />
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All in all, lots of opportunities for things to work on in the next couple of weeks leading up to the Moraga Tri.<br />
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Thank you to <a href="http://www.sunrypeusa.com/" target="_blank">SunRype</a> and <a href="http://trisports.com/">TriSports.com</a> for supporting me on this journey.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Heather who helped a nine year old swim the 500. </td></tr>
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<br />Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-82062577220944644462015-03-23T20:16:00.000-07:002015-03-23T20:24:08.203-07:00Oakland Running Festival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This was my third year running the Oakland Running Festival's 5k. I always think that one year I want to do the half at this race, but then I remember that the half marathon distance starts at 9:15 am and that seems so ridiculously late to start running 13.1 miles.<br />
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I've been working on trying to regain my running speeds from last year; it's been an uphill battle for sure. I knew going into this race that I wouldn't be setting any personal records but I was hoping it would give me a good gauge on where I'm at and if I would see any improvements from the past couple of months.<br />
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I arrived in Oakland BFE to get good parking and nearly fell asleep in my car waiting for an appropriate time to get out of the car and brave the light mist that was falling. You know what's fun? Using a port-a-potty when it's still dark out. Thank goodness for the flashlight app! I cruised through the merchandise tent again because Corrigan Sports does a really nice job with their shirts and jackets, it's also a good way to kill time.<br />
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I wandered back up to the start line and checked my gear ahead of the marathoners starting. I must admit I'm a sentimental runner and I got a little misty watching them start their journey. The support from the community, race organizers, and OPD is overwhelming and genuine. It really is such a great day for runners and the community of Oakland. After the last brave soul headed out for their 26.2 miles I started a short warm up run and followed it up with some stretching. Once I was done 5k runners had already started to line up, so I worked my way through the crowds to place myself somewhere between the nine and ten minute mile markers.<br />
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It was a slow crawl to cross the start line as some of us were anxious to run and others just wanted to walk to the start line. I used the opportunity to control my pace; having big crowds ensures that you won't go out to hard. My goal was to not look at my watch and run based on feel since I had no idea what I would be capable of. I quickly remembered that this is the least straight course and it's impossible to run a clean line. I really didn't want to run this course long but with the crazy turns and switchbacks through the city, my chances were slim to none.<br />
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The first mile felt good and then we hit the long second mile where the scenery is less than entertaining. The Firehouse in this section was out and they were cheering us on. Everyone was so quiet so I yelled out "thank you!" which encouraged a few others to do the same. I always try to say thank you to the folks along the course who are supporting runners, because I do truly appreciate it.<br />
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I was doing a good job of not looking at my watch but I was counting blocks and paying attention to street signs to determine how much further until we hit the downhill section heading back towards Lake Merritt. At mile two my shoulder started to ache, which I realized meant that my form must have been suffering. I focused on holding my shoulders back and not slouching. Once I finally hit the downhill section I tried to take advantage as best as I could knowing that the final uphill to the finish line was going to hurt.<br />
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As I approached the hill that I had already run up during my warm up run I immediately got a cramp. Just another challenge to overcome, I moved up that hill as best as I could but clearly grimacing in pain. I just kept my head down and kept moving forward. Soon enough I crested the top of the hill and just needed to get my body across the finish line. I manged to fake a smile for the camera as I crossed the line.<br />
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Official time was 31:44, obviously not my best time but my an improvement over my last 5k, so progress is indeed being made. My nifty Garmin also flashed me a nice reminder that I had run the course long when it told me my 5k time was 30:46, sigh... if only I had really run 3.1 miles. I placed 44/604 in my age group. All things considered, I'm pretty happy with that!<br />
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Thanks to <a href="http://www.sunrypeusa.com/" target="_blank">SunRype</a> for allowing me to represent your brand; the fruit bars and strips were a huge hit!<br />
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As we move into April the focus moves to multi-sport where I will be swimming and running.Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-23270031672433489572015-02-28T12:31:00.000-08:002015-02-28T12:31:35.299-08:00ProgressMy days continue to become busier and busier. Which is a great thing, but I'm working very hard to keep track of all of my scheduling and all of the kids scheduling.<br />
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I did make some time to sit down and plan some races at least through June. I was disappointed to miss out on Brazen's Bay Breeze as it sold out about a week prior to the race. This really pushed me to sit down and find some races that I wanted to do and commit to them. I had been contemplating the Lucky Run again this year but running a shorter distance. I really had to decide if driving to Davis was worth it for a 7k run, I decided to try and find a more geographically desirable race despite the fact that I love the Lucky Run. Instead I signed up for the Oakland Running Festival's 5k. I also love this race, and was not able to attend last year since it's too close to the Lucky Run. March problem solved!<br />
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Despite the fact that I keep telling myself I should unsubscribe from the Active email list, I'm lazy and haven't. Which was a good thing since they sent out a coupon for the Marin Splash and Dash. This race is early April and will be a perfect warm-up for the Moraga Tri. Scott and I will be doing this as a relay again. It will also be some great open water practice before Catfish in June.<br />
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I'm also committing to Wolfpack's Mother's Day Run, because it's in my backyard and it's small, how can you say no to that.<br />
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I'm very excited now that I have started physical therapy for my shoulder and also started taking Pilates classes. I've been working with a Pilates trainer and also taking one of her classes. She immediately identified all of my weaknesses and has been coming up with a great workouts for me. My headaches have subsided and I'm on my way to a healthy shoulder, back and core. Which means I hope to slowly add in more swimming to prepare for all of this swimming I'm signed up to do.<br />
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Running is going along just as planned and I'm getting in three runs a week.<br />
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Run happy!Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-91565816818984171552015-02-16T16:22:00.000-08:002015-02-16T16:22:06.235-08:00Summer in February We are so miserably dry here in California, but it's difficult to be disgruntled over the phenomenal weather we are experiencing.<br />
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On Thursday the weather was so amazing that I skipped my morning run in favor of a lunch time swim. I should have really taken some time before I got to the pool to review some of the new swim features on the Garmin 920xt, oops. However, I did get the chance to use my new Finis kick board. The amount of pool toys I bring to swim is ridiculous, but I'm lucky that the <a href="http://www.finisinc.com/Alignment-Kickboard" target="_blank">Finis alignment kick board</a> is uber small and I can shove it into my swim bag with all of my other junk. This board is amazing! I can't even begin to explain how much I love this, especially with my shoulder issues.<br />
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I used the board along with my swim snorkel and fins and kicked 400 yards in between sets. Due to my ongoing shoulder issues swimming has been difficult. Kicking with a traditional kick board, leaves my body in an unnatural position and causes neck and should pain. This board can go under water and you hold a streamline position, combining the board with my snorkel means no shoulder or neck pain. I really loved it.<br />
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As I work my way through some Pilates instruction and physical therapy for my shoulder, I'm hoping to be able to gradually increase my swimming and eventually get back on the bike.<br />
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For now, I'm looking at running the Oakland Running Festival's 5k for the third time and I'm possibly considering a splash and dash in early April.Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-29459889657196543962015-01-26T18:14:00.000-08:002015-01-26T18:14:33.362-08:00Coyote Hills RunAs I plug along and try to get back into the swing of running I returned to the Coyote Hills 5k (um really 3.5 miles) run. The night before I was in quite a bit of pain with my reoccurring shoulder issue and a newly developed sciatica issue. I am so lucky, or dumb for not taking better care of myself.<br />
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My chiropractor worked on the sciatica issue and I taped up my shoulder and went to bed hoping for the best. I woke up and was not experiencing as much pain as the night before so I called that a win and made the drive to Fremont.<br />
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This was more about just getting it done then anything else. I wanted to log the miles and enjoy the day. This course is always challenging; not just because of the extra distance but also the elevation gains as well as changing surfaces. You run pavement, dirt and wood piers, so you have to pay attention to the ever changing surfaces.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early on when the course is crowded</td></tr>
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I knew it would be a warm day but it was cold in the morning so I wore arm sleeves knowing I could push them down if I got hot. they lasted all of 3 minutes before I was too hot, a that point they come in very handy for wiping sweat off your face. <div>
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It's always fun playing leap frog with people. I passed this one woman who took offense and passed me later. Then I passed her again, I felt like I was running a steady pace, so perhaps she was not. We leap frogged a few times but once we hit the hills, I never saw her again. </div>
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I took some sort of sports drink at the aid station since I wasn't hydrated particularly well. As we made our way to the backside of the park I really took a moment to just take it all in, it's so pretty and I genuinely felt very lucky to have the ability to run in such a beautiful spot. Then it was back to negotiating the hills and passing the 10k walkers. As I approached the final hill it was all mental toughness to get to the top, but once I did I knew the worst was over. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming downhill after the last climb.<br /></td></tr>
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As we rounded the corner you could just feel the relief from everyone around that we were almost done. I picked up the pace and made my way to the arch. <div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This kid racing me to the line<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So happy to be done! </td></tr>
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After the race Mary Sue and I chatted with our friend Pia that we met at this race last year. She reminded me that the Bay Breeze race is coming up on Valentine's Day, so this will probably be my next event. I'm hoping I'll have my first shipment of goodies from SunRype in time! </div>
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Race stats:</div>
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13/49 AG</div>
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144/458 OA </div>
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Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-8485978558448328992015-01-20T16:24:00.003-08:002015-01-20T16:24:51.331-08:00Exciting things in JanuarySo many exciting things have happened in January! I'm going to have write some more in depth posts this month about everything that is going on.<br />
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First off I am most excited about some new toys! Everyone knows I love gadgets, so it was not hard to convince me to purchase the new Garmin <a href="https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/into-sports/running/forerunner-920xt/prod137024.html" target="_blank">920XT</a>. It also helps when you have a friend who works at Garmin who is able to feed into your obsession with a helpful discount. I'll do a dedicated post to this amazing new watch, but so far what I love is that it connects to satellites faster, has an activity tracker and connects to my phone. I can't wait to try it in the pool with all of the new pool features.<br />
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Speaking of the pool, if you have ever swam with me you know that I love pool toys. Seriously, I think our swim coach thinks I have a problem... I probably do. At the end of last year I won an awesome bag of swim swag from <a href="http://swimoutlet.com/">Swimoutlet.com</a> and included were <a href="http://www.finisinc.com/Agility-Paddles" target="_blank">Finis Agility Paddles</a>. These are paddles that you can use for all four strokes and so far I'm loving them for breaststroke. Since I tend to have a lot of shoulder problems between swimming and all of the dog walking I do I ordered the <a href="http://www.finisinc.com/Alignment-Kickboard" target="_blank">Finis Alignment Kickboard.</a> I haven't been to the pool yet to give it a try so I'll do a more detailed post about all of my new pool toys once I've thoroughly tested them all out.<br />
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This past weekend I knew it was important to jump back into racing. I've lost a lot of my cardio ability in the past few months and there is never any easy way to get back into it other than to just go. That being said I raced the Dam Run 5k at San Pablo Dam Reservoir this past weekend. I love this course but since I last raced it with Kylie in December I forgot how hard it is when you are actually running the entire distance. Is that hill really right here at the beginning??? I never looked at my watch for pacing I just ran it based on feel since I knew I wouldn't be setting any records and my goal was to just work on getting back into it. The best part was that this one woman tried to pass me a a couple of times on downhill sections but I always reeled her back in on the uphills and ultimately held her off to the finish line. I'm over two minutes off my best time but my run was still good enough for second place in my age group. Then I realized I still would have finished second even if I had run my best time, so phew, good thing I didn't kill myself!<br />
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The other great news is that <a href="http://www.sunrypeusa.com/" target="_blank">SunRype</a> has selected me to be an Ambassador for 2015. I am super excited to represent this brand as they make all natural fruit snacks. I'm really big on food that contains only natural sugars and their line of snacks are also gluten and nut free. It's safe to say that my kids are uber excited to sample all of the products and flavors. I expect to get my first samples of fruit strips and fruit source early next month, so let me know if you want to try them.<br />
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In addition, I am super excited to be coming back for another year as a <a href="http://trisports.com/">TriSports.com</a> Champion. I haven't signed all of the paperwork yet, so shhhhh. Don't worry, last year's codes are still good through the end of this month for discounts. If you need one, let me know.<br />
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Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-75879373303890423182015-01-07T09:22:00.000-08:002015-01-07T09:22:38.111-08:00Welcome to 2015I'm easing back into the swing of things over here. I'm still trying to plan my events for 2015, I was disappointed to find out that Mermaid Series is not having their Alameda Triathlon this year. After having a huge PR on that course in 2014 I was really looking forward to racing it again this year. This leaves me the task of having to find other multi-sport events for 2015.<br />
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I also discovered that the Moraga Triathlon doesn't really allow me to race and complete in time to assist my kids with doing the kids tri. We are still discussing ideas; one is that Scott and I do it as a relay again. This time I would do the swim portion only and Scott would do the bike and run. I explained to him that meant he would actually have to train and learn how to run off the bike. Last year he pushed so hard on the bike there was no way he could have run, thankfully he didn't have to. In all honestly, he'll still have a faster run leg than me even off the bike. This set-up would allow me to assist the kids in getting set up for the kids portion of the race.<br />
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With an uncertain schedule ahead of me, I'm focusing on running and looking at events one month at at a time. Mary Sue and I have signed up for Brazen Racing's Coyote Hills. We've done this before, it's about 3.5 miles and hilly. It's a good way to get back into the swing of things and see where I'm at after two months of being sick with an upper respiratory infection, ear infection and strep throat. Yes, it was a trifecta of fun at my house.<br />
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I'm also considering the Dam Run next weekend. My original plan had been to do the 10k at this race, but seeing as how I wasn't able to run for two months I'm considering doing the 5k. Scott and I would both like to race it, and Sydney thinks she wants to as well. Kylie however does not, so we may consider having Kylie stay home with a babysitter so the three of us can run.<br />
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The only other sure thing for this year is the Catfish swim. That was a lot of fun last year, so I registered for that early to secure the best pricing.<br />
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If you have any favorite mult-sport events that are local let me know!Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-34448716942649350642014-12-31T13:18:00.000-08:002014-12-31T13:18:10.594-08:00OnwardI'm sure I say this every year, but it's difficult for me to grasp that this is the last day of 2014. There have been so many great milestones this year and I am so thankful for the ability to be active and to teach my children to be active as well. <div>
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Someone asked me the other day what was the last race I had done and I realized that my last three races of the year had been with my girls and my husband. I can't even put into words how much fun it has been to run as a family. While I haven't had much of a chance to work on my own goals at the end of 2014, I have been able to help my young daughters work on and reach their goals. That has given me more pleasure than anything I could accomplish on my own. </div>
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I've been sick for the majority of November and December so I was more than happy to run with my six year old daughter at our last race of the year, The Dam Jingle Bell Run. My husband ran with our nine year old daughter who was excited to run at a smaller race and hopefully earn a 5k PR, even though the course would be hillier than her last two races. </div>
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Kylie needs constant motivation when running, otherwise she will just walk. It seems that Mom knows exactly how much running she can handle and how to motivate her best. We talked along the way and she enjoyed passing by the top runners on their way back to the finish line. We also got to see Sydney and Scott on their way back in before we hit the turn around. Like the Mermaid Run we used visual references to mark how far we would run and how far we would walk. When we reached the crest of the last hill and could see the finish line I told her we had to run all the way in, and she did! Kylie earned a 6+ minute PR. She placed 5/10 of her age group, also being the youngest runner out of all 10 girls! </div>
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When we reached the finish line we found out that Sydney ran the course in 30:33 for a 3+ minute PR! This was when I realized I had a new training partner. She's pretty close to my best 5k time, and I have no doubt she end will up faster than me in 2015. She came in 4th in her age group which was 9-12 years old. Pretty good considering 1st-3rd were all older than her. </div>
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Sydney and I recently went out on our first run together. We ran two miles along the Moraga trail and had a great time. I'm looking forward to many years of some girl time on the trails. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post race treats! </td></tr>
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Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-89264652376608004922014-12-02T15:39:00.003-08:002014-12-02T15:39:54.806-08:00Mini Mermaid Running Club! I was waiting to blog about our MMRC 5k until we got the professional photos back, which took longer than I expected.<br />
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We were up super early, and I love that my kids never complain about having to get up early on race morning. We agreed that Scott would run with Sydney since she really wanted to earn a PR and she also really wanted to run the entire distance without walking. I would run with Kylie and hopefully motivate her to run more than walk.<br />
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Kylie and her friends started out pretty hard and none of them wanted to run with their parent. This left me running back and forth between 3 six year olds. They were having so much fun though and you could tell they were soaking up the energy along the course. Kylie ran about half of the course with one of the other Mom's and I stayed mostly in front of them to try and keep Kylie motivated. Eventually the Mom went to run with her daughter and it was just Kylie and I. Around the two mile mark she began to talk about having to do another lap. When I explained to her that we only had to do one lap of the course, her entire attitude changed and she started to run more. We set visual markers as goals, "we'll start running at the next garbage can" and "we'll walk after 5 garbage cans". This strategy worked well for her, she didn't really seem to believe me when I told her we were getting close to the finish line, but when she saw Scott and Sydney cheering her on, she knew she was close and she sprinted all the way to finish line. Kylie ended up with a 23 minute 5k PR.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So very proud of her</td></tr>
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After we crossed the finish line I was amazed to hear that Sydney had a 4:26 5k PR as well. Scott simply ran behind her and let her set the pace. She ran a 33:49 and now has aspirations to run a sub 30 5k. I guess this means once I get healthy, I'm going to have to start taking her running with me. <div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love this photo of her! </td></tr>
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We also ran the Turkey Trot this year with the kids, So I'll post more about that next time! </div>
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Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-79561733011279117092014-10-27T16:18:00.000-07:002014-10-27T16:18:39.939-07:00It's almost time to get back to meHow is it October already? How is October almost over already? The days are flying by and with that means eventually I'll get to return the focus back to me and determine what I really want to focus on this winter.<br />
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We transitioned the kids successfully from swimming to triathlon, tennis and running club. Yikes, we've been busy! The girls recently finished their last triathlon of the season. They are very bummed to learn that there is an off season for triathlon. It brought us such great pleasure to watch them race and to enjoy the entire process of it all. When I did my first multi-sport race it brought a huge feeling of accomplishment and joy as I crossed the finish line. It brought amazement at what my body was able to accomplish. I can tell you that none of that even compared to watching my kids cross the finish line and the looks on their faces as they did. Smiles and determination to not give up is what I see in their faces. In just three months they've completed one duathlon and two triathlons, they also think its way cool that they are now members of USAT and get their own magazine with a kids triathlon section in it.<br />
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One thing that we learned from running club this fall, is that training for a 5k immensely helps your run in the triathlon. In the last tri Sydney had a hard time on the bike and lost some posts on they very rough dirt trail they rode. However, she made up all of that time and passed three girls on the run. We were floored to watch her coming up the trail so quickly. In addition to that, this past weekend the girls and I ran the two mile course at the Lafayette Reservoir Run. Sydney ran the entire two miles without walking. It's the first time she has done that in a run event. She also had a 5 minute PR for a 2 mile run. She is really excited to pursue track and field in the spring.<br />
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Kylie's running is also making huge improvements. Fort he girl who always complains about running, her body is finally grasping it all and pushing herself further and further. She had a 10 minute 2 mile PR this weekend. She almost ran the entire course without any walking. Super proud of our Smiley Kylie.<br />
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Running Club will be finishing up in two weeks and once I'm done coaching it will be time to finally turn the focus to myself and what I want to do this winter. I'm anxious to return to running and thinking maybe an early year 10k race sounds fun.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmmkt8ie6EgBgdwF9kWNTiIcNUZmUZt6ru8zZfqGoh3lDxbYnXevMpWIpblVkuULXLRwbB_ZeQrCZKeWwAtmMP1lsV4qJIohpqDYe7H8BqNEQYhtlaQXBHVEoHMWGFEUkxr4P_LVbsSDG/s1600/DSC_6680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmmkt8ie6EgBgdwF9kWNTiIcNUZmUZt6ru8zZfqGoh3lDxbYnXevMpWIpblVkuULXLRwbB_ZeQrCZKeWwAtmMP1lsV4qJIohpqDYe7H8BqNEQYhtlaQXBHVEoHMWGFEUkxr4P_LVbsSDG/s1600/DSC_6680.JPG" height="400" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love this photo of her</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kylie cruising past all of her competitors on the swim</td></tr>
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Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-65727663772840220982014-08-18T15:07:00.002-07:002014-08-18T15:07:30.998-07:00All things lead to triathlon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's been a face paced summer filled with swim team practice, meets, tennis and dog walking. Nothing brings me greater joy than watching my kids swim and watching the improvements that come from all of their hard work. It's not difficult for the six year old to put in the effort everyday and sometimes twice a day. Convincing the nine year old that improvements are a result of hard work during practice was slightly more difficult. I'm proud to say that for the last two weeks of swim team she worked really hard and saw some huge improvements in the championship meet. </div>
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Here are some highlights from the summer season.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13cJkDkh8cMVgWSEEcQAG0Hn8UpGabM54S_1Gy-B8qrVqyrZfe2lWI-8ZQtIUJ2Uh91gU0XQZd9LdZtz0gJazYs17IalW8dPXrqmCGUft3Y1cNknufsGX4Owx2QYLYZ-v0mDX2bIHMMKm/s1600/IMG_2861-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13cJkDkh8cMVgWSEEcQAG0Hn8UpGabM54S_1Gy-B8qrVqyrZfe2lWI-8ZQtIUJ2Uh91gU0XQZd9LdZtz0gJazYs17IalW8dPXrqmCGUft3Y1cNknufsGX4Owx2QYLYZ-v0mDX2bIHMMKm/s1600/IMG_2861-M.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swim sherpas spend lots of time holding towels, parkas and flip flops</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ0L0RchnEBi0r3GZuimbIr6LCi4xr60tTPmjys1chlgMKt_jiKGAkWprv3PjDs2mkGKpgpnHJcX7w8mVt8N4GJi-90estM3G08wahcNsmwDAMeVboB4uQC_sscNjA3pDZmlHVZzlQLELk/s1600/IMG_2909-OMPA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ0L0RchnEBi0r3GZuimbIr6LCi4xr60tTPmjys1chlgMKt_jiKGAkWprv3PjDs2mkGKpgpnHJcX7w8mVt8N4GJi-90estM3G08wahcNsmwDAMeVboB4uQC_sscNjA3pDZmlHVZzlQLELk/s1600/IMG_2909-OMPA.jpg" height="157" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our coaches spend most of the summer leading awesome cheers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8a7MPX0QhdDLSUAmaAFi52J_xpFGIog1I1HlTVslslh49dDAIkEx2eCkNL2oQVMYGQgme0hP7-8rzgWu7bPI6FrBqshpostEsgjbBtGVKbkRhaOOAWfqDdk-tFOiZUE8KGmyVXBFTNlL7/s1600/IMG_3100-OMPA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8a7MPX0QhdDLSUAmaAFi52J_xpFGIog1I1HlTVslslh49dDAIkEx2eCkNL2oQVMYGQgme0hP7-8rzgWu7bPI6FrBqshpostEsgjbBtGVKbkRhaOOAWfqDdk-tFOiZUE8KGmyVXBFTNlL7/s1600/IMG_3100-OMPA.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The typical summer scenery</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjAqpGtzgUnlkShKbV-QOUtviEzW86PHSSNZiVKSc6pOaLolUXT2DjqdL18E18gLP9h3Vdk86mbiBUJZoFv7lVGsLNTg6UDsHu-Aw_TIKo1JICe0pYf0ey1k5mTOWo3eeAZvzUntMzuMGj/s1600/2014-07-26-MVP-at-CCC-141-XL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-XwKaG3vF0s6trHzbBuRP0Sv068iAhr-L_aSsJr1YXof45nVOH6Lp4EFKKusPw7Wjh1TPVYq0OZjrQ2CYFGY8mF5PkhHAcOvXTDAmwjqphcZDuJ_uXIJGQMmQoOk5lbgVT5k3nxAr2Y7X/s1600/2014-07-09-MVP-vs-MIRA-420-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-XwKaG3vF0s6trHzbBuRP0Sv068iAhr-L_aSsJr1YXof45nVOH6Lp4EFKKusPw7Wjh1TPVYq0OZjrQ2CYFGY8mF5PkhHAcOvXTDAmwjqphcZDuJ_uXIJGQMmQoOk5lbgVT5k3nxAr2Y7X/s1600/2014-07-09-MVP-vs-MIRA-420-M.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kylie's backstroke start started looking really good<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVN9VzUtE_pWaKs_ylkkbBqJi3rW-8fti83CivOdfZ1bkvfPI2VcF5-X4Uu1GuIqdYnaqOa5IOOMa0Im0SXC9pNovpYjovsLdDPtU8S-QtUzHpEZO77QhXBjGmbpykaEfQFAgoTJTGGoN/s1600/2014-07-26-MVP-at-CCC-700-XL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVN9VzUtE_pWaKs_ylkkbBqJi3rW-8fti83CivOdfZ1bkvfPI2VcF5-X4Uu1GuIqdYnaqOa5IOOMa0Im0SXC9pNovpYjovsLdDPtU8S-QtUzHpEZO77QhXBjGmbpykaEfQFAgoTJTGGoN/s1600/2014-07-26-MVP-at-CCC-700-XL.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She got to swim on a lot of relays, even one that earned a gold time!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6zf0uMg31VudCkEnl74mBThxkRe_dUxx3622C-7KVwdrdmVPd_GnZkMp5qGUOQg1ltr5pJh1Gltbk8C8vjVaqXD-TxT0vIvAZzsFy79v3v7xwl5PD_bRZJESbNMyIazC-DOMg8HNhAw3/s1600/2014-07-13-MVP-Bottoms-Up-296-S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6zf0uMg31VudCkEnl74mBThxkRe_dUxx3622C-7KVwdrdmVPd_GnZkMp5qGUOQg1ltr5pJh1Gltbk8C8vjVaqXD-TxT0vIvAZzsFy79v3v7xwl5PD_bRZJESbNMyIazC-DOMg8HNhAw3/s1600/2014-07-13-MVP-Bottoms-Up-296-S.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sydney had an excellent summer as well<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjAqpGtzgUnlkShKbV-QOUtviEzW86PHSSNZiVKSc6pOaLolUXT2DjqdL18E18gLP9h3Vdk86mbiBUJZoFv7lVGsLNTg6UDsHu-Aw_TIKo1JICe0pYf0ey1k5mTOWo3eeAZvzUntMzuMGj/s1600/2014-07-26-MVP-at-CCC-141-XL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjAqpGtzgUnlkShKbV-QOUtviEzW86PHSSNZiVKSc6pOaLolUXT2DjqdL18E18gLP9h3Vdk86mbiBUJZoFv7lVGsLNTg6UDsHu-Aw_TIKo1JICe0pYf0ey1k5mTOWo3eeAZvzUntMzuMGj/s1600/2014-07-26-MVP-at-CCC-141-XL.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Sydney's butterfly progressed beautifully</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXacM7pmUkSppESJ0gvfxY3sJV0TepX-Mx1mAfNN8xhhlygjTvi2LaoCcJFjpRadtv82crSJAodqY0LrKPC1LUl1KNorQZsmr3I5ZUGvZ7BDuB20KxMxMITSQK6k3dldF-PPHUuzissT-j/s1600/2014-07-26-MVP-at-CCC-142-XL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXacM7pmUkSppESJ0gvfxY3sJV0TepX-Mx1mAfNN8xhhlygjTvi2LaoCcJFjpRadtv82crSJAodqY0LrKPC1LUl1KNorQZsmr3I5ZUGvZ7BDuB20KxMxMITSQK6k3dldF-PPHUuzissT-j/s1600/2014-07-26-MVP-at-CCC-142-XL.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">So much so that she earned a bronze time in fly at the championship meet</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhan34KJC8jWzzYdt3-li9dUjpiRDhtkusFzkIIlMOPWvYNsTwkUPCTQ2LzEO81IyPcjuMPsFmzClYEdtmVy6FVt0GVGf7HmXLOeVweuUs4atDW8zJB3ZfgPKwXnDSwMfbP_d4tNgkCtZ-v/s1600/2014-07-27-MVP-at-SH-B-Invitational-166-S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhan34KJC8jWzzYdt3-li9dUjpiRDhtkusFzkIIlMOPWvYNsTwkUPCTQ2LzEO81IyPcjuMPsFmzClYEdtmVy6FVt0GVGf7HmXLOeVweuUs4atDW8zJB3ZfgPKwXnDSwMfbP_d4tNgkCtZ-v/s1600/2014-07-27-MVP-at-SH-B-Invitational-166-S.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Lots of parental cheering</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNQaHionr9EBHHPbsTj6rpa6dEr1sxXWzwOo1NTLNDb6VY7qAHUSvDGfuy8P2Z4VqDly17vG0PqMFTSIiJSeZhML9ykLLPERtZsP8aU_1FKvO8HluSLpfUkUZBf5eOR1zqlr0KFswLR2C/s1600/IMG_8748-MVP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNQaHionr9EBHHPbsTj6rpa6dEr1sxXWzwOo1NTLNDb6VY7qAHUSvDGfuy8P2Z4VqDly17vG0PqMFTSIiJSeZhML9ykLLPERtZsP8aU_1FKvO8HluSLpfUkUZBf5eOR1zqlr0KFswLR2C/s1600/IMG_8748-MVP.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Lots of parental hugs<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0FA3yNiyfw1FQUNYvd49hIeutuDUPKjxRsrWFkED-xbu7L4AF-WPNqbxxweN5gm_5GYzWE3xzCkfFZQHFmQMeLxsUoarXaADrG8S9rcBEdSQpvoPTRXkesUYh_U6-Owiac-5-vRfVvoyi/s1600/IMG_8275-MVP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0FA3yNiyfw1FQUNYvd49hIeutuDUPKjxRsrWFkED-xbu7L4AF-WPNqbxxweN5gm_5GYzWE3xzCkfFZQHFmQMeLxsUoarXaADrG8S9rcBEdSQpvoPTRXkesUYh_U6-Owiac-5-vRfVvoyi/s1600/IMG_8275-MVP.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Lots of hair care<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I love that the kids had such a great summer and learned the lesson that good things come from hard work. Kylie wants to continue with fall swimming since she is concerned that she is moving up an age group for next summer and she really wants a gold time. Sydney wants to pursue more tennis and running in the fall. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">The awesome part is that both girls decided they wanted to do a triathlon in two weeks. I'm so proud of them for doing new things even if they are scary. So for the next two weeks, I'll be helping them "train" for a triathlon as I begin my owning triathlon training program. </span><br />
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Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-60406700434888907782014-06-18T10:38:00.000-07:002014-06-18T10:38:29.548-07:00Catfish Open Water SwimI can't really call this a race report, it's more of a I survived my first long distance open water swim report!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSNycRqxDlR3Zg4fZYD0ILHv1NOsV8utvQqBxbBmkZcRfO7YVnrZwNkxW5YxfcCQUv4FvpAMaE0UQJY3p6zsPSeVYcIlnQHFUS8UTR5NovQ3F2Shpj3bpRj4Mk6f0_FsumtwAEUK1YAqw/s1600/53705921-Pre-0020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSNycRqxDlR3Zg4fZYD0ILHv1NOsV8utvQqBxbBmkZcRfO7YVnrZwNkxW5YxfcCQUv4FvpAMaE0UQJY3p6zsPSeVYcIlnQHFUS8UTR5NovQ3F2Shpj3bpRj4Mk6f0_FsumtwAEUK1YAqw/s1600/53705921-Pre-0020.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful day for an open water swim</td></tr>
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Anyone who knows me, knows that I started swimming strictly for triathlon. I am an oddity growing up in the Lamorinda area and not being a swimmer. I'm by no means a fast swimmer but I do love it. I think I actually get more thinking done swimming than I do running, which is saying a lot. Some how or another I got talked into swimming the Trans Tahoe Relay in July. Originally, I thought it would be fun to do the 500 yard distance. Once i realized I had been talked into the relay, I was thinking maybe i should opt for the 1.2 mile swim. The deciding factor was when I talked to my masters coach and he literally laughed out loud at the 500 yard distance. He explained that 500 yards would be like a warm-up and I'd be wondering where the rest of my swim went after I was done. Alright then. </div>
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Of course Mary Sue was also swimming, because it wouldn't be fun if we didn't do it together! At the last minute one of my friends who talked me into the relay swim opted in as well. </div>
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We got to the Quarry Lakes park really early. The plus side was that we didn't have to wait in line for packet pick-up like everyone else. It was also not cold, which helped with being there so early. My goal for this event was to just do it. I have swam this distance in a pool lots of times, but also means resting at the wall in between sets and chatting with folks. My biggest concern was just being able to swim the distance without stopping. I was also doing it without a wet suit since I won't be allowed to wear one for the relay. Although the water temp was so warm I imagine that anyone wearing a wet suit must have been dying of heat. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRatGD-oNlgfiHGfccF2GFYVAj8WPQgoXCZwYcz7r5yRPtkzLsJe9B3x0gNyRnD_ZLJmgBF0BS-HY59XUjAlIVUhvck10xgMPgV3zBbxGwnzBZc06HX-vtgPUu-rb6ymZGNNGySES5T3rg/s1600/Catfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRatGD-oNlgfiHGfccF2GFYVAj8WPQgoXCZwYcz7r5yRPtkzLsJe9B3x0gNyRnD_ZLJmgBF0BS-HY59XUjAlIVUhvck10xgMPgV3zBbxGwnzBZc06HX-vtgPUu-rb6ymZGNNGySES5T3rg/s1600/Catfish.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Krista and I ready to take 1.2 miles</td></tr>
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Our wave which consisted of all non-wet suit swimmers swimming the 1.2 and 2.4 mile swims was the last wave to go. As soon as we were sent off I quickly got dropped. I knew this would be the case, I was not racing, purely just covering the distance at a manageable pace. Thankfully, there were a few swimmers behind me so I wasn't the last person being followed by the paddle board. I found a groove and stuck with it. I was alone so much of the time that it was easy to just focus on myself and what I needed to do. Somewhere between the 3rd and 4th buoy I encountered the swimmers the wave that went off 5 minutes ahead of us. These were the wet suit swimmers. I may have been dropped by everyone in my wave, but at least I could pass a few folks. However, after swimming solo for so long, passing folks actually seemed like a workout. It was quite the relief to hit the first turn buoy. I was feeling pretty tired at this point, but I thin it was mostly from having to pass people going around the buoys. Once I hit the final turn buoy and was heading back in I felt much better. I basically started counting the buoys down, knowing that I had to pass four of them and then swim in and run up the beach. I focused on just finishing. I started to worry about my ability to actually stand up right and run up the beach. I felt good, like I could keep on swimming but standing up might be another story. As I came into the final stretch, I kicked harder mostly to move the blood around more. As I made my way in and my hands started hitting the sand with every stroke, I stood up and ran in. Running is hard after swimming that long, and running in sand after swimming that long is really, really hard. </div>
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I did it and it was fun! It made me feel much more confident to know that I could swim 1.2 miles in open water.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEEjpwL4aB1Lc-BaqkgkRjk71dQde8jiKjzEUceD5zDcpssnhX2xra_-hQCPABLWpNmg_lKl8M6UMcpe_NiTMw1by33uaIz0eij49RI_O1l4YRLp_D2YYYu4yUUaQmJltczAw220zK2g9/s1600/53705920-BC-6021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEEjpwL4aB1Lc-BaqkgkRjk71dQde8jiKjzEUceD5zDcpssnhX2xra_-hQCPABLWpNmg_lKl8M6UMcpe_NiTMw1by33uaIz0eij49RI_O1l4YRLp_D2YYYu4yUUaQmJltczAw220zK2g9/s1600/53705920-BC-6021.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfrASf4B_qYwk9-NG3ypxPP1CAEAPX54NEnI22s6BT2_JIBRI3SMCNQV586QSxM_hTkeHJankNRA89AaRmlUnmHYCcdWfKnjtei8sTqnXO6mdGSPDhWomHcdXab6OVBbdgxonTMkIjn9k/s1600/Catfish.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfrASf4B_qYwk9-NG3ypxPP1CAEAPX54NEnI22s6BT2_JIBRI3SMCNQV586QSxM_hTkeHJankNRA89AaRmlUnmHYCcdWfKnjtei8sTqnXO6mdGSPDhWomHcdXab6OVBbdgxonTMkIjn9k/s1600/Catfish.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
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Next up is the Moraga 4th of July Run and the Trans Tahoe Relay. I'll just keep plugging along and keep it fun.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Sue and I post swim<br />
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Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124532778260635218.post-40255492357500797322014-06-17T17:22:00.001-07:002014-06-17T17:22:58.319-07:00Mermaid Series Sprint Tri <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkqY7F08GzZENw8_HYNm7EV8JFnMlH9RxXdRb7MIitJNvSjjSQj4P7s2iJHWHtMbSzHOOa-PZMFhScejE-s9rIODS7oWBUXN7lDJGlGiny5HRmj9hiVi0hJivUdXO8xSpJD1Y6nk9bS9-/s1600/IMG_2891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxkqY7F08GzZENw8_HYNm7EV8JFnMlH9RxXdRb7MIitJNvSjjSQj4P7s2iJHWHtMbSzHOOa-PZMFhScejE-s9rIODS7oWBUXN7lDJGlGiny5HRmj9hiVi0hJivUdXO8xSpJD1Y6nk9bS9-/s1600/IMG_2891.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saturday packet pick up</td></tr>
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I was ridiculously not stressed for this race. Probably because I felt I was under prepared for it and had the mind set that I would just go have fun. I was pretty certain that I would be able to improve my swim, I assumed the bike would be worse or the same and I wasn't sure about the run. While I have made huge leaps in my running in the past year, I also knew that being under prepared on the bike could lead to a less than stellar run performance. I have found that running a small business and training for triathlon is really, really hard. Also, having a kindergartner that gets picked up at 12:20pm every day makes it really hard to squeeze it all in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuveNCskGJVUM5lYqy8h-jdGy3f2PmcX9cLxxx0Pw0Qun04hWNPteAtKiFPrZ7Se9xUgOLwesK6XP3h6_nDsyGabwmgOQ-HV-T7Zpr9lqF1wjzQwUMjcJfb6dZqLwvH-uHdiGTB_SXKzvO/s1600/my125929-03-087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuveNCskGJVUM5lYqy8h-jdGy3f2PmcX9cLxxx0Pw0Qun04hWNPteAtKiFPrZ7Se9xUgOLwesK6XP3h6_nDsyGabwmgOQ-HV-T7Zpr9lqF1wjzQwUMjcJfb6dZqLwvH-uHdiGTB_SXKzvO/s1600/my125929-03-087.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exiting the swim</td></tr>
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It's hard to do a Mermaid event and not be excited, so by the time race morning came around I was excited and ready to jump in the water sans wet suit. Since I am training for the Trans Tahoe Relay I've been trying to suck it up and will not be using my wet suit this summer. When it was my wave start I headed down the ramp bravely and with the help of some volunteers got my feet wet and then dove in and immediately thought "holy shit, that's cold!" I just started swimming out to the start buoy to try and warm up and by the time I reached the buoy I was fine and warmed up. Much to my surprise it was very easy to float at the start line, I didn't even need to tread water, I was pretty relaxed. After a count down the horn blew and we are off. The folks in front of me seemed to have a delay in their start so I was on some feet right at the start and before I knew it they had dropped me. I focused on my swim and staying on course. The conditions were so much better this year, but I did still feel like I was being pushed out towards the bay, so a couple of times I had to redirect. I felt really comfortable on the swim, really comfortable sighting and most importantly really comfortable without my wet suit. I did have the thought that my swim coach would be going crazy if he could me swimming with my head not as fully submerged as he would like it, but I kind of needed to in order to stay on course. I always have a good reason for swimming with my head up. As I approached the final buoy and made the turn to swim into shore it occurred to me that I was not getting any help from the current like I did last year, it seemed to take forever. I was very excited to be assisted up to the swim ramp and to have the volunteers say "Wow, no wet suit, you're hardcore!" It made me laugh. I made way up the very steep ramp and ran into transition.<br />
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Swim time: 11:13, a 47 second PR from last years swim. 12/38 AG<br />
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As I made my way to the bike the first order of business was to get socks and shoes on. I felt a little dizzy as I tried to get everything on and was pleased when I did this without falling over. Next was my sunglasses and helmet. As I tried to unrack my bike, my seemingly great end spot was no longer great. I really couldn't get my bike out. People had decided to throw their bikes along the side of transition so I was now boxed in. The two bikes to my right had tons of stuff and gear bags, it was ridiculous. I made the decision that I was going to have to back my bike out over this woman's gear bag but her bike was so close to mind and being on the end I didn't have anywhere to maneuver. I'm not even sure how I got out except that I had to lift my bike up and over her stuff and practically run her over as she was sitting down trying to get her wet suit off. It was a disaster and basically cost me all of the time in transition I had saved by not wearing a wet suit. Oh well.<br />
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T1 Time: 1:55, a 19 second PR. 4/38 AG<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikD3PKcLGQ-NvCT95LmAQCei36U14-eiAGmFkIrSQQ-A_quniQY_pkyV6aJXYYRXB0DZ0OGgEBaZ7AzXDlrDrDsBma39twVgJvrE82xLOKy6psPTYBW9IZ-bLOHRxhHLpRwdBHgeB2-Gf/s1600/my125929-05-652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikD3PKcLGQ-NvCT95LmAQCei36U14-eiAGmFkIrSQQ-A_quniQY_pkyV6aJXYYRXB0DZ0OGgEBaZ7AzXDlrDrDsBma39twVgJvrE82xLOKy6psPTYBW9IZ-bLOHRxhHLpRwdBHgeB2-Gf/s1600/my125929-05-652.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">heading out on the bike course</td></tr>
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I was just glad to be out on the bike course. I tried to get my bearings and take in some nutrition on the early part of bike where the course is smooth. I felt relatively good on the bike but was trying to pace myself knowing that the ride out to the turn around is easier than the ride back typically do to wind. I tried not to get too excited at the turn around for the first loop knowing that I would need to complete a second loop of the course. Amazingly I was still very good. Even as I headed out on the second loop I was amazed at how good I felt on the bike, I guess that last bike adjustment I had done really was paying off. Since I was feeling so good, I kept up the pace and hoped I would still have something left for the run. As I came back in towards the bike dismount line, I unclipped and got out of my saddle a little early. I would rather have a little bit further to run with the bike than crash at the dismount line. I'm really not that skilled with this part as of yet. Feeling really good about my bike I rain into transition and racked my bike.<br />
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Bike time: 48:58, 4.16 PR. 28/38 Still a slow cyclist, but damn!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWF1faxqxi7uY2Zv3m0kyzVhL4E2mgaDEVboEH_gv3vlCNLrQPJTW3cVVgWQCVWXjUCAD-uLkXUK6a_AdowNhIdkdz6Y5Oobusdz1mtVWclPCwEGTt_MxgpJPlkf07EpwMvbtYiQ3Szin/s1600/my125929-06-559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWF1faxqxi7uY2Zv3m0kyzVhL4E2mgaDEVboEH_gv3vlCNLrQPJTW3cVVgWQCVWXjUCAD-uLkXUK6a_AdowNhIdkdz6Y5Oobusdz1mtVWclPCwEGTt_MxgpJPlkf07EpwMvbtYiQ3Szin/s1600/my125929-06-559.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Determined to have a good bike ride</td></tr>
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The second transition is always my best, thanks to Molly and all of her great tips! I threw my shoes on, grabbed my visor, gel and race number and ran. I had my visor and number on as I crossed over the transition mat onto the run. Here we go!<br />
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T2 Time :58, 4 second PR. 1/38 AG<br />
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Okay legs, it was time to prove what you are capable of off of the bike. My calves were pretty tight and I tried to take in a gel, but the rest of my body wasn't having it. I forced about 1/2 of it down before I tossed it in the trash along the course. It seems daunting when you see people running to the finish line and you are just heading out on your run. But I was already having a great day, I new I had PR'd the swim and bike and I was hoping for a solid run to earn an overall PR for the day. It was starting to get hot and I was desperate for some fluids. I just kept chugging along to I would hopefully find an aid station. I kept looking at my average pace is shock and was sure there was something wrong with my watch. Really, I couldn't possibly be running sub 10 minute miles off the bike. I tried to just ignore my watch. Last year, the run was really painful and I walked portions of it out of sheer exhaustion. I told myself if I just kept running and never walked I could PR the run portion and have a great day. Just keep running, that's what i kept telling myself. After awhile my calves loosened up and started to feel better. With about 1/2 mile to go that familiar cramp on the inside of the knee started to twitch. I only get this during tri's. I know it's a result of under training for the bike. I simply told it to shut up as we were almost done, that actually seemed to work. I was super happy to be approaching the finish line and there is nothing better than hearing the race announcer call your name as you cross the finish line. She even gave a shout out to <a href="http://trisports.com/" target="_blank">Trisports.com </a> since I was wearing my super spiffy Trisports kit!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOELcP0SLeaMtoeL5efSLRtkZp2uJsuxU7W9ivTlL25Ppisx3RQrBW0Bg9EerRQloesCgGczkYmL6AfyeTN2yP79ukbcHEZ-EQWf9T5ghi_bLhtGS5TU9zhlbLX-CPQ4WZB3q_SSrGgM_B/s1600/my125929-11-215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOELcP0SLeaMtoeL5efSLRtkZp2uJsuxU7W9ivTlL25Ppisx3RQrBW0Bg9EerRQloesCgGczkYmL6AfyeTN2yP79ukbcHEZ-EQWf9T5ghi_bLhtGS5TU9zhlbLX-CPQ4WZB3q_SSrGgM_B/s1600/my125929-11-215.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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Run Time 24:37, 3:48 PR. 18/38 AG<br />
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Overall Time 1:27:41 a 9:14 course PR.<br />
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I'm not going to lie, I was pretty amazed with my performance. I told myself I wanted to go out and have fun and not be stressed. Amazingly, I managed to do that and have a great race while doing it.<br />
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I've been going back and forth all year trying to decide if I really want to continue in triathlon, if I really have the time to devote to all three sports. After I crossed the finish line the answer became yes. Fitting it all in is difficult and even though I didn't fit it all in that successfully, I had a great time. To me, that's the most important part. If and when the day comes that it's no longer fun, then I won't do it anymore.<br />
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For now, it's on to the next crazy "I probably can't do this, but I'm going to try anyway event". I'll be swimming (I hope) 1.2 miles this weekend. Wish me luck!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proud to be part of the TriSports.com team! </td></tr>
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<br />Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14113424141902721834noreply@blogger.com0