Watch Out It’s Messy In Here

Happy Easter!

My first ever triathlon was the first Syracuse Iron Girl in 2009.  I had never planned on being a triathlete.  But my friend Missy kind of challenged me to join her in doing her first one, and I am not one to back down from a challenge.  Because this was the first time the event was coming, there were quite a few newbie triathletes.  Many women who had never done an open water swim.  Women who didn't even own a bike.  Women who had only just started running 5ks (myself included).  But we all took on the Iron Girl challenge, and they made us all believe that we could, and that we would in fact, finish the race. Up until the day of the race I was doubtful that I could do this.  I questioned my sanity in taking on such a big challenge.  I had only done my first 5k two months earlier.  I only got a handful of swimming workouts in.  What the hell was I thinking.  Missy and I kept encouraging each other that we could do it. ...

As of tomorrow, I will once again be a one bike triathlete. I am canceling the layaway. I'm hoping they can put the money I used as the first payment toward the clips and shoes that I don't have money for instead. There is no way I can pay the bike off, feed my kids, put gas in my car, and pay my bills. Not to mention the race entry fees I still haven't paid for the races I am planning on doing. It was an impulse decision that was just not rational of me to make. I am very sad, maybe in mourning just a bit, but I know it will be ok. I will do my races on my too heavy road bike, and it will be ok. I may have already fallen in love with that beautiful silver piece of carbon beauty, but at least I haven't named it yet. That would make it worse. Someday I will have a tri bike. Just not this season. Maybe not even next. But, someday.

I love my boys.  They are my reason for being.  My reason for getting up in the morning, my reason for going to work every day.  They are my life.  If something were to happen to either of them a piece of me would die.  I know this is not uncommon for a mother to feel this way.  They were the reason I was considering maybe going into the military.  I need to be able to support them, to give them the life they deserve.  I thought this was a means, albeit a drastic one, to that end.  As of the wee hours of this morning, I know that I can not leave them.  That if I went into the military, and something were to happen to me, they would not be ok.  Even my 14 year old needs his mommy right now.  The events of last night were proof of that fact.  The Big One has asthma.  He was diagnosed with it when I was pregnant with Bubba.  So, we've been dealing with it for 7 years.  We've had some "scary" episodes, but noth...

It's Sunday evening, and I'm supposed to be at Swim clinic.  But, Soccer Mom beat out Iron Mom today.  The Big One had a soccer tournament all day at Hobart College in Geneva, NY today, and we didn't get home early enough for me to feed the children, and myself, and make it to the Y in time for class.  Not to mention spending a day in the sun and cold wind watching your kid play soccer all day makes you very tired.  It was a nice day, and I got to watch my boy play in four soccer games.  I will always put my kids first.  If I have to chose between their activities, or my training, there is no question which wins.  Being the awesome mom I am, we actually went up to Geneva yesterday, got a hotel room, and the three of us had a mini get away.  From my hotel room I could see the back of Geneva Bike Shop.  The Big One commented that it was a good thing they were closed, because he was pretty sure I would have dragged them in there.  And I pi...

As the weather gets warmer, I am wearing less bulky clothing.  Clearly nobody at work reads my blog, so they all missed my post about what NOT to say to a "skinny person".  In the past few days, no less than four people have come right out and asked me if I was anorexic.  What the hell is going through their minds as they ask me that?  Are they jealous?  Do they think it's a compliment?  I just don't get it.  I feel like screaming at them.  "IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!!!"   I did say to one of them that it's an issue that my doctor and I are dealing with, and thanked her for her concern.  Her reply was "So do you think you're fat?"  REALLY?  I just admitted that I had a problem, and you're going there. Then, yesterday, an email was going around work with the following cartoon in it: I decided to revise the cartoon, and will be hanging it in my cubicle (maybe minus the swearing....) For the reco...

Last week I went to the bike shop to try on bike shoes, and figure out what size I wear in them, since they don't run like regular shoes.  Wasn't buying, just figuring out what I wanted.  A friend of mine works there, and was trying to tempt me with a tri bike.  It was nice, but I wasn't looking for a bike.  I've only had Pepe since July.  So, he then convinced me to bring my bike in for a bike fit, since I bought it online, and my father and I put it together.  So, yesterday morning, I took it in.  He watched me ride it, made adjustments, and wow, huge difference.  Then we started talking about all the things I should do to it to make it ride-able for Syracuse 70.3 .  As he was listing all the parts I would need to buy, and we started adding them up, it was going to cost almost as much as the bike did originally!  So, I started thinking about the bike he showed me last week.  And told him to throw it on the trainer, so I could try...