Summer Fun with Friends

Fishin' at Battlecreek Park

Pleasant Grove's Strawberry Days is this week. We got a late start this morning and didn't get to Battlecreek Park until 11. The fishing was over. I guess they let kids fish along the side of the manmade pond/fishing hole from 9 - 11 a.m. That would have been fun to see. At 11 a.m. they had to put the poles away, and the kids were able to run around in the pond and try to catch the remaining fish with their hands or with nets. Dakota and Rylan worked together - patiently trying to find a fish. No luck. That didn't stop them from trying though. Next year we'll see if Daddy can take off the morning and take Kota fishing and catch a real live fish!

A Flat "Tri"

And here we "tri" again. Today Sara, Emily, and I (along with Kim, Janan, Rebecca, and Chrie) participated in the PG Tri which was hosted by the Provo High Swim Team. It was more casual than the Women of Steel Tri we did last month. We didn't have time-chips this time. We didn't even take time to get familiar with the course. We went into this tri completely blind.

I had a great experience in spite of a couple of mishaps. Today when loading my bike, I realized my tire was flat. I couldn't figure out how to pump the dumb thing up, so I took my bike and tire pump the race. Luckily Sara insisted that we take her 2nd bike with us too - just in case I needed it. I found a guy at the tri who helped me pump tire back up, and I was set...or so I thought. I neatly placed it in the transition area along with all my other essentials - helmet, towel, earplugs, goggles, swim cap, etc. I was ready. We jogged down to the starting line just in time to start our run (us girls had to make a quick potty break before the race started). The run was great. We had to climb a hill, but it wasn't bad. Em and I stayed together the entire time. She's my running buddy, and it's always nice to have someone to share the pace with. Toward the end of our run we could tell we were doing pretty well. I'd say we were in the front 1/3 of the group. In the transition area I went for my bike. After fumbling with my helmet (stupid thing), I got on my bike. Then I noticed my tire had gone flat...again! Grr, after hesitating for a moment, I laid it back and ran over to where we'd stored Sara's 2nd bike. I brought it back into the transition area, walked it out, and off I was. I lost so much time during my transition and then even more on the bike route. The route was shorter this time - only 8 miles instead of 11, but Sara's bike handled the road a lot differently from mine, so I was slower. It made me appreciate my sweet baby-blue Trek road bike all the more. My bike practically climbs hills by itself. Sara's older bike didn't. I went from the front 1/3 to probably the back 1/3 with one event. I'm not kidding. Oh-well.

It's time for me to get serious about my swim too. Thank you Tim Clyde for bringing that to my attention - as if I didn't already know. (just kidding). I did the side-stroke the ENTIRE time. Though Em had spent time with me a couple of weeks prior in the pool helping me with my swim, I gravitated to what I knew best. When I wasn't side-stroking, I was walking in the shallow end. By the next tri I plan to have spent more time in the pool. I feel 100% confident on the run and on the bike (assuming I'm on MY bike), but I need help with my swim.

Then I'll be a real competitor! Bring it on!

A Woman of Steel

After months and months of anticipation and preparation, it finally arrived - my first Sprint Triathlon. I signed up in January, excited and scared. What was I committing to? I, along with 36 other (approximately) other women from our neighborhood decided to go for it.

Getting to the gym every day for me was the easy part. That was my routine. I loved biking, running, and lifting. Swimming was my downfall. I'm a terrible swimmer, so I hated "practicing". I avoided it like crazy. I did at one point try to get a trainer to help me with my technique, but the two appointments we had fell through. Then it was just too close to the actual event, so I gave up on trying to improve my swim. What a mistake that was. Cute Beccy Martin and I stood together waiting for the swim. There she gave me a mini lesson. But, it didn't help. I joked that I was the comic relief in the pool. I wore black (unlike at the left in the photos) hoping no one would recognize me in the pool. I had a pink cap and goggles on just like everyone else. Surely I would blend in. Then I heard Colby's voice - GROTHE! Crap, he recognized me. And I'm sure he laughed as he watched me struggle in the water. I swear I swallowed half the pool.

After 10:47 struggling minutes I finally finished, climbed out, and jogged (they wouldn't let us run - not that I'd be able to with jelly legs) to the transition area. There was my 2nd mess-up. Transition #1 was awful - 3:05 minutes. All I had to do was secure my helmet, put my socks and shoes on, grab some gum and my bike, and run. But, I took my sweet time (obviously).

Once on my bike, I soared. It felt great. The hills were easy. I passed person after person steadily. While others waivered from side to side, I climbed the hill. I picked up my pace once at the top and biked like I'd never biked before. I finished 11 miles in 38 minutes. I'd cut off 10 minutes from our bike ride on Tuesday. I'm sure adrenaline played a part, but it probably didn't hurt that I'd had my bike adjusted to my height and body the day before. Whatever it was, it worked.

My second transition went much more quickly. I took just over a minute to drop my bike off, take off my helmet, throw on my team "pink" shirt, cram some shot blocks in my shirt, and run. I was on my way. On the hill I was winded and slowed to a fast walk for about 30 seconds. Now I regret doing that. I normally don't stop when I'm running; why did I then? But then I picked back up and ran. I was chasing #59. We all had our ages on the back of our right legs, and I was following some lady who was 59. She had a steady pace. About 2/3 into the run, I picked up my pace, passed her, and then ran as fast I could from there. I ran my fastest 5k yet - 25:05.

I crossed the finish line at 1:18:25. I'd estimated it would take me 90 minutes to complete the entire race, and I'd beat my goal by more than 10 minutes.

Our entire team of "pink" did really well. The majority of us finished within 3-4 minutes of each other. The fastest of our group beat me by 2 minutes. You can only imagine how I analyzed my race. What if my transition would have been faster? I could have easily been in and out of the transition area in 90 seconds. What if I wouldn't have stopped during my run? What if my swimming didn't suck so bad? These are things I will remember for next time.

And oh yeah, there will be a next time. Em, Sara, and I have already signed up for the PG Tri on June 14th. There I will have to swim 400 meters (yuck - I'll probably drown), only bike 8 miles, and run another 3. It's going to be an adventure.

My hero for the race? Sheena Brown. With the flu, she competed. She knew she shouldn't. She'd been sick the day before and the morning of. Yet, she said a little prayer, had Darrin give her a blessing, and she went for it. She is such a trooper.

My other hero? Rebecca Schow. She kicked butt. I remember when we first signed up, she was completely reluctant. She didn't want to. Yet she did amazingly well - beating almost everyone in our ward. Her time was around 1:17:55. That turkey beat me! I'm so proud of her.

This will be a Tri to remember. Never again will we have so many ladies participate, train, and compete together. It was an amazing experience!!!

We Ran for Vicki!

This Saturday we ran for Vicki at "Race for a Cure for Breast Cancer" 5K downtown Salt Lake. We headed out bright and early - leaving our homes at 6:30 a.m. The race was at 8:30 a.m. We anticipated a huge turnout. Everyone had warned us. We arrived with plenty of time to walk around, check out the boothes, get a few freebies, and use the por-a-potties before the race. With just a few minutes to spare we worked our way up to the front of the group. There were literally thousands of men, women, children, families, strollers, and people from all walks of life already lined up in the streets ready for the gun to go off. I'm guessing a solid two blocks were full of people running/walking the race. We nudged up near the front, and when the gun went off so did we. The sun was out, the breeze was brisk, and the run was incredible. I think this was my favorite 5k so far. It was electric. I felt like I could have kept going. It was so energizing to see how many people turned out and how many people were along the sides of the streets cheering us on. The finish line was right in the middle of the Gateway shops. Companies donated yummy fruit, water, and Great Harvest had wholesome bread slices for each of the runners. I'm not sure exactly what my race time was. Like last time I didn't see the clock when I ran through. Sara was around 5-10 seconds behind me, and she clocked at 26:19, so I'm guessing I came in around the same time as my last 5K. This time was better though. Everything about it was better. We were running with a purpose - for all the ladies we know and will come to know who have struggled with breast cancer or any kind of cancer for that matter. We ran for one very special lady in our lives - Vicki Poelman - an incredible sister, woman, leader, mother, wife, and compassionate service leader to everyone she meets. We love her dearly, and we are so thankful to know her. She is in our hearts and in our prayers - always!

Our Provo 5K Race

So we had our 2nd 5K Race yesterday. The excitement started on Friday when we went to Fazzoli's to check-in, pick up our packets, and our numbers. They then fed us unlimited pasta (carb-load) for cheap. We took advantage of that - almost making ourselves sick. Yesterday morning Sheena showed up at my door bright and early - early being the key word. I wasn't quite ready. I was still syncing my iPod and charging my Garmin. We picked up Emily and off we went. It was cOlD outside yesterday. We put on our headbands, jackets, and gloves. The wind was blowing, and their was a freezing chill in the area. The adrenalin was pumping though, and through the cold we kept our excitement. After strapping on our time-chips, they blew the cannon, and off we were. We wanted to maintain between an 8-8.30 pace. The first 1 1/2 miles was easy. The wind was with us. Then we turned the corner, and the last 1 1/2 miles sucked. The chilling wind was against us, and we had to run uphill. Our descent pace quickly dropped. We kept going though. The last stretch like the time before we gave it all we had and sprinted through the finish line. This race kicked our butts. We we were beat. Even though we didn't stick to our ideal pace the entire time, we almost cut 2 minutes off our time from our first run. And imagine our surprise when they announced that both Em and I had placed 2nd in our respective age categories. Proudly we wore our medals home for bragging rights with the hubbies and kids.

...and don't forget Sheena! She was amazing. Sheena just had a baby a couple of months ago, and here she was racing in a 5k! How many women do you know that do that? She is truly our inspiration and the one who got us going in the first place. By August when we run in the half-marathon without a doubt she'll be leaving us both in the dust.

Parker's Pool Party at the Poelmans'

Parker turned 8 on Sunday, and last night we got to celebrate his birthday with him up at the Poelmans' pool. We joined the Chandlers, Poulsens, and the Browns (minus Darrin - dang it!). All our kids are the same age, so they had a blast.

I don't know who had more fun - the kids or the grown-ups. We all strapped on helmets and went down the slide - holy cow is that thing fast! Then we ladies climbed on our husbands and had ourselves a wrestling match. It was a great time.

Can I just say that I truly have some of the neatest friends? I feel so lucky to have such amazing friends in my life who love to play - just like me! They mean the absolute world to me, and I am so thankful for them!!!

Our First 5K Race!!

Yeah! We did it! Emily and I signed up for the Run for Red 5K in Provo around a month ago. As the race got closer we were both wondering what the heck we'd done. While we knew we could run 3 miles, we didn't know how many people would show or what to expect. Sheena had told us there would be a ton of teenagers. That was an understatement. I arrived at the school an hour early. I wanted to scope it out. I checked in, got my packet, and my number. It was freezing cold out this morning, so I couldn't decide what to wear. Should I wear my fleece? I'd never run in my fleece, but it was cold! Where was I going to put my car key? So many dumb questions ran through my mind. As I sat there tons of people checked in. Lots of teenagers - just like Sheena has said. They were in shorts and t-shirts. Maybe I didn't need my fleece. So many diehards were there. I didn't belong. What was I doing in a race? Give me a break. Em arrived, and she checked in, and then we were able to laugh together. We stretched, giggled, and stared down the competition. What were we doing? I'd read it was good to start towards the back for our first race. We didn't want to get trampled by the experienced runners. So, we held back. Then the warning, and then the gun. We were off...slowly. Imagine 300 people trying to run at once. Not easy. And to top it off we had to file through a couple of very narrow areas and a bridge. We easily lost a minute or two because we had to walk - at the back of the pack. There was no way we could run. Kim let me borrow her Garmin (thank you so much Kim), so we were able to monitor our distance, pace, and time. It was the best tool ever. Absolutely necessary. We were able to gauge how fast we were running. Some people passed us, but honestly, we passed most everyone. We stayed steady and left the sprint to the end. Em and I proudly ran through the finish line together. Our times were descent. Em came in at 27:34.9, and I came in at 27:35.2. I placed 4th in my age group and 26th overall. Not bad for a first race! Now we have our sites set on a new race. We found out there's another 5k in Provo on April 5th - my dad's birthday. We've already decided we are going to run it, and this time we are going to cut our time by a couple of minutes. We'll for sure start closer to the front of the pack. We're not going to lose time by walking again! Here's to the first of many! Yeah for us Em! I am so proud of us old ladies (you not so old - miss 33!)!!!

Here's the link to check out the professional shots taken at the race: http://www.jontehero.com/runforred/