I am still alive!!

And, I kept my Ironman title this year....

I concede, that dropping the blog like a bad habit with 84 days to go was a cheap, no good, silly thing to do. But this year was an experiment, and the data is in.

I wanted to see if I could handle training, a new career, being a husband, being a dad, going to grad school, maintaining friendships, AND doing the blog. With all those balls in the air, I admit, I dropped the blog.

But, I did manage to do all the rest! Suffice it to say, the Ironman St George course is a KILLER. Hardest course I've seen, and my SLOWEST Ironman time. I finished in 16:11 and change, but like everyone else that day, super proud of finishing on an absolutely brutal course.

I'm working on a race report, we'll see how long it takes to put that together. Another semester of grad school started on Monday, so don't hold your breathe!

If you're still reading this after 3 months off... Thank you. :-)

84 Days and Counting....

This one is going to be quick, as I am beat, but didn't want to skip posting today... Was on the road for work the last 2 days, and squeaked in a run when I got home today, as it was unseasonably warm and dry in Seattle!

I haven't even mustered the energy to plug in the Garmin to get the stats, but I know I did 6 miles in 52 minutes, which puts me a little less than 9 minutes a mile. I was hoping to go longer, but I was SHOT. Not feeling sick or out of sorts, just drained. Nutrition didn't help, though! I had a Sausage McMuffin and coffee for breakfast (I hate eating on the road!), a kashi bar for lunch, and 3 more cups of coffee on the road. AWESOME!

But, I got in the run, and didn't skip... And I got some Valentine's Day shopping done for Smokin Hot Wife!! She's going to love it.... And that is all I'm going to say. She is supportive, sweet, smart, and the best mom in the world, and she sometimes reads my blog, so the suspense will drive her nuts! :-)

86 Days and Counting... I'm back!

Okay, I've been out for a while... But I can say that though my blog has suffered, my training has NOT. I've been on my game with cycling and running the past 2-plus weeks. I have also been putting to good use the Garmin Forerunner 305 that Smokin Hot Wife got me for Christmas. This thing is AWESOME! It takes some of the "iron math" out tracking the data from training, and it comes with a killer software program that automatically downloads and maps my workouts.... So easy, and great info! I've experimented with my running a little bit due to how easy it is to mix things up. So, here are my run stats for the last little while:

1/23: 3.5 miles in 32.17 minutes, avg. 9:14 minutes/mile. 427 Calories.

1/25: 7.38 miles in 1:01:33, avg. 8:20 minutes/mile. 899 calories.

1/27: 8.96 miles in 1:20:23 , avg. 8:58 minutes/mile. 1086 calories.

1/31: 6 miles in 54:00, avg. 9:00 minutes/mile. 624 calories.

2/2: 3.56 miles in 27:00, avg. 7:35 minutes/mile. 437 calories.

It also records my heart-rate, which is of interest to me, but not that interesting to the rest of the world....

Interspersed with all that is 2 swim sessions, 32 minutes each, and 9 cycling sessions between 90 and 120 minutes.

Overall, I am feeling great, and have been super happy with how my legs have responded to the running. Each of the above runs was outside on the street, not on the treadmill, which is where my running base has been so far. I was stoked with my last run, an attempt at speed work (not my strength). 7:35 minutes a mile felt good, and I felt like I could have maintained it for a few more miles. If the weather holds in Seattle, I'll be able to test my speed a little more....

I have been doing better on the bike than I thought, in terms of punching the clock. I know I need more work there, but I am more focused on it than in past races, and will work on volume a bit more going forward.

Swimming has had the least amount of focus this go around, but I am not worried about it... My last two races, I've been top 25% out of the water on the swim, which makes me comfortable. It has been tougher to get out to the pool, as I don't want to miss out on time with the Munchkin. I am pretty happy with the balance, but I know I need to find ways to sneak in pool time. It just won't be at the cost of good family time!

103 Days and Counting... And more fire!!

Okay, I may be taking the fire thing about one post too far, but the flames are funny lately....

Anyway, today was a pretty good day.

Nutrition:

-Breakfast: Cinnamon raisin bagel with peanut butter, 2 cups of coffee.

-Lunch: Shrimp and asparagus fettuccini leftovers (homemade, no less!).

-Dinner: 4 pieces of pepperoni pizza.

-Snacks: Some chile/cheese and tostitos, half a bud light (wimpy, I know).

Training:

60 minutes on the treadmill. I thought I would squeeze in a bike ride as well, but never got around to it with the munchkin, who was FULL of energy this evening!

Started watching a scary movie with SHW, but had to stop it because she was getting a little worked up... I guess it isn't a good idea to have her watch The Shining for the first time at night in a 100 year old house! :-)

Back at it tomorrow!

104 Days and Counting...

I am feeling a bit of momentum lately! I've squeaked in several sessions this week, and am not feeling like I've neglected Smokin Hot Wife, the munckin, or school...

Yesterday was a 90 minute ride, RPE 5.

Nutrition:

-Breakfast: Cinnamon Raisin Bagel with peanut butter, 2 cups of coffee.

-Lunch: 2 granola bars dipped in yogurt, one handful of trail mix.

-Dinner: Chicken Teryaki and white rice.

-Snacks: 2 cans of ensure.

I haven't gone back and calculated my total volume in the last few weeks, but I know this is the time it needs to start picking up. I haven't been too nervous about my fitness to this point, but I want to make sure I ramp it up over the next couple weeks to a higher volume. I am still glad we got the treadmill, but I am finding that this year the treadmill is more dreaded than the bike!! The bike the last few years has been my achilles heel so it is nice to feel more motivation there, but I am praying for some dry weather. Doesn't need to be warm (it's January, it won't be!), just dry enough to get outside in the neighborhood for some asphalt running mileage.

I also realize that the photo above makes me look demonic, I just didn't want to mess with the red eye in iPhoto (haven't learned that yet). Munchkin had fun talking to me while I was riding last night, and SHW snapped a quick photo!

105 Days and Counting!

So it's been a couple days since I posted, but I am proud to say the training has gone well.

-Tuesday was a 90 minute ride on the trainer, RPE 5.

-Wednesday was a 33 minute continuous swim.

Diet has been good so far as well, but I'm a few days behind so won't rehash 2 days of meals... Suffice it to say, it's been more chicken and rice than M&M's and Beer!

Legs are feeling a bit sprung this week, but in a good way. I missed this feeling, that I've pushed it a little bit in terms of volume, but that there is still more in the tank. A nice place to be 2nd week of January!

109 Days and counting... And no flames today. :-)

So a blog-buddy asked a question on my post yesterday on an issue that has to this point gone un-noticed by me... Apparently I am showing some pyro tendencies in my photos! I will claim that it is a subconscious effort for my "burning desire" to compete, and nothing more! But I will go at least one day without using a flaming photo... Instead we'll use a pic of the cutest kid ever!

On to the goods! Yesterday was a good day:

Nutrition:

-Breakfast: One Nutri Grain bar, one peanut butter granola bar, 2 cups of coffee.

-Lunch: One bowl of vegetable beef soup, goldfish crackers.

-Dinner: Two small buffalo chicken sandwiches.

-Snacks: Handful of M&M's, string cheese, and some wheat thins.

Training:

30 minute run outside, with the munchkin in the stroller. Pace was slow (9:54), HR was pretty normal for the effort (159bpm). But considering I was pushing the stroller on a pretty hilly loop, I am quite happy.

Today, I squeaked in another good day.

Nutrition:

-Breakfast: bagel with peanut butter, 2 cups of coffee.

-Lunch: Chicken/Sausage gumbo, with goldfish crackers.

-Dinner: BBQ pork, green beans and potatoes, and 3 pieces of corn bread.

-Snacks: Handful of M&M's, wheat thins, and string cheese.

Training:

-30 minute run at 6.5 mph.

-Off to complete a 60 minute ride at RPE 4...

Happy Training!

110 days and... Christmas!

WOW! Another long layoff... The holidays certainly are glorious, but it makes it WAY too easy to lose track of training!

We are back, and hoping (planning, rather) on picking up the focus again. I hate to say it, but I kind of expected to drop off my training around Christmas. We had our annual Christmas Eve party with the gang, a quiet holiday as a family, and then had my mom visit for a week between Christmas and New Years. Overall, a WONDERFUL time!

It also served as a good mental break going into training in 2010, and yesterday was an awesome restart. Good diet, good training...

Nutrition:

-Breakfast: 2 nutri grain bars, 2 cups of coffee.

-Lunch: Can of chicken/sausage gumbo, goldfish crackers.

-Dinner: Hamburger and some Fritos.

-no snacks today (working off chocolate and beer from the break!).

Training:

-90 minutes on the bike, RPE 5, solid spinning effort, good cadence.

-30 minute treadmill run, 6.5mph.

-Lots of stretching!

Today is going to be an OUTDOOR RUN! I am excited, as it seems Seattle has dried out for about 24 hours... This afternoon we'll bundle up the munchkin and get some fresh air in the jogging stroller. It will also give me a chance to try out the new gift from SHW, a Garmin Forerunner 305!!

I lost my previous GPS unit in an unfortunate car accident (okay, I left it on the roof of my Jeep when I was driving to a bike ride and it got smashed in the street). This one has more features, is more user friendly, and is SMALL! I am stoked... And kudos again to SHW for being awesome. :-)

Here's hoping you all gave/got what you wanted to for the season, and are focused going into 2010!

127 Days and Counting... GO UTES!!

Monday and Tuesday were off days... Not by design, just out of last minute changes in plans. Was feeling sick, got busy with work and housework, and just lost my mojo! Tough time of year to try and get into the routine, but I am glad I am trying a race earlier in 2010. It's a new wrinkle, and it really isn't bad to be training with all the awesome food temptations that come with the season!

Today, I got on the dreadmill for 30 minutes, 7mph after a "subtle" reminder from SHW that it has been a few days... I love that! She laughs in my face every time I try to talk her into a full IM, but she never lets me slack for long. :-)

It was also a joyous day in our household, as the University of Utah beat Cal in their bowl game!! 9 straight bowl wins, and a great way to close out the season... It was also gratifying to see that the PAC10 is 0-2 in their bowls so far, and the MWC is 3-0.

But the BCS works GREAT. It works almost as well as a drunk ironman, anyway.

My diet, as mentioned, has NOT been great the last week or so. SHW had her 27th (ish) birthday and we went out for a bottle of wine, and some awesome Italian. Veal parmegana, fried calimari, fried zuchini, cheesecake, and creme brulee. Cookies at home don't help, and we're currently working on a 5lb. bag of M&M's. Tomorrow is our annual Christmas Eve bash with the gang and their kiddos. Wing Dome, chocolate fondue, chips and dip, with plenty of beer and wine.

This is not a recipe for success! But it is a recipe for a great holiday season, and a pretty good reminder of what we have to be thankful for... Good friends, good family, good food to share with them.

I likely won't be posting tomorrow, so happy holidays to all! I hope you have fun with friends and family, and take some time off of whatever training takes up your days!

130 Days and LAZY!

Not about training, about blogging... What's happened to me!? I used to be so good about my daily ramblings... Wait, no I wasn't. I guess I just wasn't this BAD! So, to catch you up:

Friday was a 50 minute ride, 10 minute run.

Saturday was a 30 minute run.

Sunday was a 65 minute ride, 20 minute run.

Monday was off.

As is the custom this time of year, the diet kind of takes a hit. My meals have been fine, but the cookies and the chocolates in between meals? They are awesome (and hard to decline!).


Some of my delay in posting is due to some good news our family got at the end of last week, that has been a bit distracting... I've kicked around the idea of grad school for the last couple years, and stumbled across a really great program at a great school. Wasn't sure I qualified academically, but after all my stuff was reviewed, I got the call Friday morning... I'll be a student at Gonzaga University, beginning January 12th!

I know this is another big commitment, and I am not sure if I'll do full IM after St. George in May (we'll see how this year goes), but I know I will at least do 70.3 races.... I can't give up cold turkey!! What else will I blog about? :-) If this year goes well with time management, we'll keep up the full IM schedule, but it is honestly a question mark for me now. I think subconciously I want to see how this year goes with a more modest training load (read: training as little as possible!), and if the race is still fun.

I think it will be. :-)

134 Days and Counting... And keeping it in the family!

Ironman is definitely and individual effort on race day, but I consider it a team sport... The only reason I've finished is because Smokin Hot Wife, my mom, my kid sister, and all the other friends/family that either show up at the race or support the habit. It takes a ton of good people in your corner to get through it all, and I am very appreciative of all the great folks who help me move along...

Tonight, the munchkin got her first chance to REALLY help Daddy with his training! It can be a LOT of time away from family if you don't plan your training well, and since I don't want to miss anything at home, I'm often on the treadmill or trainer instead of going outside. Granted the weather helps with that decision, but it is fun to be able to do this crazy stuff and still be within sightline of my girls!

Tonight, baby and I did 55 minutes on the trainer (see above), followed by a 10 minute treadmill run at 1.1 miles (Daddy did that one solo, munchkin doesn't walk so good yet).

Life... is good. :-)

135 Days and Counting...

Traveling for work today, so my workout was "hotel based." Read that as "a highly unfulfilling run on a 15 year old treadmill because the pool was smaller than a kitchen sink, thus unfit for lap swimming."

But, punching the clock again this week, just like we're supposed to!

Yesterday was a 30 minute swim, RPE 4. Arms felt GREAT. I also had one of my buffalo chicken sandwiches for lunch... Probably why the swim went so well!

Today was a 20 minute run on the hotel dreadmill, RPE 6, higher speed/intensity to make up for the shorter time (hotel gyms suck).

Ate pretty well today, but as is the habit after being on the road all day, dinner was a small step backwards. :-)

-Breakfast: Bowl of granola, 2 cups of coffee.

-Lunch: Last of the buffalo chicken from this weekend (only made 5 sandwiches this go around, instead of the 30 or so from last time!).

-Snacks: drank 1 can of mtn. dew on the road trip, and a chocolate chip cookie

-Dinner: Steak and baked potato, with a HUGE pile of broccoli, and 1 Bud Light.


Had a chance to talk to Smokin Hot Wife and the munchkin on the phone before everyone's bedtime(daddadababababphluupupfpppfpfpfpfffff), and now blogging my insanely exciting life for the world.

Today, was a good day. :-)

137 Days and Counting.... I'm back!!

WOW! After I promised I wouldn't bail out and take weeks at a time off of updating you what I ater for breakfast, I went and did it again...

SO MUCH has happened since my last post! Okay, not really. I have been pretty consistent on the treadmill (moved up to 40 and 60 minute runs 3-4 times a week, from 30 and 40 minute runs), and eating well (oh yeah, more buffalo chicken sandwiches this week!).

I finally got the bike set up this weekend as well (it took long enough), and got in a ride today. 50 minutes of mixed effort (easy spin, hills, moderate effort) followed by a 9:30 mile on the treadmill. Gotta make sure I don't forget how the legs work coming off the bike!

Only two real things of consequence mentioning today other than training.

1. I did try to convince another person to run an Ironman, a weekly occurrance for which I have had to apologize to a few strangers and relatives.

2. I wrote our Christmas letter! I had put if off for about 2 weeks, but got it done so Smokin Hot Wife can get the World's Cutest Christmas cards out into the mail.

Back on the Wagon, see you tomorrow!

156 Days and Counting!

Happy Thanksgiving Faithful Readers!

I've been out the last few days, and picked up a cold along the way... Not much for training this week, save for 60 minutes of running on the dreadmill. Other than that, it has been light eating (soup, crackers, and OJ), and relaxing.

That is about it for triathlon today; in the cheesy spirit of the holiday, I'll simply list the things that I am thankful for, in no particular order. As is my style, I am mixing the sincere with the silly, but I truly am thankful for all of this, and more.

-Smokin Hot Wife (SHW).

-The fact that SHW graciously allows me to refer to her as SHW all over the inter-web.

-The fact that SHW makes me smile whenever I think of her, how she knows what I like to eat for dinner, that she appreciates all my weird habits (including triathlon), her absolute honesty about everything, and what a fantastic mother she is to our munchkin.

-Cutest munckin ever, who always looks up and smiles in a way that makes you almost want to cry.

-A wonderful home, when so many go without even a roof over their head.

-The new roof we put on our house this past year, so now it doesn't rain inside on my family, like it did last year (we are in Seattle).

-Really good friends, new and old.

-Facebook. Seriously, it has helped find many of those Friends, new and old. It also lets me shamelessly brag about my baby girl to the world, complete with video evidence of her cuteness.

-The fact that some people actually read my blog. This is a labor of love, and not that pretty most days. I know, a stupid countdown in the title of my posts is NOT creative, but I am trapped by my habit.

-Smokin Hot Wife.

-Buffalo Chicken. Did you really think I would leave that out?!

-My parents. Taught me a LOT about being a good person, and continue to make sure that I remember you never STOP trying to be a good person.

-Every one of my sisters (there are 4).

-The fact that I never had a brother; I wouldn't appreciate my sisters as much.

-Smokin Hot Wife.

-Okay, maybe a brother would have been cool.

-Education, and the opportunity to make my life what I want it to be. I am not a victim of circumstance.

-Ironman. It saved me from myself.

-Treadmills and indoor bike trainers. Seattle is awesome, but it sucks for outdoor sports 6 months out of the year.

-The History Channel.

-Our Military, Police, EMS, and Teachers. All of them allow weenies like me to do things like blog about my hobby, with the type of safety and security that most of the world only dreams about.

-Awesome In-Laws.

-Crossing guards. Likely wouldn't have made it through puberty without them.

-Smokin Hot Wife.

-A country where we can argue, bitch and complain about politics, religion, health care, race, gender, sexuality, taxes, morality, technology, and anything else under the sun we feel like picking a fight over.... but still realize at the end of the day we wouldn't want to be anywhere else. And despite what the rest of the world thinks of us, they still keep showing up here!

-Canada. Also a great place!! I'm serious, I love it there. America should do less Canada bashing, and learn a few things.

-Did I mention Smokin Hot Wife?

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

161 Days and Counting...

Quick post today... I am TIRED! I have no reason for posting a picture of a 747, it was just the first picture I came across in my files. I took it at the Anchorage, AK airport last year. I like airplanes, what can I say?

I did manage to get on the treadmill for 30 minutes today while the munchkin took a nap... She has a bit of a cold this weekend, and so has been a good napper. Two 2-hour naps today!

I ate fine today (an unnamed sandwich, WAS part of my diet), but added a couple beers. Smokin Hot Wife went out for girls night, so a buddy came over to watch some football this evening. For dinner, he and I had... Beef and Bean Burritos. They were awesome.

I am hoping to get the bike set up next week, and start getting some indoor "mileage" on the trainer. It is time to start riding!

Also, I took some advice, and I flushed the last of my chicken down the toilet. :-)

163 Days and Counting....

Training:


30 minutes swimming, continuous.





Nutrition:


2 nutri-grain bars, 1 can of ensure, 2 packets of fruit snacks, 2 peices of buffalo chicken pizza, 1 buffalo chicken sandwich, 2 chocolate chip cookies.








HOW IN THE HELL DO I STILL HAVE BUFFALO CHICKEN LEFTOVERS?!?!?





Maybe a better question is, why am I still enjoying the leftovers? I am totally NOT sick of my creation, so can't emphasize enough that it is a winner.... If you like chicken, buffalo, and sandwiches.





I think tomorrow I am going to try a buffalo chicken omelette.

However, I feel the need to post something triathlon related today, so I am going to pry myself away from the crock pot for a few minutes





I am getting the urge to race. We got handful of silly race fliers in the mail yesterday; they weren't even addressed to my wife and I, but rather to the someone with the odd name of "Current Resident." I don't know who "Current Resident" is (I don't even know if its a he or a she), but we get lots of his/her mail. The race fliers were for some Thanksgiving Day races in Seattle, and for a "Marathon Maniacs" club. As my Smokin Hot Wife was getting ready to throw them in the recycle bin... I asked her to save them. :-)





So, maybe a few intermediate races to keep the winter interesting! Seattle Half Marathon is in a week and a half, 12k's of Christmas in Kirkland, Mercer Island Half Marathon in March... I'll need to add a few race sites under my A and B links!

164 Days and Counting... And a Recipe?

Today is the Better Homes & Gardens edition of HappyIronman... As a foil to the usual workout/food babbling, I'll share the much-hyped Buffalo Chicken recipe. I am fantasizing that I'm publishing it "due to overwhelming demand," so thanks to both of you who asked for it! :-)

First, today's stats...

Training:

30 minutes on the treadmill, 6mph, 3% incline. I didn't have a long day today or yesterday, but I fancied this a bit of a "recovery" run. Nice and easy, and just getting back into the habit of punching the clock every day.

Nutrition:

2 nutri-grain bars, 1 can of ensure, 3 packets of fruit snacks, 2 peanut butter granola bars, 1 handful of wheat thins, 2 chocolate chip cookies, buffalo chicken sandwich, 1 bottle of gatorade (16.9 oz), 1 can of sprite.

Now to channel my inner Rachel Ray...

Ingredients:

-2-3lbs of boneless chicken breasts (I used 3 lbs, and it was too much for 2 adults; we still have leftovers)

-1 packet of powdered ranch dressing mix (.5 or .59 oz size)

-One 12oz bottle of Frank's Wing sauce (really, any wing sauce will do, but I found this at Fred Meyer, and Buffalo medium worked great; next time it's HOT!)

-Hoagie buns

-Crumbled blue cheese

Toss the bottle of wing sauce into the crock pot, and stir in the ranch dressing mix.

Drop in the chicken, and cook on low for ~6 hours (I did 7 for 3lbs.).

After ~6 hours, shred the chicken with 2 forks, and cook for an addition 1.5-2 hours on low.

When ready to scoop chicken onto buns, be prepared for not much liquid left in the pot; most of mine absorbed/evaporated, but it was NOT dry. We hit the sweet spot with timing.

Top with blue cheese crumbles.

Enjoy leftovers for approximately 2-3 weeks.

165 Days and... Buffalo Chicken

You read that title right.... Buffalo chicken. I will explain in a moment, but first the stats.

Training:

31 minutes swimming; 2 minute warmup, and 29 minutes continuous, RPE 4 (rate of perceived exertion, for the new readers).

Nutrition:

2 nutri-grain bars, 2 peanut butter granola bars, 4 packages of fruit snacks, 2 handfuls of trail mix (cashews, almonds, peanuts, raisins, M&M's), 2 pieces of buffalo chicken pizza.

Okay, so now about the chicken... A few days ago I wrote about SHW and I are growing our curiosity with cooking, and doing much more at home. I am currently infatuated with the slow-cooker, aka CROCK POT. Part of that infatuation is that there is a laziness factor with the crock pot, and I think that appeals to my Manly side. Basically, I can put some BBQ sauce and some raw meat in the crock pot, turn it on, and in 8 hours I have a main dish for dinner. AWESOME!!

I actually put more effort into making something GOOD when I use my current tool of choice, but it isn't a complicated proposition. This last Saturday, I hit the absolute JACKPOT with my crock pot creativity. In several posts, I've mentioned the Wing Dome, a great wings & beer joint 1 mile from our house. Quite literally, a place where the wait staff knows us and our friends by name, and where our kids (the ones who can talk) also know the wait staff by name (it is pretty awesome to walk into a bar and have a 3 year old wave at the bartender and yell "Hi Jill!").

As you would imagine, we like wings. So, I tried a recipe for buffalo chicken sandwiches on Saturday, and it turned out AMAZING. Great flavor, not too spicy, and an awesome sandwich (also 578 calories per very generous serving, if you were interested).

Thing is, I think I made too much. Our meals this week:

Saturday: Buffalo chicken sandwiches

Sunday: Buffalo chicken sandwich for lunch, Buffalo chicken Pizza for dinner

Monday: Buffalo chicken sandwich for dinner

Tuesday: Buffalo chicken pizza for dinner

After all that, I still have more chicken in the fridge. I only started with a total of 3lbs., but I am starting to feel a little like I turned 7 fish and 2 loaves of bread into.... Buffalo chicken for 3,000 (I realize that may be blasphemous, but I say it in fear of how I managed to do this, not with pride).

I will again have sandwiches tomorrow for dinner, and probably Thursday and Friday as well. A normal person would be sick from lack of variety, but I am actually enjoying it. How many times at the Dome have I wished I could just eat wings for every meal?!

But if I get into next week, and I STILL have chicken left, I am going to be in serious need of religious guidance.

Or my own reality TV show...

167 Days and Counting....

After our early start yesterday, we did manage to get on the treadmill... So, stats for yesterday and today.

Training:

30 minutes on the treadmill, 6mph, 2.5% incline yesterday.

35 minutes on the treadmill today, 6.6 mph, 3% incline.

We are both a little frazzled (Smokin Hot Wife and me) with our latest chapter in child rearing. We are trying to get the munchkin to put herself to sleep at night, and get used to waking up, then putting herself BACK to sleep. She has been a champ in every new stage she's entered, and this has been no exception. But, last night and tonight were a litte rougher than normal!

The Bug isn't much of a crier (she's pretty happy all the time), so when she does cut lose and cry, it absolutely breaks your heart! She is actually able to put herself to sleep, it is just a rough 10 or so minutes for mom and dad until she does....

In other news, I was trying to nominate myself for Housewife of the Year today. While SHW was at work today, I cleaed the kitchen, did 3 loads of laundry, cooked dinner, got my treadmill session knocked out, baked chocolate chip cookies, and did some grocery shopping.

I, haz mad skillz.

168 Days and Counting...

With the weekend arriving, I thought I would be able to get up early today, and get in some treadmill time before the rest of the family got up! I am not regularly a "morning person" when it comes to training, but I am finding it easier recently to get some mileage in in the morning... Having a baby girl whose body clock that in no way resembles that of an adult with a career may have something to do with that! :-) But the odd hours practice has been good for me, and I've been able to capitalize on it.

But today, I only got half of the equation... I just got up early! She fell asleep at 6pm yesterday (2 hours before bedtime), and slept straight through til about 415 this morning. Momma fed her breakfast, and then went back to sleep (she works today), so Daddy took over! And in true baby fashion, once I had 2 cups of coffee to wake up 100%.... The little bug fell back asleep!

So instead of treadmill time this morning I am using the uninterrupted quiet to catch up on all sorts of important things..... Like 7 episodes of SportsCenter, playing games on Facebook, blogging, and shopping for my dream triathlon bike (which only costs $13,987, but is more advanced, and faster than the space shuttle).

I also started doing something to prepare for training season that I realized would be odd to the uninitiated... I started shopping for my running shoes. Not that I don't HAVE running shoes (see recent posts for base fitness training on the treadmill). I do have 2 pairs. But there something that runners and triathletes do that borders on hoarding. Once we find a running shoe that works for us, we buy them in unreasonable quantities, and store them. Why?

Paranoia.

What if Adidias stops making the AdiFusion Polar edition? What if Brooks discontinues the Forza Distance? What if K-Swiss stops manufacturing the K-Ona? What if another runner purchases all available colors and sizes of the Asics that I MUST HAVE TO BE SUCCESSFUL?!

We put in a lot of miles for training, and for those of us that love running and hate cycling, we put in even MORE running miles. We are super finnicky about the shoes that "work" for us, and are comfortable for our running style. When you find that ONE SHOE that works, you absolutely go a bit psycho to make sure you can get your hands on as many pairs as is financially feasible, without showing friends and family that you are mentally ill.

Most shoes are good for about 350-550 miles before the cushioning is shot, and the shoes are then ready for retirement as the pair you wear to mow the lawn. In my experience, I'll use two pairs of shoes for training/racing per season. I'm not acutally putting in 1000 miles, but I stagger the use of the two pairs so I have a pair of shoes that are "broken in" and sprung for the races. Nobody wants to wear a brand new pair of shoes to run 26.2 miles!!

So as I was watching my beautiful baby sleep through the 8th episode of SportsCenter, I was shopping on zappos.com for my current shoe of choice. I say current, because to validate every paranoid runner's fear, Adidias DID stop making the AdiFusion Polar edition. I used up the last pair available on the internet in Lake Stevens this past August.... But I did find a replacement! So, I am currently buying 4 pairs of shoes. Two pairs of K-swiss Keahou, and two pairs of K-swiss Ultra Natural Run. Oddly, the description of the Ultra says it is "ideal for world class triathletes."

http://www.zappos.com/k-swiss-ultra-natural-run-silver-black-orange

That begs another question.... Is this HappyIronman a victim of predatory shoe marketing, filled with delusions of grandeur that he can become said "world class triathlete," or is he just a simple old-fashioned Brand Whore?

Brand Whore. Totally.