Ironman of the Year!!!!

Where do I start....with the big surprise. Saturday night was the TriPsyclones end of the season party and awards. So they gave out the male and female MVP's first. Awesome athletes won these awards, Mandy L. and Dave D. Then they started talking about the Ironman of the Year award...and it was me!!! WHAT?!?!?!?! IRONMAN OF THE YEAR?!?!?!?! At first when they said it was someone who had completed her first 70.3 this summer I thought it was Fast Shannon!!! I was so excited for her because she is such an awesome person! But then Patty and Tessy started crying and Fast Shannon said NO SILLY...IT"S YOU!!! OMG!!! So I made myself not cry...so I wouldn't fill up with more mucus!!! WOW!!! I am still amazed.

On Sunday I took Josiah to the Houston Aeros game for Chilly's Puck Pals night. He got to go on the ice at the 2nd intermission and pick up the pucks from the ice. He had a blast. Here are 2 pictures of him from the Aeros game.

Today I am going on a bike ride with Meera and then Josiah and I are going to start putting up our Christmas lights...It is a 2 day project for us so we need to do them now so they are ready to turn on Friday.

I hope everybody has a Great Thanksgiving an even better shopping day Friday!

NOLA 70.3 Update...

I am out...I won't be doing a 70.3 this year. Although I am motivated...it is not a good time for me. I have a lot of things going on that I need to get a handle on and will not have enough time to focus on my training. I do not want to do it unprepared. First of all, January - April is the busiest time of the year for me at work. All sports are a go then so I work at least 5 nights a week. Secondly, I need to focus on Josiah right now. He is at an age where he needs all of my attention and with me working so many hours....I just can't do it and train like I need to. So...there will be other races other years. I will still do triathlons next season, just not the big one! :)

Winter Swimming

Okay...I finally did it. I gave into the large corporation fitness business and signed up at Lifetime Fitness yesterday. I need to get back into swimming and I just couldn't see myself swimming during the winter outside at the YMCA. Plus, the YMCA's kid room is not open when I need it to be so I can swim and have Josiah be supervised. The kid room is 8am - 9pm on weekdays and 8am - 6pm on weekends at Lifetime! WOW!!! Plus, Josiah loved it there. He tried it out while I did the tour and thought it was so great...he asked when he could go back. He hated the YMCA's kid room...nothing to do! Now I have no excuses...I have to start swimming if I want to get my time down for NOLA 70.3. I am so excited. Now if I could get rid of this illness so I can workout! I think I'm pretty smart...my membership won't activate until next Monday...didn't want to pay for this week when I can't workout anyways!

On the weight loss front...I have lost 6 pounds since last Thursday...maybe I should be sick more often!!!!

Illness Continued....

The good news is Josiah is better...the bad news is...I am now sick. I have bronchitis. Don't you just love kids and the germs they pass on. He has been feeling good since Saturday whereas I have wanted to die. No workouts for me since last Wednesday. Aagh! No run this weekend because Josiah was sick Saturday and I was sick Sunday. I think the stars are lined up against me and running. Please let me get better soon! I just want to go run and get ready for the half marathon. It seems every time I take 1 step forward...I take 3 steps back. I know things will get better...I just need to have a little pity party right now.

And while I'm at it...let me complain about students and their parents. So two football players get in a fight last week before school. One of them is brought to me because he has blood everywhere from his nose. I get him cleaned up and call the campus police officer and the assistant principal. Both kids are suspended from school for 3 days and issued citations. The parent of the kid who beat up the other kid wants a meeting because he wants to know why we called the police and principals. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! That is why I am at school today sick when I should be laying in bed getting better....because I had a 7:30 meeting this morning to explain to the parent that if his kid wouldn't fight at school, he wouldn't be suspended and have a citation. That's ok...I coughed as many times as I could in that closed little office so now hopefully they will have suspension, citation, and a nice cold over Thanksgiving break!

Josiah Update

So...I made Josiah go to school yesterday even though he wasn't feeling great from the air conditioning fiasco. They called me after lunch to come get him from school, he wasn't feeling well. I babied him all night, gave him his asthma breathing treatments, etc. and he seemed a little better. I made him go to school again today. School called me at 10:25 to come get him, he has a 101.7 temp. I called the doctor and took him in immediately. Seems he has pneumonia in 1 lung. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! Doctor says extreme air conditioning isn't for people with asthma.... So here is my question....Can I send the California folks the bill since I asked them not to turn the air down after the first night and they did it again anyways????

Family Weekend

This weekend Josiah and I were off to the family ranch in Muldoon, TX. We went to celebrate my grandfather's 75th birthday. Lots of friends and family came in town for the occasion, people I hadn't seen in 15 years. Some things never change. The only differences I noticed were a lot of men with a lot less hair! My grandfather was surprised...he had no clue what was going on and I think he enjoyed the weekend.

Josiah got sick...and he was doing so good with the new asthma medicine. One of the guests from California decided he needed the air conditoning down to about 50 in the bedroom. My mom has 3 thermostats...and one of them controls the 2 bedrooms up off of the loft. So he was controlling his room and our room. Needless to say Josiah is now sick from going back and forth from the regular Texas weather to the air conditioning that is NOT NEEDED by us Texas folks in November!

I did get an 8 mile run in before I left for the ranch Saturday morning. It wsan't as strong as last week but I finished. My running hasn't been going great as it has been harder than I thought to get back into it. I have decided I really need to get serious this week as I need to start laying the base groundwork for New Orleans 70.3 in April. And I need to get some of this weight off....I look at food and gain weight these days. CRAZY! So starting today I am going to post my workouts on here to keep myself honest in my training!

Saturday - 8 miles

Tuesday - 3 miles

Soon To Be New Neighbors & Training Partners

Craig Alexander

MACCA

NOBAMA

Australia is looking like a nice place to live for the next 4-8 years.....and think of the shark infested waters I could train in for triathlons....

Vote

Before & After

At the begininng of the evening....

Three buckets of candy and six hours later....