Testing and the ABCs

This past week was a tough one, I did a 10 mile road race, my swim time trial and my bike power test, along with everything else and all my other training thrown into the mix. As noted in my previous blog I did fairly well on the Black Cat 10 miler, 8:19 pace, so its a start and I'm happy with that.

On thursday I had to do a 1000 pull TT in the pool after a good warm up. Of course I screwed it up and instead of using a buoy I used my paddles. I finished the 1000 in 14:19, coach told me to add 3 sec per 100 using the paddles, so if I do that it comes out to 14:49, well, it doesn't completely suck, still lots of work to do in the pool and based on only 1-2 sessions a week I'll take that time.

On saturday I had my bike power test, after a good warm up of 40 minutes it was 4 x 5 minutes with only 1 1/2 minutes of recovery in between. The goal was to start each interval at my low end of V02 max and then build by 10-15 watts for each minute, that was for set 1+2, then to take my average wattage from the first two sets and start there for my 3rd and build and then go all out for #4. Well, my total average was 246.5watts for the whole 20 minutes. The breakdown was, 245, 247, 245, 250. Not bad, I'll take it.

Anyway, I'm still pretty tired coming off the bike, I'm trying to keep my cadence up around 88-93 so I'm still working on this area. I have a terrific new training partner who I've started working with that has similar training times as me and we know how to push each other so I'm really greatful, thanks Maris.

Anyway, things are working itself along and the season is just around the corner, its crazy. I'm getting excited.

Here are my ABCs:
Age: 42

Bed size:-King

Chore you dislike: unloading the dishwasher and putting away laundry- when you do as much as I do you would understand

Dog: Just put him to sleep, hopefully getting a new one in the spring

Essential start of the day: tea or coffee, water and brushing my teeth

Favorite color: royal blue

Gold or silver: neither but if I had to choose silver

Height: 5'5:

Instruments you play: I played the flute for years

Job title: Mom, wife, coach, Nurse Practitioner

Kids: 4- 3 boys and 1 girl

Live: Beverly Mass

Mom's name: Linda

Nickname: Donna D

Overnight hospital stay: birth of 4 babies and an ACL repair

Pet peeves: not flushing the toilet, not replacing the toilet paper roll when done, not sending thank you notes

Quote from a movie: " Its in the hole"- Caddyshack, " You can't handle the truth"- A few Good men, " Baby Fish mouth, exercist baby"- When Harry Met Sally. " It's not over, was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Germans? Quiet, he's on a roll"- Animal House

Righty or lefty: righty

Siblings: 1 brother older by 15 months

Time you wake up: 6am during the week, 4a-5:30am on the weekends

Underwear: I'm very picky about what kind I wear, I hate wedgies

Vegetables I don't like: beets

What makes you run late: I try to fit everything in every minute of the day, I over estimate or I should say, underestimate how long it will take to get somewhere- it makes me late.

Xrays: knees, mouth, breasts

Yummy food you make: chicken pot pie, vegetable chili, carrot ginger soup, grilled swordfish

Zoo animal favorites: I love all the cats, Lions, Cheetahs, pumas, tigers, etc.. I think they are absolutely beautiful. Its amazing how an animal can be so beautiful and deadly at the same time.

Black Cat 10 miler

So today was a good day, not a PR but a good day. I haven't run an open road race in over 2 years so I thought since I'm trying to rebuild my run and get stronger on this front I needed to add some road races into the mix. Unfortunately, in the fall I was suffering from severe plantar fascitis and I couldn't do the trail marathon I wanted to do and my running really didn't start building until late november, early December. I have only done a handful of speed sessions and a few tempos, otherwise most of my runs have been at a extensive/intensive pace ( 8:45-9:05 pace). AFter my plantar fascitis resolved my right hamstring started aching again and acting weird ( tight) so with all the bad weather we were having and the black ice and large snow banks I have spent a significant amount of time running on a treadmill and not outside. As you runners know that is not ideal and ones legs need the wear and tear of the road to really get your groove on. However, that being said its what I could do and I made the best of it and worked as hard as I could without tweaking my hamstring and getting hurt further.

So with that being said I went into today with not a ton of expectations except that I wanted to run, I wanted to feel strong and I wanted to pace myself in a way that I could go faster if I wanted in the last few miles. Well, since my Garmin bit the big one last night and my friend got sick so I didn't bring my Ipod I went solo into the race accept my ironman watch to check my splits ( which I only did 3x). The weather was perfect, a bit chilly to begin with, slight drizzle a bit windy and then a brief glimpse of the sun. The course was great, some flats, some gradual inclines and some good hills thrown into the mix to make you honest ( not too big though). I was thinking if I hit an Average of 8:20-8:30 and felt good I was doing something, well, I did an 8:19 average with the last two miles being around 8:05's, so their must of been a few miles that I must of dropped a bit below 8:20, oh well. I knew at mile 8 I was still feeling good and I had some speed left so I just picked up my cadence and started to run without completely going out of my zone. i watched my form, tried to get good extension out of my legs, took in my gel and my water and finished strong in 1:23. Now, this isn't a PR for me but it isn't too far off from it and given my running at this point and in March I am very encouraged that I am getting back and that a sub 8 min 1/2 marathon is coming my way this year. My goal is also to make my open running time very close to my triathlon run time, so I'm going to work with coach a lot this season on this.

Anyway, 7/85 in my age division, not bad. Congrats to all my friends who ran today, Brooke, Erica, Kim, Betsy, Pete, Sharon and thanks to B&S fitness, Brandi, Steve, Ashley, Jeremee,Greg, Emily for doing a great job with the first Annual Black Cat. Way to go.

Utah 2011.mov

Click here to view this video

Ski Utah and other little things...

We had so much fun in Utah skiing this february vacation, the kids are really motoring down the hills with good form, they are able to ski both powder and groomed trails, its just fun. But I will say it was hard to find lifts that would accomodate all 6 of us so we always had to split up, that was fine but it was always fun to find the big ones.

The boys are fearless creatures, flying down the mountain, Shea is conservative but she can go down anything, and CAde, well, not much turning going on just a speed demon bombing down the mountain, we still have to keep a good eye on him, the problem is I can't catch him, he goes too fast on the groomers so Phil has to do that. Anyway, it was great to get away and enjoy the outdoors and be outside even in the cold for 7+ hours a day. I was able to keep my workout schedule on track except they had no pool to really swim in, they had an outdoor pool with a temperature of 95 degrees, so I'm a bit behind on the swim front, we'll get it back. Anyway, still trying to catch up on mail, laundry and house cleaning on top of the kids sports and my workouts, it can be crazy but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Happy 5th Birthday little man

I can't believe its been 5 years since I had my last baby, it seemed like I was pregnant for so long ( which I was, 4 kids in 4 years) but to not be pregnant for 5 years and have no other little ones running around seems so weird for me. I do look at my son and think, " Wow, when you were 4 last year I couldn't imagine having 3 little babies under him, which is what I had done", so surreal.

He had his first real " friends" birthday this past weekend, so much fun to have him playing with his friends and really establishing his own identity away from his brothers and sister, he's growing up. He's so beautiful inside and out, at times he's a little devil but all in all for, " Number 4" isn't there a movie now about #4, he's just fine.

What's also surreal about my little man turning 5 is that about 4 months after he was born I started my life back into fitness and losing weight and trying to get back into shape. I remember my mom coming to my first triathlon after having Cade ( the JCC in Marblehead) and I had to nurse him before going into the pool to swim and then by the time I was almost finished with the run my boobs were so big and he was getting so fussy, all he wanted was to eat. Boy was I happy to feed him after the race. I won't give you the gory details of what happened after unzipping the tri suit, does, " Niagara Falls ring a bell". Anyway, it seems so far away but still so fresh in my mind. I look back at pictures and I also remember racing that day at a nice weight of, " 177lbs". My max pregnancy weight was 210 and I'm now consistently around 139-140. I'm very proud of maintaining this weight and I'm very proud that after having 4 babies I was able to get the weight off and enjoy becoming an adult onset athlete.

I want to thank my 5 year old for lighting the fire in my gut and up my butt to get my ass in gear and get in shape. There are so many reasons why I love this little man and this is just one of many.

Happy 5th Birthday Cade. Mommy loves you.

Saying goodbye to Kota

I was taking Kota out for his nightly walk tonight when I noticed something red on his lame leg, I brought him into the house and noticed that there was a big bloody mass protruding from his knee and that most likely it is his tumor. I immediately started to cry knowing that this really was it, that no matter how else he might be feeling the cancer has taken over and its time to say goodbye. I can clean it up with all my nursing prowess and keep nice saline wet to dry dressings on his mass but in the end it is cancer and its only going to get worse. Right now he isn't suffering, he is eating and playing and still smiling, its time. I will let his day be his normal day with his friends tomorrow morning but I will spend quality time with him until we bring him in tomorrow night. I don't know how I am going to be but right now I feel such an emptiness in my heart and only wish I could have more time with him.

To my amazing dog Kota, you have given us 10+ years of love and joy, chewed up decks, dug up holes, missing underwear and socks all to come out in your poop the next day, you have suffered through the bloat, a splenectomy, ACL repair and urinary incontinence but you have given us all of your love and I will never, ever forget you. You were my first child that I had to take care of, my first real responsibility, you taught me how to love and to care, thank you.

We love you Kota.

It's been crazy around this place......

Life has just been crazy since Christmas around this house.
With all the snow storms and school snow days, the pneumonias, the flus, the stomach bugs, the stitches, the ER visits, the part-time non-profit job, the husband going away for ~ 12 days in January, lets just say mommy is a little bit stretched out. Did I also mention my dog getting diagnosed with terminal cancer, the wetting of multiple beds, the leaky windows, the burst water pipe that leaked into my kitchen and my washer and dryer smoking and not working ( did I say I do at least 10-15 loads of laundry a week). I've almost reached the end of my rope, I haven't even slept through the night in I don't know how long. I'm tired....

I feel bad my kids have had a tough winter with sicknesses, I love them to pieces but this has been really hard on everyone. Trying to keep 4 kids happy when they are sick at home, unable to go out is hard. We don't have computer games, DS's or anything like that, we try not to watch too much TV in this house so board games, playing outside, listening to music, reading and art projects are what we do. I am at my last rope with all of these and really don't want to see Clue, Yahtzee, air hockey, ping pong and indoor soccer/basketball for along time. If my 4 cherubs would actually get along things would be different but they really don't, at least not for prolong periods of time.

So what does this mean to me, well, my workouts are mostly getting done, I can't say they are great, I miss a few here and there because I'm just so dam tired, I know I can get out to the gym when my husband gets home at 7-7:30-p but usually I just want to go to bed at that time. I usually can get up in the wee hours of the morning to bike or run but when you don't get to sleep through the night waking up at 4am just isnt appealing and my treadmill broke so I don't have one right now to run on.

I know I'm bitching and with everything going around the world these days this is so trivial, I feel almost guilty writing it. However, I get so depressed and upset with myself when I cant get in what I need from the workout front and subsequently I get frustrated with my performances, even in training. I'm almost glad that my race was rescheduled yesterday because when I ran yesterday I felt like a piece of shit and I know I would of had a subpar day on the race course.

I try not to bitch, I try to be positive but its February for goodness sake and Tri season is right around the corner. I need a break, I need some healthy karma to come my way for my family. I need my kids to beable to go to school 5 days a week both for my sanity and for theirs, I need my training to become more consistent. I'm just saying.....

Anyway, heres to all the multitasking moms out there who actually "make" it work, can you shoot me a response and tell me how you do it?